Trip Report Matt's May/June DLR Trip... A bunch of firsts...PIC heavy.

[whoever]

Finally, another family trip to DLR! Knowing our spring and summer schedules were tight with kid travel commitments and work commitments, not to mention our nine-day trip last October was going to be a hard act to follow, we found a week at the end of May/beginning of June to spend at the happiest place on Earth. Just so happened that we’d be able to celebrate Charlotte’s recent 7th birthday and our lucky 13th wedding anniversary while we were there. Thankfully Matt’s AP was good through the end of the week but expired on Sunday, which was fine since Amy and the older girls were blocked out on Saturday.
Having spent a luxurious nine days in at a room adjacent to the concierge lounge at the DLH last October, we knew this trip would be bringing things back to reality. Amy started watching hotel deals and reading reviews in January. It took a few months, but we finally settled on Camelot Inn and Suites for our first family off-property stay. The kids were initially disappointed not to be staying on-site. No early entry?! But what about the woodland theming Katherine loves so dearly?! After assuring the girls they could stay up late in the parks to make up for missing out on early entry and showing them floor plans of the family suite with their own bedroom and television., they were on board.


Shortly after we booked the room, we found out Katherine’s Odyssey of the Mind team advanced to the World Final competition. Awesome news, however it meant Katherine and Amy would be in Ames, Iowa for five days leading up to the trip only to fly in 12 hours before our planned departure. Looks like we wouldn’t be leaving before dawn on Memorial Day after all!
8:29 am Monday morning found us with the truck loaded with cargo and kids and a quick stop for ice for the coolers had us on the highway in no time. Without having the time to devote to the organized packing that makes long road trips with small children smooth and reasonably enjoyable, things were a little sketchy. The kiddos managed to find their groove with and only one sibling spat broke out at the two hour mark where we did our fueling pit stop before leaving Arizona.





Travel on Memorial Day implied some additional traffic, which we found about three hours into the trip. It was time to put some Disney music on the radio and scout some alternate routes. We ended up opting for a detour through Palm Springs to avoid some of the stopping on the 10. Wouldn’t you know it? When we merged back on to the 10 there was the very same truck hauling onions we had left miles back.



In our longest drive time ever, 6 hours and 20 minutes (Compared to 5 hours or less) after departing we pulled into the parking lot of The Camelot Inn and Suites. Matt parked the truck and Amy got room keys. There were a few family suites available, and we had our choice of floors. We opted for the top floor with a view of the Matterhorn and fireworks. The girls were excited to see the room and eagerly looked over every nook and cranny. The family suite is a large space with an ideal configuration for families. Plenty of room for all of us, plus the obnoxiously large jogging stroller we now need for a three-year-old that is the size of an average five-year-old. The room was clean, with a slightly overpowering fragrance in the clothes armoires. The kitchenette cabinets were shabby with signs of previous water damage. There are two mini-fridges in the suite with one in the bedroom. Plenty of space for living and sleeping, but we wouldn’t end up spending much time in the room at all.
A quick 30-minute unpacking of everything five people would need for the next five days and we were on our way across the parking lot to fill the kids up at McDonald’s before heading into the parks. McDonald’s was packed at 3:30 pm, which we weren’t expecting. Still, we easily made the short walk to the park and were in line to buy Victoria’s 5-day Park Hopper by 4:10 pm. The other family members all had APs from our fall trip. One issue I observed with our strategy to not pre-buy Vic’s Pass ahead of time was waiting in line. We waited 12 minutes to get someone to attend to us. They only had two windows open and the people lined up outside those two windows had serious issues with completing a simple transaction. Either by act of GOD or simple shift change, a third window opened which I IMMEDIATELY went up to. I had my 5-day Park Hopper in hand NO LESS than 45 seconds after approaching the window which is a testament to Disney’s inability to identify people who can get stuff done/dealt with vs. people who need more time and segregating them appropriately. Disney… PAY ATTENTION!!!
Into the parks we go!

[whoever]

This late in the afternoon (16:25), the parks were crowded but not uncomfortably so. Charlotte has been longing to ride Indy, and this trip she’s finally tall enough! A quick measure to confirm and we’re holding FP to return later. Next choice is Splash Mountain, which Victoria is finally tall enough for! On the way there Pirates had a short wait, so we decided to (okay, Victoria demanded) take a short trip around the Caribbean so we jumped in line at 16:29.








I’ve been trying to get a decent shot of this guy for a while. I completely abandoned trying to get the camera to AF, and went pure manual focus… NAILED IT… finally.














