****Official August 2015 Check-In Thread****

[maryjeane]

In 24 hours we'll be boarding our flight!! Hoping to be in the park by noon. Can't wait but am not looking forward to the heat this week. Good thing there's lots of air conditioning. Have lots of sunscreen and a misty mate to keep us cool. Stay hydrated this week everyone!!

 

[Aladora]

Just woke up on our second day at Disneyland so thought I would do a mini tr from yesterday.

We got to the gate around 8:25 yesterday and the lines there were around a 5/10 waiting to get in before rope drop. No line at bag check, at least not on the Harbor Blvd side.

No MM at DL yesterday and RD was at 9. Crowds were pretty good all morning until around 11 when they picked up but still not the worst I have seen. The heat finally got to us around 2 and we headed back to the hotel for a rest.

Got back to the park around 4:45 and it was busy but again, I've seen worse.

DH grabbed a sweet spot on the curb right at the base of the Main St train station stairs around 7 for the 8:30 PTN parade and it was perfect! The view for the fireworks was not as fantastic but by then DS was so tired that we left before the end.

Heading to DCA this morning while DH deals with moving our luggage to the PPH, hoping for slightly cooler temps and low crowds!

 

[ADLFAN]

Just woke up on our second day at Disneyland so thought I would do a mini tr from yesterday.

We got to the gate around 8:25 yesterday and the lines there were around a 5/10 waiting to get in before rope drop. No line at bag check, at least not on the Harbor Blvd side.

No MM at DL yesterday and RS was at 9. Crowds were pretty good all morning until around 11 when they picked up but still not the worst I have seen. The heat finally got to us around 2 and we headed back to the hotel for a rest.

Got back to the park around 4:45 and it was busy but again, I've seen worse.

DH grabbed a sweet spot on the curb right at the base of the Main St train station stairs around 7 for the 8:30 PTN parade and it was perfect! The view for the fireworks was not as fantastic but by then DS was so tired that we left before the end.

Heading to DCA this morning while DH deals with moving our luggage to the PPH, hoping for slightly cooler temps and low crowds!

Awesome update! Thanks! Have you tried the new app in the parks?

 

[Aladora]

Awesome update! Thanks! Have you tried the new app in the parks?

Tried it all day yesterday! Only issue is that the app is a bit slow sometimes to update the wait times. Otherwise it was great!

 

[Imdboss]

Awesome update! Thanks! Have you tried the new app in the parks?

I've been using the app but it doesn't want to refresh so I end up closing it out then re-opening it again each time I want to check wait times. I heard someone else saying they do the same thing. Otherwise it's been very handy while in the park!

 

[heidica]

Sitting at the airport waiting for our return flight home. Had an absolutely awesome trip. I have so much to say but will try to write more later. Here are a few thoughts:
1. On a night when there is Fantasmic, I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoyed watching the fireworks from that location. We watched PtN parade and fireworks our first night and we had a great view of the parade (loved it) but terrible view of the fireworks (at the end of Main Street near The Emporium). On Sunday, we did Fantasmic Dinner package at Blue Bayou and stayed for the fireworks. IT WAS AWESOME. I know there is a sentimental emotion when it comes to watching the fireworks by the castle but being able to sit on the ground, with a wide view, see the projections and with it being less crowded it was great. I can confirm they only show the projections if it is a Fantasmic night. We were in the area last night, and they're were no projections.
2. The humidity was awful. Understand that we are from the Seattle area and I'm just not used to humidity in the 70%'s. I'm a wuss.
3. Washington state is in Disneyland. Felt like I was in Pioneer Square with all the Seahawk stuff we saw. My husband took a picture with his 12th Man flag in front of Mickey's ferris wheel in DCA. Go Hawks!
4. Our son got picked for the Jedi Training Academy Show. It was our first time seeing the show and we loved it.
5. I have 651 pictures on my PhotoPass Plus card so I'd say I got my monies worth. We were with the whole family, my brothers, SILs, niece, nephew and my parents which was 12 people. Most of the pics are of my niece with the princesses, which she absolutely loved. She is 3 and this was her first trip. The pictures are so precious. I'm so blessed to have been with her on her first trip. It is a memory I will cherish forever.

Anyway, it was a great trip. Just wish it hadn't been so hot - and we lucked out. It was in the 100s before we got there and is now in the 90s, but it was the humidity that got to me. Afternoon breaks at the hotel were a must. The parks at night were such much better.

