Thoughts and tips from our recent trip!

TikiTikiFan

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 1, 2018
We just got back from four days in the parks. We had park hoppers but spent most of our time in Disneyland. This trip had a few crisis moments but we still had a great time.

SWGE

We came in the summer primarily for SWGE and we loved it as much now as we did then. But in the summer we built lightsabers and droids so this time around we didn’t spend as much time back there. They really do need to add some entertainment options (other than Kylo’s show) because we ran out of things to do pretty quick since most of it is shopping. We did get our long desired porg though so we were happy!

We did Oga’s and shared a table (yay!) which was nice. The folks we shared a table with though were clearly freshly 21 and not too kid friendly but it was fine- at least we had a table. This was day one of our trip and when I was biting into a cookie from one of the drinks, my crown fell off my tooth! Luckily for me it had a root canal so no pain but boy was that a not so fun surprise. I’ve never lost a crown before and we left immediately so I could call my mom in a panic for advice. And yes, I’m in my 30s but when a crisis happens my first instinct is still to call my mom. 😂

We only rode the Falcon once. We rope dropped it from Fantasyland on our Magic Morning day and managed to be on within five minutes. So that’s a great tip to utilize! Bummer we missed the ROTR opening by just a month but oh well. While I love the Falcon, clearly I don’t love it enough to wait 45 minutes for... We did get to pilot when we rode it which was what we wanted!

Weather

Boy did we miss the mark on this one! Last year we came around this time and it was much warmer. Highs in the 70s and the nights weren’t bad at all. Not this trip, it was so cold. We had high winds most days of our visit and chilly temps- nearly every day we were uncomfortably cold. It really put a damper on things- I so regretted not packing winter coats. Lesson learned- always overpack and don’t underestimate CA winter!

Holiday Things

As always, Haunted Mansion Holiday was our favorite. We rode it five times on our last day. Rope dropping this attraction is the way to go, even with FP you’ll be waiting a long time if you ride it in the afternoon. Loved the parade, fireworks, and everything holiday over at Disneyland. We met Jack and Sally too which was a nice thing to cross off the list. The way to go with that is to show up about five minutes before their scheduled arrival time before the lines get long. Otherwise you’ll be waiting in a long line to meet them!

We did have a group behind us at the parade that could have worked on their manners. One of their kids was clearly deathly sick and spent the entire time coughing right on us. So thanks to that family, I got the ultimate souvenir when we got home- strep throat! I get that it sucks when your kids get sick at Disney and you don’t want to miss it but yeesh, don’t put yourself in the middle of a crowded parade spot and not even tell your kids to cover their mouths.

Over at DCA, the only holiday thing we focused on was World of Color. We did the dessert party for Season of Light- I loved that show, maybe even more then the original! Second year in a row we didn’t try any marketplace booths but every time we passed them the lines were just so crazy that I skipped it. Maybe we’re too reliant on mobile order these days so the idea of food lines is scandalizing to me. 😂

Our Hotel

We stayed at the Anaheim Marriott and it was a nice experience overall. It wasn’t that decorated for Christmas though- just one tree in the lobby. Pool looked awesome even if we didn’t get to use it. Food was okay but a bit too ‘unique’ for my picky eater. Never got a chance to try the pizza place inside because it always had huge lines. I didn’t like how far away our room felt from the elevator- it was a hike in itself every day. Rooms were really nice- clean, comfortable, and updated. The shower was the best part- updated and good water pressure. I didn’t care for the high security deposit you have to put down for your room- $50 a night! That’s pretty steep compared to other hotels.

While we liked this hotel, to be honest we’ll be going back to the Clarion because the free breakfast and close proximity of everything was just much easier. And no giant surprise deposits either.

Cast Members

I’ve read on the boards about some folks seeing an increase in cast member rudeness. I had never noticed it before but we sure did now. Maybe it was the bad weather making everyone stressed. One in particular that sticks out is the lady working Indiana Jones- my son asked (very politely) for front row and she rolled her eyes, ignored him, and asked ‘how many?!’ and I said ‘two’ and then she put us in the back row. Not that it matters, but wow! It was within the first hour of the park opening so the line wasn’t even over 10 minutes yet (which is usually the only time I tell him it’s okay to ask) so there was no need for that. Or just kindly tell him no. Really stuck out in my mind. Also had some pretty short and unfriendly PhotoPass photographers on multiple occasions. During rope drop to Peter Pan there was a cast member screaming at people not to run- which is per usual- but this lady was like screamiiiing it very aggressively. We did have our share of positive interactions and because of my years of slaving in customer service in college I’m always nice to them no matter what. It says a lot for me to complain (my family jokes about how I’ll never complain at a restaurant even if they did mess up my order and just eat it anyways) so it was a big enough thing for someone like me to notice.

We did notice the cuts in entertainment options. Frozen was only playing one show so we couldn’t see it as planned. Mickey and the Magical Map only was showing one day of the visit but we managed to fit in. Was bummed to miss Frozen- had no idea they only do one show on weekdays now.

