# Disneyland, Peacock Suites and a birthday!



## DianeH (May 9, 2007)

Hi Everyone,

We are going to Disneyland in September - our first visit in 15 years and no kids!

We have our exchange confirmed into the Peacock Suites.

I have some questions and need some suggestions to help celebrate my 50th!

1) Peacock Suites - should I call in advance to request a specific room location?  If so, where?

2) Is there a car rental agency within walking distance of the Peacock Suites? 

3) In planning 'my' day in DL, I have come up with the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues, and Fantasmic Premier Balcony seating at night.  Any comments or suggestions for alternates?

Thats it for now but I'm sure more questions will be popping up as the time draws close.....

Diane


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## ricoba (May 9, 2007)

Enterprise and some other car companies will pick you up, so that may save a walk.

The Blue Bayou at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction is a nice choice.

For fine dining the Napa Rose at the Grand Californian Hotel is an excellent choice.  The Storytellers Cafe at the Hotel is also a great place for a nice lunch or dinner.

Enjoy!


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## UWSurfer (May 9, 2007)

If you haven't been in 15 years and you are planning to do some things in downtown Disney (like House of Blues), you'll likely want to get a multiday, parkhopper type pass.  Details of costs and # of days are on the Disneyland websites.  If you have any affiliation with a union, credit union or autoclub, you may qualify for a discount as well.  You usually have to ask.

They added California Adventure (CA) in what used to be the parking lot and while it's not a huge park, you'll probably want more than one day at the park...particularly if you are staying nearby like you are.   Do the tortilla factory tour and Boudin sour dough bread tour at CA, they give free samples. <g>

We had annual passes when we lived about 20 minutes away from the park and it made for a much more relaxed visit knowing we could do a few hours, and come back a little later or another time.

Don't know about a rental car agency nearby...but most of the Hotels near the convention center have some sort of tie-in.  Enterprise car rental advertises that they'll come pick you up...but I don't know about their rates.  If you are a Costco member, check their travel section for a car rental...many have great luck with Costco for car rentals.  I have a car booked for the week in Maui for $150 with Alamo through Costco at the end of the month.


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## julienjay (May 9, 2007)

I absolutely recommend you go to California Adventure and ride Soarin Over California! It is the best ride ever!


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## Luanne (May 9, 2007)

julienjay said:


> I absolutely recommend you go to California Adventure and ride Soarin Over California! It is the best ride ever!



I agree.  Dh wanted us to give him the ride for Christmas. :hysterical:


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## mattman27 (May 9, 2007)

Make sure on "Soarin" you smell the oranges when flying over the orange groves. Mmmmmmm good.


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## DianeH (May 10, 2007)

Keep those suggestions coming!

I suppose we can do Soarin' over California any time - we will pre-purchase two or three day Park Hopper tickets.

I've heard that the Blue Bayou is nice but if you don't get a 'river' table, its not as nice.  

I can't do it all on 'the day' but maybe make it spread out.....

Is there a dinner theatre in Anaheim (besides the Medevil Theme dinner)?  Something like that would be fun too.

Looking forward to hearing more....


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## ricoba (May 10, 2007)

Besides Medieval Times there is also a Pirate themed place.  But I can't recommend the food at those places.

As I posted, the nicest restaurant at Disney is the Napa Rose

Yes, you can do Soaring any time, but once you have done it you will want to go again, and maybe again!


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## UWSurfer (May 10, 2007)

I should add that the convention center is across the street from California adventure...regarding rental cars.

Another tip on rides...the park has it's fast pass system on most of the popular rides.   It also offers single rider access to many rides including Soaring over California.  If there is a line, you can walk up to the fast pass guy, declare you are a single rider and pass up lots and lots of people.  It can shave 30 minutes or more off the wait.  If they are operating it, he'll pull out a singler rider pass and send you down a bypass lane.  If there are two of you...just walk up to him separately a few seconds a part. <g>


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## Bill4728 (May 11, 2007)

Before going on your trip, Go to walmart and buy some of their super cheap "poncho" (<$1) so when you ride the water ride at C.A. you will not get soaked.


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## mattman27 (May 11, 2007)

I second the poncho. (just don't buy them at the parks - Ripoff)

Also you may want to invest in the software program that plans out your day and when to ride certain rides. www.ridemax.com . I hear fantastic things about it and it apparantly, really works. 

Mike


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## kvp (May 12, 2007)

I used Ridemax to plan our two-day trip with my kids and grandkids, and it was amazing. Then about a month later I used it to plan a trip for my husband and myself. We arrived when the park opened and did everything we wanted to do at both DL and Disney California Adventure (loved Soarin' over California!) in half a day with the help of Ridemax. I would also recommend dinner at Napa Rose...nice place to celebrate your BD.

