We Just Got Back! Memorial Day, HoJo & More!

[chrissiecutie]

Hi All,

We just returned from a week long trip to SoCal and spent 3 days at Disney. We stayed at the Howard Johnson and we were there during the dreaded Memorial Day weekend- here's the scoop!

The crowds were crazy! I'm used to going off season or having someone in a wheelchair, so I don't have to wait in lines. I know, I know...I'm a bit spoiled.

Anyone else there over Memorial Day weekend? What did you think of the crowds?? We used our MM for Saturday morning and it worked great! Got to ride all the Fantasyland rides and were at Toontown by opening. Perfect! And thanks to the amazing Dis'ers I learned that you CAN get more then one Fastpass at a time. You can get one for DL and one for DCA (though we weren't crazy enough to walk it) and you don't have to wait for one Fastpass to expire or use it, before getting another. You just have to let time elapse, so I was able to get FP's for all the major attractions and we were able to do everything we wanted to do! This was the ONLY way we were able to navigate the crowds. Average wait times for Space Mtn were 70 mins and Splash Mtn 55 mins!

Fantasmic was a zoo! We've seen it before so just skipped it this time around. It's been gone for awhile from what I understand and Memorial Day weekend was the 1st weekend of it's return, at least I think it was. Anyways, it was craziness that we just didn't need!

The fireworks were awesome! We saw them every single night we were there but only scoped out a spot in front of the castle for one night. You really can see the fireworks from just about every place in the park. So you can watch them from a different land each time and get a new perspective/view each time. However, the view was best from Main St. in front of the castle. DS's favorite part was seeing Dumbo fly- amazing!

The HoJo is great and DS loved the waterpark! It was close enough to walk but let me tell you...by the end of the day, it was a LONG walk back. I do have a few issues though...they were always out of pool towels at both the pirate waterpark and the Garden Pool, so this needs to be checked more regularly. The Keurig coffee maker is cool but whenever I opened it up to take out the used container of grounds, it always spilled the grounds. Maybe it was just me? And I would have REALLY enjoyed having flavored creamers available in the room. Also, when housekeeping came by, they gave me more coffee and cups but not more lids. Not sure why??

The other thing I noticed was that there was no fan in the bathroom. We stayed in a King Rm, Bldg 2 and used the ET discount (thanks again Dis'ers!) so I'm not sure if this was just our room or our bldg that didn't have bathroom fans?? So we had to shower with the bathroom door open, no biggie but could pose a problem for larger families and folks who prefer not to be so naked in front of others.

Also, beware! The fridge is NOT turned on. We got in late and I was so freakin tired, so just piled our food stuff in the mini fridge and didn't think more about it. Well, the next morning I noticed it wasn't really very cold. It was then that I saw the little placard that stated the fridge was turned off to conserve energy. Great idea but my poor tired eyes just didn't see this upon arrival. Luckily we didn't have to throw anything out as I had frozen all the things before, so they just thawed a bit. But I thought others might want to know this...

And one really awesome tip! Upon arriving at the hotel, DS wanted to go swimming. Since we were in bldg 2 right near the Garden Pool and we had about 40 mins left before the pool closed, we went for it! And boy am I glad we did! If you swim over to the farthest side of the pool and face DL, you CAN see the fireworks from the pool! This was a super exciting and special way to begin our Disney vacation. Plus, we were the only ones in the pool at that time, so it was like our own private fireworks show.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm glad you had a good time ~ thanks for the mini report.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

The crowds were crazy! I'm used to going off season or having someone in a wheelchair, so I don't have to wait in lines. I know, I know...I'm a bit spoiled.

Anyone else there over Memorial Day weekend? What did you think of the crowds??

We were there all day Saturday & Sunday and for a couple hours Monday morning.

I thought it was busy, but not crazy busy on Saturday and Sunday. By getting there first thing in the morning, and by using FastPasses, we were able to do everything we wanted.

Toy Story Midway Mania was never more than a 30 minute wait. We walked on Haunted Mansion on Saturday afternoon and Tower of Terror on Sunday afternoon. Even Peter Pan was only a 10 minute wait on Sunday morning.

We did feel the crowds on Monday though.

 

[chrissiecutie]

We went in on Sat and Sun, took Monday- Memorial Day off and then went back in on Tuesday.

Sat wasn't bad at all. Mainly because we used MM and left mid day and went back to the hotel for a swim. We came back in for dinner around 6:30pm. It was super hot that day, at least for us from WA State and we were literally melting! A swim felt super good.

