Trip Summary and a List of Personal Firsts at DLR

[HydroGuy]

I and DS16 had three days at the parks preceding the D23 Expo - Tue/Wed/Thu August 16-18. Here are some items others might find of interest.

Personal Firsts

o We used a FP for Space Mtn on the next day

On Wednesday we had Space Mtn FPs and we returned at 10PM to use them and it had just closed. So we did not get to use them. We happened back by on Thursday morning and I told them what happened and was going to ask if they would take them. Before I could finish my sentence the CM said no problem and waved us through.

The moral of the story should be obvious. If you have FPs from the previous day and cannot use them because of ride problems then do not throw them away!

As a side note, after Space Mtn broke down Wednesday night we decided to use our Indy FP. So we trekked over there. Guess what? They were down too!

So after our Space Mtn experience we asked if we could use the FPs at Indy and they said we could not. The CM said they got the ride going again before closing the previous night and when that happens they do not take FPs the next day.

FYI.


o I saw the "hidden" Mickey hat on the skeleton in Indy! I have looked at least a dozen times and never saw it. Now I know where to look.

o We rode California Screamin at night. Twice.

o We ate at the new Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta at DCA. Not great but pretty good. The dinign area there in Paradise Garden is pretty nice.

o We got a bread bowl at DCA's Pacific Wharf

o Saw Magical foreworks from the hub

o Stayed at the Candy Cane Inn - because it was close to the parks and also close to the Anaheim Convention Center where the Expo was held. The grounds at CCI are very well maintained and welcoming. The pool was clean and welcoming and small. The rooms were nothing special and in reasonably good condition.

o We rode TSMM at rope drop. Arrived 10 minutes before rope drop. Walked with purpose at 10AM. Got on the ride at about 10:06AM.

We rode TSMM later that day with a 25 minute line. Was the rope drop really that advantageous? We still waited in line for 16 minutes (10 at the rope then 6 at the ride). Probably not on that day. But on days with a 35-40 minute line it begins to be worth it.


Personal Seconds

o I saw WOC from the very front of the red/yellow section - the absolute closest spot - in the wet zone and got...wet. A little. Well a little more than a little but not a lot.

Also earlier in the week we saw WOC from preferred dining and got a rail spot. I will probably not try any more for the very front. I like the rail spot much better or any spot maybe 20-30 feet back from the water. The very front spot is just too close. It is awesome to see it there once as the show envelopes you. But you just can't see some of the effects very well because you are too close.

o Ate at Cafe Orleans and Plaza Inn

o Rode Soarin Over California thru the single rider - and I swear it took longer than the standby line. I knew it is the worst single rider line but it took forever. I am not going to do this anymore.


Other things of note...

o It was warm but typical SoCal summer weather. A little cloudy in the mornings, the sun out by 9-10AM. The first day was low 80's, the next two were high 80's.

o Crowds were modest - even Splash Mtn on hot days never appeared to get above an hour standby. It was easy to get FPs for Splash, Space, Indy, Soarin and anything except for ST into the early evening.

o The front seats of California Screamin are the best. The front seats of Space Mtn are the best. The rear seats of BTMRR are the best.

o Finding Nemo Sub Voyage has grown on me. I think it got a bad rap in 2007 because it was not spectacular. But for what it is it is a pretty good ride.

o Rode Little Mermaid ride back in late June soon after it opened. Twice. The ride was not spectacular. I rode it a third time last week and my opinion of it improved. The color and motion and animatronics are quite good. I agree one of the Ariel AA's looks a little wierd. I think guests get too close and/or there is too much light on her.

o Got to share a yummy Tigger Tail with DS16 on two separate days.

o If your group is adults or teens who can power walk, you can really make progress pre-rope drop.

On Wednesday we arrived at the DLR security at about 7:35 and security had not yet opened for some reason. There were 40-50 people in front of us. After it opened we power walked and got in line at one of the turnstiles with the tree in front (line 18 I think) which feeds two lines (18 and 19) and we were about 20th in line there. They opened the turnstiles at about 7:50AM and we got thru and power walked and made it to the front of the rope on the far left side at the end of Main Street. From there we power walked and were second in line to get ST FPs. Then we power walked to PP and had a bout a 10 minute wait because of our ST detour. It was worth it.

o The pre-rope drop ST line at the far right sidewalk they had in June is gone. Everyone has a free shot at the ST queue at rope drop. There are no ropes leading from Main Street to ST anymore.

o After the Expo on Sunday evening I had a few hours and spent them seeing WOC (see earlier bullet item) and Fantasmic immediately after. I think Fantasmic is really good (not as good as WOC ) and think it does not have near the story that some people make it out to have. The first 12 of the 23 minutes are just water screens and floats coming by. No story until the witch appears at around 13 minutes in.

