Tanooki
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 18, 2009
Hi there! We’re presently on the second part of our vacation (a cruise) so I have a little time to write a review of our amazing DLR trip. It was our second time in DLR (many, many times in WDW) and, although I didn’t post here beforehand, I did come here and read a lot of posts to get information to help prepare our trip. We had an amazing time, and I feel I could maybe help some people by sharing our experience. We stayed at Park Vue Inn in a regular room with a queen bed and bunks (me, dh and 2 teens). This is not a fancy hotel by any means, but it was clean, the bunks were great for teens that don’t want to share a bed, and it had a mini fridge and a microwave. The most important point, however, is its location, of course! Nothing beats crossing the street at the end of the day and being there! We also felt very comfortable leaving the parks to rest and allowing the 16 and 14 year old to stay behind and do their thing. They had a blast 
Love, love, love the weather in California in the summer
We’ve done WDW quite a few times in the summer and find it very difficult. In CA, it gets pretty hot during the day but it doesn’t get very humid, which makes a world of difference. Temperatures also drop at night, making it very comfortable for these Canucks 
We did 5 park days, hopping pretty much every time. We used Genie + and lightning lane ($) as well to help with the wait times. We were able to do pretty much everything we wanted (I wasn’t able to do Jungle Cruise do to timing and my old tired body
) and more! The parks were busy and a lot of attractions went down at times, but we were able to adapt but, of course, we had 5 days so it helped. We didn’t rope drop, making it to the parks around 10-11 most days, and really appreciated this more relaxed touring way.
We did the World of Color Dessert Party, the Plaza Inn dining package and the Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge Experience. We had done the Hungry Bear Fantasmic package the last time we went (in 2018) and didn’t feel we needed to repeat this experience. Although we appreciated all 3 experiences, the Plaza Inn package was a little disappointing as I was expecting reserved seating for the parade, but it was a reserved section without actual seating. It was however a great spot next to the flag pole where I was still able to find some kind of bench to sit on, and we especially appreciated the fact that we didn’t have to stake out a spot 2+ hours ahead of the parade. The food (lunch that we had at 1:20pm so way before the parade) was also very good : fried chicken with all the works including drinks and desserts. The teens wanted chicken tenders instead of the fried pieces and they were able to substitute without a problem (it was only 2 tenders per plate though but it was fine for my little eaters). My husband was also able to substitute for butter pasta (he doesn’t eat chicken) that is available on the regular menu.
The WOC dessert party was just amazing. Great seating, great view, good food, unlimited drinks with amazing service. It would’ve been great if we could’ve ordered more of some pieces of dessert (rice krispy treats anyone?) but it wasn’t a big deal. Each person got one pre-plated selection and that was it for the food. It was still a lot of food, more than enough. The show was, of course, amazing as well!
I hesitated a lot on getting (or cancelling) the Tomorrowland Skyline Experience. I was afraid my picky eaters wouldn’t eat and that the fireworks would be cancelled (which happens quite often because of wind I’m told). I’m very glad we kept the reservation as it was an ideal end to our vacation. We thought it was a wonderful experience. The check-in is at the Galactic Grill where you also order and pick up your food. There are 3 basic choices for adults : a meat sandwich (burger made with a slice of meatloaf and an hash brown patty, which was very good!), a crispy chicken sandwich (didn’t taste) and a pasta bake (marinara sauce and lots of veggies, quite tasty). My husband and my son, who don’t eat any of this, were able to get a double portion of fries each as a replacement. The desserts were a chocolate mousse-cake with a creamy vanilla center or a cheesecake. We all had the chocolate dessert and it was very good. You get unlimited drinks (water, sodas, coffee, tea, hot chocolate) that are available once you get up to the lounge. There are also games (Connect 4, Jenga, etc.) and trivia. We had great interactions with all the CMs working there. It was a very nice and relaxing way to end the day (and the vacation for us). The fireworks’ soundtrack is not exactly piped in over our heads, but there are speakers in the building just in front. You don’t get to see the projections on the castle, of course, but you get quite a good unobstructed view of the whole show. It was definitely worth it for us.
