Disneyland trip summary

[Deleted]

We were there all last week and I thought I'd share a short recap. I will not be able to capture it at a ride-for-ride level like others because I just don't remember what we rode each day, but I figured some general info might be helpful. I will probably think of more later, but here are the high points. Crowds were worse than I was expecting, with Wednesday being almost unmanageable at Disneyland. I added up my steps/distance for the day and we walked almost 43 miles over five days, which is nuts. 

Transportation: We were going to do the paid Disney shuttle which would have been $54 one way for us, but it turns out the cab was a flat $40 to the hotel. 

Groceries for the room: I did a Target grocery delivery order and just did a 4-week trial of Shipt so it was free delivery. This worked great to allow us to have sodas, water and snacks available in the room and for in the parks.

Hotel - Grand Californian: I don't know how we'll ever stay anywhere else. We were in the park everyday so we didn't use the pool except for a short time on our arrival day, but the easy access was amazing. Our longest wait to clear the bag check/security area was about four minutes. Given that I remember it taking 30 minutes at the bus area last year, this was such a huge benefit. Not to mention how easy it was to pop back over and nap, etc. I like that the beds allow you to store luggage underneath them, and the little pull-out day bed was great as well. 

Early Morning Access: We were able to knock out so much in that extra hour. At DL we managed to do Matterhorn, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Star Tours and the rocket ride within the first hour. We were also able to be in the Galaxy's Edge line by 7:50 and made it through Smuggler's Run by 8:45. At CA, we made it through Guardians, Incredicoaster and a few others within that first hour. 

Galaxy's Edge: The land was amazing but I found Smuggler's Run to be a disappointment. I was really glad we were only in line for about 35 minutes for it. My kids were the pilots and had they not sat up there they wouldn't have been able to see anything. As it was they could barely reach the controls. I had such high expectations for this and it really fell short. I hope Rise of the Resistance is better because I can't see myself standing in line for SR again. We enjoyed Oga's Cantina but it was insanely expensive and I guess I didn't do enough homework to realize they didn't serve any food. We liked the wrap thing from the restaurant in GE. 

MaxPass: I know they don't have a lot of rides available but this saved us from some insanely long lines. I set a timer on my phone to remind me when I had new passes available to book. Plus I love having all of our ride pictures.

Food: We did lunch at Cafe Orleans and Lamplight Lounge. Really liked them both, and sitting on the covered patio at LL was wonderful. Other than that we just ate on the go to save time. 

Oogie Boogie Bash: I screwed up and booked this for the same day as our first full day in the park, and my kids crapped out by 9:30. Hindsight being what it is, I should have done it on a non-park day because they were wiped out and it was expensive. 

[Deleted]

One more thing - we signed up for Postmates and got $100 in delivery credits so we ordered early dinner a few nights, ate in the room and then went back to the parks. This saved a bunch because for four people we couldn't get out of even quick service for less than $40 to $50 at a minimum.

[ksun]

Bummer you didn't like Smuggler's Run. It was one of our favorites & we all rode multiple times.

[sangria]

OMG yes to it be crazy packed last week! Our first day in the parks was Sunday and I thought for sure that would be the busiest day but oh man, was I wrong!

100000% yes to Max Pass. We went on all the big rides and then some with no wait longer than about 25 minutes thanks to MaxPass fast passes. I seriously don't even understand how people will wait in line for 2 hours. Looking at you radiator springs races.

Smugglers Run- Holy crap. I can (and did!) go on everything with zero issue, but Smugglers Run gave me motion sickness like whoa. I was too busy breaking out in a cold sweat to really appreciate the ride. I was one of the pilot's and I sucked ha ha.

My fave rides were Incredicoaster, Grizzly River Rapids, Soarin and Indiana Jones!

We ate at lamplight lounge and had this super cool Cars table.

SO MUCH FUN (even with the crowds)

[Deleted]

Oct 14, 2019 16:21:07 GMT -5 sangria said:

OMG yes to it be crazy packed last week! Our first day in the parks was Sunday and I thought for sure that would be the busiest day but oh man, was I wrong!

100000% yes to Max Pass. We went on all the big rides and then some with no wait longer than about 25 minutes thanks to MaxPass fast passes. I seriously don't even understand how people will wait in line for 2 hours. Looking at you radiator springs races.

Smugglers Run- Holy crap. I can (and did!) go on everything with zero issue, but Smugglers Run gave me motion sickness like whoa. I was too busy breaking out in a cold sweat to really appreciate the ride. I was one of the pilot's and I sucked ha ha.

My fave rides were Incredicoaster, Grizzly River Rapids, Soarin and Indiana Jones!

