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Keep in mind, I don't claim to be some Disney expert or anything. I just wanted to write this out to give some people feedback on how my trip went and post some tips.
First of all, the weather SUCKED. I went last year around the same time and I didn't experience humidity that bad. It felt horrible out there and had everyone feeling sticky. Cast members were telling me we got unlucky because the weather had not been like that before this weekend. But what could i do? I was happy to be at DL and DCA so I didn't let it ruin my trip.
Side note - I don't see how people can stand WDW during the summer or during any hot season. If Anaheim felt unbearable to me I don't know how I could survive Orlando.
First I'll talk about my hotel stay. I stayed at the Double Tree suites which is about a few blocks down from DCA. The hotel itself was nice, we even got upgraded to a suite without me even asking. The room's and beds were nice, and the staff was friendly. I also loved the cookies that give out when checking in (and anytime you walk by the front desk and ask for a few). There were some cons though, the elevators and the elevator waiting area on every floor we waited in (except the lobby) was extremely hot. I don't know if there is no AC around the elevators but I had never experienced that at any hotel. Also, the pool was quite small for a big hotel. It made my autistic nephew feel too crowded and decided not to go again during our stay. Another con, which isn't really the hotel's fault is the Anaheim Resort Transit. Although it does provide cool rides to and from the hotel, It's feels like such a hassle. Too many stops, and some bad drivers made us not too happy about ART. I think next time we will opt for a hotel with a dedicated shuttle or pay more and stay at a Disney hotel.
Now on to DLR. Oh Disneyland, how I love you. I'm 25 years old and I've been to Disneyland probably 6 times, and I've always enjoyed it. But now that I'm older I seem to love it even more than I did when I was younger. I can really appreciate all the details throughout the park, and it really seems like a magical place. It honestly is the happiest place on earth.
DLR seemed more packed than around the same time I visited last year. It was 4 of us traveling, and the youngest was my nephew who has autism. Upon entering DLR we went to City Hall to get a special assistance pass. We were given one with a handicap stamp and went on our way. He struggles with lines especially in the heat so we hoped this would help out some. It didn't help out too much so we ended up having to go back and getting another one with a different stamp that basically allowed us to use the exit or fastpass line on any ride. This one helped us out tremendously. We were able to get on every ride in DL easily. The one reason why I say it seemed more packed was because last year we went around the same time, and had the same pass. When we entered through the exits on rides in Fantasyland, we never waited more than 5 minutes to get on a ride. This year the waits through the exits were at least 25 minutes. Nothing to complain about, just noting the difference. During our stay we ended up riding everything around 3-4 times.
A few things about DLR. Tomorrowland truly does needs a huge overhaul. Innoventions needs to go. The only good purpose it serves is by providing me with a air conditioned room I can cool off in during the heat. Another ride that needs to go is Autopia. I get it, it's a classic, but it's not really fun. It's extremely outdated and takes up a lot of room which could be used for something much much better. The subs I didn't even ride because when I went on them last year I felt too claustrophobic. I just skipped them this year entirely. When walking Tomorrowland I couldn't help but think how amazing a Tron ride would be. It fits perfectly in that area. I hope the people in charge reconsider adding a Tron ride.
The other ride I wanted to talk about was the new Matterhorn. I dislike it. A lot. I don't quite remember what it felt like before, because when i went last year it was closed, but it's just a very rough, slow ride. It's not truly fun IMO. It is not worth the long ride if I didn't have the special assistance pass. We only waited about 5 minutes to get on both times but I didn't really want to ride it again because I didn't enjoy it too much.
Other than that DL was a amazing as always and I can't wait to go back.
Now on to DCA. Buena Vista street and Cars Land are amazing. Cars Land is even more amazing at night. The changes made to DCA make it feel like a whole new park IMO. Although it doesn't rival DL IMO, DCA is so much fun. One thing I do recommend, is for people to get single rider passes. The wait longs are very long, and although you may not get to ride with your friends, you still get to ride the rides, and save time to do more things. If it wasn't for our special assistance pass, this is the route we would have gone.
