Our 1st Proper Halloween - Disneyland Leg **COMPLETED** About This Page:

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by chezp

What a great final day - I'm so glad you finally got to experience Radiator Spring Racers. You can't go to Disneyland now and not experience that.

Sorry about the saga on the return flight home. I can imagine how happy you were to finally be home.

Looking forward to your final thoughts.

Thank you As we had to be out of our hotel by 11am, we had no choice but to make the most of our time left (which loosely translate to nobody could sleep in and watch TV, not naming any names here ... )

I totally agree - you can't go to Disneyland now and not experience Radiator Spring Racers ... no matter how long it takes you!

You're right - even though we didn't want our great holiday to end, we were sooooooooooooo glad to get home after the kerfuffle with our flight home from Sydney Airport!

It's almost a year since our holiday now - I can't believe time has gone so quickly! Am still working on my concluding remarks, but I'll say now, that I simply cannot wait to set off on our next trip, whenever that may be.

[Big Sister]

OUR 2012 TRIP ROUND-UP

I think one of the reasons it has taken me so long to complete this trip report (other than being quite lazy and highly disorganised), is because it was so much fun reliving the experience, that I didn't want it to come to an end.

Transport

Apart from the stuff-up at Sydney Airport on the way home, our experience with transport was a lot better compared to past holiday experiences. It was a massive treat for us being able to fly premium economy class on the long haul flights. It was so awesome knowing that a wider than usual seat was waiting for us, along with ample leg room - it certainly made the long haul flights of our trip way less stressful - I can't see us travelling any other way in the future as a result. On the down-side though, you do pay a lot more for these comforts, so we wont be able to travel as frequently as we'd like.

For the ground transport parts of our trip, we're forever grateful that our bro always makes the time to drive us to the airport (even if he does pretend we give him a headache from all the excitement )

The blue and yellow Super Shuttles leaving LAX, have always been reliable for our transport to Universal Studios, both during last year's trip, and previous trips. We're always grateful they're in the same place as previous years, so Nest and I never have any trouble finding them, which is a very good thing, as we're usually just so excited by this stage that our trip has finally started, that I'm not sure if we'd cope all that well, having to problem solve so early on. Once at the stop, we give our destination to the representative on duty, and a shuttle seems to arrive soon afterwards.

It was so awesomely exciting getting a limousine from Universal to the cruise port in Palo Alto - it really added to our super special first time cruise experience! All we had to do was organise our reservation with the staff member on duty at our hotel's transportation desk, who did all the booking and phone calling for us. All we had to do was hand over my credit card - too easy! On the day of our reservation, we found out our limo had been held up due to road closures. The staff on duty at the transportation desk couldn't do enough for us, bringing us refreshments and phoning through to the limo company regularly for updates, and keeping us posted with the info.

The only transport I didn't have organised until the last minute, was how to get from Palo Alto to Disneyland after our cruise. Thankfully I spotted an advert on one of the daily newsletters delivered to our state room each night, saying that Disney transport was available to book at the information desk the following day - problem solved - we were so relieved! (Before discovering this, I pictured us having to pay big bucks for a taxi or shuttle!) At the time of booking the transport, it only took a few seconds - I couldn't believe it, and was so impressed!

At the end of our trip, we caught the Magical Express from Disneyland to LAX, a service which has never failed us.

Accommodation

I have nothing but good things to say about our accommodation - it was all so beautiful, luxurious, comfortable, and exciting!

We've always been fortunate to be able to stay at the Hilton situated on Universal's City Walk when visiting Universal Studios Hollywood. The rooms are large, clean, and afford a wonderful view. A large variety of delicious meals are available through 24 hour room service, and the staff who deliver it are very courteous and friendly, always asking us about our day, and whether there is anything else they can do for us. The staff at check-in and the various information desks, are also very courteous and helpful. There's a decent-sized store opposite the check-in area, selling various goods and sundries in case you've accidentally forgotten to pack something, or fancy pigging out on a range of junkfood that you're too embarrassed to order via room service

Our first cruise was beyond exciting! We stayed in a deluxe family room with balcony, and it was such an amazing experience! It was so awesome, and at times, a little surreal, to be able to go out onto the balcony and see nothing but sea surrounding us (it was quite eerie doing this at night on the at sea days, as you were met with nothing but pitch blackness.) It was also super exciting to go out onto the balcony when arriving and departing from the amazing ports on the itinerary, especially San Francisco! Room service was a little restricted, but who eats dinner every night in their room, when there are so many delicious options to partake in at the lovely restaurants during rotational dining? On the occasional night we felt like keeping to ourselves, we found enough on the room service menu to satisfy our tummies. Besides, there was always the all-inclusive snacks from the counter service eateries up on the pool deck. Our mousekeeping lady was like a long-lost friend, and we loved it how the Entertainment Director said we could high-five him whenever we came across him! Everyone was just so friendly, even the cast members on duty at the door of the cruise centre itself!

