PDA

View Full Version : 2/14 -2/19 Trip Report



CogsworthWest
02-23-2016, 02:15 PM
Haven't written a trip report in a long time so my fingers are rusty. We were in DLR last week and visited both DL and CA. The weather was hard to predict; 90 degrees the first couple of days, rain the next, and back up to the 80s for the rest of the week. Despite the ups and down in temps, the park still felt busy. It was manageable, but I had planned on bad February weather and smaller crowds -- I guess I shouldn't complain.

As we have visited the park many, many times, our goal was to make the a trip of "Firsts". For my wife, it was her first stay in the DLH. Despite recent upgrades, it felt like the DLH I visited in 1970. Has an older feel to it and the look of the buildings is very dated. I miss the waterfalls that used to be on the grounds, but I did enjoy the Tangaroa Terrace. The big pool was under construction, but the smaller one was open and well used. Another first was dining at Carthay Circle. Despite the upscale feel they try to maintain, parents let children run wild which detracts from the atmosphere and can ruin a quiet dinner for two. The food was so-so, the portions small, and the prices high. We had high hopes, but not a place to which we'd return.

A big first was the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour -- something I've wanted to do for years. I was particularly interested in this tour because I know that Walt's apartment was on the itinerary. Well, not anymore. Because of accessibility issues, the apartment is no longer on the tour. Our wonderful guide, Valerie, said that "if even one person can't access it, no one can". To make up for this, they include the Disney Dream Suite at the end of the tour. An amazing suite and well worth the price of the tour. I learned some trivia I didn't know, got VIP access to both Alice in Wonderland and the Haunted Mansion, met some great Disney fans, had a nice lunch, and really, really enjoyed Valerie. I highly recommend the tour, even for all of you Disney fans who think you know everything! ;-)

The Paint the Night parade/light show/fireworks was another first -- we're usually way too tired to stay up for all of that, but we made ourselves do it this time. It's a beautiful show, great music, and amazing projections on the buildings along Main Street. Something to note: the images are SOMETIMES projected onto It's a Small World, but not every night. Some disappointed guests found that out the hard way after camping out in from of IASW for an hour+.

We managed to go on all of the rides in both DL and CA -- had some good food along the way -- bought some art (which we had shipped home) -- and met some nice people along the way.

More rides were closed than I would have preferred, and some rides were not listed as closed on websites that claim to keep track of that stuff. Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh were both closed when we were there, but those were not listed on any website I checked. We were aware of the other many closures, but the extra ones added to the congestion in various areas, particularly New Orleans Square. With the Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, and Winnie the Pooh closed, both POTC and IJ were working overtime. (OH, another first -- my wife and I did the Single Rider Pass for IJ. Worked out wonderfully!)

So, despite my griping about some of the food and the closed rides, it was another wonderful trip to the DLR. We look forward to going back AFTER the craziness of Star Wars land dies down..... :-)

Crow
03-02-2016, 02:52 PM
thanks for the report..Ive been to DL once but gf hasnt. we were gonna do Vegas & DL but now have to decide on one or the other. we have been to WDW, me many times and she 3 times so IDK if this would dissapoint her cause its smaller. and there are a lot of things closed now. the other time i went Carsland was being built so that would be new to me. the resorts are a lot more exp than WDW. i stayed across the street last time which was fine.