Finally got the cats in the frame…

[whoever]

Since we were in the area, and Mom wasn’t convinced she wanted to get wet yet, we hopped over to BTMRR to see what the wait was: 20 minutes. Short enough that it would be Victoria’s first “big kid ride.” We jumped into line at 17:07. She loved it!!











Hidden Mickey!!








GONE!!! Darn you Starwars Land!!!!

[GraceLovesGoofy]

Great TR....love the PotC photos! Your girls are adorable! and growing so fast.

[mre200200]

So would you stay there again, or look for alternate off-property lodging? Any pictures from the room?

Those PotC photos are great. They're so bright, but they're also not noisy.
That's great Victoria is loving roller coasters. Now the whole family can stay together even for some of the bigger rides! And she looks like she's having such a good time!

I'm looking forward to what I know is coming in the rest of your TR.

[whoever]

So would you stay there again, or look for alternate off-property lodging? Any pictures from the room?

The pics of the room are coming. I should have prioritized them up first, but they are a few days in.

Those PotC photos are great. They're so bright, but they're also not noisy.

I normally shoot the ride with my 24-70 f/2.8 or my 78-200 f/2.8 but I threw on my 85 f/1.4 shot wide-open and kept the ISO at 1600 to specifically avoid sensor noise.

That's great Victoria is loving roller coasters. Now the whole family can stay together even for some of the bigger rides! And she looks like she's having such a good time!

She can't wait for Screamin'

I'm looking forward to what I know is coming in the rest of your TR.

It was a great time especially that last day.

[EvilMommie]

Yeah! I love trip reports!! Your family is just adorable!

Thanks for posting your thoughts and pics for us to view. Looking forward to reading more. 😃

[mre200200]

It was a great time especially that last day.

You're too kind, but I was meaning that Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour!

[Pyratgrrl]

Yeah! I love trip reports!! Your family is just adorable!

Thanks for posting your thoughts and pics for us to view. Looking forward to reading more. 😃

Ditto!

[whoever]

You're too kind, but I was meaning that Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour!

I should have some time to put more into this TR tonight. Amy did most of the writing to date. Time for me to roll up my sleeves and get busy. The Dream Suite was definitely a highlight of the tour, and it was a bit different than the one I took in 2014.

[whoever]

Off BTMRR at 17:28, the adrenaline junkies still wanted to squeeze in Splash before Indy FP matured in 90 minutes. Plenty of time to visit the Haunted Mansion and Pooh on the way. Last trip Victoria wasn’t too sure of this one. This trip to the “spooky house” wouldn’t have the bright, colorful NBC overlay. Mom was worried, but Victoria came off talking about all the details and telling everyone the only part she didn’t like was the storm.











OK, these guys are hard to get… Probably my best pic to date.



And a single Grim Grinning Ghost.



Dinner anyone?



And the scariest ghosts to date!!!!

[whoever]

A quick stroll past Splash and Mom’s still not convinced she wants to get wet and Victoria isn’t convinced she wants to ride. Hm. Maybe Pooh will get everyone back on track?







Anyone who has visited the parks with young children knows timing bathroom breaks is crucial. We hit wisely did this before the first log ride as a family. By this point in the day it was cool enough that there was hardly a wait …and me still lamenting Starwars Land…while I wait for the gals.



SPLASH!!!



 










These vultures are always mocking me…



The CM’s always warn me about the water and advise my to put the camera in a water-tight bag… I’m a poor listener as my wife will attest to. How else will you get shots like this?





A bit disappointed in Victoria’s reaction on her first ride. Given her thrill complex, I expected her to be spread armed just like Charlotte.

[whoever]

By 18:37 we we were off Splash. Before heading for Indy, we spent some time poking around Pooh’s corner. I scoped out a bunch of stuff I’d come back for later. We finished up and headed for Indy. The park was surprisingly empty. I had figured that Memorial Day would be packed, but it was quite pleasant… if only the whole week would be so nice.





On the way we took time to stop and smell the roses..





The Jade Elephant has found a new home from the Gibson Girls Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street. I have to say… she looks at home..




 
Charlotte’s first ride on Indy was good… I was trying to get her head up and her hands off her ears though. She missed a bunch of the first ride with her head down. Shame.. the projections were looking GREAT.

[whoever]

By 19:27 the girls and I were off Indy. A quick check in with Amy indicated they were in line for Peter Pan.




By a unanimous vote, my group decided Dole Whips and some Tiki Room were in order so we jumped in line at the Dole Whip Stand inside the Tiki room Queue.





