Don't Fear the Rain, We Have the "Ducky of Death!"-Jan '14 **Bonus TR DCA 9/1 x2

[TheMaxRebo]

Poor Rafiki ... Maybe if they did something with his poop he would be more popular

That foggy tree of life picture is quite pretty. Also like the one of the "treasures" with the bridge in the background

 

[amazingact21]

I wish I could say I was surprised by the gate jumping guy, but I've seen too much of that, mostly on the trams. Almost every time I board one, I have to listen to the safety speech multiple times because some guest jumped on halfway through.


Those details you found in AK are pretty neat. I never really thought about how the smallest things make AK so great.


I've heard the Boneyard is a hot spot for kids. At least it gives the adult some time to sit and relax.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Love your Animal Kingdom pictures!! The kids are so cute!!

Thank you!

Naturally. At least it wasn't something like one of those Anna and Elsa lines or something.

That's a great point. I think I may let out a blood-curdling scream if something like that happened on the Anna and Elsa meet and greet!

Love your EPCOT and AK pics, especially all the small details. Makes me realize how much of that stuff you miss when you're running from one ride to the next.

Totally agree about the details! When I'm moving around and about with the kids, they're still a LOT that I miss. Next time I go, I'm hoping to make it a game with the kids to try to spot new details that we had missed before.

From the sound of it, that train jumper need a wife break. That is classic.

OK, so the yellow dinosaur is anatomically correct???

What I love about your TR's is that they are completely unique. Of course that also means I get completely caught off guard when you get to the final post!!

You know, I never thought of it that way but your explanation of the gate jumper trying to get away from his wife is hilarious!

I haven't delved too much online about the gender of the yellow dinosaur but from the hints that I read, the answer is something creative and g-rated and not necessarily anatomical. So I'm looking forward to finding out for myself

So I'm curious, was the animal constipated or not? Inquiring minds want to know. And constipation causes lethargy? Who knew?

Hmmmm, now that I think about it we never found out whether the mandrill was constipated or not. They were taking such a long long time getting the x-ray we sort of gave up and moved on.

I love your DD's description of the "backwards waterfall"!!

Poor Rafiki! I love him!!!! I did have to wait in line to see him, but I can't remember if there were kids in the line. I just remember the two girls in front of me who wore coordinating shirts... one said "Hakuna" and the other said, ummm... I can't remember And then they made a Rafiki sandwich for their picture.

And ummmm.... now I need to know if the dinosaur is a boy or a girl!

I loved DD's description of the "backwards waterfall" as well. So cute.

Rafiki sandwich.

Poor Mandrill can't get a little privacy with his constipation!! Hope he is feeling, uh, relieved now!

Great last picture update. AK is a very photogenic park!! Loved the "Mandatory" EE photos!

Yes, hopefully he is feeling much better and regular now.

AK and MK are my favorite parks to photograph!

Poor Rafiki ... Maybe if they did something with his poop he would be more popular

That foggy tree of life picture is quite pretty. Also like the one of the "treasures" with the bridge in the background

Thanks!

Yeah, there are ways to improve his meet and greet popularity.

Those details you found in AK are pretty neat. I never really thought about how the smallest things make AK so great.

I've heard the Boneyard is a hot spot for kids. At least it gives the adult some time to sit and relax.

Oh that's the best part about the Boneyard especially in the fossil dig area which is shaded. The parents can just sit and take a break while the kids have a blast.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

First off, I started a new Pre-Trip Report for our upcoming trip to Disney for Halloween! Hope you can join me for another round of obsessive planning mixed with some mini-TRs from our summer vacations.

Ok, now to a couple of final thoughts to wrap this report up. Some of you may be wondering if I was successful in converting my brother to the #Disneyside. He and his family had a great time and throughout the trip my brother commented how a lot of the experiences went above his expectations. He and SIL absolutely loved AKL and spent many hours by the pool side even in the rain. DHS was their favorite park mostly due to the thrill rides and shows that they felt spoke more to them than the other parks. They truly enjoyed the Pirates and Pals Cruise even though Wishes were essentially rained and fogged out. And they savored the food at Jiko and Boma. All in all, through the itinerary I created for them he learned that there was a grown-up side to Disney. I don’t think I was able to fully convert him but I do believe he won’t hesitate to go back at the next opportunity especially if we go with them again.

