August 2017 Disneyland Check-In & Chat!

It's almost summer for me! I have one more week of work then I'm on summer vacation and I can focus solely on Disney! I can't wait!

(I mean, I work all July, but it's camp and way less stressful than what's been going on at work right now.)
 
Our Disney summer is getting more Disneyfied. :) First D23 Expo in July, then CHOC Walk in August. Now we're planning another trip with family in August. And I thought we would have only one DLR trip this summer... :)
 
:banana:We are WDW veterans who are now officially going to Disneyland the first week in August. I am excited about the simple things, including the RR being open. The train whistle is part of Disney.

I am hoping for a Fantasmic dining package, because anything to reduce stress is important on this trip. We are also splurging on the World of Color dessert party. I will be getting a DAS for my son, and it's my understanding that there aren't really any accommodations available for shows/parades. I love Disney nostalgia and rides, my youngest barely remembers our last trip to WDW and is :bounce:, and my middle child fondly remembers our trips and is ready for some new rides ... but I want this to be a good trip for my son too. Because of his diagnosis and related conditions, he doesn't like crowds, overstimulation, and not feeling in control of his own movement (as he described it), but he's also a typical teenager who thinks he's too cool for Disney and the tamer rides that he can handle physically. The only thing he's excited about is any dessert/dining packages that let him eat, avoid the worst of the crowds, and make him feel like we're getting special treatment because we paid for it and not because of his diagnosis. :) I'm planning afternoon breaks at the HOJO and plenty of good food, but I welcome any other ideas, including how to cope with the heat.
 


:banana:We are WDW veterans who are now officially going to Disneyland the first week in August. I am excited about the simple things, including the RR being open. The train whistle is part of Disney.

I am hoping for a Fantasmic dining package, because anything to reduce stress is important on this trip. We are also splurging on the World of Color dessert party. I will be getting a DAS for my son, and it's my understanding that there aren't really any accommodations available for shows/parades. I love Disney nostalgia and rides, my youngest barely remembers our last trip to WDW and is :bounce:, and my middle child fondly remembers our trips and is ready for some new rides ... but I want this to be a good trip for my son too. Because of his diagnosis and related conditions, he doesn't like crowds, overstimulation, and not feeling in control of his own movement (as he described it), but he's also a typical teenager who thinks he's too cool for Disney and the tamer rides that he can handle physically. The only thing he's excited about is any dessert/dining packages that let him eat, avoid the worst of the crowds, and make him feel like we're getting special treatment because we paid for it and not because of his diagnosis. :) I'm planning afternoon breaks at the HOJO and plenty of good food, but I welcome any other ideas, including how to cope with the heat.

Enjoy your trip! I hope your son has a good time. You will love the WOC dessert party! I hope the Fantasmic dinning package comes back. Your son would enjoy that. There is also the Main Street Electrical Parade dining package and then you have the special area to stand in to watch the parade..not sure if your son would like all the crowds...maybe the 2nd showing of the parade
 
Enjoy your trip! I hope your son has a good time. You will love the WOC dessert party! I hope the Fantasmic dinning package comes back. Your son would enjoy that. There is also the Main Street Electrical Parade dining package and then you have the special area to stand in to watch the parade..not sure if your son would like all the crowds...maybe the 2nd showing of the parade

We saw the MSEP when it was at MK and had a very good view in Liberty Square, so we're probably going to skip it this time. I am hoping to find a good way to see Fantasmic. My son enjoyed it at WDW, and my youngest has never seen it.
 
I'm planning afternoon breaks at the HOJO and plenty of good food, but I welcome any other ideas, including how to cope with the heat.

You guys are going to have a great time! I'll address the heat issues, as I'm a 30-something with a heart condition which has caused heart failure & find heat to be one of my biggest triggers to feeling bad, so I've gotten pretty good at navigating my way through my visits to stay cool despite the heat.

My first suggestion is always to have an option for a quick retreat to a nearby hotel to cool off in the hotter parts of the day & you already have that covered!

My second suggestion is to familiarize yourself with the areas with air conditioning throughout the park which might cool you off when needed. For example, I usually retreat to visit Mr Lincoln at least once during the warmer part of the hours I'm in the park (and I also appreciate the air conditioned lobby area before the show with all of the displays with historical memorabilia, etc., and have been known to duck in there and cool off before heading back out), I also have been known to hit up the Main Street Cinema for the same reason. Depending on how many groups/families decide to do this same cool off method, it might get a little overwhelming, but usually I've found them to be pretty quiet and a good place to step away from the overwhelming crowds. I also like to hit the air conditioned shops at non-peak shopping hours (i.e., just before or after lunchtime, up to about an hour before any afternoon parade tends to be somewhat uncrowded) for the same reason.

I also sometimes schedule air conditioned snack or beverage breaks at non peak times for the same purpose...for example, The (air conditioned) Stage Door Cafe tends to be pretty deserted when it first opens, and it is a great place to cool off & get away from the crowds while drinking a quick soda. I think it opens around 10? I've been in there several times in the first hour to hour and fifteen minutes it is open & found that a great spot. As I am vegan & on a low sodium diet, dining options in the park are limited for me & I don't have a ton of feedback there, but I bet others can give good feedback on which spots have a/c and when they are less busy.

I also make sure I hit rides with any lines/waiting areas in direct sun long before the hottest time of the day. If heat sensitivity for any member of your party is an issue, i'd advise this, too. For example, I know the wait with DAS at Small World isn't long, but even a few minutes in the direct sun there can make me miserable, so I tend to hit it early or late & avoid it during the 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM timeframe. I know, as a teen, he probably thinks he's too cool for rides like that, but that gives you an example. My suggestion would be to really look at the ride loading areas for DAS for the rides you want to hit on a map to familiarize yourself before the trip, then when you are there, scout out those locations when touring around the park and get a feel for how hot they might be & hit up the hotter ones early or late.