A wonderful show as always and the whips hit the spot. I really need a place a can build a tiki bar and incorporate some of the Tiki Room regalia



After we exited, I located Amy and Charlotte who were riding King Arthurs Carousel. The kids didn’t want a chicken dinner, but Amy and I sure did so we agreed to meet up at the Plaza Inn. The girls would soon change their tune on the chicken. Little known fact, Plaza Inn used to be called Red Wagon Inn, and it was the site of Disneyland’s first private club (before Club 33). More on that when we get to Walk in Walt’s Footsteps….

[Hillchat]

WOW! Great report! I especially love the pirate with cats photo. That's the best shot I've seen (I can never see the cats very well). Also, the photo of your girls just before going down the big drop on Splash Mountain is awesome.

Hey, where did you get that awesome Hawaiian shirt? And yes, one does need a tiki room just like ETR!

[Kram Sacul]

Your pictures of POTC look a lot better than actually being on the ride. Way too dim in a lot of spots.

[whoever]

We finished up our much needed sustenance at 20:28 and rolled out towards Tomorrowland. We didn’t know it at the time, but Katherine had left her purse hanging on the back of her chair at Plaza Inn. Thankfully it only had her autograph book, room key, past room keys, and a pen in it, so nothing irreplaceable lost, but that Vera wasn’t cheap. ?

A quick pass through Astro Blasters and I had like a 2 MILLION point score!!! Winning!!! (Yes, I pegged the heck out of both of Zurg’s secret targets)





We split up afterwards as the older girls and I had intentions of hitting up Matterhorn. The line was wrapping the mountain, so we decided to jump on Tea Cups. Unfortunately Amy and Vic being about 60 seconds behind us got caught by the parade traffic and blocked off from getting to Tea Cups. Charlotte, Katherine and I rode it SIX times without getting off during the parade for a front-seat to the show. What a great experience, almost as cool as fireworks while riding BTMRR.























We left Tea Cups at 21:12 and due to the HORRIBLE parade congestion we wouldn’t be able to get to the front gates of the park until 15 minutes later. Amy and Victoria had gone ahead, so Charlotte, Katherine, and I did our best trying to catch up. A short walk to the hotel which took us 9 minutes after passing through the turnstiles and we unpacked the stroller and started getting the kids ready for bed until we heard…. FIREWORKS. We had a great view of them from the balcony outside our room and watched for a bit before turning in for the night.

[whoever]

WOW! Great report! I especially love the pirate with cats photo. That's the best shot I've seen (I can never see the cats very well). Also, the photo of your girls just before going down the big drop on Splash Mountain is awesome.

Hey, where did you get that awesome Hawaiian shirt? And yes, one does need a tiki room just like ETR!

Thanks!! I really need to start riding Pirates at night. It's extremely hard to tell if something is in focus through the viewfinder when you've just left a bright environment and are cast into darkness. I've been striving for certain shots for some time, I feel like I finally checked some off the list this trip.

On the Hawaiian shirt, the wife picked it up off of Ebay. It's a WDW edition.

=Kram Sacul]Your pictures of POTC look a lot better than actually being on the ride. Way too dim in a lot of spots.

The lighting is all over the place these days. Certain lights are turned up way too bright, others are pitch black. I'd like to see a more balanced environment.

[Stormy]

I can't decide if your wonderful pics are soothing my Disney-DTs or making them worse!! Thanks for posting them.

[whoever]

Day 2 – May 31, 2016

Today found us moving slower than expected in the morning. We didn’t leave the room from 08:15 for a presumed 09:00 park opening at DCA. Imagine our surprise when we walked into the esplanade ten minutes later and found short lines and a park full of people… DOH!!! Guess we shouldn’t assume we know the calendar as well as we think we do.

To salvage the morning, we just went for RSR fast passes and made our way to Cars Land to check out the wait. The wait proving to be almost an hour by this point, we decided to jump into Luigi’s queue and check out the new Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters. It was practically walk-on, and we went to our respective cars. Amy, Katherine, and Vic jumped in one, Charlotte and I in the other. The ride is a large improvement over the previous iteration (Flying Tires).













We were off our Italian spin by 08:44 the older girls wanted to check out the wait at Tower of Terror, so we quickly scooted over while Amy headed over to the Midway and get in line before TSMM started to get a LOOOONG line.

On our way over to the Midway, we spotted a momma duck and her ducklings at the Pacific Wharf








And I found some girls who got scooped up in the sardine nets…






Had some fun in the queue while we were waiting..

















Amy was able to beat Victoria, but she’s getting pretty good.