As for my family, it goes without saying that we had another great trip! Late January remains our favorite time to visit with the low crowd levels. Sadly we won’t be returning in January for a while now since we are planning to experience Halloween, Star Wars Weekend, and a summer family reunion for our next three trips. But, I’m sure we’ll eventually make our way back during the last weekend of January in the future and hopefully it will be less rainy.

So I think that about does it! Hope you enjoyed this edition and thanks to all of you who followed till the end! I had a lot of fun sharing our stories with you!

 

[teekathepony]

I'm a couple of updates back, but I'm caught up now and subscribed to the new PTR!

Wow, what kind of luck is that, sun on your last day? At least you got to enjoy it!
Love all the Epcot photos, especially in the Seas.
AK pics are incredible with the fog. I love that you captured all the details, definitely my favourite part of that park. So much thought goes into absolutely everything.
Pandora?? Oh no you didn't.

I'm so glad that your brother and his family enjoyed their trip. And of course, your family as well! I definitely would like to try January some time.
Thank you so much for sharing your story (and amazing photos!) with us! I look forward to the next one!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Well, even if dear brother isn't a full on convert, it sounds like it was still very successful. I like hearing when people realize there's more to Disney than carousels (not that there's anything wrong with carousels).

Thank you for sharing your wonderful photographic talent Dave!!

 

[afwdwfan]

Ok, now to a couple of final thoughts to wrap this report up. Some of you may be wondering if I was successful in converting my brother to the #Disneyside. He and his family had a great time and throughout the trip my brother commented how a lot of the experiences went above his expectations. He and SIL absolutely loved AKL and spent many hours by the pool side even in the rain. DHS was their favorite park mostly due to the thrill rides and shows that they felt spoke more to them than the other parks.

I'm glad that they are somewhat converted and enjoyed their trip. And I'm happy to see that they like DHS so well. I'm not sure I could call it my overall favorite, but I could spend quite a bit of time there. I always feel like it is somewhat underappreciated.

And of course, we know your family enjoyed it and will be back.

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi Dave,

I'm having a sick day today so to distract myself I read through your entire TR. I know you hear this all the time, but your pictures are absolutely amazing! I was so happy to see the Tiki Room pictures because that's one of my favorite attractions and very rarely do I see good pictures of it

You got some of the best Peter Pan's Flight and Haunted Mansion pics I have ever seen. And I loved seeing the Jammin' Jungle Parade pics, that was my favorite thing at AK and I miss it already thanks for making my sick day better, and I'm excited to read your future TRs!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I'm a couple of updates back, but I'm caught up now and subscribed to the new PTR!

Wow, what kind of luck is that, sun on your last day? At least you got to enjoy it!
Love all the Epcot photos, especially in the Seas.
AK pics are incredible with the fog. I love that you captured all the details, definitely my favourite part of that park. So much thought goes into absolutely everything.
Pandora?? Oh no you didn't.

I'm so glad that your brother and his family enjoyed their trip. And of course, your family as well! I definitely would like to try January some time.
Thank you so much for sharing your story (and amazing photos!) with us! I look forward to the next one!

And thank you for following Wendy!

I kept telling myself that at least we DID get to see the sun once during the trip.

Hope you can experience Disney in January sometime.

Well, even if dear brother isn't a full on convert, it sounds like it was still very successful. I like hearing when people realize there's more to Disney than carousels (not that there's anything wrong with carousels).

Thank you for sharing your wonderful photographic talent Dave!!

Thanks for following along Rob! Yep, I consider this Disney trip a success with my brother.

I'm glad that they are somewhat converted and enjoyed their trip. And I'm happy to see that they like DHS so well. I'm not sure I could call it my overall favorite, but I could spend quite a bit of time there. I always feel like it is somewhat underappreciated.

And of course, we know your family enjoyed it and will be back.

If they put Star Wars Land in, there's no doubt that DHS will soar up on my own rank list of the parks.

Thanks for following Andy!

Hi Dave,

I'm having a sick day today so to distract myself I read through your entire TR. I know you hear this all the time, but your pictures are absolutely amazing! I was so happy to see the Tiki Room pictures because that's one of my favorite attractions and very rarely do I see good pictures of it

You got some of the best Peter Pan's Flight and Haunted Mansion pics I have ever seen. And I loved seeing the Jammin' Jungle Parade pics, that was my favorite thing at AK and I miss it already thanks for making my sick day better, and I'm excited to read your future TRs!

Hi Courtney! Thanks for the kind words and reading through my TR! I'm really going to miss Jammin Jungle Parade as well. Hope you're feeling a little better after today.