Now the rides. Luigi's flying tires were fun, except people don't know how to ride them. It clearly states not to lean over too much and thats exactly what people were doing. Especially because people were bending over all the way in order to pick up the beach balls. Other than that the ride was more fun than I expected. I think my favorite part though was the queue. Not only does it keep you cool from the sun, it is so cool in there. With the tires everywhere. The car lift, the posters. It's amazingly detailed. I loved it.
Maters Junkyard Jamboree was the biggest surprise to me. I didn't expect it to be as fun as it was. We waited until it was dark to ride it because we didn't want to ride it under the blazing sun. It looks fun during the day but the atmosphere at night is better IMO. It's faster than it looks too. I didn't expect it to swing as fast as it did, and that was a pleasant surprise. Overall me and my girlfriend loved it, and it's especially fun because Mater is such a cool, goofy, fun character. The only con about this ride is that it doesn't last too long. It's such a short ride, I wish it would have been longer. Oh well.
As for RSRs all I can say is wow. This ride is so fun. For some reason I thought the whole ride was going to be fast and bot was I glad it wasn't. The scenes inside were so cool and detailed. They did an awesome job with this ride. We got to ride this ride three times, two during the day, and once at night and it was extremely fun all three times but like Mater's, I prefer night time. The race to the finish is fun, but you actually feel like you are in a canyon with the rocks lit up at night. I loved it.
I feel like I've said too much so I'll wrap it up. Just one last tip for those who want to watch World of Color and don't get the passes for it. Stand behind it. I've watched WOF a few times, and this time I happened to be on the pier near the ferris wheel behind WOC. It was a great seat. it's not as loud as it is if you sit in front, but there aren't nearly as many people, and the views are pretty much perfect with nothing blocking you especially people. We stood between two popcorn carts, near some yellow umbrellas, past the ferris wheel.
I loved our trip and I can't wait to go back!
First of all, the weather SUCKED. I went last year around the same time and I didn't experience humidity that bad. It felt horrible out there and had everyone feeling sticky. Cast members were telling me we got unlucky because the weather had not been like that before this weekend. But what could i do? I was happy to be at DL and DCA so I didn't let it ruin my trip.
Side note - I don't see how people can stand WDW during the summer or during any hot season. If Anaheim felt unbearable to me I don't know how I could survive Orlando.
First I'll talk about my hotel stay. I stayed at the Double Tree suites which is about a few blocks down from DCA. The hotel itself was nice, we even got upgraded to a suite without me even asking. The room's and beds were nice, and the staff was friendly. I also loved the cookies that give out when checking in (and anytime you walk by the front desk and ask for a few). There were some cons though, the elevators and the elevator waiting area on every floor we waited in (except the lobby) was extremely hot. I don't know if there is no AC around the elevators but I had never experienced that at any hotel. Also, the pool was quite small for a big hotel. It made my autistic nephew feel too crowded and decided not to go again during our stay. Another con, which isn't really the hotel's fault is the Anaheim Resort Transit. Although it does provide cool rides to and from the hotel, It's feels like such a hassle. Too many stops, and some bad drivers made us not too happy about ART. I think next time we will opt for a hotel with a dedicated shuttle or pay more and stay at a Disney hotel.
Now on to DLR. Oh Disneyland, how I love you. I'm 25 years old and I've been to Disneyland probably 6 times, and I've always enjoyed it. But now that I'm older I seem to love it even more than I did when I was younger. I can really appreciate all the details throughout the park, and it really seems like a magical place. It honestly is the happiest place on earth.
