2020 Curious Constance Trip Preparation/Report

[Curious Constance]

@Curious Constance on your way down to Disneyland, you guys have to stay at the Atari hotel in Seattle.

Atari Is Bringing a Gaming-Themed Hotel to Seattle

Location and groundbreaking TBD.

www.seattlemet.com

Thanks, but what how would Seattle be on the way to Disneyland?

 

[TP2000]

Thanks, but how would Seattle be on the way to Disneyland?

I know modern airplanes are much more efficient and smarter now, but once you leave Portland don't you still have to go up to Seattle first to refuel and then loop around to Spokane to get a running start to coast all the way down to Southern California? I mean, things couldn't have changed that much, could they?

 

[Phroobar]

Thanks, but what how would Seattle be on the way to Disneyland?

You didn't know about the super secret Disneyland of the Great White North?

 

[truecoat]

 

[Curious Constance]

When you eat at Ralph Brennan’s Express side, is that the equivalent to a take out window , or do they have seating for that option as well? Maybe outdoor seating?

 

[PiratesMansion]

When you eat at Ralph Brennan’s Express side, is that the equivalent to a take out window , or do they have seating for that option as well? Maybe outdoor seating?

I want to say there's a little bit of indoor and outdoor seating.

 

[Communicora]

I want to say there's a little bit of indoor and outdoor seating.

Yes. There is a small seating area.

 

[TP2000]

I want to say there's a little bit of indoor and outdoor seating.

There's a lovely little sidewalk seating area right outside. The door to enter the order window is on the far left side though, don't use the middle doors that are actually the exit (changed since this old 2000's photo was taken). Also be warned that because the beignets are coated in fine confectioner's sugar, the tables and sidewalk there can be sticky-sweet and there's usually a custodian regularly mopping and cleaning that area in a never ending battle.

But it's a very handy option for a quick yet unique little meal! Probably the fastest and most convenient in Downtown Disney, even if there's a bit of a line.

 

[Curious Constance]

Great, thanks guys!

 

[Curious Constance]

@TP2000 I was walking the dogs the other day and it hit me. When you told me to tip the town car driver 20% of the total bill, you meant the total bill of the one leg of the trip, not both legs!!!! So the tip is half of what I thought it was going to be!!!

THANK GOD I realized it before handing the guy a double tip.

I’m cheap. You won’t catch me shelling out the cash for 3 ply Charmin!

 

[TP2000]

@TP2000 I was walking the dogs the other day and it hit me. When you told me to tip the town car driver 20% of the total bill, you meant the total bill of the one leg of the trip, not both legs!!!! So the tip is half of what I thought it was going to be!!!

THANK GOD I realized it before handing the guy a double tip.

I’m cheap. You won’t catch me shelling out the cash for 3 ply Charmin!

This is hilarious!

But are you sure you don't want to try and do a rehearsal for this with the kids in the family room? Arrange four dining room chairs into car seats, put a stuffed animal in the driver's seat to act like Jeeves, then practice graciously extending your gratuity while not mentioning how many ply's your toilet paper at home has?

And again, if you could just film those rehearsals and put them on YouTube, that would be great.

 

[Curious Constance]

This is hilarious!

But are you sure you don't want to try and do a rehearsal for this with the kids in the family room? Arrange four dining room chairs into car seats, put a stuffed animal in the driver's seat to act like Jeeves, then practice graciously extending your gratuity while not mentioning how many ply's your toilet paper at home has?

And again, if you could just film those rehearsals and put them on YouTube, that would be great.

It doesn’t matter how many times I rehearse beforehand, when I hand him the money super awkwardly, making everyone in the car uncomfortable, I’ll prattle off something about what we wipe with.

 

[DrAlice]

A question regarding guests like @Curious Constance and myself that have trips planned/booked for the summer:

If the parks are still closed, does anyone know what happens for those of us that already purchased multi-day parkhoppers? I know those have a 1 year expiration, but we really can only visit in the summer, so I'm hoping I'm not going to lose out on the $$$$$$ I already spent if I can't visit in July.

Disney has announced flexibility for APs. Have they announced anything for parkhoppers?

Also, has anyone heard any news of this sort from LegoLand? We already paid for all of that too.

 

[Tinkwings]

A question regarding guests like @Curious Constance and myself that have trips planned/booked for the summer:

If the parks are still closed, does anyone know what happens for those of us that already purchased multi-day parkhoppers? I know those have a 1 year expiration, but we really can only visit in the summer, so I'm hoping I'm not going to lose out on the $$$$$$ I already spent if I can't visit in July.

Disney has announced flexibility for APs. Have they announced anything for parkhoppers?

Also, has anyone heard any news of this sort from LegoLand? We already paid for all of that too.

HI Dr.Alice I have a 5 day Disneyland pass and was researching same, as of NOW because of current things multi day tickets are good until Jan 12, 2022.....and if for some reason you cannot go by then, you can use price paid as credit towards for whatever the going price is at the time! I first noticed a very detailed ticket FAQ on phone app but verified it elsewhere.

 

[DrAlice]

Looks like LegoLand will refund or reschedule vacations without fees.

Here's hoping the parks are open and I don't have to test all this out.....

 

[Curious Constance]

Just in case all of the stars align, and we decide we won't pass out from heat exhaustion from wearing a mask in the Florida heat, I'm researching WDW hotels.

I've started on the WDW website. That's probably the first of many mistakes I will make, but I have a couple questions about the hotels.