Sunday we were at DCA and the crowds there were very manageable. Went on Soarin first thing then went over to Hollywood Backlot area. The line for GRR was super long mid day so we got FP's and came back. By the time we came back, the wait was only 15 mins, so we went on it 3 times! We park hopped to DL around 7pm and the lines were still pretty long at DL. Since we hadn't been there all day, we didn't have any FP's to use.

Tuesday was actually the worst day of all 3. I know that the days before Memorial Day, AP's were blocked but I wasn't expecting Tuesday to be SO crazy! We were at DL all day and thank goodness we were able to take advantage of FP's. However then stopped doing them for Space Mtn as the evening wore on, not sure about the other rides. The wait for Space was still at 40 mins when then ran out of FP's.

I knew it would be busy but it was actually just at busy on Tuesday after Memorial Day as it was when we went over the weekend in August. Wow! Not sure if I'll be doing that again anytime soon, thankfully our next trip is planned for November between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know the weather will be better (for us at least!) I just hope the crowds will be calmer too!

 

[rentayenta]

I need pictures and more details!

 

[Flitterific]

I am so glad you guys had a good time. DBF and I were also there Memorial Day weekend (got there Saturday afternoon and left Tuesday afternoon). The crowds were manageable for the most part Saturday through Monday. However, Tuesday felt very crowded to me...there were so many teens there!

Anyway, we also stayed at HoJo in a king room in Bldg 1 with the AP/Entertainment Rate FYI - the bathrooms in Bldg 1 do not have fans either.

Did anyone by any chance see a soft opening for WoC when they were there? I suspect that there may have been one on Sunday as I noticed that the viewing area for WoC was very wet and some of the fountains were turned on. We had dinner at Napa Rose that evening and didn't get to DCA until 8:30pm but the Chef's Counter was worth it though

 

[chrissiecutie]

I am so glad you guys had a good time. DBF and I were also there Memorial Day weekend (got there Saturday afternoon and left Tuesday afternoon). The crowds were manageable for the most part Saturday through Monday. However, Tuesday felt very crowded to me...there were so many teens there!

Anyway, we also stayed at HoJo in a king room in Bldg 1 with the AP/Entertainment Rate FYI - the bathrooms in Bldg 1 do not have fans either.

Did anyone by any chance see a soft opening for WoC when they were there? I suspect that there may have been one on Sunday as I noticed that the viewing area for WoC was very wet and some of the fountains were turned on. We had dinner at Napa Rose that evening and didn't get to DCA until 8:30pm but the Chef's Counter was worth it though

I think they had grad nights or something going. I also spoke to a woman whose daughter was participating in a dance event that lasted all weekend. It's an annual thing and always falls on Memorial Day. As we were checking out, I met a nice couple who were there to watch their son's choir perform.

So not only did you have grad nights (I think) but a dance event and choir/musical performances going on. Which equals LOTS of kids and teens!

We had some issues with a large group of kids wearing Bobcat t-shirts. They kept line jumping while at Space Mt. I said something to the CM's working there and they still didn't fix the problem.

I did my research prior to going but I guess I wasn't aware of all the other groups that would be there during that weekend. Like I said, I don't think we'll be going back at that time of year again.

 

[geochick]

...and you don't have to wait for one Fastpass to expire or use it, before getting another. You just have to let time elapse, so I was able to get FP's for all the major attractions and we were able to do everything we wanted to do! This was the ONLY way we were able to navigate the crowds. :

What? I'm pretty new to this site, but I have read quite a bit, and purchased and highlighted the Unofficial Guide. I even have a Ride Max subscription. BUT - I don't understand what you're trying to tell me...

You don't have to wait until your FP window arrives before getting another FP? The way I understand it is this - if your FP window starts at 10:15, you can get another FP at 10:15. Is that right?

 

[chrissiecutie]

What? I'm pretty new to this site, but I have read quite a bit, and purchased and highlighted the Unofficial Guide. I even have a Ride Max subscription. BUT - I don't understand what you're trying to tell me...

You don't have to wait until your FP window arrives before getting another FP? The way I understand it is this - if your FP window starts at 10:15, you can get another FP at 10:15. Is that right?

No, you don't have to wait.

So let's say you get a FP for Space Mtn at 11am and it says to come back between 2:45-3:45pm. At the bottom of the ticket in small print, it will say"another fastpass available after 1pm." So all you have to do is wait until 1pm and then you can get another FP. By doing this you can accumulate FP's for all the major rides without actually using any of them. So no, you don't have to wait for your FP window before getting another FP.