Pixie Dust

We did have some moments of pixie dust! We were riding Goofy’s during the first show of WOC and the cast member let us stay on the ride (no one was in line) and ride it five times! My son better feel loved because that ride terrifies me and I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from that. 😂

We were in the Grand Californian lobby and were asked to take a picture for a family and we gladly did. Afterwards they asked me if was just me and my son visiting, I said yes and told her how it’s our tradition. She then gave me a Club 33 FastPass card with six FastPasses to any ride on it for use that day!! I had never heard of it before- I had to Google it at first. Such an amazing thing, this was on our busiest day too with FPS running out like crazy. Very cool!

Overall, we had a great time but as much as I love the holidays I do think I prefer summer. I hate being cold and I love the heat. If we go again for the holidays I’ll be packing those parkas!

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snow white at night on a very crowded Monday and the CM recognized my immediate return for a second ride and said " Welcome back!" With the nature of the loading of the attraction I though she went out of her way to give a magical greeting.
 
Glad you had a great trip overall! One tip for weather preparedness at DLR: as soon as the after Christmas sales start (and some have already started!), look for packable down/down alternative jackets that pack into a pocket or a bag. These jackets pack up small (!) and can be thrown into a backpack so easily. We have these (vests in the summer and jackets in the fall and winter) in our DLR bag at all times. They have come to the rescue more times than I can count, Can you say "freezing" while waiting for WOC or F!? Or needing an extra cushion to sit on while waiting for a parade or a show? Hit those sales and get yourself an extra warm layer!
 
Glad you had fun! Great pixie dust!

Yeah I’ve been hearing of more rude cast member stories on Facebook groups too. One encounter my friends and I had last weekend was, my friend’s boyfriend found a water bottle (hydro flask style) outside of Star tours at the water fountain. He brought it to the CM by the glasses bin. He tried handing it to her, she just look at him, continued to apply chapstick, rolled her eyes and said “you should’ve just left it there”. Then took it and looked annoyed.
 


One tip for weather preparedness at DLR: as soon as the after Christmas sales start (and some have already started!), look for packable down/down alternative jackets that pack into a pocket or a bag.

We live in Colorado so it’s like the law to own packable jackets! 😂 I just simply assumed we wouldn’t need them and just based the whole weather preparedness off our last xmas trip. Live and learn! We had layers and our Columbia fleeces but those high winds really brought the chill! Next xmas we’ll be prepared!
 
Glad you had fun! Great pixie dust!

Yeah I’ve been hearing of more rude cast member stories on Facebook groups too. One encounter my friends and I had last weekend was, my friend’s boyfriend found a water bottle (hydro flask style) outside of Star tours at the water fountain. He brought it to the CM by the glasses bin. He tried handing it to her, she just look at him, continued to apply chapstick, rolled her eyes and said “you should’ve just left it there”. Then took it and looked annoyed.
WOW!
 
That’s awesome! I only had one rude Cast Member over the years and it was at a food stand in CA two trips ago but I don’t exactly remember which one. Glad you had such an awesome overall experience.
 
If you think the rude CMs are noteworthy, drop by City Hall or Chamber of Commerce to put in a comment about how it is affecting your visit. Managers need to know where encouragement, support, re-training, etc. is needed. Things won't get fixed if no one says anything. And, if you notice CMs doing a great job during peak crowds and stressful conditions, put in a comment for them, too! You can also use the DLR website to send in a comment -- use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page.
 
We haven’t experienced any rude CMs yet, but have had a few who weren’t exactly helpful.

The best CMs we’ve encountered were at the Disneyland Hotel and Trader Sam’s. Fantastic service. Truly went above and beyond.
 
Great report!

We were there around the same time and also picked up strep throat! Lots of clearly sick kids coughing on us without covering their mouths. What’s with that!?
 
Great report!

We were there around the same time and also picked up strep throat! Lots of clearly sick kids coughing on us without covering their mouths. What’s with that!?
People probably don't want to cancel if they've paid in advance. Plus it's flu season so there's just a lot of nasty germs going around.
 
People probably don't want to cancel if they've paid in advance. Plus it's flu season so there's just a lot of nasty germs going around.

Oh, I totally get it. But this family was like sitting right on top of us waiting for the parade and coughing right on us- they didn’t tell their three kids once to cover their mouths. And these were those thick croupy sounding coughs too. You know how jam packed those parade spots are- definitely not ideal to be packed in there like sardines next to three sick kids. 😅

I’m only complaining because you can definitely have better manners when you’re sick. At least have them cover their mouths or maybe don’t try to squeeze your feverish kids into the squished parade viewing spot in the front row.
 
Oh, I totally get it. But this family was like sitting right on top of us waiting for the parade and coughing right on us- they didn’t tell their three kids once to cover their mouths. And these were those thick croupy sounding coughs too. You know how jam packed those parade spots are- definitely not ideal to be packed in there like sardines next to three sick kids. 😅

I’m only complaining because you can definitely have better manners when you’re sick. At least have them cover their mouths or maybe don’t try to squeeze your feverish kids into the squished parade viewing spot in the front row.
I can hear the coughing in my head after that description lol. Yuck!!
 