 

[DLandgirlie]

I was there this Tues. and it was hot lol I was very excited to get a RSR FP (3:35-4:35pm) even though my group arrived at the parks late, 10-10:30am. (parks opened at 9am). Crowds were dense but the rides we managed to get on (Soarin, TSMM, RSR, Pirates, Ariel) were all less than 30 min.! Pleasantly surprised, our main goal was the parade/fireworks but if I was there just for rides, I would say those wait times were pretty good. I'll be planning a rides-centric trip and most likely will go on a Tues. again!

 

[Aladora]

Well, we just landed in Seattle and will be catching our last flight in a few hours.

I'm planning on doing a trip report early next week but my first thoughts are these:

It was hot. Hot and strangely very humid which made the heat feel worse. We bought a 24 pack of water bottles and between refilling those, the free half bottles that come with kids meals and some that we bought in the park I would estimate that between the three of us we drank close to 50 bottles of water over the 4 days!

The crowds were not as bad as I feared they would be. The mornings were fantastic and we got a ton done in the first 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

PTN is not to be missed.

We watched the fireworks from the PPH viewing deck and it was a lovely place to watch from.

PPH is my new favorite onsite hotel. The rooms were a great size, the vibe is laid back and not as crowded and given the location of our room when we stayed at the GCH, I don't think the walk from PPH was any longer!

The dinner buffet at PPH is great. Reasonable cost and good food.

Our plan had been to take a DL break for at least a year since we are heading to WDW in December but on our second day there, DH turned to me and said "So...February for my birthday or March for yours?"

 

[Imdboss]

Well, we just landed in Seattle and will be catching our last flight in a few hours.

I'm planning on doing a trip report early next week but my first thoughts are these:

It was hot. Hot and strangely very humid which made the heat feel worse. We bought a 24 pack of water bottles and between refilling those, the free half bottles that come with kids meals and some that we bought in the park I would estimate that between the three of us we drank close to 50 bottles of water over the 4 days!

The crowds were not as bad as I feared they would be. The mornings were fantastic and we got a ton done in the first 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

PTN is not to be missed.

We watched the fireworks from the PPH viewing deck and it was a lovely place to watch from.

PPH is my new favorite onsite hotel. The rooms were a great size, the vibe is laid back and not as crowded and given the location of our room when we stayed at the GCH, I don't think the walk from PPH was any longer!

The dinner buffet at PPH is great. Reasonable cost and good food.

Our plan had been to take a DL break for at least a year since we are heading to WDW in December but on our second day there, DH turned to me and said "So...February for my birthday or March for yours?"

I'll agree the heat and humidity has been awful. This is our last day and we are leaving the park early to go to the hotel and swim. 98 degrees just isn't fun. I'm looking forward to the Seattle rain tonight!

 

[mlnbabies]

We got to the park at 11am today and stayed until 2pm. It's hot but not horrible. We live in TX so this is nice compared to home. TX humidity is a killer.

Did a few rides before lunch. We went to the hotel for a break since we got up at 5am TX time.

Back to the parks for the PTN parade and fireworks.

Has been a great day so far.

 

[amyg1975]

We went the first weekend of August, and just yesterday we decided we would go next weekend for Labor Day. We have annual passes, and we plan to drive. Luckily got a close hotel! yay!

 

[buttercup14]

I got here yesterday, having a amazing time so far! Hardly any time on the internet but i'm posting some pics on instagram using the tag. Made the mistake of wearing flip flops for a few hours yesterday and now my feet have blisters all over them! Not the best for the start of a holiday but something like that always seems to happen!

 

[Aladora]

I got here yesterday, having a amazing time so far! Hardly any time on the internet but i'm posting some pics on instagram using the tag. Made the mistake of wearing flip flops for a few hours yesterday and now my feet have blisters all over them! Not the best for the start of a holiday but something like that always seems to happen!

I did something similar a few trips ago and bought myself a pair of Sanuk Yoga Slings in Downtown Disney. Fantastic flip flops and I now wear them while at DL with no problems!

These are the ones I have and I love, love, love them!

