A very short trip report. We have just had three weeks away in California, Texas and Hawaii. We had planned to go in March, but due to a close family bereavement, we postponed the trip, and made it a surprise for our children.For this forum though the main deal is Dl, and we had five days there.
We arrived Sunday night, and opted for Ep with preferred seating. My sister came down from LA, we took in a few DCA rides then the parade. Great, but unexpectedly freezing!
We stayed at the GC, with a courtyard view - the perfect location for lifts, park entrance and cafe. What an excellent hotel - we have always stayed at the DLH (when staying onsite), but this will always be my preferred (if possible!) option.
Spent four days in the parks, which,post spring break , were very quiet. TOT was walk on, IJ was never more that 25 minutes. We were lucky enough to win Dream Fps, but I have to say, even though we were able to use them across several days, we didn't actually finish them up. There just weren't the queues. (of course we did use them for soarin, Splash etc - but because it was cold, even splash queues were relatively short, and from time to time, the fast pass access for Autopia, BTmr were not being used.)
Managed to do things we had always missed before - like Billy Hill, and Aladdin. But most of all, took it easy. The location of the hotel, the DFP's and the quiet parks meant we really could have a busy morning, then come back and relax before heading out again. Also - the kids are that bit older, and can stay up without the fall out the next day.
Had one other piece of good luck. We were tossing up whether to try for NEmo - we had two early entry days. We decided to do the usual rides on Tuesday, then see how it went on thursday. Turned out to be the right way around - nemo broke down tuesday mroinig - we were wondering why the rides elsewhere were so busy! Thursday we put the usual plans in action - be there early - and managed to hop on the first sub. it was a fun ride, but I agree with those who wouldn't wait too long for it.
Meals - we ate in DTD and the hotel, but we did have a terrible meal at the Cafe Orleans. My chicken dish was just faintly warm - I sent it back, and it came back....faintly warm. Likewise my husband's vegetarian option. Staff were quite clueless. In the end I just left it - no way would I want to risk poorly reheated chicken on holiday!
Every visit we think, well this will be the last one. But somehow, we end up making another trip, and having fun all over again. We're neither huge Disney fans in generall, nor huge theme park fans - we have visited Universal and Seaworld, knotts etc over the years, and have never felt any need to head back to them. But there is just something about DL that keeps you coming back - I guess that's the magic!
We arrived Sunday night, and opted for Ep with preferred seating. My sister came down from LA, we took in a few DCA rides then the parade. Great, but unexpectedly freezing!
We stayed at the GC, with a courtyard view - the perfect location for lifts, park entrance and cafe. What an excellent hotel - we have always stayed at the DLH (when staying onsite), but this will always be my preferred (if possible!) option.
Spent four days in the parks, which,post spring break , were very quiet. TOT was walk on, IJ was never more that 25 minutes. We were lucky enough to win Dream Fps, but I have to say, even though we were able to use them across several days, we didn't actually finish them up. There just weren't the queues. (of course we did use them for soarin, Splash etc - but because it was cold, even splash queues were relatively short, and from time to time, the fast pass access for Autopia, BTmr were not being used.)
Managed to do things we had always missed before - like Billy Hill, and Aladdin. But most of all, took it easy. The location of the hotel, the DFP's and the quiet parks meant we really could have a busy morning, then come back and relax before heading out again. Also - the kids are that bit older, and can stay up without the fall out the next day.
Had one other piece of good luck. We were tossing up whether to try for NEmo - we had two early entry days. We decided to do the usual rides on Tuesday, then see how it went on thursday. Turned out to be the right way around - nemo broke down tuesday mroinig - we were wondering why the rides elsewhere were so busy! Thursday we put the usual plans in action - be there early - and managed to hop on the first sub. it was a fun ride, but I agree with those who wouldn't wait too long for it.
Meals - we ate in DTD and the hotel, but we did have a terrible meal at the Cafe Orleans. My chicken dish was just faintly warm - I sent it back, and it came back....faintly warm. Likewise my husband's vegetarian option. Staff were quite clueless. In the end I just left it - no way would I want to risk poorly reheated chicken on holiday!
Every visit we think, well this will be the last one. But somehow, we end up making another trip, and having fun all over again. We're neither huge Disney fans in generall, nor huge theme park fans - we have visited Universal and Seaworld, knotts etc over the years, and have never felt any need to head back to them. But there is just something about DL that keeps you coming back - I guess that's the magic!