In any case Fantasmic has four very awesome things about it. The AA dragon, the use of the ships, the music and the live performers. All powerful show elements. I love the Fantasmic music!

 

[skiingfast]

So when you were waiting for security to let you in on the Harbor side, was it open on the DTD side? Is that how you went from 40 or 50th in line at security to 20th in line at the gate?

When did you ride Screemin? Both trips pre WoC?

 

[sonnyjane]

So when you were waiting for security to let you in on the Harbor side, was it open on the DTD side? Is that how you went from 40 or 50th in line at security to 20th in line at the gate?

When did you ride Screemin? Both trips pre WoC?

I also rode Screamin' at night last week. I got a FP then asked the CM when they had usually been closing. For the 9:00 WOC she told me to be back around 8 since they closed around 8:30. It was definitely dark by then, and Screamin' in the dark blows away Screamin' in the daytime!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

o We ate at the new Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta at DCA. Not great but pretty good. The dinign area there in Paradise Garden is pretty nice.

We tried this on our last visit too and really liked it. Very good for theme park food.

o We got a bread bowl at DCA's Pacific Wharf

I like to do this once in a while. Which one did you get? I usually get clam chowder. Great tip I got from this board is you can get the filling in a cup instead of in the bread bowl if you don't want your bread soggy. I do this because I can't, maybe shouldn't is a better word, eat the whole bread bowl, and the boys like to nibble on it but don't usually like the contents.

We rode TSMM later that day with a 25 minute line.

So jealous. It was never less than 40 minutes when we looked it up or actually went back there during our trip, plus it was down several times.

o After the Expo on Sunday evening I had a few hours and spent them seeing WOC (see earlier bullet item) and Fantasmic immediately after. I think Fantasmic is really good (not as good as WOC ) and think it does not have near the story that some people make it out to have. The first 12 of the 23 minutes are just water screens and floats coming by. No story until the witch appears at around 13 minutes in.

In any case Fantasmic has four very awesome things about it. The AA dragon, the use of the ships, the music and the live performers. All powerful show elements. I love the Fantasmic music!

Obviously, everyone has their own tastes. WoC just doesn't do much for me. Big chunks of Fantasmic don't do a lot for me either though when I think about it. I find the water screens the most boring part of Fantasmic, so maybe that's why a whole show of water screens and water effects doesn't excite me either. I think what grabs me most with Fantasmic is the fantastic music!

 

[aristocat65]

I also rode Screamin' at night last week. I got a FP then asked the CM when they had usually been closing. For the 9:00 WOC she told me to be back around 8 since they closed around 8:30. It was definitely dark by then, and Screamin' in the dark blows away Screamin' in the daytime!

I agree; It is the BEST at night

 

[HydroGuy]

So when you were waiting for security to let you in on the Harbor side, was it open on the DTD side? Is that how you went from 40 or 50th in line at security to 20th in line at the gate?

It appeared both sides of security came in at the same time. It was just slow getting thru security with that many people.

I wish DLR would setup like WDW with a line for folks with no strollers or bags or anything to check...

When did you ride Screemin? Both trips pre WoC?

Yes, of course they close Screamin for WOC. So it was before. It appeared both nights we rode it that they closed the line around 8:15-8:30. One night we got in line at about 7:50 and rode at 8:10. It was dark but not totally. The other night we got in line at 8:15 and rode about 8:35. It was totally dark.

 

[HydroGuy]

I like to do this once in a while. Which one did you get? I usually get clam chowder. Great tip I got from this board is you can get the filling in a cup instead of in the bread bowl if you don't want your bread soggy. I do this because I can't, maybe shouldn't is a better word, eat the whole bread bowl, and the boys like to nibble on it but don't usually like the contents.

DS16 got the clam chower and I got the corn chowder. The corn chowder was pretty good. I think next time I will try something else.

So jealous. It was never less than 40 minutes when we looked it up or actually went back there during our trip, plus it was down several times.

Usually TSMM was 30-40 minutes (and 45+ minutes on Sunday after blockouts lifted) but one afternoon we got off Screamin and the line was unusually short at 25 minutes. So we jumped in. We got to ride TSMM twice overall. The first time at rope drop I got a higher score than DS16 and he was determined to beat me second time. But I prevailed again.

 

[rentayenta]

o I saw the "hidden" Mickey hat on the skeleton in Indy! I have looked at least a dozen times and never saw it. Now I know where to look.

This is my favorite hidden Mickey in the entire park. When you know exactly where and how to look, it's awesome!

 

[ssuriano]

I love the bread bowl! Also couldn't agree more about the best seats in rides.

 

[ArchOwl]

Thanks for the insights, it has been awhile since I have done Screamin' at night (due to WOC changes). I am going to make it a priority to do on our next trip.