Kathy


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## calgal (May 12, 2007)

The tortilla factory in CA gives you a whole bag of tortillas if you wear the "It's my birthday" pin.


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## rbrougham (May 15, 2007)

I just returned from Peacock Suites this week.  I stayed on the top (fourth floor) and found it quiet.  Just down the hall from sun deck.   Nice continental breakfast with indoor and terrace tables.  

Valet parking is required at $8 per day, NOT a winning idea with me.  There are heavily used shuttles to Disney and Enterprise has a direct line to the front desk.

I liked the HD flat panel TV.


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## DianeH (May 15, 2007)

Thanks Everyone!

Bill and Mattman, the ponchos are a great idea!  Why ruin a good day feeling damp? LOL.  I'll be buying them for sure.

rbrougham, thanks for the scoop on the room location.  Are you an owner or exchanger?  One or two bedroom?

Instead of the House of Blues Gospel brunch, what about dinner at the House of Blues followed by a concert?  That is, if there is anything appealing on 'the day'.  Are they in the same venue or separate?  Reserved seating?

I liked the ridemax idea but for just one visit it might not be worth it?  September will be a little quieter than July and August, won't it?

How do I get the fast pass?

Thanks again!


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## kvp (May 16, 2007)

You download and install RideMax on your computer (http://www.ridemax.com/) for a minimal fee for 90 days or a year. I chose a year because we got annual passes that year. It is WELL worth the money. And, if you're going for just one day, I suggest you use it to maximize your time. The program also suggests when to get a FastPass, which you get from a machine near some of the rides. Not all rides have FastPasses. 

Hope this helps!

Kathy


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## DianeH (May 16, 2007)

You've convinced me Kathy!  We will be doing 2 days and maybe 3, we'll decide later.  I will redeem my airmiles for those.

I haven't even looked at the attractions yet, so Mark and I will have to decide what we definately want to see.

Thanks again...


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## Bill4728 (May 16, 2007)

How to do FAST PASS: 
You go to the ride and look for the Fast Pass dispensers. Put you park ticket in and they print you out a fast pass. On the pass will be an time period for later in the day. Came back during that time and instead of going in the regular line you go in the fast pass line. For many rides it will cut 30-45 minutes off the wait. 

I believe that you can get a fast pass every 90 minutes. 

Another key to line management is single riders. For rides like splash mountain you can go as a single rider and skip the line completely. Get a single rider ticket from the worker at the beginning of the line. Then go in the rides's exit and you be used to fill single seats.


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## Luanne (May 16, 2007)

Bill4728 said:


> How to do FAST PASS:



There is a whole tutorial on how to do Fast Pass (and how often you can get them) on the Disneyland website  :

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/help/gsDetail?name=FastPassGSDetailPage


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## rbrougham (May 17, 2007)

Hi, Diane...

I am a Shell owner and stayed in what was called a one-bedroom.  The living room separation was a sliding glass door with drapes.  Worked fine for my trip, but others might find it too close.  Limited kitchen, no, not a kitchen at all......small frig, coffee pot etc.


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## kvp (May 17, 2007)

DianeH said:


> You've convinced me Kathy!  We will be doing 2 days and maybe 3, we'll decide later.  I will redeem my airmiles for those.
> 
> I haven't even looked at the attractions yet, so Mark and I will have to decide what we definately want to see.
> 
> Thanks again...



Have a good time, Diane. The RideMax software also explains how to get certain FasPass tickets within the same 90-minute time period.

Kathy


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## JudyS (May 17, 2007)

Is RideMax one of those Disney plans that tells you to get up before dawn and be the first one in the park?  Those never work for night owls like me.  On the other hand, if RideMax also works for people who go to the parks mostly late in the day, it might be a good idea for me.


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## kckaren (May 19, 2007)

*ride max anytime!*



JudyS said:


> Is RideMax one of those Disney plans that tells you to get up before dawn and be the first one in the park?  Those never work for night owls like me.  On the other hand, if RideMax also works for people who go to the parks mostly late in the day, it might be a good idea for me.




The website says you can make a plan based on when you plan to arrive, and you can make multiple plans. The sample plan they show is shown for arriving at opening and again at 11 am - very different! Then the diffs are explained. Check it out!

As mentioned above, you pay for 90 day or 1 yr access to the software, so you can probably change your plan as often as you like. Also, there is a money back guarantee, but it is so inexpensive anyway that there really isnt any risk.

My kids are older: I wonder if Ridemax works for Grad nite?  
I am chaperoning next week!

Karen


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## DianeH (May 22, 2007)

Thanks everyone!  I'm still going to watch the dinner/show venues in Anaheim to see if something comes up thats interesting on September 16.  Meanwhile we'll have lots of fun at the park on that day.
Thanks for the room info, rbroughham, we are pleased to have a little fridge and a coffee maker and micro is a bonus.

