Crowded, Hot, and My Last June Trip

Just returned from a wonderful stay @ SS. The pools there are so very nice! The Turf Club is terrific food! Mousekeeping was fabulous! Never a worry.
HOWEVER , the parks are another story! I know Disney can't do anything about the weather, but the use of FPs is way out of control! CMs were not as kind and responsive as usual. TT was great until we waited an hour and the ride shut down. We had to leave the

queue. No FPs offered or anything!
DINNER @ Via Napoli was good. My pizza had great flavor. BTW the mezzo is a 3 TS credit. It was loud and hard to understand our waitress. The risotto balls were good, but you only get 3. The tiramisu was to die for though.
The parks were so crowded we weren't able to do all we wanted! We did enjoy riding Splash & Thunder during Wishes & we caught some of the later night parade. Little Mermaid wasn't anything special. Downpours didn't even clear out the park at all!!!!
Forget Brazilian Tour groups, the amount of large groups such as family reunions and graduates were the most I've ever seen!!!!!
Overall it was a nice short trip. I just noticed an overwhelming amount of people, and WDW just didn't seem prepared for it!
Pics later......
 
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bethymouse

bethymouse

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
@figmentfan423
You will enjoy the Smithsonian Museums. The Air & Space is my favorite. Natural History is great too.
If you get a chance, visit Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. There is a nominal fee to visit, and it's quite nice along the Potomac River. The Memorials are also great to go to! I get emotional when I see people rubbing their loved ones names off the Vietnam Memorial w/ a pencil like a leaf rubbing.;) The new WWII Memorial and MLK Jr. Memorial are just wonderful! Of course don't forget about the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. I think the Washington Monument is still closed for repairs.
I wouldn't exactly stay in the city of DC, but just across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Maryland side is a Gaylord Hotel Resort that has Shrek & Friends for the kiddos. It's probably expensive though. There are Hampton Inns all around the outskirts of town, like in Alexandria, Va. There is a walk there that has some neat restaurants, and the Odyssey Dinner Cruise boat is docked there too ($$$). Visit Arlington Cemetery if you can and the Pentagon City Mall ( 4 floors).:D If you get a chance to walk around Georgetown, that's a very "cultural" area to visit with neat little eclectic shops and restaurants ( $$$).:D Take the Metro. Despite all of it's bad press lately, it's not too bad ( subway). It'll get you where you need to go. The National Zoo is free! The Woodland Park Metro takes you right there ( beware the escalator is one of the highest ever!).;)
See a play at the National Theater or Kennedy Center. It costs $$$, but they are Broadway caliber shows!:D
Hopefully I didn't give you information that you already know. I grew up in the DC area ( PG County), and we always visited downtown and took the Metro.
Have fun!:D
 
L

LongTimeLurker

Member
bethymouse said:
@figmentfan423
You will enjoy the Smithsonian Museums. The Air & Space is my favorite. Natural History is great too.
If you get a chance, visit Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. There is a nominal fee to visit, and it's quite nice along the Potomac River. The Memorials are also great to go to! I get emotional when I see people rubbing their loved ones names off the Vietnam Memorial w/ a pencil like a leaf rubbing.;) The new WWII Memorial and MLK Jr. Memorial are just wonderful! Of course don't forget about the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. I think the Washington Monument is still closed for repairs.
I wouldn't exactly stay in the city of DC, but just across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Maryland side is a Gaylord Hotel Resort that has Shrek & Friends for the kiddos. It's probably expensive though. There are Hampton Inns all around the outskirts of town, like in Alexandria, Va. There is a walk there that has some neat restaurants, and the Odyssey Dinner Cruise boat is docked there too ($$$). Visit Arlington Cemetery if you can and the Pentagon City Mall ( 4 floors).:D If you get a chance to walk around Georgetown, that's a very "cultural" area to visit with neat little eclectic shops and restaurants ( $$$).:D Take the Metro. Despite all of it's bad press lately, it's not too bad ( subway). It'll get you where you need to go. The National Zoo is free! The Woodland Park Metro takes you right there ( beware the escalator is one of the highest ever!).;)
See a play at the National Theater or Kennedy Center. It costs $$$, but they are Broadway caliber shows!:D
Hopefully I didn't give you information that you already know. I grew up in the DC area ( PG County), and we always visited downtown and took the Metro.
Have fun!:D
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I took my three teens to DC for spring break. DC requires at least as much planning as WDW. The one thing that reminded me of Disney was the food prices at the Smithsonians. It's free to get in, but you'll pay Disney prices for lunch!
 