I agree about Space and BTMRR seat positions, but favor last row on Screamin' for the extra pull over the hills.

Glad you saw "Bones" in Indy! Hubby is still trying to catch a glimpse of him and hates that I can see him now almost everytime and he still can't.

Interesting about TSMM and rope drop. I will keep it mind and perhaps give it another try. I just seem to have bad luck with it as the first two times I devoted time to it at rope drop, it wasn't open first thing. So basically we wasted our rope drop. Haven't done a rope drop at DCA in awhile, perhaps it is time to see how it goes!

In my book, WOC beats Fantasmic in a cake walk everyday and twice most days, lol!

Sounds like you had fun, thanks again!

 

[DLR29]

Mmmmmm, the bread bowls are so yummy and filling!

Also, I was there that night when Space broke down at night. They ended up fixing it before midnight btw.

Still can't believe we were there at the same time and didn't say hi... We probably crossed paths so many times that day.

 

[HydroGuy]

Also, I was there that night when Space broke down at night. They ended up fixing it before midnight btw.

Yah, I heard that too after we came back later after Indy. So the whole "we do not take next day FPs if the ride re-opens" thing must be somewhat arbitrary.

So that must have been you in line before us humming the USC fight song on some of the rides?

 

[Caseystigger]

o I saw the "hidden" Mickey hat on the skeleton in Indy! I have looked at least a dozen times and never saw it. Now I know where to look. !

Can you give a general area where to look for this? Pretty please??! I have never been able to find it. I've seen the eeyore parking sign but not this.

o We ate at the new Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta at DCA. Not great but pretty good. The dinign area there in Paradise Garden is pretty nice.!

Am thinking about trying this...was it worth it or would you suggest passing in favor of Pacific Wharf (which I really like)?

o The front seats of California Screamin are the best. The front seats of Space Mtn are the best. The rear seats of BTMRR are the best.!

Totally agree!!

In any case Fantasmic has four very awesome things about it. The AA dragon, the use of the ships, the music and the live performers. All powerful show elements. I love the Fantasmic music!

LOVE Fantasmic and can't wait to see WOC for the first time next month.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and sorry for all the questions.
Erica

 

[PinkBudgie]

I love how you break your trip down into bullet points because that's how I think too.

A thought came to me about TSMM. I'm thinking that if you went on a day that didn't get as low as 25 min, then DCA would be more crowded in general and rope drop there might take longer.

WOC is my favorite show too. I think I enjoyed having a perfect view from the back better then the rail at preferred dining. It was great to see the entire show.

 

[HydroGuy]

Can you give a general area where to look for this? Pretty please??! I have never been able to find it. I've seen the eeyore parking sign but not this.

What do I get in return?

OK, here is the best tip for seeing it :

The mistake I have made in the past is when the jeep first comes thru the tunnel where you can see the rope bridge and makes a hard left turn, there are skeletons all over on the left side. I always looked at the far back wall. That is not where it is. It is on the much closer wall immediately to the left - maybe 10 feet away from the ride vehicle. It is dark there and hard to see. The back walls have brighter light. And you only get a split second to see it.

HTH

Am thinking about trying this...was it worth it or would you suggest passing in favor of Pacific Wharf (which I really like)?

I rate both as pretty good. Both DS16 and I got the spaghetti with meatballs at Boardwalk Pasta. I did love the heavenly sourdough bread in the breadbowls. The corn chowder in the breadbowl - not so much.

If I had to choose one over the other it would be the Boardwalk Pasta. By a nose.

 

[HydroGuy]

I love how you break your trip down into bullet points because that's how I think too.

A thought came to me about TSMM. I'm thinking that if you went on a day that didn't get as low as 25 min, then DCA would be more crowded in general and rope drop there might take longer.

WOC is my favorite show too. I think I enjoyed having a perfect view from the back better then the rail at preferred dining. It was great to see the entire show.

We tried to do rope drop in June. We rode LMAUA at 9:30 and then got in lien at the rope at 9:50. At about 9:55 a TSMM CM came out to say TSMM would have a delayed opening. So we missed TSMM that morning.

This seems to happen fairly often which diminishes the value of TSMM rope drop.

Most of the time over the three days the TSMM line was in the 35 minute range and a few times hit 40 minutes. We were not planning to ride it a second time but when we were there already and the line was only 25 minutes we decided to go for it.

Another reason we wanted to the TSMM rope drop thing is because we wanted to ride Screamin which had been down the previous afternoon/evening when we tried to ride it. Screamin never opened on our rope drop morning and they did not get it going until late afternoon. At which time we rode it because we were starting to think we might miss it entirely on this trip with all the trouble it was having.