Apart from this, we mostly ate counter service food, except for one meal at Black Tap (tasty!) and a few Doordash/Uber Eat deliveries at the hotel.
Feel free to ask away if you have any questions!
So long!
Love, love, love the weather in California in the summer
We’ve done WDW quite a few times in the summer and find it very difficult. In CA, it gets pretty hot during the day but it doesn’t get very humid, which makes a world of difference. Temperatures also drop at night, making it very comfortable for these Canucks We did 5 park days, hopping pretty much every time. We used Genie + and lightning lane ($) as well to help with the wait times. We were able to do pretty much everything we wanted (I wasn’t able to do Jungle Cruise do to timing and my old tired body
) and more! The parks were busy and a lot of attractions went down at times, but we were able to adapt but, of course, we had 5 days so it helped. We didn’t rope drop, making it to the parks around 10-11 most days, and really appreciated this more relaxed touring way.We did the World of Color Dessert Party, the Plaza Inn dining package and the Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge Experience. We had done the Hungry Bear Fantasmic package the last time we went (in 2018) and didn’t feel we needed to repeat this experience. Although we appreciated all 3 experiences, the Plaza Inn package was a little disappointing as I was expecting reserved seating for the parade, but it was a reserved section without actual seating. It was however a great spot next to the flag pole where I was still able to find some kind of bench to sit on, and we especially appreciated the fact that we didn’t have to stake out a spot 2+ hours ahead of the parade. The food (lunch that we had at 1:20pm so way before the parade) was also very good : fried chicken with all the works including drinks and desserts. The teens wanted chicken tenders instead of the fried pieces and they were able to substitute without a problem (it was only 2 tenders per plate though but it was fine for my little eaters). My husband was also able to substitute for butter pasta (he doesn’t eat chicken) that is available on the regular menu.
The WOC dessert party was just amazing. Great seating, great view, good food, unlimited drinks with amazing service. It would’ve been great if we could’ve ordered more of some pieces of dessert (rice krispy treats anyone?) but it wasn’t a big deal. Each person got one pre-plated selection and that was it for the food. It was still a lot of food, more than enough. The show was, of course, amazing as well!
I hesitated a lot on getting (or cancelling) the Tomorrowland Skyline Experience. I was afraid my picky eaters wouldn’t eat and that the fireworks would be cancelled (which happens quite often because of wind I’m told). I’m very glad we kept the reservation as it was an ideal end to our vacation. We thought it was a wonderful experience. The check-in is at the Galactic Grill where you also order and pick up your food. There are 3 basic choices for adults : a meat sandwich (burger made with a slice of meatloaf and an hash brown patty, which was very good!), a crispy chicken sandwich (didn’t taste) and a pasta bake (marinara sauce and lots of veggies, quite tasty). My husband and my son, who don’t eat any of this, were able to get a double portion of fries each as a replacement. The desserts were a chocolate mousse-cake with a creamy vanilla center or a cheesecake. We all had the chocolate dessert and it was very good. You get unlimited drinks (water, sodas, coffee, tea, hot chocolate) that are available once you get up to the lounge. There are also games (Connect 4, Jenga, etc.) and trivia. We had great interactions with all the CMs working there. It was a very nice and relaxing way to end the day (and the vacation for us). The fireworks’ soundtrack is not exactly piped in over our heads, but there are speakers in the building just in front. You don’t get to see the projections on the castle, of course, but you get quite a good unobstructed view of the whole show. It was definitely worth it for us.
Apart from this, we mostly ate counter service food, except for one meal at Black Tap (tasty!) and a few Doordash/Uber Eat deliveries at the hotel.
Feel free to ask away if you have any questions!
So long!
