Originally Posted By Monty Cristo The fiancee and I just got back from three fantastic days at DL. I'm not going to go detail by detail as I doubt ANYBODY is interested in that. So let's just break it down by catagory. We'll start with the bad news first. Bad Stuff: Holiday weekend crowds. Oh boy. When I scheduled this trip a few months ago, I did so without the knowledge that it fell on Columbus Day weekend. In fact, I specifically picked this weekend because I thought it would be quiet. Thursday was pretty good, Friday was not so good, and Saturday was awful. Now, when I say " awfu", that just means I stood in line far more than I was used to (we normally schedule our trips off-season). Lines for the most part where still manageable, but getting around the park took some patience. The weather. Oh Lord how I hate So Cal's version of Fall. It was mid-80's and blisteringly sunny on Thursday and Friday. Saturday finally saw some overcast skies, which were greatly appreciated. However, hot, sunny weather really detracts from the "fall-sliding-into-the-holidays" vibe the park is going for right now. Even HMH lost some luster for me as it's tough to get into the spirit of it when you emerge from a Halloween WinterWonderland into a hot mid-day sun. We couldn't even bring ourselves to check out the ornament store or Department 56 as I can't get excited about Christmas items when I'm sweating. Getting back to HMH, I was really disappointed with how the weather affected my enjoyment of the attraction. Normally it's my fav and you can't keep me off it. This time I actually limited the number of times I rode it. The good news for me is we return for our annual holiday trip in December, and at that time I'm sure I'll be able to fully appreciate it. The Parade Of Dreams. Sorry - not impressed. NEXT! Star Tours is just...DONE. Over. Finished. They need to update or change ASAP. It looks so worn out, and when compared to even the cheap turborides offered at boardwalks, it fails miserably. As a Star Wars geek it bothers me that I could barely bring myself to ride it even once. No ELP. It felt so wrong to be at the park and not see it at least once. That's about it on the Bad stuff. Now onto... The Good Stuff: The park is BEAUTIFUL and all the attractions are running full steam ahead. The new Buzz Lightyear ride is fantastic and a wonderful addition to TomorrowLand. It was nice to walk into that much-maligned area and see something worth riding over and over again. They did a fantastic job and it builds anticipation for the Subs. The "new and improved" Jungle Cruise is just that. The added details may seem minor at first, but contribute greatly to enhancing an already great ride. If you haven't done so yet, you MUST take a tour at night. It's almost a different attraction. Haunted Mansion Holiday. Yes, I know I was complaining about the weather affecting my enjoyment of it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still a great attraction. I can't wait to see it again when the rest of the park is decked out for the holidays. I have no idea if this is a new treat recently added or something I just never noticed before but DAMN - chocolate-covered pretzels with oreo cookie crumbs! Whomever came up with that is a friggin' genius. Also, the dark chocolate Non Pareils (or "snowcaps") are insidious. Getting Deluxe Passes for the first time - NO MORE HAND STAMPS!! Woohoo! Howard Johnson's. Great place to stay, and probably our fav non-Disney hotel in the area. The accomodations are comfortable, the walking distance is very manageable (about five minutes) and helpful when considering the amount of calories consumed. The staff is so accomodating, and the amenities can't be beat for the price (FREE high-speed internet access). If you can't afford to stay at any of the DL hotels, or simply would rather spend your money on other things, Hojo's should be your first and only choice. Pirates of the Carribean. It doesn't matter how many times I go on this attraction, that first drop is still as thrilling as the first time. Such a great set-up for the rest of the ride, and the rest of the park for that matter. It's not Disneyland for us until we step into that que and smell that water for the first time. All in all, it was a great trip and serves as a nice appetizer for our longer holiday trip in December. Being that we're going back again in two months, we purposely didn't do a few things such as CA Adventure, Matterhorn, Space, or Indy. We also refrained from eating at Blue Bayou or buying any souvineers.
Originally Posted By debtee Good report... Thanks for sharing! I never thought of going on the Jungle cruise at night...will have to give that a go now..Ta!
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>We also refrained from ..... buying any souvineers.<< Wait a minute. They let you leave the park without buying anything!? I thought is was a LAW or something that you had to buy stuff!
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Great report. I had the same exact feeling about the Nightmare HMH. I was there the first weekend of Oct and I just couldn't get into it, when my forehead was melting once I stepped outside.
Originally Posted By debtee Now 2oony IT IS a LAW!!!!! and don't you or anyone be telling Barry anything different! LOL
Originally Posted By Monty Cristo Lisa, I've learned my lesson - no more pre-holiday trips to DL. I'll go during the holidays, or after. I can't bring myself to "feel" Christmas when pouring suntan lotion on.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA ^^^good idea Monty. No sense in going to Disneyland when you can't fully enjoy it. Sort of like me when it's too crowded.
Originally Posted By Monty Cristo Jim, No, if I were using your logic I would be miserable my entire time there because I didn't buy a new DL hat.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <Jim, No, if I were using your logic I would be miserable my entire time there because I didn't buy a new DL hat.> Oh, yeah. I see... a new hat.... right.
Originally Posted By Monty Cristo Jim, Yeah. See, your problem is you don't enjoy DL when there are crowds, hence you don't go. I enjoy DL regardless of crowds and my desire to purchase things, hence I go even if it's busy and I don't buy nuttin. So whatever point you were under the impression you were making with your original post, I'd say it's back to the drawing board under the bridge.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I absolutely LOVE that I'm being described as a troll. LOL! But I totally understand your point. You were hoping to go when the crowds were fewer and the weather was cooler. Neither of them panned out. The crowds were a bit thicker than you had hoped. And the weather was too hot. I get that. But you still enjoyed your visit. I get that too. But then you say 'no more pre-holiday visits' for you. Which to me means, you don't want to go when the weather is hot. Like me -- I don't want to go to the park when it's crowded. I get it.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Aye yi yi! Talk about making something out of nothing. I got JiM point, no trolling going on.
Originally Posted By Monty Cristo Jim, Okay...wonderful. Who told you to go when the park is crowded? At what point did anyone suggest that you needed to visit DL regardless of preference for certain times of the year? You obviously don't get the point as you're picking up an argument that no one was making in the previous thread this was discussed. You're being described as a troll because the only reason you popped into this thread was to bait.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Monty, I think you truly misread Jim's first post. He was in agreement with your conclusion (that you would prefer to go when the weather is more conducive to the holiday spirit) and compared that with his own dislike for going to the park during super-crowded times. I think you interpreted that as some sort of slam for some reason, but you're misfiring. Step back for a second and reread it.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I'm looking for common ground. I'm just saying that on your most recent visit, you came to a certain conclusion about Disneyland. You'd rather not visit the park when it's hot. I'd rather not visit the park when it's crowded. I don't understand what the issue is...
Originally Posted By Monty Cristo Guys, This stems back to a previous thread in which a poster asked what the crowds were going to be like for a given week he was going. He was locked into the trip. I had responded that since he was locked into it, does it really matter what the crowds are? He might as well have a good time regardless. Jim's response was to state he hates going to the park when it's crowded and avoids it when he can and can't understand how someone couldn't understand that. Now, NO ONE had made the argument that you HAVE to go to DL when it's crowded whether you like it or not. In that very thread I specifically stated I try to plan our trips during the off-season to specifically avoid the crowds. So basically, Jim was arguing a point NO ONE had made. That's where this current exchange comes in. There's no need for common ground as I doubt anyone prefers the park when it's crowded. His first post here was related entirely to that previous thread, and once again he was making an argument no one had challenged. Conversely, his argument had and has NOTHING to do with those folks who are locked into trips. Zip. Zero.
