Just Got Back....thoughts

[redleader74]

So, we just returned from our 4-day/5-night trip with visits to the park on Tuesdy 7/13 and Thursday 7/15. We went with our 2.6 year old. We were ready/prepared for anything...mainly the heat. Coming from northern CA, heat (more humid, steady, daily heat) isn't something we're accustomed to. Daily it was peaking in the low 80's but add to that the sun was really strong making the experience day and night difference whether you are in the shade or not. Some general reflections I'd like to share as it pertains to heat, child, crowds, etc.:

- We read that the entry crowds tend to thin out after "rope drop" so on the first day we arrived around 10AM and the lines were decent but they weren't short either. Conversely, we did the opposite on the second day, trying to get more for our mileage and arrived around 8 and the lines were much, much shorter. The same is true for the crowds in front of the Mickey landscaping, just beyond the turnstiles as well as on the other side, in front of the train station.
- We only went on the children's rides. Other than on the Tuesday in midday, all the other times we rode Small World there was no line, literally, straight to the boarding area. Our kid wanted to ride it so much we went on it five times in two days. The one we really wanted to go on, Peter Pan, had consistently long waits regardless of time of day. Keep in mind that for us wth a toddler in tow, anything more than 20 or so minutes is long line.
- We bought one of those rechargeable portable misting fans and they really do work, at high speed it's quite powerful and the misting feature makes it feel almost like a mini air conditioner. Here's the one we got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P2YBMJC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- We would go back to the hotel in the afternoon to rest up and then return in the early evening. We found the park and the weather very different after about 5PM. Much more manageable and pleasant from there on out. Lines felt shorter too.
- Needless to say, the advanced food ordering via the Disneyland App was instrumental in our meals.
- We bought one of those Mickey/Disney balloons (the ones where there is a Mickey shaped balloon inside a larger clear balloon) the day we arrived, in Downtown Disney. That was a week ago and it is still floating. I'm quite impressed, you typically only see this kind of lasting power from the mylar balloons.
- Though we knew that Disneyland wasn't doing traditional parades, we discovered (and this was news to us) that they were doing kind of single float processions which consisted of literally one float (sometimes one of the mainstreet vehicles), some characters, appearing unanounced at various times during the day. It seemed like they did this on purpose to keep crowds from forming so many people were kind of caught off guard and just watched it if they could.
- Is it just me or is the AC at Abe Lincoln insanely cold? We went in there (just the lobby and museum areas) in the afternoon after we were already hot and sweaty and it was so cold that I found it uncomfortable.
- Conclusion, next time we're going in the winter or at least, not the summer.


I've attached one of my favorite photos fromt he trip. This was the end of the night, we were one of the last boats to go, the line was closed by the time we got back. I've always loved the boat dock/landing for Small World, in particular the elevated control booths.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thank you for your recap. We missed Lincoln when we were there. I love your photo!

 

[wishing4PA]

I'm so not looking forward to the heat. I basically hide out in the AC all summer, so I'll enjoy Mr. Lincoln, I think! I have to go see him anyhow, b/c from what I've been told, I saw him at the NY World's Fair. (There, I've given away my age lol.)
Thank you so much for your report! I'm enjoying all of these. I had to laugh with your balloon review. But that's awesome! I also remember at WDW going around Small World a few times with my DD. I can't wait to see it at DL! (And thanks for the pic too!)

 

[Matrixleos]

We bought one of those rechargeable portable misting fans and they really do work, at high speed it's quite powerful and the misting feature makes it feel almost like a mini air conditioner.

I was actually going to buy a USB rechargeable fan tomorrow and didn't even think about getting on that you can add water to create a mist feature.

Quick questions, how often did you have to refill the water on the fan. Plus how long did the fan last on one charge?

We'll have a USB rechargeable with us and can just recharge the devices but curious to see how often would one charge of those fans last?

 

[kappyfamily]

Thanks for the review! Couple Questions: where did you stay and how was the walk in the morning? Any stand out places you ate at?

thank you and glad you had a nice vacation!