Maybe there is a reason they have it on the refurb schedule next month!

 

[Hound 109]

Man....with HG (& his teenage son) & DLR 29 being there at the same time, they could have really pushed the envelope if they had decided to go Guinness world record on them at Walt's Park.

- Total number of rides in a day? (i'm guessing 75+ would have been in doubt).
- Total number of FPs collected? (Easily a dozen or more per person).


Seriously though. Always good to get reports on the ground.



HG, how did the CCI work for attending a convention and also attempting to max out on DLR visits? Would you do it again? Would staying at the Hilton (or the BWPPI) be better?


Other random comments:

Yah, I heard that too after we came back later after Indy. So the whole "we do not take next day FPs if the ride re-opens" thing must be somewhat arbitrary.

This was our experience with Indy as well. After first saying no..... He let us thru when i nicely explained that we leave the parks at 9pm & are up early (after Indy had been down from 6pm-10pm the previous night).

Originally Posted by HydroGuy
o The front seats of California Screamin are the best. The front seats of Space Mtn are the best. The rear seats of BTMRR are the best.!

I agree.

Most of the time over the three days the TSMM line was in the 35 minute range and a few times hit 40 minutes. We were not planning to ride it a second time but when we were there already and the line was only 25 minutes we decided to go for it.

I think more & more folks are coming to the "why waste rope drop on TSMM....it's always 25-35 min. from noon - 3pm" philosophy. I know i do.

I wish DLR would setup like WDW with a line for folks with no strollers or bags or anything to check...

Isn't that the stinkin' truth??!! Men (& their young padewans) don't need silly backpacks, etc. If it doesn't fit into your cargo pants you don't need to bring it. We normally each bring one bottled water (to refill thru out the day) in one hand. Everything else is in the cargo pocket.


Good to hear about the "Screamin' at night" tips (from everyone). As if i needed another reason to ride that fun little coaster.

(& gotta love that it's a good single rider attraction too!)


Thanks again for posting HG.

 

[HydroGuy]

Man....with HG (& his teenage son) & DLR 29 being there at the same time, they could have really pushed the envelope if they had decided to go Guinness world record on them at Walt's Park.

- Total number of rides in a day? (i'm guessing 75+ would have been in doubt).
- Total number of FPs collected? (Easily a dozen or more per person).

On the first day we did 27 rides and also did the AG dinner for WOC and saw WOC. That took about 3.5 hours out of the day. And we took an afternoon break to CCI for a nap for about 3.5 hours. Oh it was an MM morning which helped. I think we did 9 of the rides during MM.

We did not count up rides the other days but we did not push quite as hard on rides.

HG, how did the CCI work for attending a convention and also attempting to max out on DLR visits? Would you do it again? Would staying at the Hilton (or the BWPPI) be better?

CCI worked great. I had a rate of like $100 a night. Splurged on GCH in June and this time cheap was fine. We truly did nothing but sleep at CCI.

We used their shuttle (which ran like clockwork every 30 minutes) every time and never walked. So we saved some leg power. The Hilton is another 5 minutes at least from CCI - well, it seemed to take me 10 minutes to get to the Expo right next to the Hilton so maybe the Hilton is an extra 10 minutes. Not sure if they have any kind of shuttle.

BWPPI would have been way worse for the Expo. The Hilton would have been way better. All in all I liked the CCI choice plus it got me a little more knowledge of the local good neighbors. I could see us staying there again.

I think more & more folks are coming to the "why waste rope drop on TSMM....it's always 25-35 min. from noon - 3pm" philosophy. I know i do.

My philosophy has always been to not do TSMM at rope drop for all of the common reasons. However, I wanted to get to DCA anyways to ride Screamin, GSS and the Fun Wheel early in the morning. So we did it.

 

[Caseystigger]

What do I get in return?

OK, here is the best tip for seeing it :

The mistake I have made in the past is when the jeep first comes thru the tunnel where you can see the rope bridge and makes a hard left turn, there are skeletons all over on the left side. I always looked at the far back wall. That is not where it is. It is on the much closer wall immediately to the left - maybe 10 feet away from the ride vehicle. It is dark there and hard to see. The back walls have brighter light. And you only get a split second to see it.

HTH

Thank you! Thank you!!

Adding this to the list of things of secrets to see next month.

I rate both as pretty good. Both DS16 and I got the spaghetti with meatballs at Boardwalk Pasta. I did love the heavenly sourdough bread in the breadbowls. The corn chowder in the breadbowl - not so much.

If I had to choose one over the other it would be the Boardwalk Pasta. By a nose.

The spaghetti and the flat bread pizza are what we were thinking of trying and seeing we have eaten at Pacific Wharf it sounds like Boardwalk is definitly worth trying. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

Erica