**** Official 2014 AUGUST - Disneyland thread ****

[sarahb74]

Hi! Please can you add my family to the list. We are coming to Disneyland from the UK at the end of a trip to Canada and I am sooooooooooooooo excited

We (me, DH, DS13 & DS8) are staying from 25-30 August at the Grand Californian and have 5 day park hoppers. I am a serious uber planner and have been going into overdrive for this trip as I have had to plan our driving tour of western Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Harrison, Revelstoke & Canmore) with all the sightseeing along the way, then we fly out of Calgary in to LAX for our Disneyland adventure.

We have been to Disneyland Paris 6 times, and WDW once, so when we decided it was time to visit family in Canada I couldn't resist adding in a trip to DL - when I told DH (who isn't a great flyer) it was only a short flight he thought it would be about an hour, not 3! That's longer than our trip to Italy last summer!! I have been once before (I must have been around 5 or 6, which would make it 1979 or 1980) and have memories of Dumbo, IASW, Autopia and Minnie Mouse.

Planning on eating at Goofy's Kitchen the evening we arrive to get us in the mood (and because we won't have park tickets that day), then a breakfast at the Storytellers Café, plus meals at Blue Bayou, Carthay Circle (WOC package), Big Thunder Ranch and Plaza Inn.

I've already picked up lots of great tips from this board. Looking forward to joining in on the thread.

Sarah

 

[Aladora]

Hey Wakica, can you please change my trip details, we decided to add an extra day at the end so we also had to change hotels.

New details: Aug 19-24, DelSol Inn.

Thanks!

 

[Aladora]

Hi! Please can you add my family to the list. We are coming to Disneyland from the UK at the end of a trip to Canada and I am sooooooooooooooo excited

We (me, DH, DS13 & DS8) are staying from 25-30 August at the Grand Californian and have 5 day park hoppers. I am a serious uber planner and have been going into overdrive for this trip as I have had to plan our driving tour of western Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Harrison, Revelstoke & Canmore) with all the sightseeing along the way, then we fly out of Calgary in to LAX for our Disneyland adventure.

We have been to Disneyland Paris 6 times, and WDW once, so when we decided it was time to visit family in Canada I couldn't resist adding in a trip to DL - when I told DH (who isn't a great flyer) it was only a short flight he thought it would be about an hour, not 3! That's longer than our trip to Italy last summer!! I have been once before (I must have been around 5 or 6, which would make it 1979 or 1980) and have memories of Dumbo, IASW, Autopia and Minnie Mouse.

Planning on eating at Goofy's Kitchen the evening we arrive to get us in the mood (and because we won't have park tickets that day), then a breakfast at the Storytellers Café, plus meals at Blue Bayou, Carthay Circle (WOC package), Big Thunder Ranch and Plaza Inn.

I've already picked up lots of great tips from this board. Looking forward to joining in on the thread.

Sarah

I'm in Victoria so if you want any help with info on our little island, just ask!

 

[scrapshappen]

Wow, that's so cool. Summer can't come quick enough. lol. I went back and forth since in August you can usually get a good deal at WDW, but we really want to see the only park Walt got to see!

Has anyone eaten at Carnation Café for lunch? The menu looks good and it would be fun to see where Walt Disney himself used to eat.

We tried Carnation last trip. The food and service were fine. I know I got the baked potato soup but I don't remember what everyone else in our party had.

 

[wakica]

This is great, thank you for starting it up!

We'll be there Aug 27-Sept 1 and are staying at PPH. We are doing the DL 10K on Saturday morning, and will have some rest time Saturday afternoon and have tickets for an Angels game Saturday night.

I'm thinking of doing the photopass+ since it will be just the two of us, and I'd be in more pics, and the price is so much better than WDW. Plus my son loves the ride photos and we usually buy one of those.

YAY welcome! I will add you to the list! I'm so envious of you doing the race. I did the Animal Kingdome one (Expedition Everest 5K challenge) a few years ago and I would LOVE to do a disney race again! SOOO much fun and ssoooo rewarding! We just couldn't make the times work out to go a bit later and hit the DL race. oh well - I will be rooting for you Be sure to keep us posted on how your prep for the race is going so I can live vicariously through you! LOL

We did photopass at WDW last time but I hadn't even thought about it for DL. Thanks for the reminder - I will have to look into it. We LOVE ride pics too!!

Awesome! He got out before my mom did, she left when she was 18.

LOL - they were smart to leave such a tiny place!!!

So my family will be coming to Disneyland for our 1st time for a quick visit August 4th-10th.
.

YAY welcome!!! I will add your info to the list!

I'm finding it difficult to keep the secret! Lol I have never surprised them with something like this before.
We are from Canada, and since it's much cheaper (1/3 the cost) to fly out of an American city to LA, we will be driving to Minneapolis and flying to LA from there. So far, the plan is to tell them we are going on a road trip to Minneapolis. Once we get there we will reveal the real plans for the week!