 

[jillyasu425]

Got back from our trip Wednesday night and thanks to the many tips and tricks posted on the disboards our trip was AWESOME!!! Yes the heat and humidity was ughhh but it's hard to be miserable in the happiest place on earth. And so nice to see all the fellow Seattleites at the park . Looking forward to the next couple days of rain

 

[Aladora]

I uploaded an album of our dinner at Napa Rose, I hope this link works!

http://s1131.photobucket.com/user/LeftCoaster1/slideshow/Facebook/Our dinner at Napa Rose

 

[czmom]

We got to the park at 11am today and stayed until 2pm. It's hot but not horrible. We live in TX so this is nice compared to home. TX humidity is a killer.

Did a few rides before lunch. We went to the hotel for a break since we got up at 5am TX time.

Back to the parks for the PTN parade and fireworks.

Has been a great day so far.

I'm from Houston so we also thought CA weather was hot, but okay. It was a nice break from humidity for sure!

 

[mlnbabies]

We had a awesome two days. We park hopped both days with most of the time spent at land. The castle is beautiful during the day and breathtaking at night.

We followed the plan of hanging out in the Main Street shops during the first parade. We then jumped in the street to watch the fireworks. We stood on the left side of the street near the ice cream shop. A tree partiality blocked the view. The projections on the buildings were cool.

The second night we went to the shops on the right side of the street. After the parade, we jumped into the street at the camera store. We got in the middle of the street and had a great view of the castle and fireworks. It was an amazing show.

 

[valerie160]

We got back from our first DL vacation on Friday night (we were at the parks Aug 21-Aug 25) and had an A-MAZ-ING time! Like most people have already touched upon, boy was it hot and humid! To make the best of it, we arrived early (rope drop everyday!) and left after lunch to rest for a few hours at the hotel during the hottest/most crowded time. We usually headed back around 4 or 5 and we were able to get everything on our list done without rushing around in the heat and crowds. Crowds were great on Friday and Saturday but pretty heavy Sunday and Monday and went back to good on Tuesday. Rode every ride we wanted to and met almost every character! The PTN parade and fireworks were beautiful, Fantasmic! and Soundsational were awesome and WOC was fabulous. I'm so grateful for all the tips and tricks I learned from all the DL pros by being on DISboards. We were able to get great seats for all the shows. We ended up with about 300 pictures on our Photopass plus (so glad I got this!) and I would definitely do that again! Overall, just such a memorable trip! My oldest daughter wants me to do a TR, so maybe you'll see one pop up from me in the next few days/weeks

 

[DaveNinja]

We just got back from a 6 night stay yesterday. wednesday/thursday/friday crowds were really low. we rode all the big rides multiple times. It was very hot and humid so that probably helped keep locals away. We watched the fireworks and parade from 3 different spots:

-On wednesday, we got into a roped off area between the pathways from the the hub to tomorrowland around 20 minutes before the parade started. This spot sucked for the parade. We had a clear line of site when the people on the path were moving but once the parade started, everyone just stopped in the path and started watching, filming and putting kids on their shoulders. The light stick waving CMs tried to get people to move but no one really moved. It was an okay spot for the fireworks since you could see the matterhorn well but being off center from the castle ruined the symmetry of a lot of it.
-On thursday, we got into the crowd around the 7 oclock stop of the hub just minutes before the parade. Couldnt see the parade well since there were several rows of people in front blocking it, but we were easily able to move to a 6 oclock hub position right after the parade passed. We were far enough back to all see the matterhorn. fireworks were great from here.
-On friday night we had Blue Bayou first show fantasmic fast passes so we watched the fireworks from there. It was nice to actually be able to see the video that is being projected on the castle. After the first works we headed over to the parade route and got front row seats near Its a Small World for the late parade. parade was great from here and we only had to sit around for about a half and hour.
one disappointment for me was that tinkerbell and/or nemo didnt fly none of the nights we were there.

it was a great trip, though, since my youngest was finally tall enough to ride Indy. We also spent a night at the DLH and had a great time at the pool. The room was so nice too.

Bummer part: stuffed animal went missing from our hotel room (DI&S) one day when they came into our room and did some dry wall work and moved some of our stuff around (we didnt find out until we returned for night and saw the patched up wall and moved cloths/suitcases). Also, got a big scratch down the side of our vehicle while being parked at the motel. Almost looks like it was keyed except its too low so it must have been luggage or equipment that was pulled by). The pool and hot tub were also pretty gross. I wasnt expecting much and didnt figure we'd use them, but they were even worse than expected, like hair floating around, organic foam, oily feeling water, etc. Just a few things that will probably get us to spend a little extra to stay somewhere else next time.