Stay tuned for more questions!

Diane


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## DianeH (Aug 30, 2007)

*Update*

We are 2 weeks from departure....

Birthday dinner will be at the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney.  I've reserved a table in Flambeaux's.

We have 3 day parkhopper tickets.

I've bought the Ponchos!  

Instead of doing a Universal tour, we will rent a car for a day and drive to the coast.  Poke around some beach communities.

I bought a soon to expire Entertainment book for 7.99 and free shipping (to our USA Post box).  Found some coupons for meals that we can use including Mr Stox and The Catch.

We'll bus it to the Disney Liquidator store to stock up on souveniers too.

Being off season, we'll only have one opportunity to see the Fireworks - our arrival day.  Since we are not visiting the park that day (next day is the birthday!) we plan to take a bottle of wine up to the roof top patio to view the fireworks and sip some wine.  A prelude to the birthday next day!

Diane

PS oh yes, the biggest update:  WE'RE GOING TO BE GRANDPARENTS!!!!


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## ricoba (Aug 30, 2007)

Thanks for the update.

Congratulations on your new status as Grandma! 

I have to ask, why are you bringing poncho's?  The weather here is in the 90's today


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## DianeH (Aug 30, 2007)

Hi ricoba,

The ponchos are for rides that will get us wet!  The ones you buy at the park are expensive.  We may not use them, if its a warm day we don't mind being cooled off but since we want to ride everything we can, we will have these incase of cool weather.

Thanks for the congrats.  The baby isn't due until February but they will find out (hopefully baby will cooperate) while we are away what gender they are having.  Then I can really shop!

Diane


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## Luanne (Aug 30, 2007)

DianeH said:


> The ponchos are for rides that will get us wet!



The point of those rides is, you're _supposed_ to get wet.    And if it's as warm as it has been lately, you'll definitely want to cool down.


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## ricoba (Aug 30, 2007)

O I C!  

Sorry, but I didn't understand why you would bring a poncho here to SoCal...I think we have had less than 4" of rain year to date.

If the weather is like it is today, getting wet on Grizzly Rapids or Splash Mountain will feel great!


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## JohnnyO (Aug 30, 2007)

Both Grizzly River Run and Splash Mountain have long lines due to the hot weather.  You will definately want to get your fast passes early for these rides so you can come back when it is warmer in the mid day.  You can get completely soaked on GRR so you can put the poncho on right when the ride begins.  A poncho will not keep your bottom dry if you take a good splash.  So you can always bring a change of clothes and use a locker at the parks.

Nemo subs also has long lines so if you want to go this should be your first ride if you can get up early and go to the park as early as possible.  Otherwise the line throughout the day is usually a minimum of one hour or more.

The Catch will be very crowded on game days that the Angels play so be careful with your schedule.  www.angelsbaseball.com

Mr. Stox is nice and good food as well as expensive. It can also get crowded so be sure to call and make a reservation.


Have fun.


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## nightnurse613 (Aug 30, 2007)

I don't recall getting too wet on the water rides at DL, I do remember the spinning yellow inner tube (??) at SeaWorld (San Diego). That water was FREEZING cold and you couldn't avoid getting wet (without a poncho).  I don't think my husband has forgiven me yet for luring him on that ride.  Oh, come on in, dear, the water's fine!  Sorry, I forgot this was a DL thread.  My husband says there is an Enterprise RAC just about two blocks away on the north side of Katella (should be on their website) but, the concierge at Peacock will hook you up.


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## Luanne (Aug 30, 2007)

nightnurse613 said:


> I don't recall getting too wet on the water rides at DL,



If there is water on a ride at Disneyland, I will get wet.....no, make that soaked. :hysterical:   This happens especially if I go with my sister.  She and I managed to get drenched when doing the stupid canoe with our kids years ago.  The kids didn't know how to paddle and ended up showering us with water.   When we went on the Grizzly River Rapid (or whatever it's called in California Adventure) we watched people come off totally dry.  Okay, this can't be too bad we think.  Wrong!  Drenched again.

The worst though was at DisneyWorld where our car for Splash Mountain got stopped while we were right under a waterfall.


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## DianeH (Aug 30, 2007)

Thanks again for the replies.

I had forgottten about bringing a change of 'bottoms' and will do that as well.  I don't do well 'damp' , thus the ponchos.  But I agree, if its hot (like it is here in Pitt Meadows BC), then we'll appreciate the spray.

Johnny, I didn't think of game schedules and used your link to find that there is a game every night!  Not sure what we will do yet.  I assume they take reservations, we'll just have to plan a bit!

Diane


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