*****BTW 5x on Small World, that's "parent of the year" material right there......

 

[redleader74]

so I'll enjoy Mr. Lincoln, I think! I have to go see him anyhow, b/c from what I've been told, I saw him at the NY World's Fair. (There, I've given away my age lol.)

Holy Toledo.

Regarding our mutual issues with heat....once my shirt gets sticky the day is over, ha ha. But I do have some good tricks to stay cool and comfortable. We bring a small soft sided cooler into the park with bottles of ice. As the ice melts we get ice water that I then use it to soak a small towel or bandana that i can then wrap around my neck or fold up and put on top of my head under my hat and it's like instant portable AC. I should add that similar to "wind chill factors" in winter snow, Southern CA should have like a sun factor....the heat is completely different under the sun and not under the sun...I mean, like day and night difference. I can handle waiting in line in the shade, but under the sun it's painful.

I was actually going to buy a USB rechargeable fan tomorrow and didn't even think about getting on that you can add water to create a mist feature.

Quick questions, how often did you have to refill the water on the fan. Plus how long did the fan last on one charge?

We'll have a USB rechargeable with us and can just recharge the devices but curious to see how often would one charge of those fans last?

w/ and w/o the mist is day and night difference. With the mist it "almost" feels like real air conditioning....and I'll throw in a tip, if you have ice cold water (say, you froze your water bottle the night before and allow it to melt throughout the day) it REALLY does feel like air conditioning. I would say that one full refill will give you maybe 15-20 minutes of non-stop mist? That's a very rough estimate. I never ran my fan till the batteries died but I was in line for about 30 minutes in Small World and it ran constantly and didn't break a sweat....pun intended. In fact, I didnt' see anyone with the fan I had. most had the kind that you can clip on to something and in most cases it was clipped onto a stroller. The good thing about the one I had is that you can both hold it in front of you but it also bends at the neck so you can set it on a table and have it shooting up at you, perfect for air conditioning while you eat.

Thanks for the review! Couple Questions: where did you stay and how was the walk in the morning? Any stand out places you ate at?

thank you and glad you had a nice vacation!

*****BTW 5x on Small World, that's "parent of the year" material right there......

We stayed at the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn & Mini Suites....this is the one that is right across the street (at the crosswalk) from the Harbor side entrance. Plus, we got a ground level room, so from front door to turnstile, it's closer even than any room at the Disneyland Hotel (but maybe not the Grand California) One thing to keep in mind if you're not wanting to walk too far, is that you have to take into acount wherever you are in the park and from there you have to make the march through the park, to the turnstiles, from there across the esplande pass the bus pick up area, and then to the street. With crowds, that's a pretty beefy walk in 80 something degree heat. AND THEN from there you start your walk on the street back to your hotel. This is why we picked the BWPPP. With kid in tow and the heat, there's no way we can go all day at the park. With an afternoon break, a shower back at the hotel a fresh change of clothes and a couple of beers, it's like a whole new day at the park when we return in the early evening.

No truly memorable meals this time around. The pasta at Alien Pizza continues to be a good and hearty choice for us. We also went to the restaurant in critter country because there's plenty of shade cover and makes it comfortable.

 

[kappyfamily]

Holy Toledo.

Regarding our mutual issues with heat....once my shirt gets sticky the day is over, ha ha. But I do have some good tricks to stay cool and comfortable. We bring a small soft sided cooler into the park with bottles of ice. As the ice melts we get ice water that I then use it to soak a small towel or bandana that i can then wrap around my neck or fold up and put on top of my head under my hat and it's like instant portable AC. I should add that similar to "wind chill factors" in winter snow, Southern CA should have like a sun factor....the heat is completely different under the sun and not under the sun...I mean, like day and night difference. I can handle waiting in line in the shade, but under the sun it's painful.