DLR seemed more packed than around the same time I visited last year. It was 4 of us traveling, and the youngest was my nephew who has autism. Upon entering DLR we went to City Hall to get a special assistance pass. We were given one with a handicap stamp and went on our way. He struggles with lines especially in the heat so we hoped this would help out some. It didn't help out too much so we ended up having to go back and getting another one with a different stamp that basically allowed us to use the exit or fastpass line on any ride. This one helped us out tremendously. We were able to get on every ride in DL easily. The one reason why I say it seemed more packed was because last year we went around the same time, and had the same pass. When we entered through the exits on rides in Fantasyland, we never waited more than 5 minutes to get on a ride. This year the waits through the exits were at least 25 minutes. Nothing to complain about, just noting the difference. During our stay we ended up riding everything around 3-4 times.
A few things about DLR. Tomorrowland truly does needs a huge overhaul. Innoventions needs to go. The only good purpose it serves is by providing me with a air conditioned room I can cool off in during the heat. Another ride that needs to go is Autopia. I get it, it's a classic, but it's not really fun. It's extremely outdated and takes up a lot of room which could be used for something much much better. The subs I didn't even ride because when I went on them last year I felt too claustrophobic. I just skipped them this year entirely. When walking Tomorrowland I couldn't help but think how amazing a Tron ride would be. It fits perfectly in that area. I hope the people in charge reconsider adding a Tron ride.
The other ride I wanted to talk about was the new Matterhorn. I dislike it. A lot. I don't quite remember what it felt like before, because when i went last year it was closed, but it's just a very rough, slow ride. It's not truly fun IMO. It is not worth the long ride if I didn't have the special assistance pass. We only waited about 5 minutes to get on both times but I didn't really want to ride it again because I didn't enjoy it too much.
Other than that DL was a amazing as always and I can't wait to go back.
Now on to DCA. Buena Vista street and Cars Land are amazing. Cars Land is even more amazing at night. The changes made to DCA make it feel like a whole new park IMO. Although it doesn't rival DL IMO, DCA is so much fun. One thing I do recommend, is for people to get single rider passes. The wait longs are very long, and although you may not get to ride with your friends, you still get to ride the rides, and save time to do more things. If it wasn't for our special assistance pass, this is the route we would have gone.
Now the rides. Luigi's flying tires were fun, except people don't know how to ride them. It clearly states not to lean over too much and thats exactly what people were doing. Especially because people were bending over all the way in order to pick up the beach balls. Other than that the ride was more fun than I expected. I think my favorite part though was the queue. Not only does it keep you cool from the sun, it is so cool in there. With the tires everywhere. The car lift, the posters. It's amazingly detailed. I loved it.
Maters Junkyard Jamboree was the biggest surprise to me. I didn't expect it to be as fun as it was. We waited until it was dark to ride it because we didn't want to ride it under the blazing sun. It looks fun during the day but the atmosphere at night is better IMO. It's faster than it looks too. I didn't expect it to swing as fast as it did, and that was a pleasant surprise. Overall me and my girlfriend loved it, and it's especially fun because Mater is such a cool, goofy, fun character. The only con about this ride is that it doesn't last too long. It's such a short ride, I wish it would have been longer. Oh well.
As for RSRs all I can say is wow. This ride is so fun. For some reason I thought the whole ride was going to be fast and bot was I glad it wasn't. The scenes inside were so cool and detailed. They did an awesome job with this ride. We got to ride this ride three times, two during the day, and once at night and it was extremely fun all three times but like Mater's, I prefer night time. The race to the finish is fun, but you actually feel like you are in a canyon with the rocks lit up at night. I loved it.
I feel like I've said too much so I'll wrap it up. Just one last tip for those who want to watch World of Color and don't get the passes for it. Stand behind it. I've watched WOF a few times, and this time I happened to be on the pier near the ferris wheel behind WOC. It was a great seat. it's not as loud as it is if you sit in front, but there aren't nearly as many people, and the views are pretty much perfect with nothing blocking you especially people. We stood between two popcorn carts, near some yellow umbrellas, past the ferris wheel.
I loved our trip and I can't wait to go back!