Usually I suggest the train as a good sit down & rest opportunity during the hotter hours you are in the park, but sometimes I can get a bit hot on that during the warmer hours, so I tend to use that to help me get around when it is getting a little warmer, but not too hot. If stairs down from the train station are an issue, the Main Street station isn't a good option, but if all members of your party can navigate going downstairs easily, I'd suggest using the train to help you get out of the park for your afternoon hotel rest on at least some of the days...I cannot tell you how much I have missed having the option to take the train up to the main gate to help me get out of the park while the railroad is down! I often take the train from the Toontown or Tomorrowland stop up to Main Street & exit the park for my afternoon rest that way. It allows me to rest a bit before the walk back to the hotel, which is greatly appreciated. And, FYI, I think I heard that at WDW the monorail trains are air conditioned? Don't expect that at Disneyland. I've heard the front and rear cars with the drivers have a/c, but have never experienced that myself. If, at any point, your plans were to take a nice, air conditioned ride on the monorail to Downtown Disney for lunch, be advised it will be hot (and, depending on how hot it is, the monorail might actually be closed due to the heat!).

Other suggestions to beat the heat...the obvious ones apply, like bring water bottles, wear hats and/or have cooling towels, plan to buy cool treats like Dole Whip or frozen lemonade or ice creams (in DCA I've found that Schmoozies in Hollywood Land makes really refreshing cold smoothies--I get them without the dairy and I swear they are even more refreshing with just the blended frozen fruit!). As you tour the parks, make mental notes about where there is good shade and seating.

As I am flying in from the Eastern time zone, my body wants meals at non traditional times, so I tend to eat lunch and dinner closer to when I would eat at home and I've found that it is surprising just how much cooler most of the restaurants and quick service eating areas are when there are very few people eating there. That said, as you tour the parks, keep an eye on the seating arrangements for any places you want to eat (especially the quick service spots!) and see how hot the eating areas might be. For example, the Cozy Cones in Carsland are awesome, but the seating there is so hot, even the seats under umbrellas. I tend to either stop there to grab a quick pomegranate limeade and walk to shady areas elsewhere, or I hit them later in the evening, when it is much cooler.

I hope the Fantasmic dining package is up and running by the time of your trip! And I hope you guys enjoy your trip. The people here on the DL boards are great at answering questions or giving suggestions, please feel free to hit us up if you want/need any help or feedback!


~Meg
 


You guys are going to have a great time! I'll address the heat issues, as I'm a 30-something with a heart condition which has caused heart failure & find heat to be one of my biggest triggers to feeling bad, so I've gotten pretty good at navigating my way through my visits to stay cool despite the heat.

Thank you for all the insight, and the Monorail warning. I was imagining it to be a cool, comfortable way out of the park. Stairs and stamina aren't an issue for us, but bright sunlight and physical discomfort from heat can be. On all of our full park days, we'll be at the hotel from about 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. I'm also hopeful that eating 11 a.m. lunches will help us avoid the worst meal crowds.
 
I know it's not even July yet but I feel like suddenly this trip is so soon! (and yet too far away for me!)
 
I haven't seen this mentioned so I thought I would point out that the CHOC Walk is now going to be Sunday, August 27 (instead of in October). We were there at the same time as the CHOC Walk one October and it was a zoo in the morning. So plan accordingly if that's one of your dates! The year we were there they actually switched MM and EMH to DL for that Sunday because DCA would have walkers in it until later (I don't know if that's typical or not but I'm sure someone here will know). The lines were such a mess and there was so much confusion that they ended up opening DL to everyone at the same time. But because of the confusion only the MM/EMH parts were open for the first hour and FP wasn't working either. Hopefully it will be better this time. If we had known what to expect we would still have gone but wouldn't have been so thrown off. I suggest going in that morning expecting huge crowds and then whatever happens won't seem so bad! After all, it's still a day at Disneyland!

Thank you for posting this! I hadn't any idea when we chose our dates. Guess I've decided that Sunday will be our beach day.
 
I just booked mine too! So happy!!!

Wow! This seems like really late to be booking flights. We had ours booked at 3 months and we would have gotten a better price at 4+ months. Our same flights are over $100 higher today from three months ago. How do you manage the cost?
 
Wow! This seems like really late to be booking flights. We had ours booked at 3 months and we would have gotten a better price at 4+ months. Our same flights are over $100 higher today from three months ago. How do you manage the cost?

I would have thought the same, but there are some pretty decent summertime sales going on right now...I fly in/out of Detroit & in the last month I've seen DTW to/from LAX ranging from $149 each way to $167 (right now).

I already booked a flight to LAX for my trip, with the plan that I will road trip back to Michigan with my husband in our car...but his car's air conditioning just broke & he is talking about trying to fix it himself (not likely to be successful...), so I've started looking at potential return airfares & am considering booking one "just in case". He's stubborn enough to insist upon driving both ways regardless of the condition of his A/C, doing a bunch of overnight driving while in the hotter spots. I am a heart patient and cannot risk being that foolhardy.

~Meg
 
Wow! This seems like really late to be booking flights. We had ours booked at 3 months and we would have gotten a better price at 4+ months. Our same flights are over $100 higher today from three months ago. How do you manage the cost?

The prices have held pretty stably for the flights we're taking, so it wasn't so much of an issue. We had a lot of factors up in the air that led to late booking for the airfare though (moving, car repairs, family, etc.) so it just became a necessity to do it as late as we possibly could this time around.
 

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