100% agree with the greater prevalence of rude CMs. I'm more of a WDW vet, but also have been to DL no less than 10 times over the past decade. Just returned from a holiday trip where we did 5 days in the parks, and must say the customer service issue was definitely noticeable and much more prominent than any previous trip. Other than the general lack of "pixie dust" and "magic" (which I no longer expect, to be honest), there were several incidents where the CM was being downright disrespectful and/or incompetent:

Incident #1. Indiana Jones - This is DD's first trip where she's tall enough to ride Indy and she was very excited. As the queue proceeds into the chamber where the film plays, the queue bifurcated into two. Following the ladies that were directly in front of us, I went to one side of the bifurcated line while DW and DD, being excited as they were, didnt follow and went to the other side. When I noticed, I walked back a couple of steps to them and got them to join me on my side of the line, which also happened to have way less people. The CM standing at the end of the chamber immediately proceeded to shout at us to get back to the end of the line or to get out altogether. Startled, I explained to him what just happened and that the ladies immediately in front of us were the same people we followed since entering the queue. He continued to shout "go back or get out" several times. If DD were not present, I may have gone to the back of the line so as to avoid confrontation. However, I didn't want to bring her on a "walk of shame" and basically falsely admit wrongdoing, so I offered instead to stay on our side of the queue while he lets everyone in the chamber go in front of us, just to show we were not trying to cut in line. That's exactly what happened. But after it was our turn to go, he proceeded to shout at us again, saying he gave us a chance to "go back or get out". I finally raised my voice so everyone around could hear what actually happened and how rude he was being. As an immigrant and visible minority, I have to say the repeated shouts of "get out" did strike me harder than I thought it would.

Incident #2. SWGE - Walking by the entrance to Rise of the Resistance (end of December, ride opens on Jan 17), I saw three CMs standing there not doing much, so I went up to one of them and joked that I'm here for the "soft opening". He proceeded to give me the schpeel about Jan 17 opening date, so I thanked him and clarified I was just joking. I was curious though as to whether any of them had seeing the inside of the attraction, so asked if there's been a CM preview. The lady CM gave me a curt one word answer, so I quickly proceeded to walk away as they were clearly in no mood to chat. As I was walking away, the lady gave a look to the CM next to her, and said "soft opening... psht... so stupid". This was literally within earshot, and she could've waited 5 more seconds to trash me behind my back and I wouldn't have known.

Incident #3. Bag check - This incident impacted the family in front of us at bag check a lot more than it did us. The line we were in was moving very slowly, and it became apparent why - the CM was painstakingly going through every single pack. Nonetheless, I know it's a hard and important job, and I can't fault him for being thorough. However, when the family in front of us pulled out their GoPro kit, which contained a mini-tripod (which a very short extensible portion that was no longer than 3 inches), the CM told them to leave the premises. The husband had already gone through the detectors, and came back to help the wife and both were incredulous, since mini tripods are typically allowed under park rules. The CM insisted that they leave, and only after repeated firm demands from the husband, ultimately got a supervisor involved who eventually let the family through. When it was our turn, I opened every single packing cube (which we use to compartmentalize our bags) in my bag ahead of time so he could readily inspect. After zipping them all back up and storing them back in the bag, he then asked me to open the same packing cubes again, to which I said you just inspected them. He sternly told me if he did he would remember. By this point the family behind us was incredulous as well, and I started to lose patience. He again refused to budge and ordered us to re-open the items that just checked 30 seconds ago... Security CMs have a tough job, and perhaps the guy was extra stressed out that day, but makes you wonder what type of competence screening/training are involved when they were hired.

Incident #4. Bag check (again) - Non park day, I was going into DTD by myself to grab a couple of things, with no bag. I believe there's typically a no-bag line, but didnt see one this time. But there was hardly a line up so doesn't matter anyways. I went up to the nearest check point, just after a family with stroller got into the same check point ahead of me. While the CM (call him CM#1) was getting ready to check their bags and stroller, I asked from the side if I could directly proceed to the detectors. Not sure if CM#1 didnt hear me or was ignoring me, but no response, so I looked to the next CM (CM#2) standing at the detector, who gestured for me to proceed on. But as soon as I walked toward CM#2, CM#1 yelled at me to stop and not cut in line, to which I replied I'm not trying to cut in line and honestly thought I could just go to the detectors since I had no bags. I then apologized and offered to go back to the bag check table, after the family that was being checked (or to any other check points that were literally empty at that time). CM#1 said no need, since you are already at the detectors. So I thanked him and apologized again, thinking the misunderstanding was resolved... only to have him yell again, ostensibly talking to the family, but loud enough for me to hear, basically deriding me for cutting in line. It just seems completely petty and unnecessary especially since I literally just apologized and offered to re-enter bag check.

Most of these issues started as non-issues, being simple misunderstanding or confusion that could've easily been cleared up and resolved via a quick, courteous conversation. We still enjoyed our trip and had other wonderful CM interactions, but it's issues like these that make us think twice about booking the next trip to DL.
 
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