We ate at lamplight lounge and had this super cool Cars table.

SO MUCH FUN (even with the crowds)

Same with us. I think our longest was around 25 minutes with and without Max Pass. I really couldn't understand people willing to stand in line for 60 minutes+ for all the big stuff - Haunted Mansion (which I forgot to mention above and was absolutely amazing as Nightmare Before Christmas), Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, etc were barely ever under and hour, and Radiator Springs was typically at the 100 minute threshold. No thanks!

[Wines Not Whines]

Thanks for the summary. Do you know why it was so busy? Were CA schools on break?

[alleinesein]

Oct 14, 2019 20:04:11 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Thanks for the summary. Do you know why it was so busy? Were CA schools on break?

There really is no slow season at DLR anymore.  Weekdays are super busy in October because the lower APs can get in during the week and they go to check out all the Halloween stuff.  Halloweentime at Disneyland is very popular and locals will pop into the park for a few hours just to check it out.

I was in the park on Sunday Oct 6 and the park was busy but not insane but I know that there were a few people there that day from my other disney group who thought that the park was crowded.  It is so hard to define how crowded the park is because I have been in the park when it has hit capacity and use that to gauge my experience.  If FPs for big rides are still available in the early afternoon=the park isn't that crowded.

[Deleted]

Oct 14, 2019 21:56:36 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Oct 14, 2019 20:04:11 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Thanks for the summary. Do you know why it was so busy? Were CA schools on break?

There really is no slow season at DLR anymore.  Weekdays are super busy in October because the lower APs can get in during the week and they go to check out all the Halloween stuff.  Halloweentime at Disneyland is very popular and locals will pop into the park for a few hours just to check it out.

I was in the park on Sunday Oct 6 and the park was busy but not insane but I know that there were a few people there that day from my other disney group who thought that the park was crowded.  It is so hard to define how crowded the park is because I have been in the park when it has hit capacity and use that to gauge my experience.  If FPs for big rides are still available in the early afternoon=the park isn't that crowded.

That makes sense. 

Also, Wednesday was when I saw Maya Rudolph in the park. I would think that the crowds make it easier for celebrities to blend in. My friends were there the week before us and were in line at security with Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. 

[mmmomof2]

Wed was a Jewish holiday (Yom Kippur) and LAUSD and a few others had it off. Plus Utah and AZ schools have fall breaks around this time.

[huskymom]

Thank you! Any other tips for the hotel? We are staying there next year and I can’t wait!

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2019 17:57:57 GMT -5 mmmomof2 said:

Wed was a Jewish holiday (Yom Kippur) and LAUSD and a few others had it off. Plus Utah and AZ schools have fall breaks around this time.

ah ok. That makes sense.

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2019 19:25:21 GMT -5 huskymom said:

Thank you! Any other tips for the hotel? We are staying there next year and I can’t wait!

We really didn’t take advantage of everything at the hotel. We were either in the parks or sleeping.

Oh and we did same-day grocery delivery from target to have water, sodas, fruit, snacks etc which saved a bunch in addition to postmates for food delivery for quick dinners.

[huskymom]

Oct 15, 2019 19:40:25 GMT -5 @princessbubbleyum said:

Oct 15, 2019 19:25:21 GMT -5 huskymom said:

Thank you! Any other tips for the hotel? We are staying there next year and I can’t wait!

We really didn’t take advantage of everything at the hotel. We were either in the parks or sleeping.

Oh and we did same-day grocery delivery from target to have water, sodas, fruit, snacks etc which saved a bunch in addition to postmates for food delivery for quick dinners.

Thanks! So you did 5 park days? We are staying 4 nights and I’m debating what kind of tickets to get (# of days, park hoppers, etc). I do want to have some relaxing hotel/pool time though!

[alleinesein]

Oct 15, 2019 19:25:21 GMT -5 huskymom said:

Thank you! Any other tips for the hotel? We are staying there next year and I can’t wait!

Anything specific or just general tips/advice?