 

[khertz]

I'm glad you were able to get your extended family more excited about Disney! It's always fun to convert someone. My aunt and uncle were there the same time as us in May, and when we saw them this weekend for Father's Day, we started talking about planning a trip together because they are hooked!

Once again, really enjoyed your TR, Dave! It looks like you have some great trips lined up in the next year, so I will have lots more of you great updates to read and beautiful pictures to see! Off to check out your PTR, even though it's sure to make me insane with jealousy!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm glad that your brother and family enjoyed the trip! I think sometimes it just takes some time to truly convert them to embrace their disneyside.

I'm so glad about the trips you have coming up. My brother and I are actually planning a SWW visit over next Memorial day. I just had so much fun this last time. You'll love it.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I'm glad you were able to get your extended family more excited about Disney! It's always fun to convert someone. My aunt and uncle were there the same time as us in May, and when we saw them this weekend for Father's Day, we started talking about planning a trip together because they are hooked!

Once again, really enjoyed your TR, Dave! It looks like you have some great trips lined up in the next year, so I will have lots more of you great updates to read and beautiful pictures to see! Off to check out your PTR, even though it's sure to make me insane with jealousy!

Thanks for following along Kristy! Yeah, I'm extremely excited about the line up of Disney and non-Disney trips for the next year! But I'm also jealous of your Italy trip

I'm glad that your brother and family enjoyed the trip! I think sometimes it just takes some time to truly convert them to embrace their disneyside.

I'm so glad about the trips you have coming up. My brother and I are actually planning a SWW visit over next Memorial day. I just had so much fun this last time. You'll love it.

Your FB updates and pictures are part of the reason why I decided to make a trip out of SWW Looked like so much fun!

 

[momabbate]

Thanks for sharing another amazing trip with us. Glad your brother and his family had a great time. Can't wait till your next trip. I need to catch up on some reports but will make it to your ptr soon.

 

[princess_momma]

I finally catch on at the end!! I have been a unintentional lurker. I work graves so when I do finally get on the Dis, it's in the middle of the night. And the Dis likes to turn off while I'm trying to read your report!! Moving over to your PTR!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Thanks for sharing another amazing trip with us. Glad your brother and his family had a great time. Can't wait till your next trip. I need to catch up on some reports but will make it to your ptr soon.

Thank you for following! Looking forward to sharing the next one!

I finally catch on at the end!! I have been a unintentional lurker. I work graves so when I do finally get on the Dis, it's in the middle of the night. And the Dis likes to turn off while I'm trying to read your report!! Moving over to your PTR!

Thanks for following this one and my PTR!

 

[khaleesi]

Hooray on a successful conversion!! LOL.

Off to check out the PTR... with extreme jealousy!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hooray on a successful conversion!! LOL.

Off to check out the PTR... with extreme jealousy!

Thanks for following through the end!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Dusting this TR off the shelf to bring you some bonus TR material. I've been keeping a PTR for our October trip and started posting a mini-TR from our Oahu-San Diego-Disney California Adventure trip that we just completed but I thought I'd do some mirror posting on here in case some of you had missed my PTR links. Which by the way is: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3291521

Enjoy!

Even though our short but memorable visit to Disney California Adventure happened after our week-long stay in Oahu, I’m going to kick off my series of mini-TRs with it because of my affinity for non-chronological trip reports and after all this is a Disney community board. The first part of this post is text heavy but if you scroll and read down far enough you'll be treated with 25 photos!

If you’ve followed my previous trip report you may remember how our day at DCA came to be. It actually almost didn’t happen. Our original plans were to visit Oahu for a week to celebrate my Dad’s 70th birthday then return home. But, as I was researching airfares for Oahu I found that we could save A LOT if we booked our return flight with a layover at LAX. Just how much could we save? More than enough to cover 5 nights of lodging in Southern California! So instead of having a 4-hour layover, we decided to turn that into a 5-night “layover.” Even then, our plans were to spend all of that time in San Diego. After sitting on that plan for a few weeks, I finally suggested to DW that we spend one day at Disney California Resort since my family has never been and seen Carsland which she thought would be a fun idea!