bethymouse

bethymouse

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
ratherbeinwdw said:
Don't do it. If you think June was crowded, wait until you're there around Easter. The second week of April is good; not the first and early May is really good.
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I know. Sadly, I just don't have a choice as to when I can go anymore.:( It's either summer ( too hot), Thanksgiving/Christmas ( too crowded), or Easter ( also crowded). I'm at a loss, but it still won't stop me from ever going again!;)
 
ratherbeinwdw

ratherbeinwdw

Well-Known Member
bethymouse said:
I know. Sadly, I just don't have a choice as to when I can go anymore.:( It's either summer ( too hot), Thanksgiving/Christmas ( too crowded), or Easter ( also crowded). I'm at a loss, but it still won't stop me from ever going again!;)
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You are veteran enough to be able to use the early hours which helps a lot. We got more done in those early hours than we did the rest of the day. It was crazy crowded the first week of April. My daughter and her boyfriend went to the really late hours and were basically alone. However, that's because it was cold and raining. They put on a rain jacket and went over to MK at midnight and by one, they had no waits at the rides. Lots of people stay in the parks during rain now, but when it's raining and cold, they seem to go back to their rooms.
 
ajrwdwgirl

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Nice trip report! Glad you had some fun! Hubby and I just got back from Disneyland. A word of advice, don't bother to stay on site, it isn't worth the $$$. We stayed at the Best Western Anaheim Inn and it took us about 5 minutes to get to the turnstiles from our room, and for 5 days the price we paid would have gotten us 1 night at the Grand Californian. I have also stayed at the Howard Johnson and it is nice but it is a 10 minute walk to the turnstile, and I have stayed at the Best WEstern Stovall's Inn and that was about a 15 minute walk and almost right across the street from the Disney Paradise Pier hotel, so still a decent walk there. Disneyland is fantastic though, a worth a visit or two or 100 if you can get a decent flight rate. WDW is still my home though....
 
Goofnut1980

Goofnut1980

Well-Known Member
bethymouse said:
Thank you @flynnibus.
I am looking into those options. I know that the motorcoach costs $ unlike @ WDW. I really don't want LAX, but if it's cheaper, why not?;) Grand Cal is just too expensive for us, although it would be ideal.;) I will look into "good neighbor" hotels. :D
The meal plan is even more complicated it seems than WDW.:eek:
Crowds? As long as it doesn't pour down rain everyday and has less or no humidity and not as hot, I'm in!:D
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We took the whole family of 14 last May to DL. It was my first trip to DL and we stayed at "good neighbor" hotel.. Soo many are affordable and right across the street. I actually think the Disneyland hotels, except Grand Cali, are farther away than the "good neighbor" hotels and they are just as nice!
I have faith it will all work out for you!!
 
bethymouse

bethymouse

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thank you @ajrwdwgirl:D
I just got back from a quick trip to OC Maryland, and my Mom was hospitalized w/ a very bad stomach virus ( not norovirus).:(
So... needless to say, I've been away for a few days.:)
Thanks again my Disney friend.:D
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
bethymouse said:
@Pooh Lover We're looking into maybe 2014, but possibly visiting Disneyland instead.;) If we go back to WDW, then it'll probably be 2015. I just don't know. I'm a bit burned out by the state of the parks, and I can't go at "non peak" times.:( I'd like to. I'd just have to lie about the reason for my days taken off, and I don't want to go through that again.;) I'm just not sure if there are any slow times to go to WDW anymore.:( There are so many events and such. Plus when the mine train opens, it'll be even worse!:eek: I'm just getting too old for these wait times. I end up having to go to the bathroom, even when I've gone before getting in line.:eek: I know how to use FPs, but a lot of times the return time is during a dining reservation time!:eek: Or, they're already gone before 1 PM.:eek: We'll see...
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I love WDW, but I vote a visit to DL!!!!!!!!
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
ImagineerDude said:
My mom is a teacher and she took off the last day of school to go to the All-Nighter with me...and her principal was jealous! Lol :)




Sorry it was so busy in the parks :( SS sounds really nice and much like our timeshare off-property (lizards!) How long do you get for fall break? We get a week starting last year and that's when we are planning to go over fall break 2014. Disneyland is OK, but I like WDW better...and plan for more of a SoCal vacation than DL. You can watch live tapings of Disney Channel shows if you're kids are into that and when we went we got autographs from the Good Luck Charlie and its FREE!! :)
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Whats this about the Disney Channel shows? We were there last June and going to DL again next month and never knew this :eek:
 

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