The way I always understood it was that you had to wait until that 2:45-3:45 time frame, use your Space Mt FP, THEN you could get another FP. Not so!

In the busier months the return time for FP will be way more then 2 hours past the time you got the FP. When we got FP's for Splash Mt on Tuesday, I got them at 1pm and the return time was 8:15-9:15pm. If you had to wait until the 8:15pm return time, then you probably wouldn't be able to get any other FP's, since most FP's will eventually run out mid-late afternoon.

So definately take advantage of the fine print at the bottom of the FP. It will tell you when you're able to get another FP and most times it will be way before the FP return time.

 

[amamax2]

What? I'm pretty new to this site, but I have read quite a bit, and purchased and highlighted the Unofficial Guide. I even have a Ride Max subscription. BUT - I don't understand what you're trying to tell me...

You don't have to wait until your FP window arrives before getting another FP? The way I understand it is this - if your FP window starts at 10:15, you can get another FP at 10:15. Is that right?

You DO have to wait for the window to open, but as soon as the FP window opens, you can get another FP. So if the return time on the FP is 10:15 - 11:15, you can get another FP at 10:15. I think the OP meant you don't have to wait till after 11:15 or until you have actually used the FP to get another one.

PS - Nevermind the above, lol!!

Chrissy was posting at the same time...I didn't know there was anything like that on the FP! Thanks for the info - guess it's because we usually go in slow times and the FP are usually good within an hour of getting them!

 

[chrissiecutie]

You DO have to wait for the window to open, but as soon as the FP window opens, you can get another FP. So if the return time on the FP is 10:15 - 11:15, you can get another FP at 10:15. I think the OP meant you don't have to wait till after 11:15 or until you have actually used the FP to get another one.

PS

Chrissy was posting at the same time...I didn't know there was anything like that on the FP! Thanks for the info - guess it's because we usually go in slow times and the FP are usually good within an hour of getting them!

Amamax....you actually don't have to wait for the FP window time to come up before getting another FP. You just have to wait a few hours (2 I think!) and then you can go get another FP. At the bottom of the FP ticket, it will say "another fastpass available at 1pm" or whatever time. So if you got a FP at 10:30am, the return window time is 2:45-3:45pm, the bottom of the FP ticket will say "another fastpass available at 1pm". I know because I have an unused one from Space Mtn this last Tuesday that I'm looking at right now.

 

[nana50]

That is very helpful to know. Now another question. Can you get another FP for the same ride before the time expires? Or can you only get another FP for another ride?

 

[Disney Dreams]

That is very helpful to know. Now another question. Can you get another FP for the same ride before the time expires? Or can you only get another FP for another ride?

Any FP.

If you LOVE Space Mountain, you can collect SM FPs all day long and ride all night long.

 

[nana50]

Woo Hoo!

 

[Hound 109]

What? I'm pretty new to this site, but I have read quite a bit, and purchased and highlighted the Unofficial Guide. I even have a Ride Max subscription. BUT - I don't understand what you're trying to tell me...

You don't have to wait until your FP window arrives before getting another FP? The way I understand it is this - if your FP window starts at 10:15, you can get another FP at 10:15. Is that right?

Here are some FP tip threads from Hydroguy which will be helpful:

FASTPASS AT DLR

"Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

"FastPass for Dummies and Smarties - A Photographic Explanation" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1186052

"Which Fast Pass First?" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1107718 (see my post #4 in that thread)

"Strategies For Using DL and DCA Opening Time Differences to Collect More Fastpasses"
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1553197



Geochick, you have to wait until the beginning of your FP return window...or two hours...whichever is less.

Picking up FPs early in the AM will often have windows of an hour (or less). So you could possibly pick up the following FPs:

- SM at 8am
- Indy at 8:50
- Splash at 9:50am
- BTMRR at 10:45am

Hop to DCA at 11am & use all 4 of the above at DL that evening.


But even if picking a FP up at say 2pm with a 7pm return window...then you can pick up your next FP at 4pm (not 7pm).


But, regarding picking up the SAME attraction FP....i do think you have to wait until THAT ride's window opens up in order to get another FP for THAT ride. Hopefully someone else will clarify....or i'm sure it's addressed in HGs FP threads linked above.

Have a great time at Walt's Park.

 

[geochick]

Very helpful. Thanks.

 

[Disney Dider]

Strange. I just looked at all 12 of my fast passes and they all say another one will be available at the return start time, no sooner than.