GREAT plan!!!! It will be SO much FUN when you get to reveal it! Keep us posted on it k???

We're in for August!

Will be in DLR 8/6 - 8/9. ADR's will be made for Ariel's Grotto on 8/7 and BTR BBQ on 8/8. Staying at HI on Walnut.

Can't wait!!

YAY! Welcome! I will add your information to the list. You are SO organized!!!

Oooh, thanks! DH and I are going to be in CA the 20th-26th with plans to do a whale watch at the beginning and Universal at the end. DL will be in the middle and we have 4 day hoppers.

The only definite plans I have right now are to do our MM on Sat and to eat at Minnie's trying for an opening reservation.

YAY! Welcome! I will add your information to the list. I apologize - I'm familiar with WDW acronyms but not DL ones so please educate me on what MM is? lol

I will be there from Aug 28-Sept 1 for the Disneyland Half-Marathon. I might add on some more days at the beginning of the week, but unsure at this point. I am staying at the Desert Inn & Suites

YAY! Welcome! I will add your info in! As I mentioned to mikamah I am very envious that you are doing the race! It's going to be such a great time!!!!

Those of you who normally go to WDW in the summer will be pleasantly surprised by the weather in DLR in the summer (I hope!!!). It's so much nicer. I cannot imagine doing WDW in the summer. I'd rather brave the Spring Break or Christmas crowds than go in August. I do NOT do humidity well.

I'm with you on the Orlando heat in the summer We would never go there then. We save our trips for late April to early May or in October for Florida. We find the crowds are manageable and the heat is as well.

Hi! Please can you add my family to the list. We are coming to Disneyland from the UK at the end of a trip to Canada and I am sooooooooooooooo excited.

We (me, DH, DS13 & DS8) are staying from 25-30 August at the Grand Californian and have 5 day park hoppers. I am a serious uber planner and have been going into overdrive for this trip as I have had to plan our driving tour of western Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Harrison, Revelstoke & Canmore) with all the sightseeing along the way, then we fly out of Calgary in to LAX for our Disneyland adventure.

Planning on eating at Goofy's Kitchen the evening we arrive to get us in the mood (and because we won't have park tickets that day), then a breakfast at the Storytellers Café, plus meals at Blue Bayou, Carthay Circle (WOC package), Big Thunder Ranch and Plaza Inn.
Sarah

YAY Glad you made your way over here Sarah! I hope you enjoy your tour of Canada! It really is a beautiful country (in the summer!!! lol) I confess that I am an uber planner too so you are in good company So just to clarify - arrival day is the 25th? That's the day I'll put you down for Goofy's kitchen - if I'm wrong just let me know and I'll fix it.

Hey Wakica, can you please change my trip details, we decided to add an extra day at the end so we also had to change hotels.

New details: Aug 19-24, DelSol Inn.

Thanks!

You bet!

 

[sarahb74]

I'm in Victoria so if you want any help with info on our little island, just ask!

Thanks we only have 2 nights in Victoria and will be mostly visiting family but I'm hoping to fit in Thunderbird Park and the BC museum. My boys arent interested in Butchart Gardens and I've been a few times before. Anything else you think we shouldnt miss?

 

[Aladora]

Thanks we only have 2 nights in Victoria and will be mostly visiting family but I'm hoping to fit in Thunderbird Park and the BC museum. My boys arent interested in Butchart Gardens and I've been a few times before. Anything else you think we shouldnt miss?

You cold do both of those at the same time. Thunderbird is right beside the museum.

Depending on how old your boys are and if you want to stay in the downtown core or go further out of town on either the bus or by car...here are some ideas.

Downtown-ish:

• Beacon Hill Park (also the small petting zoo if the boys are younger) - if you go there, you have to stop at the Beacon Drive in for soft serve ice cream!
• Miniature World, located on the side of the Empress Hotel.
• The Bug Zoo, small but fun if you like bugs!
• Fisherman's Wharf, go and feed Sammy the Seal and have lunch at Barb's Fish and Chips. - also at Fisherman's Wharf is Pirate Adventures, great for the 8 and under crowd!
• Whale Watching
• Double Decker Bus Tour of the city
• Walk the Dallas Road Breakwater
• Take a Harbour Ferry tour
• Visit the Maritime Museum

Further out of town:

• Butterfly Garden
• Wildplay - my personal favourite but depending on the age of your kids, they might be too young to go.
• Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre - small aquarium about 30 minute drive out of town in Sidney.

Those are the things that come to mind first thing in the morning!

Sorry OP, this got a little

 

[nervous1sttimer]

I was wondering where the August thread was! I am going to DLR for the first time August 25-31st. Will be running the DDD and bringing my husband, DS7 and DD5. I am starting to get anxious about our planning. I think we will get 5-day hoppers?

