QF WP’s do Disneyland (LA), Seattle and beyond

[QF WP]

To continue our pace of the afternoon, we allowed the kids to get a hit of sugar and the obligatory packets of expensive candy floss were purchased as we discussed what rides we still had on our “must do” and be able to organise the FastPasses.

 

[QF WP]

Toy Story had always been a family favourite and as you can see, my son hasn’t lost the excitement of seeing Buzz:

 

[QF WP]

More photos of this ride:





Okay, somebody has waaay too much time on their hands...

 

[QF WP]

For those that like collecting Disney pins, a small selection of LimIted Edition pins - we took photo for our Disney-holic teacher and bought her a couple. She really wanted Disney Pixar ones but they were sold out within 24 hours of release a couple of months ago and every shop was saying they are waiting to see if they get another release

 

[GarrettM]

We decided on a leisurely stroll around Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and an afternoon snack in the shade was in order.

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Comic sans... wowee.

 

[GarrettM]

Really interesting and informative report QF WP. I gotta say though that reading through it all, looking at the crowds, and contemplating all those wait times for things, I just can't imagine ever wanting to give this a shot.

Seems a nightmare!

 

[Denali]

Really interesting and informative report QF WP. I gotta say though that reading through it all, looking at the crowds, and contemplating all those wait times for things, I just can't imagine ever wanting to give this a shot.
Seems a nightmare!

Sometimes I think about a trip to see the The Taj Mahal but Im all, "Yeah but where are the special/expensive VIP entry tours, you know, the one where theres less than a dozen people at any one time because if that doesnt exist, Im not going".

I feel the same way about Disney. What do the really, really, really rich people do but make it semi-affordable for us poorer folk.

 

[QF WP]

Really interesting and informative report QF WP. I gotta say though that reading through it all, looking at the crowds, and contemplating all those wait times for things, I just can't imagine ever wanting to give this a shot.

Seems a nightmare!

As a person who wasn't really into Disney as a child, I have now done my parental duty by taking them to Disneyland. My wife and I both hate crowds, but it wasn't too bad most of the time. Just stay away from the Parks on national holidays (as we did, we purposely made our 4 Days prior to Independence Day - our last day outlined above was 3 July). It would have been manic to be there on 4 July - I shudder to think of what the wait times would have been (or even the ability to use a FastPass Day). They would have been booked out for the rest of the day by about 11am.

If my kids want to go to Disneyworld in Miami, or Paris (my daughter has been there), they are firmly on their own. Probably their own coin as well. Ditto for Hollywood or Universal Studios. I have no desire to return to LA again, it's been 20+ years since I had last stayed there and my lack of desire to return hasn't waivered.

 

[JohnM]

I’m currently at Iguassu Falls. I think it’s worse than Disneyland ,

 

[QF WP]

One of my last posts on Disneyland - this is the first timers badge you get from either City Hall or from many of the shops. A couple of Disney hosts commented on our status. There are also badges for various other events:



My various thoughts:

Use the App - I don’t know how people can do manage their time effectively without it



Consider buying passes on App - I would next time. No needing to find and take TA Voucher (concerns with losing it!)
Buy FastPasses for a number of days - we got one automatically for buying a 4 Day pass, but in hindsight I’d have spent another $10 USD per person in order to maximise efficiency and get to more rides.
Have a day off - We walked 17K steps for first 2 days, then 15K steps for last 2 days. Add 3K steps for our kids. They were stuffed. Best thing we did.
Have sufficient internet access - we got a throw away USA SIM. $50USD for 30 days through T-Mobile, unlimited data with 10GB on LTE. We didn’t hit the 10GB mark yet we were using my phone constantly
Have charger pack in backpack - I got a Belkin one when I got my IPhone X. Admittedly I never went close to draining the battery, but my daughter used it at times and I topped up on 2 of the days to ensure I always had over 20%

Short of having issues by losing your phone, it’s a no brainer.

 

[QF WP]

What was I thinking - the day isn’t over yet. Just a short sojourn to break out the popcorn for some sustenance.



And then head to the next ride where we didn’t have a FastPass so it was time to line up...

 

[QF WP]

We (my wife and I) were looking forward to this ride as the kids knew nothing about Indiana Jones but as we know already, it’s never the way it looks on the outside.









Here I thought I had finished with scary rides. Hell no, here’s another that @Fifa would hate. Yes it was dark and bumpy given the mode of transport, but in the moments after seeing the boulder coming towards us, the world opened up and a new dark terror reigned...

Well I got your attention. So did this ride. Violently and without warning this became my next attraction that I care never to ride again.

Adult rating: Mrs QF WP 7.5/10, me 3/10
Kids rating: 8/10

Another negative with this ride is the vast amount of walking underground to get to the ride, then again after its conclusion. Seriously.

 

[QF WP]

Winding down for the day was DEFINITELY on the cards now. Walking to the park entrance we came across some Goofball...

 

[QF WP]

We were sad at finishing our Disney adventure and there were still things left unseen, untravelled (the monorail) and unsaid. But this was the end of our experience



Whilst it was sad to go, we also will always be able to look back on our 4 days here with a sense of pride, developed through our connections of having shared experiences.





So now onto the next part of our holiday adventure.

 

[kermatu]

Never been, but I think I've OD'd on Disneyland via your thread alone. But great stuff. Lovely family photos at the end.

 

[QF WP]

Photo was done by a lovely Disney host who happened to be walking past and offered to take some full family snaps. Little things mean a lot, so a great way to be able to end the Disney experience.

 

[Denali]

Photo was done by a lovely Disney host who happened to be walking past and offered to take some full family snaps. Little things mean a lot, so a great way to be able to end the Disney experience.

Grand Ole Opry had a photo host as well, which for groups, families or couples is great.

Ive enjoyed your trip so far, many thanks.

 

[BAM1748]

You'd have to be a pretty miserable person to not enjoy Disneyland.

 

[QF WP]

Depends on what metrics you measure enjoyment @BAM1748. Overall yes I enjoyed it, but had no real desire to go if it wasn't for my kids (and no desire now to go back). There are pockets of discontent that we both held (cost of food, types of food sold, etc) but that was tempered by being allowed to bring own.

 

[BAM1748]

Depends on what metrics you measure enjoyment @BAM1748. Overall yes I enjoyed it, but had no real desire to go if it wasn't for my kids (and no desire now to go back). There are pockets of discontent that we both held (cost of food, types of food sold, etc) but that was tempered by being allowed to bring own.

The first time I went there I wasn't that interest and would have been happy to go do something else. But after I went I thought it was all pretty good, first trip in 1991, now I try and go every 2 or 3 years just for a day at the end of a US visit as I'm a big kid and all those rides that run on tracks.......(I do eat in a restaurant in DCA and have a bottle of wine for lunch, haven't been for 3 years so time to go again, hope it's still there!)