w/ and w/o the mist is day and night difference. With the mist it "almost" feels like real air conditioning....and I'll throw in a tip, if you have ice cold water (say, you froze your water bottle the night before and allow it to melt throughout the day) it REALLY does feel like air conditioning. I would say that one full refill will give you maybe 15-20 minutes of non-stop mist? That's a very rough estimate. I never ran my fan till the batteries died but I was in line for about 30 minutes in Small World and it ran constantly and didn't break a sweat....pun intended. In fact, I didnt' see anyone with the fan I had. most had the kind that you can clip on to something and in most cases it was clipped onto a stroller. The good thing about the one I had is that you can both hold it in front of you but it also bends at the neck so you can set it on a table and have it shooting up at you, perfect for air conditioning while you eat.



We stayed at the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn & Mini Suites....this is the one that is right across the street (at the crosswalk) from the Harbor side entrance. Plus, we got a ground level room, so from front door to turnstile, it's closer even than any room at the Disneyland Hotel (but maybe not the Grand California) One thing to keep in mind if you're not wanting to walk too far, is that you have to take into acount wherever you are in the park and from there you have to make the march through the park, to the turnstiles, from there across the esplande pass the bus pick up area, and then to the street. With crowds, that's a pretty beefy walk in 80 something degree heat. AND THEN from there you start your walk on the street back to your hotel. This is why we picked the BWPPP. With kid in tow and the heat, there's no way we can go all day at the park. With an afternoon break, a shower back at the hotel a fresh change of clothes and a couple of beers, it's like a whole new day at the park when we return in the early evening.

No truly memorable meals this time around. The pasta at Alien Pizza continues to be a good and hearty choice for us. We also went to the restaurant in critter country because there's plenty of shade cover and makes it comfortable.

Great thank you! We always end up at that same spot to eat too!

 

[JohnR5101]

Just a thought for beating the sun/heat effect. In WDW we used a compact umbrella to pop up shade over us when we had to wait in the sun. Helps a lot. Get the small ones that are only about 8 inches long when collapsed. Also the automatic open/close feature is useful.

 

[skellinton]

Sounds like you had a great time, despite the heat! Love the pic you posted.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Since your kiddo is loving IASW she might like “Mary Blair’s unique flair” or “pocket full of colors”. They’re picture books.

 

[Bigmace]

- We read that the entry crowds tend to thin out after "rope drop" so on the first day we arrived around 10AM and the lines were decent but they weren't short either. Conversely, we did the opposite on the second day, trying to get more for our mileage and arrived around 8 and the lines were much, much shorter.

This is pretty normal, even pre covid. Lines are always pretty short right after open and then later in the morning they start to pick up as people who were sleeping in or driving in for the day start to show up.

 

[Malyficent]

Thank you so much for the review and the fan recommendation (and link - added it straight to my cart). What time did you tend to leave the parks in the afternoon? I'm trying to plan out lunch reservations so that we do that and then exit the park (or exit the park, do lunch, spend pool/hotel room time). Thanks again!

 

[redleader74]

Thank you so much for the review and the fan recommendation (and link - added it straight to my cart). What time did you tend to leave the parks in the afternoon? I'm trying to plan out lunch reservations so that we do that and then exit the park (or exit the park, do lunch, spend pool/hotel room time). Thanks again!

We planned our afternoon exit time in reverse, that is, by planning what time we wanted to return to the park, which in turn was governed by how hot it would be at a certain time, and then finally how much time we needed for our break. As an example, we determined that by about 5PM-5:30PM, the weather had cooled off quite a bit and the sun was low enough to be comfortable (considering that in the park you're likely to get a lot of shade from buildings and tress), working backwards, we felt we needed a good 2 hours to rest up, shower, change, let our kid nap if needed. This resulted in an afternoon exit time of between 3PM to 3:30PM. That's also when I did laundry too, as our hotel had pay washer/dryers for guest use.

Returning to the park in this way was really instrumental in our enjoyment. We were fresh and rested, returning to a completely different park (cooler, less crowded). It was like two days in one.