Our flight from Honolulu arrived at LAX at 8:45pm on a Saturday night. My plans and itinerary for the next 24 hours or so were tightly packed with not a whole lot of time to sleep thanks to our evening arrival time and Early Entry the next morning that began at 7am. So DW and I were very anxious to try to check into Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel as soon as possible so that the kids could get a good night’s sleep while adjusting to the three hour difference from Oahu. Our plans hit a major snag when we arrived at Dollar’s rental car center. The place was a zoo. Even though I had our car reserved through the Express Service, we waited in line for 30 minutes because at this particular location they don’t pre-assign cars even for their Express members and there was only one agent manning the Express counter who was taking things very leisurely with one customer for more than 20 minutes. I’m happy to report that this was only one of two major snafus we ran into during our entire 13 day trip and we eventually drove out of there with a car. I think I learned my lesson as we observed very similar problems with Dollar in Honolulu with people waiting for over an hour to get a car because how busy the place was. I had been spoiled by the Dollar Express service at Orlando which has always been convenient and efficient but I understand better now that with the cheap rental rates comes a trade-off in the quality of service. As we drove out, I told DW that I would be looking at other rental companies from now on. We also decided at the end of the trip that we would be avoiding flying in and out of LAX thanks to a second incident that occurred on our return flight home which I’ll take you through later. Thankfully, we had such a great time on our trip that it was enough to quickly forget our misadventures at LAX.

Forty-five minute drive on the famous LA freeways had us arriving at Paradise Pier Hotel at 11pm. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s DLR or WDW, the familiar friendliness of CMs greeting us at the front desk always gives me a welcoming feeling and this time was no different. She went through our check in package and chuckled when she pointed out the activities calendar for the hotel as we were staying just one night and would be checking out in 7.5 hours. Nonetheless, her thoroughness was appreciated. We kept most of our luggage tucked and locked away in the trunk of our rental car parked in the garage and took a small bag into our room for the night. Trying to get the kids into bed was a struggle which I couldn’t really blame them. As soon as they stepped foot into the hotel, they knew they were in Disney. They started jumping up and down as we entered the lobby and kept telling me that Goofy was here! It was just a statue of him in his swim trunks and a surf board but they ran around it in circles with pure excitement. Once we got into the room, they were ecstatic to see all of the Disney themed decorations. And once they saw the view outside our window, they couldn’t contain themselves. Honestly when I saw the view I had to stop myself from jumping up and down. The only thing stopping me was that if I did the kids would never fall asleep.





Across the street was the beautifully illuminated Disney California Adventure. To our left we could see the dark and eerie view of Grizzly Peak and Tower of Terror and to the right was rock formations of Radiator Springs in Carsland.

The kids miraculously fell asleep by 11:30pm. I couldn’t quite join them because I had some last minute planning and adjustments to make looking at the Times Guide. World of Color was scheduled a lot later in the evening than I had anticipated which gave me concerns on whether the kids would make it that far into the night given how little sleep they were getting this night. I also had to figure out where to get some breakfast coffee, OJs and pastries for the family since we were trying to make Early Entry at 7am. Once I had a plan I finally went to bed at 1:00am.

I woke up at 5am as planned. While DW and the kids slept, I got dressed and walked over to Disneyland Hotel as I found The Coffee House opened at 6am. I loved walking through the pool area of Disneyland Hotel and passing by Trader Sam’s Lounge. Whenever we return for a longer stay, I decided that we would be staying here. The Coffee House promptly opened at 6am as advertised and I loaded my arms up with breakfast goodies and walked back to the room. The kids were up and dressed when I arrived. DW had dressed them up in their Mickey and Minnie t-shirts. We chowed down on the pastries and drinks quickly and headed out the room at 6:25am. I was beginning to feel less optimistic that we would be at the gates by 7am at this point. We checked our one luggage with the bell service and then I stood in line for 5 minutes at the front desk trying to check out. There was one group in front of me who was being checked in and I knew it was going to take them another few minutes. I decided that we should just leave and that I should just call the hotel’s express check out number later in the morning to tell them we checked out of our room to save us these precious few minutes.

By now, a lot of you may be wondering why I was so intent on making the 7am Early Entry opening time. Three words. Radiator Springs Racers. This attraction is the equivalent of TSMM or Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride. It was the whole reason I booked a room at a Disney hotel so that we could enter the park during Early Entry hours (=Extra Magic Morning Hours) and head straight for it.

We crossed the street to enter the Grand Californian Hotel, another beautifully crafted Disney resort. The hotel has a special entry gate into DCA that only Disney resort guests can access. However, the CM who checked us in the night before gave us one of the best tips a CM has ever given me. She said that for early entry hours she prefers to enter DCA through the main gates because the entry at the GC hotel gets very congested and backed up since it bottlenecks guests into a narrow corridor with very limited turnstiles. So instead, we headed to the main gate plaza by cutting through GC hotel to enter Downtown Disney and then walking over to the gates. I did get a glimpse of the line that had already formed for the GC hotel DCA entry area and immediately I knew that the CM knew what she was talking about.