I also know we want to eat at Blue Bayou (trying for waterfront), do at least one character meal, the Fantasmic! dessert party, and probably a WOC meal.

We are staying at Hojo in a kids suite, but I'm a bit nervous about not having EMH. I don't know why - we specifically avoid EMH in WDW! But this seems to be a big difference in DLR.

I will have lots of questions as we get closer, I'm sure!

 

[nervous1sttimer]

According to another thread, Matterhorn refurb has been pushed out to 8/25-11/13. This could change but thought I would mention in case this is a must-do ride for anyone planning on late August.

This might be our only DLR trip, so I might add a day on and come in on the 24th to make sure we don't miss this!

 

[wakica]

Sorry OP, this got a little

Oh gosh, don't worry at all. That's what this thread is all about - helping each other out

I was wondering where the August thread was! I am going to DLR for the first time August 25-31st. Will be running the DDD and bringing my husband, DS7 and DD5. I am starting to get anxious about our planning. I think we will get 5-day hoppers?

We are staying at Hojo in a kids suite, but I'm a bit nervous about not having EMH. I don't know why - we specifically avoid EMH in WDW! But this seems to be a big difference in DLR.

YAY so glad you found us! I will add in your dates. I am a little worried about those darn early mornings too. I would just go to the park that doesn't have early morning but our first 2 days have early morning at DCA. We only have 3 days so I had hoped to do a busy day in one park day 1, followed by a busy day in the other park day 2 and end off with the third day going wherever we want. Since DCA has 2 days of early mornings it's making it a bit tricky to follow my initial plan blah! Oh well, I guess I'll pick the lowest estimated crowd day for the early morning park. I'm guessing that will NOT be the Sunday so Monday will be DCA for us.

 

[wakica]

I just realized I got this whole thing going but havn't even taken the time to really introduce myself!

so I will

I am Kim, wife to Wayne and we have a 16 year old daughter Cali.
We LOVE disney and have been to WDW 5 times (4 for Cali).

DH is a photographer and works in a printing shop and I am a preschool teacher assistant and assist him with photo editing. i pretty much work to get money for trips. People think we are a bit nuts that 90% of our holidays have been Disney related LOL but we have actually transformed a lot of people over and made them realize how incredibly magical a Disney holiday actually is.

DL is new to us. DH went as a child 4 times so he remembers the old Disney and was very resistant to going to DL. The last time we had it on the docket I got outvoted by the two of them and it turned in to a WDW trip. This time though I have DD on my side cuz she REALLY wants to surf and hang on a California beach and I just KNOW that DH is going to have his eyes opened to the fact that DL is magical too!

Heading down to California on Aug 11th and home on Aug 27th. Planning to hit 6 Flags, Yosemite, Bodie, then up to Lodi to visit with relatives. After that we will do the Napa Valley wine tour, hit San Francisco for a few days, drive down the coast and check out a bunch of places on our way down to Huntington Beach where we want to stay for 3 nights and DD will take a surf class and then end off our trip with 4 nights at DLR.

That's it in a nutshell. sorry I didn't think to properly introduce myself sooner. LOL

 

[tiffjoy]

After that we will do the Napa Valley wine tour, hit San Francisco for a few days, drive down the coast and check out a bunch of places on our way down to Huntington Beach where we want to stay for 3 nights

If you have any San Francisco questions, let me know! We live outside the city, and having moved here instead if grew up here, we have done lots of the tourist stuff.

It's my very favorite city. I'm sure you will have so much fun here!

 

[wakica]

That's GREAT! Thanks!
Our main concern right now is where to stay that's affordable but decent. WOW, what an EXPENSIVE place!!!

 

[wakica]

ATTENTION DISNEY MARATHON WEEKEND RUNNERS...

Please let me know which race you are running in so I can add you to the list of runners I put on the first page.

If dates worked out better I totally would have been running the 5K with you so make sure to soak up a little extra Disney running magic for me


Also, if anyones info is missing or wrong please just let me know and I'll fix it in a jiffy.

 

[gerilyne]

So, I realized I didn't say anything about myself, just that we were going in Aug.

So, I currently live in Oregon and it will be me and DH traveling Aug 10-16. This will be our 3rd Aug trip in a row together to DL and will probably go again next year as well.

This will be our second year staying at the GCH and we plan to spend 7 days in the park (not sure how yet, if we will do AP or do a 5 day and a 2 day hopper). We discovered last year that we do not like to over plan our trip; we had way too many reservations for dining and did the Fantasmic dessert package so this year we are limiting our advance planning to picking a day for Napa Rose Chef's Counter and our annual dinner at Blue Bayou for my DH birthday.