My goal would be to make this trip comparable in price to what our DLR vacation was going to be.

Since we never shell out the cash for a DLR hotel, and always stay close across the street on Harbor, it's kinda neat to see that we can actually stay in a WDW hotel for slightly more than we were going to pay all the way down to over $300 less than we were going to pay on Harbor!!!! And when you add in the fact that we get free transportation from the airports, that adds another $200 savings. And since we're used to the Harbor quality of hotels, I think we'll be just as happy with the WDW value hotels.

Looking at my options:

Art of Animation-would be about $200 more than we were going to pay on Harbor if we go with one of the Little Mermaid rooms.

Pop Century-This would be about $100 less depending on the room option we went with.

And the All Star hotels can be as much as about $350 less than the Harbor hotels.

Looking at the photos online, I THINK the Pop Century and All Star Movie hotels have been recently refurbished?

The Sports and Music rooms look older and more out of date, and they both have double beds, rather than 2 queens. Also of note, is the more expensive Art of Animation, has double beds too.

Have these two been recently refurbished and rooms are nicer over all?

Are there any more advantages or disadvantages to any of them that I should know about? Thanks!

 

[Mickeyboof]

Just in case all of the stars align, and we decide we won't pass out from heat exhaustion from wearing a mask in the Florida heat, I'm researching WDW hotels.

I've started on the WDW website. That's probably the first of many mistakes I will make, but I have a couple questions about the hotels.

My goal would be to make this trip comparable in price to what our DLR vacation was going to be.

Since we never shell out the cash for a DLR hotel, and always stay close across the street on Harbor, it's kinda neat to see that we can actually stay in a WDW hotel for slightly more than we were going to pay all the way down to over $300 less than we were going to pay on Harbor!!!! And when you add in the fact that we get free transportation from the airports, that adds another $200 savings. And since we're used to the Harbor quality of hotels, I think we'll be just as happy with the WDW value hotels.

Looking at my options:

Art of Animation-would be about $200 more than we were going to pay on Harbor if we go with one of the Little Mermaid rooms.

Pop Century-This would be about $100 less depending on the room option we went with.

And the All Star hotels can be as much as about $350 less than the Harbor hotels.

Looking at the photos online, I THINK the Pop Century and All Star Movie hotels have been recently refurbished?

The Sports and Music rooms look older and more out of date, and they both have double beds, rather than 2 queens. Also of note, is the more expensive Art of Animation, has double beds too.

Have these two been recently refurbished and rooms are nicer over all?

Are there any more advantages or disadvantages to any of them that I should know about? Thanks!

I would absolutely stay at the resorts with Skyliner access (art and pop) The skyliner is a dream, quick and fun. The busses are a packed nightmare.

 

[Curious Constance]

I would absolutely stay at the resorts with Skyliner access (art and pop) The skyliner is a dream, quick and fun. The busses are a packed nightmare.

I just noticed the Skyliner access at Pop and Animation! That's for sure a huge consideration. Looks like it goes to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Cool, thanks!

 

[drizgirl]

Just in case all of the stars align, and we decide we won't pass out from heat exhaustion from wearing a mask in the Florida heat, I'm researching WDW hotels.

I've started on the WDW website. That's probably the first of many mistakes I will make, but I have a couple questions about the hotels.

My goal would be to make this trip comparable in price to what our DLR vacation was going to be.

Since we never shell out the cash for a DLR hotel, and always stay close across the street on Harbor, it's kinda neat to see that we can actually stay in a WDW hotel for slightly more than we were going to pay all the way down to over $300 less than we were going to pay on Harbor!!!! And when you add in the fact that we get free transportation from the airports, that adds another $200 savings. And since we're used to the Harbor quality of hotels, I think we'll be just as happy with the WDW value hotels.

Looking at my options:

Art of Animation-would be about $200 more than we were going to pay on Harbor if we go with one of the Little Mermaid rooms.

Pop Century-This would be about $100 less depending on the room option we went with.

And the All Star hotels can be as much as about $350 less than the Harbor hotels.

Looking at the photos online, I THINK the Pop Century and All Star Movie hotels have been recently refurbished?

The Sports and Music rooms look older and more out of date, and they both have double beds, rather than 2 queens. Also of note, is the more expensive Art of Animation, has double beds too.

Have these two been recently refurbished and rooms are nicer over all?

Are there any more advantages or disadvantages to any of them that I should know about? Thanks!

Have you been to WDW before? It's hard to understand the scope of WDW compared to DLR if you haven't been. If you're not careful you can spend large chunks of your time traveling from one location to another. And if it's all new to you, what you really need is to maximize time in the parks.

The Little Mermaid rooms are adorable. But they're a long way from anything. It's a long walk just to get to the food court and bus stop. Make sure you're up for that if you decide to stay there.

Pop Century is great, but it's also large. I suggest getting a perferred room so you can (hopefully) get closer to the bus stop and/or gondola.

If you're not careful, you can end up walking as far to your bus stop at your resort as you walked from your Harbor hotel to the front gate of the parks at DLR.

Pop Century for the win. The prices did jump when they opened the Skyliner but it was worth it.

 

[drizgirl]

I would absolutely stay at the resorts with Skyliner access (art and pop) The skyliner is a dream, quick and fun. The busses are a packed nightmare.

But Pop (and maybe AoA)? has the advantage of dedicated bus service. And while the single bus stop can be a drawback in some ways, it's better than having buses arrive that are too full to board (from the earlier stops in your resort). Love the Pop Century bus service.