A few of mine that are specific to the Grand.
1. Don't use the hotel park entrance on EMH mornings for DCA.  The line can get insanely long and it tends to move very slow.  We go to the main entrance and enter that way; it is faster and they usually let us in a few minutes early.
2. If the weather is nice and you plan on using the pool, grab a FP for Grizzly River Run right before your planned pool time.  Change into your swimsuit, throw clothes on over it and go hit the ride.  After you get off (and are hopefully soaking wet), go jump in the pool.  We did this many times over labor day weekend and had a blast (it was also in the 90s and humid so it felt great!)
3. Mobile order from whatever the hell they are calling Whitewater Snacks now. We did this while at the pool and just sent one person over to grab our snacks.
4. The rocking chairs in the lobby make a great place to unwind.  There are also plenty of little seating areas on the levels overlooking the lobby; these are great for getting away from the crowd.
5. Don't book a theme park view room and expect to see the park.  When they built the hotel, they planted trees.  Trees grow and 20 years later, some of those trees are tall and they block your view.  
6. The quiet rooms are going to overlook the front of the hotel and the monorail courtyard.
7. Bring ziploc bags for storing leftovers in the room.  We take leftovers back to the room for midnight snacks but the fridge can get crowded so being able to transfer things into a smaller container is great.
8. The standard hotel rooms (not the DVC villas) have Kuerigs.  If you are a coffee fiend, you will want to bring your k-cups because they  don't give you that many in the room.
9. Bring an eye mask if you wake up easily with lights being turned on.  The bathroom sink area is "open concept" and there is no way to block the light.  The shower and toilet are in their own room with a door that closes.
10. Bring a power strip if you have lots of electronics to charge.
11. Every time I have stayed in the hotel rooms, the alarm clock has been jacked up and you cant set it (we even had one where we couldn't even set the time to the correct hour). 

[huskymom]

Oct 15, 2019 23:35:04 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Oct 15, 2019 19:25:21 GMT -5 huskymom said:

Thank you! Any other tips for the hotel? We are staying there next year and I can’t wait!

Anything specific or just general tips/advice?

A few of mine that are specific to the Grand.
1. Don't use the hotel park entrance on EMH mornings for DCA.  The line can get insanely long and it tends to move very slow.  We go to the main entrance and enter that way; it is faster and they usually let us in a few minutes early.
2. If the weather is nice and you plan on using the pool, grab a FP for Grizzly River Run right before your planned pool time.  Change into your swimsuit, throw clothes on over it and go hit the ride.  After you get off (and are hopefully soaking wet), go jump in the pool.  We did this many times over labor day weekend and had a blast (it was also in the 90s and humid so it felt great!)
3. Mobile order from whatever the hell they are calling Whitewater Snacks now. We did this while at the pool and just sent one person over to grab our snacks.
4. The rocking chairs in the lobby make a great place to unwind.  There are also plenty of little seating areas on the levels overlooking the lobby; these are great for getting away from the crowd.
5. Don't book a theme park view room and expect to see the park.  When they built the hotel, they planted trees.  Trees grow and 20 years later, some of those trees are tall and they block your view.  
6. The quiet rooms are going to overlook the front of the hotel and the monorail courtyard.
7. Bring ziploc bags for storing leftovers in the room.  We take leftovers back to the room for midnight snacks but the fridge can get crowded so being able to transfer things into a smaller container is great.
8. The standard hotel rooms (not the DVC villas) have Kuerigs.  If you are a coffee fiend, you will want to bring your k-cups because they  don't give you that many in the room.
9. Bring an eye mask if you wake up easily with lights being turned on.  The bathroom sink area is "open concept" and there is no way to block the light.  The shower and toilet are in their own room with a door that closes.
10. Bring a power strip if you have lots of electronics to charge.
11. Every time I have stayed in the hotel rooms, the alarm clock has been jacked up and you cant set it (we even had one where we couldn't even set the time to the correct hour). 

Thank you, all super helpful! We’ve been to WDW a ton but this is all new to me. We are staying in a DVC 1 bedroom.

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2019 23:35:04 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Oct 15, 2019 19:25:21 GMT -5 huskymom said:

Thank you! Any other tips for the hotel? We are staying there next year and I can’t wait!

Anything specific or just general tips/advice?

A few of mine that are specific to the Grand.
1. Don't use the hotel park entrance on EMH mornings for DCA.  The line can get insanely long and it tends to move very slow.  We go to the main entrance and enter that way; it is faster and they usually let us in a few minutes early.
2. If the weather is nice and you plan on using the pool, grab a FP for Grizzly River Run right before your planned pool time.  Change into your swimsuit, throw clothes on over it and go hit the ride.  After you get off (and are hopefully soaking wet), go jump in the pool.  We did this many times over labor day weekend and had a blast (it was also in the 90s and humid so it felt great!)
3. Mobile order from whatever the hell they are calling Whitewater Snacks now. We did this while at the pool and just sent one person over to grab our snacks.
4. The rocking chairs in the lobby make a great place to unwind.  There are also plenty of little seating areas on the levels overlooking the lobby; these are great for getting away from the crowd.
5. Don't book a theme park view room and expect to see the park.  When they built the hotel, they planted trees.  Trees grow and 20 years later, some of those trees are tall and they block your view.  
6. The quiet rooms are going to overlook the front of the hotel and the monorail courtyard.
7. Bring ziploc bags for storing leftovers in the room.  We take leftovers back to the room for midnight snacks but the fridge can get crowded so being able to transfer things into a smaller container is great.
8. The standard hotel rooms (not the DVC villas) have Kuerigs.  If you are a coffee fiend, you will want to bring your k-cups because they  don't give you that many in the room.
9. Bring an eye mask if you wake up easily with lights being turned on.  The bathroom sink area is "open concept" and there is no way to block the light.  The shower and toilet are in their own room with a door that closes.
10. Bring a power strip if you have lots of electronics to charge.
11. Every time I have stayed in the hotel rooms, the alarm clock has been jacked up and you cant set it (we even had one where we couldn't even set the time to the correct hour). 