We powerwalked our way through Downtown Disney and breezed through the bag checks. We didn’t bring a stroller for DS4 on this trip and he managed very well without it for Oahu and San Diego but DW and I knew there was no way he nor we would survive without a stroller at full day at DCA. There’s only one stroller rental location, yes just one, for both parks and is located to the right to the Disneyland turnstiles. So as we cleared bag check I told DW to take the kids and line up at a DCA turnstile while I scurried over to DL side of the plaza and rented a stroller. It’s a little hard for us WDW vets to imagine the proximity of DL and DCA without seeing it with our own eyes since we’re used to lengthy bus rides, ferry rides, and monorail rides to get to one park from the other. Once you’re standing in the middle of the entrance plaza, it’s an awesome feeling to see that the two parks are separated by a mere two minute walking distance (less than a minute if you’re running errr I mean fast walking like I did). Park hoppers make a lot more sense here.

I scanned the turnstiles and found DW and the kids. I had a proud Disney moment of my family right that second. After so many Disney trips with me, DW was able to breakaway from the herd of people congregated around the turnstiles closer to bag check and found a turnstile all the way on the opposite end of the gates with a CM standing by it and no one else in line. Yes, we had arrived at the gates at 6:58am with only two minutes to go and we were first in line!

The gates opened and the CM scanned the barcodes of our passes with his handheld device. No finger scans needed. It’s the little differences people

We quickly made our way down towards Buena Vista Street and the familiar sight of CMs holding back the crowds with a rope. On closer inspection, this wasn’t just any rope. The ropes were designed like gasoline hoses with nozzles at the end. The CMs holding the ropes were all wearing Racer uniforms. And who should be leading us forward towards Carsland? Lightning and Mater (remote controlled I’m assuming) themselves! It was a goose bump moment for me. The CMs slowly led us down towards Carsland. As soon as entered the town limits, the kids started jumping up and down. DW simply said “This. Is. Awesome.” And even though this was my second visit to Carsland I was once again amazed how real everything looked and felt. It’s a clichéd statement that many have uttered but there’s really no other way to describe the feeling: It feels like we’re inside the movie.



Aaaand, once the rope dropped halfway down main street of Radiator Springs all that awe inspiring scenery and yadi yadi yada were quickly forgotten and everyone started running, errr, fast-walking to the Racers entrance.

We walked on and buckled into our seats of our race car. (Excuse me while I wipe away a tear as I relive this triumphant moment after all that planning).

The ride is divided into two segments. The first part has the cars cruising through the beautiful scenery and meeting the citizens of Radiator Springs.

This scene is at the very beginning. The waterfall becomes visible as you turn the corner and is accompanied by the same dramatic music from the movie recreating the moment Lightning first sees it and begins to fall in love with the beauty of Radiator Springs.



After dodging a near collision with Mack.....



We're welcomed into the town limits by Sheriff reminding us to slow down....



Then Mater takes us to the fields for some Tractor Tipping. This is obviously after we honked our horn and they tipped over......



"That's Frank!"



After speeding away from Frank, we enter downtown Radiator Springs to meet its inhabitants. "There's a lot of love here, man"



Red, watering the flowers as he does in the movie.



Lizzie doing what she does best. Dozing off in front of her store.



Lightning and Sally helping us get ready for our big race.



This is where there's a fork in the ride path. Your car either gets shunted over to Luigi's to get an upgrade in tires or Ramone's to get a new paint job before the big race. Then everyone groups back at Doc's who gives some last minute pep talk for the race.

Doc from the path coming from Ramone's



Aaaand Doc from the path coming from Luigi's. Yes, I cover all angles!



The second part is the race itself. Two cars meet up side by side at the starting line where Luigi and Guido start the race.



The cars speed out into the outdoor tracks that includes a few rolling hills and sharp turns reminiscent of Test Track but a little longer in duration.



The ride was a big hit. The kids were bouncing down the exit ramp and replaying the race. Of course the first question they asked was if we could go again. It was only 7:30am and the posted wait time was still only 10 minutes so we got right back in the standby line. I think the kids were even more excited the second time around since they knew what to expect.