Words can't adequately describe how happy Nest and I were to be able to afford to return to the Grand Californian after our disastrous stay at the Disneyland Hotel in 2010! As I mentioned in the entry where we arrived at Disneyland, Nest and I was so happy, that after we dumped our luggage in our room, we skipped arm-in-arm down the hallway on the way to the park ... I haven't experienced that high level of child-like happiness for such a long time! We were quickly checked in on arrival, despite the foyer being so crowded, and the Cast Member on duty was really friendly and conversational, as well as taking the time to give us some helpful tips in relation to the park. Our room was so beautiful and luxurious, I understand how Nest had trouble leaving it, resulting in me having a couple of park solo days (I think it also helped, or should that be "didn't help"? , that the TV schedule was also really good and was forever screening things Nest couldn't tear himself away from!) The view from our balcony was wonderful. Room service was fantastic, and I was over the moon that my favourite dish from our 2007 visit, was still on the menu after all these years! (Spaghetti with meat sauce - it's so yummier than the version I try making back home!) The Cast Members delivering our meals were very friendly, and one on learning that Nest was shy and out hiding on the balcony, actually peeked out there to say hi! I like the service where you can now check-out just by making a quick phone call. Their Bell Service is also amazingly fast.

Universal Studios Hollywood

I simply adore Universal Studios Hollywood! Even though it's a small park, it's so much fun! As a person who doesn't deal with change well (unless it's a good change that I agree with ), I was so happy that nothing had changed here since our last visit, except for the addition of the Transformers simulation ride under construction during our previous visit, and that Jimmy Fallon now hosts the Studio Backlot tour instead of Whoopi. While I thought Whoopi did a great job, Jimmy, who I had never heard of before this, also does a great job and gives tour a refreshing lift. (I still have his "Tramtastic" song in my head to this very day! ) Jurassic Park River Adventure is my most favourite Universal ride ever, and it was soooooo awesome being able to ride it over and over again. The Mummy Returns ride comes a close second to Jurassic Park, and I really loved being able to ride that one over and over again too. I swear I'll never get sick of those two rides, and hope they never ever get scrapped.

We don't seem to eat all that much in the parks, as we're usually so busy having loads of fun on the rides and attractions. On the times we have managed to tear ourselves away from them for long enough, the food has been decent enough as themepark food goes. We've dined on burgers, Chinese, and the ever faithful churros (and churro sundaes), and they've always been satisfying. The restaurants just outside the gate in Universal City Walk, are excellent. We highly recommend the Saddle Ranch Chop House (we've dined there during our last two trips), as well as the chilli cheese fries at Jodie Maroni's Sausage Kingdom - so yummy! So yummy!

The shops in Universal are distracting, but the ones on Universal City Walk are even more distracting! Once we spent a whole morning in the shops on Universal City Walk, only retreating when we could carry no more and needed a reprieve from the heat!

The most awesome thing about Universal Studios this visit though (apart from being able to ride Jurassic Park River Adventure again), were the Halloween Horror Nights. For the second time this entry, words fail me as to describe my feelings to show awesome this event was! I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but for a fan of horror movies and The Walking Dead series such as myself (I do like nice movies too ), it was just sooooooooo awesome! Christmas used to be my favourite time of year to travel to America and visit the themeparks, but now Halloween has made itself known to me, future time of travel decisions will be really hard to make. I made a mistake of checking out this year's Halloween Horror Nights. The line up of attractions looks so exciting (including a new maze based on one of my fave scary movies of all time), that it's killing me that I can't afford to make it over!

Cruising the Pacific Coast on the Disney Wonder

This portion of the trip was a dream come true! I wanted to remember every second of it, and was forever taking loads of photos and writing as many notes as I could. I could tell that Nest was experiencing the same kind of elation as I was, which made me feel even happier. I'll never forget the excitement we felt when we first spotted the Disney Wonder from the windows of the limo ... the excitement we felt when we were met at the door of the cruise terminal by a couple of really friendly Cast Members ... the excitement we felt when it was our turn to be checked in at the desk ... the excitement (and not being able to believe it was true) we felt when we were walking along the special walkway and onto the ship ... the list of exciting moments is endless, such as coming across the irresistible display of traffic cone cocktails ... the welcome aboard buffet ... and the Sail Away Party with yet more cocktails!

The itinerary was a dream come true. I first visited San Francisco back in 2006, and ever since then, I've wanted to introduce Nest to the city, as I loved it so much. Thankfully the weather couldn't have been more perfect, and we spent a glorious two days exploring the city A return trip to this wonderful city is definitely on the cards!

I was really excited about San Diego also, as we had been planning to visit the city during our 2007 and 2010 trips, but it unfortunately never eventuated. We didn't have much time in San Diego, but were grateful for the time we did have. As you would know from reading my actual entry, we managed to fit in a short tour of the city on the way to the zoo. We had been planning to go to the Corvette Diner for a meal afterwards, but I was just so massively tired, that I went straight to sleep afterwards, and when I woke up, it was too late to do anything. I would love to spend more time in San Diego, so a return trip here is also definitely on the cards.