Re #1: I'd check the CA entrance first. We went on EMH and were in line less than five minutes.

Re #10: Wonder if they've made some room changes since you stayed. There were outlets to charge devices everywhere - next to the bed, on the counter, etc. They had both regular power plugs as well as the USB plugs. We are a traveling Apple store and didn't have to use any of our regular power plugs. There were even enough to charge our watches. 

Re #11: This made me laugh because ours was that way where we couldn't see the time, and I'd forgotten until you said something.

[alleinesein]

Oct 16, 2019 13:44:42 GMT -5 @princessbubbleyum said:

Oct 15, 2019 23:35:04 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Anything specific or just general tips/advice?

A few of mine that are specific to the Grand.
1. Don't use the hotel park entrance on EMH mornings for DCA.  The line can get insanely long and it tends to move very slow.  We go to the main entrance and enter that way; it is faster and they usually let us in a few minutes early.
2. If the weather is nice and you plan on using the pool, grab a FP for Grizzly River Run right before your planned pool time.  Change into your swimsuit, throw clothes on over it and go hit the ride.  After you get off (and are hopefully soaking wet), go jump in the pool.  We did this many times over labor day weekend and had a blast (it was also in the 90s and humid so it felt great!)
3. Mobile order from whatever the hell they are calling Whitewater Snacks now. We did this while at the pool and just sent one person over to grab our snacks.
4. The rocking chairs in the lobby make a great place to unwind.  There are also plenty of little seating areas on the levels overlooking the lobby; these are great for getting away from the crowd.
5. Don't book a theme park view room and expect to see the park.  When they built the hotel, they planted trees.  Trees grow and 20 years later, some of those trees are tall and they block your view.  
6. The quiet rooms are going to overlook the front of the hotel and the monorail courtyard.
7. Bring ziploc bags for storing leftovers in the room.  We take leftovers back to the room for midnight snacks but the fridge can get crowded so being able to transfer things into a smaller container is great.
8. The standard hotel rooms (not the DVC villas) have Kuerigs.  If you are a coffee fiend, you will want to bring your k-cups because they  don't give you that many in the room.
9. Bring an eye mask if you wake up easily with lights being turned on.  The bathroom sink area is "open concept" and there is no way to block the light.  The shower and toilet are in their own room with a door that closes.
10. Bring a power strip if you have lots of electronics to charge.
11. Every time I have stayed in the hotel rooms, the alarm clock has been jacked up and you cant set it (we even had one where we couldn't even set the time to the correct hour). 

Re #1: I'd check the CA entrance first. We went on EMH and were in line less than five minutes.

Re #10: Wonder if they've made some room changes since you stayed. There were outlets to charge devices everywhere - next to the bed, on the counter, etc. They had both regular power plugs as well as the USB plugs. We are a traveling Apple store and didn't have to use any of our regular power plugs. There were even enough to charge our watches. 

Re #11: This made me laugh because ours was that way where we couldn't see the time, and I'd forgotten until you said something.

#10- No changes.  I've stayed in both a hotel room and a DVC villa in the past few months.  I have 3-4 devices that need to be charged and most of my travel companions have the same.  There is a huge lack of outlets near the nightstand where I typically charge 2 of my items while I sleep.  Their USB plugs are crap with my devices; it takes a good 8-10 hours to get a full charge.  I have no clue why they are so slow.  Back when I traveled with my XH to DLR, it was even worse because there weren't any convenient outlets next to the bed for his CPAP machine.  

[jewel]

Re hotel advice:

#5 - book a downtown Disney view if you can. We were able to sit on our balcony with a perfect view of the fireworks every night.

#8 - housekeeping and the concierge desk both will give you unlimited number of k-cups, just ask.

The pianist downstairs takes requests - any Disney song you can think of!

[sandandsea]

Oct 14, 2019 20:04:11 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Thanks for the summary. Do you know why it was so busy? Were CA schools on break?

I’m late to reply but the first week of October is fall break for many Ca schools.