After another successful race, we exited the Racers area at 7:50am. We started exploring the rest of Radiator Springs. The kids got a kick out of the statue of Stanley, the founder of Radiator Springs. DS astutely noted that everything was exactly the same as the movie (including his shiny gold teeth) except for one detail – the fountain of water was missing which must had been turned off.

We walked over to Luigi Tires to take a ride on the floating and hovering bumper cars. I didn’t try this attraction during my solo visit a couple of years ago since I wasn’t sure if I could maneuver the tires as a single rider. Even with DS by my side, driving the tires was a little challenging at first but eventually we got the hang of it. It’s an interesting concept and we enjoyed it.

As we exited the ride we saw the rope drop crowd from the regular park hour opening enter Radiator Springs. Having gone on Racers twice already I was able to watch the crowd filter in without a shred of anxiety! We moved over to try Mater’s Jamboree. Even though the rest of the rope drop crowd was in Carsland, Mater’s ride was empty because everyone was focused on Racers. This was another ride I skipped last time as a solo visitor so I had no idea what to expect. We ended up enjoying this ride a lot more than we had anticipated. It’s a twist to the traditional teacup rides and a lot of fun.





The kids loved it and I ended up going back to back on it while DW went to fetch the stroller. I was feeling a bit woozy after the second go around and had to say no to the kids for a third trip on the tractors. As I was trying to regain my bearings, DD and DS said they had to visit Mater’s petting zoo. I thought they were once again referring to the Jamboree so I was about to shoot that idea down but then saw them walk over to a small nook by the entrance of the Jamboree indeed with a sign that said “Mater’s Petting Zoo” with a single tractor “cow” sitting for photo-ops. It was pretty cute. DD immediately struck a pose next to it while DS circled around it inspecting it from all angles.

Once DW rejoined us with the stroller, we decided it was time to finally move on to a different part of the park. Before we left, I made a Fastpass run for Racers so that we could ride it for the third and last time later in the day. Yes, Disneyland still does paper Fast Passes which provided a nice throwback and nostalgic experience.

A couple of more shots of Radiator Springs before we left.

On Route 66.....





Along the Racer's racetrack.....



Finally, before I end this update of Carsland I'll skip ahead to the end of our day when we came back to Carsland one last time at night before heading to World of Color. In my opinion this is a must because the scenery of Radiator Springs really comes to life at night in all its neon glory and somehow makes Carsland look even more real!







That caps off this post on our visit to Radiator Springs! Next up: Paradise Pier!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh wow Dave, your story about Dollar Express shocked me. Maybe something changed (well clearly something changed), but when I did it in 2012, I literally got off the shuttle bus and into a car. So sorry you experienced the complete opposite of Express. YIKES!

I remember wandering the Dland Hotel pool as well. The signs reminded me of all the old Disneyland photos.

Wow, I remember when this was all still being built. I knew it was going to be good, but they really outdid themselves. Just beautiful, and even more beautiful at night.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Oh wow Dave, your story about Dollar Express shocked me. Maybe something changed (well clearly something changed), but when I did it in 2012, I literally got off the shuttle bus and into a car. So sorry you experienced the complete opposite of Express. YIKES!

I remember wandering the Dland Hotel pool as well. The signs reminded me of all the old Disneyland photos.

Wow, I remember when this was all still being built. I knew it was going to be good, but they really outdid themselves. Just beautiful, and even more beautiful at night.

You're right that the night scene at RS is absolutely stunning.

And I really wish I could have checked out Trader Sam's at DL Hotel. Sounds like they are building the same one into the new Poly so maybe I'll get to try one of their drinks very soon.

As for the Dollar rental, I suspect this is the norm based on the reviews I've been reading online after the fact. Clearly, I should have done my homework. We actually got off easy compared to the poor folks who were standing in line at the regular counter for a lot longer then only to come out to the lot with their paperwork to find that their vehicle is not available. After receiving their paperwork everyone is told to just go pick out a vehicle parked in the appropriate size section only to find that the lot is empty and there are no cars available. I saw multiple people storm back into the agency building to complain that there are no vehicles available for them. Once I got my paperwork from the Express counter, I hurried over to the Full Size lot where only three cars remained. The first one I tried had its door taped off saying that the vehicle is a no go and there is no key. I had to scurry over to a very dinged up car and take one of the last remaining vehicles in the full size section. So even though we were tired and frustrated from the experience, I couldn't bring myself to complain too much considering there were people back there that would be waiting for a long time to finally get a car.