Nest and I have got this thing about Mexico - we're attracted to it's culture and food. Unfortunately, on the day of our Ensenada stop, we decided to have an easy day on board to recharge our energy, as the last couple of days had been so crazy busy, leaving us pretty tired and lazy. I've saved our wad of Mexican Pesos in preparation for our next cruise that stops at Mexico, whenever that may be ... one thing's for certain though - we're definitely getting off the ship this time, no matter how tired we are! Arrrrrrrrriba!

Speaking of staying on the ship, there was never a shortage of activities to partake in! Nest and I were big fans of bingo, with both of us being fortunate enough to win some cash each, as well as one of the in-between games raffles I also enjoyed the pre-dinner shows, and we both absolutely loved the main comedy act of Alfred and Seymour. Shopping on board was also irresistibly fun (except when it came time to pay ), and Pirate Night was an absolute blast!

I so cannot wait for our next Disney cruise - there are so many that I'd love to go on! As I said before, I don't know when our next one is going to be, but I'm excited about it all the same! I buy an updated PassPorter guide every year to read about all the exciting new developments, and pop into the boards whenever I've got a moment at work (still don't have the internet at home.)

Disneyland

It was wonderful to be back at Disneyland, this time with perfect weather every day but one (unlike last time!) As we weren't able to frequent Disneyland and DCA much during our 2010 visit due to constant rain, our last proper visit was 2007. As that made it a five year gap, we understandably lost our way for the first day or so, especially when we kept on thinking about WDW's layout instead. Once we had gotten our bearings, off we shot experiencing this, that and the other. Our only disappointment was that one of our favourite rides, Indiana Jones, was closed for maintenance, and that the new Cars Land was forever crowded, preventing us from experiencing everything on offer there.

This was the first time we experienced Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. They were understandably very different to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, but Nest and I loved them all the same. We thoroughly enjoyed the trick-or-treat stations, and I absolutely loved the option of being able to get dressed up in a Halloween costume.

We were both so sad when this fantastic holiday had come to an end, but we'll have the memories, photos, videos, and journals to remember it by forever-more

Future Plans

I turn 40 in three years time I'd love to celebrate it by visiting every Disney park and Universal Studios park in the world that year! Planning it's absolutely no problem (I simply adore planning, researching places to within an inch of their life, and discovering new things I was never aware of before), but getting the funds together might be. At the moment, I'm heavily researching the Tokyo Disney parks. Every day I come home with new findings to regale Nest with, who is getting to the point where he's almost excited as me now I'm so excited about this leg of the trip, that I wish we could go now! We've also trying to self teach ourselves Japanese. At the moment I can remember the words for avocado, champagne, cheers, cat, mouse and hello. Nest has gone one step further and can remember the word for watermelon Apart from hello, I don't know what use those words would be to us in a real life situation, such as needing to find the nearest bathroom, or asking for directions!

Even though I'd dearly love the above plan to work, I can't get another plan out of my head - to organise a surprise trip for Nest for the end of next year, depending on funds. Before immersing myself in Tokyo Disney info, I was constantly thinking of a Disney cruise to Jamaica (Nest has a real fascination for the place), with a stay at Universal Orlando beforehand (especially as the Harry Potter World extension should be complete by then), and a stay at WDW afterwards. Now I'm thinking that a surprise trip to the Hong Kong and Tokyo Disney's would be just as great and probably more affordable, due to Asia's close proximity to Australia. Even though either plan would be great, it would take a massive chunk out of savings going towards my 40th. Life is so full of choices! I just know that three years is a long time to go between trips for me

For now though, the definite plan is to finish my long overdue 2010 trip report! I haven't got a new update yet, but I'll see whoever's interested when I do, over in the WDW boards

[chezp]

Wonderful wrap-up! I so hear you about not wanting to finish a trip report, as I too love re-living them and I also hear you about Premium Economy - it really is the only way to fly long haul. I've really enjoyed your trip report, thanks so much for sharing it with us.

[pamcarey]

Great wrap up! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful TR! All of your future plans sound fantastic... good luck on deciding which ones to do (and then funding them).

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by chezp

Wonderful wrap-up! I so hear you about not wanting to finish a trip report, as I too love re-living them and I also hear you about Premium Economy - it really is the only way to fly long haul. I've really enjoyed your trip report, thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Great wrap up! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful TR! All of your future plans sound fantastic... good luck on deciding which ones to do (and then funding them).

Thank you - I’m glad you all enjoyed reading it! for sticking with it when my posting wasn’t all that regular at times. I’ve got a couple of future plans in the works at the moment, and I look forward to finding out which one/s are going to become a reality, and sharing the experiences with you all afterwards