That's about all we have so far in the plans! Love seeing what everyone else has in the works!!!

 

[Aladora]

I should also introduce myself! I live in Victoria, BC, Canada with DH and our 8 year old DS. DH and I own a computer consulting company along with a couple of computer stores.

DH and I went to DL for our honeymoon and we've taken DS to DL 5 times since 2011. This august trip was a bit unplanned, we were just there last September and then again a few weeks ago in March. Our trip in March was not a great trip because DH and DS both got sick so since we have APs that expire mid September, we decided to make a makeup trip in August!

We're actually heading to Ontario in July to visit family and then exactly one month after we get home we are off to Disneyland!

Our first trip we went all out and stayed in a 2 room suite in the DLH but after that the lure of the motels across from the entrance has just been too great to resist! I keep debating one of the DLR hotels but I love being able to go from room to entrance in 5 minutes!

 

[allsaintsatx]

Has anyone eaten at Carnation Café for lunch? The menu looks good and it would be fun to see where Walt Disney himself used to eat.

We have we think it's great. We eat there 2 or 3 times each trip usually 2 breakfasts and a lunch or dinner. Great food, great ambiance and one of the best locations in the park right on Main St it cannot be beat, well maybe by BB but that goes without saying! It's table service but the prices are reasonable and the food is really good. If you're going in August you might want to request an indoor table if it's warm outside. Don't forget to get your picture taken with Chef Oscar! He's very sweet.

 

[ILoveWD]

Hi fellow August vacationers,

Myself (Tricia), DH, DD13, DD7 live in western NC. We have been to WDW 8 times in the last 9 years. Listening to Disney music from the parks and podcasts is a daily part of our lives. I am always planning my next Disney trip even if it is only in my head ! We have never stayed at the same WDW resort twice so every trip is even more of an adventure.

We are looking forward to being in the original Disney park. WDW is fun but even staying onsite takes a lot of the day with buses and the distance in the parks between attractions. The age difference between my girls makes touring busy too.

We are staying at the GC from August 16-22nd. 5 Day PH with no other plans for other attractions are on our schedule. We are taking DK livery and not getting a car. The other SO CA places will have to wait till another trip. We hope to see everything Disney and allow time for the pool and relaxing.

Thanks for all the great info on these boards from DLR vets.

 

[wakica]

So, I realized I didn't say anything about myself, just that we were going in Aug.

So, I currently live in Oregon and it will be me and DH traveling Aug 10-16. This will be our 3rd Aug trip in a row together to DL and will probably go again next year as well.

This will be our second year staying at the GCH and we plan to spend 7 days in the park (not sure how yet, if we will do AP or do a 5 day and a 2 day hopper). We discovered last year that we do not like to over plan our trip; we had way too many reservations for dining and did the Fantasmic dessert package so this year we are limiting our advance planning to picking a day for Napa Rose Chef's Counter and our annual dinner at Blue Bayou for my DH birthday.

That's about all we have so far in the plans! Love seeing what everyone else has in the works!!!

Lots of days to really enjoy it sounds wonderful!! We dont' like to book in a lot of meals either - we are there for the RIDES

So you like August that much hey? Can you give me an indication on how long the lines typically are in August?


Oh and can ANYONE see my ticker?? For some reason I can't get it to show up for me.

 

[wakica]

I should also introduce myself! I live in Victoria, BC, Canada with DH and our 8 year old DS. DH and I own a computer consulting company along with a couple of computer stores.

Our first trip we went all out and stayed in a 2 room suite in the DLH but after that the lure of the motels across from the entrance has just been too great to resist! I keep debating one of the DLR hotels but I love being able to go from room to entrance in 5 minutes!

I LOVE BC!!! It's been WAY too long since I've been there though

Which is your fave hotel across the street? i wish we had gotten one that close but DH couldn't resist the new Ayers - all brand new looking, with a great price, great breakfast and fresh cookies in the evening. LOL

Hi fellow August vacationers,

Myself (Tricia), DH, DD13, DD7 live in western NC. We have been to WDW 8 times in the last 9 years. Listening to Disney music from the parks and podcasts is a daily part of our lives. I am always planning my next Disney trip even if it is only in my head ! We have never stayed at the same WDW resort twice so every trip is even more of an adventure.

We are staying at the GC from August 16-22nd. 5 Day PH with no other plans for other attractions are on our schedule. We are taking DK livery and not getting a car. The other SO CA places will have to wait till another trip. We hope to see everything Disney and allow time for the pool and relaxing.

My DD and I love to listen to Disney music too! We have a playlist on my phone for in the car (songs from movies) and at home we listen to D-COT all the time (music from in the parks). Often it helps us to get through the long cold, snowy winters by just turning on D-COT, blasting a heater and pretending we are in Disney

Sounds like a nice long relaxed trip you have planned. PERFECT