Forever Young: A Disneyland Trip 50 Years in the Making COMPLETED 1/16/16 - Page 57 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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Beautiful restaurant and meal and sharing it with Heather made it perfect. Judy and I have had the pleasure of her company at WDW several times. Always an enjoyable experience. Thanks for sharing this new adventure.
A lovely dinner! And how nice that Heather was able to use a CM discount that made the evening even more enjoyable!
Everything looked so yummy!
Sad that the trip is about to come to an end, though!
Well, I've finally caught up with your report. What better way to end your trip than dinner with a good friend!
I love Splash Mountain, although I only ride it when it's quite hot (which it definitely was for you). There are definitely several drops at WDW, as the first time we rode it when DD was young, she kept asking "was that the drop?" every time we went down a little drop. She was quite apprehensive, although she quickly fell in love with the ride when it was over.
Beautiful restaurant and meal and sharing it with Heather made it perfect. Judy and I have had the pleasure of her company at WDW several times. Always an enjoyable experience. Thanks for sharing this new adventure.
This restaurant is very nicely done. We too have spent quite a bit of WDW time with Heather so we enjoyed being with her at DLR, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a great meal and what a lovely present from Heather!
Absolutely! We were not expecting the discount at all, and Luke kept talking about how it was so nice to pick what he wanted knowing we wouldn't be paying full price.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
A lovely dinner! And how nice that Heather was able to use a CM discount that made the evening even more enjoyable!
Everything looked so yummy!
Sad that the trip is about to come to an end, though!
We did thoroughly enjoy ourselves both with food and company. This meal made for a great finish to our first ever Disneyland trip.
Monday, October 12 – Almost, Almost, Almost . . . . Got It!
Our alarms sounded rather early at 6:50 AM. We wanted time to get ready for breakfast and also to pack up everything as we went. Getting ready went smoothly enough, stuff was stowed into the suitcases and carryons, and then we headed out for our 8:30 ADR at Storyteller’s Café. I really love the décor in this restaurant with all the rich woods, carvings, and craftmans style touches, e.g. the light fixtures.
We actually arrived about 20 minutes early, but after a very brief wait, we were taken to our table, a booth against the back wall, very near the buffet. The hostess CM told us it would be several minutes before any characters were by, so we headed straight for the buffet. I even took my camera so you all will get to see the food options.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take photos of our actual plates, and since I didn’t take notes, I have no idea now what we either one ate. I do know that we both were pleasantly full when we finished and paid our tab, which was $60.24 after a $6.20 DVC discount. Too bad that would be our last DVC discount of the trip because neither place we ate at the airports recognized it. Our first visitor was Meeko who came by shortly after we returned from the buffet. Then he was followed by Dale who was followed by Chip. Since Luke was away, no pictures as proof.
We headed back up to the villa one last time, though I couldn’t resist a couple more photos. The one of the carpet is in the hallways of the DVC portion of the resort. In the room we brushed our teeth and checked that everything had been packed. A little reluctantly we departed our home away from home and headed to the lobby.
Several folks, including some of you all, had told me to be sure we checked out the front doors of the Grand California. I had gotten a glimpse of them our first day, but that was it. I now stationed myself just far enough outside the door to get a complete shot of it when it closed. I knew I’d have to be fast as the door is automatic, and folks either inside or outside would keep tripping it. So here is how it went.
Almost . . .
Almost . . .
Almost . . .
Almost . . .
Got it! Two clicks, two photos.
A kind Cast Member realized what I was doing and stopped himself from opening the doors before they fully shut. Stunning!
It was now just before 10:00, our pick up time. I found a bench where I could guard all the suitcases while Luke used the remaining few minutes to get some photos in front of the resort. Even got one of some old lady parked on a bench.
My last photo on DLR property was one of the outdoor lights in front of the Disneyland Hotel.
At Disneyland Hotel, the bus stopped for the Disneyland Express staff to pick up our vouchers or payments. Then our bus was on its way to Los Angeles and LAX. Traffic was very different today from the way we had seen it on our arrival the Tuesday before. In fact we made excellent time, at least until we reached a point where traffic was merging right to exit for LAX. Then we crept along forever. Thankfully, we’d chosen the early pick up time, so we’d not have to worry about being late for our flight. Our bus driver announced that he would be dropping us off a little forward of the Southwest terminal because there was construction that blocked him from stopping right at the terminal. As he got our backs from under the bus, he let us know exactly which direction to head. It wasn’t a short walk, but neither was it terribly long. The sidewalk was covered due to the construction, but still plenty wide and easy to navigate pulling bags along with us. Once inside the SWA terminal, we moved to the queue for bag check, which was actually very short at this time of day. With only our two carryons left, we now made our way to where we thought we’d enter security. We couldn’t figure it out though, but we weren’t alone as several others were as lost as us. But eventually, Luke realized that part of the construction was just confusing us all. He lead us all up the stairs and we were soon through TSA.
Once we’d found our gate, Luke held two seats and watched the luggage while I backtracked to Sterling Palate, a food kiosk, for some lunch as it was now 11:53 PDT. I got a chicken salad sandwich on wheat for me and a turkey croissant for Luke along with a couple of bottle of soda (Luke – Mountain Dew; me – Sierra Mist). At the checkout counter, I also picked up some cashews for Luke, simply because he loves them. We still had about 45 minutes before boarding would begin, so no need to rush our eating.
Right on time, boarding began. I can’t remember what our exact boarding numbers were but we were in the first portion of A boarding. Luke went first grabbing us seats just in front of the exit row, which was already taken. This portion of our flight would take us from LAX to Chicago Midway. We didn’t have the newest plane so no WiFi, but I’m guessing these mountains might be part of the Rocky Mountains based on the time frame.
These was the longest of the four legs of our flights to and from Los Angeles. By the time we arrived at Midway it was dark outside and we were starving. We decided to find our gate first, but then noticed a McDonalds which sounded perfect. We veered off and placed an order for one Quarter Pounder no cheese (me), one Quarter Pounder with Cheese (Luke), two fries, one Coke Zero and one Dr. Pepper. With our bag of food and drink, we finally made it to the gate, found two empty seats, and ate. It was obvious the trip and our energy was winding down. Luke commented while we ate that when we fly back for our second DLR trip, we will be flying non-stop. Our layover at Midway was around an hour and a half, which kept this day dragging. By the time we reached Louisville, it would be 10:45 EDT. Loooong day!
Boarding went smoothly with Luke getting us second row seats this time. Now we’d be able to get off rather quickly back in Louisville. Once we arrived in Kentucky, we made our way to shuttle pick up where Luke called the hotel where the Edge was parked. In about 10 minutes a van picked us and a few other folks up and we were on our way to the car. From there we still had an almost 2 hour drive home. The drive home was uneventful, bordering on boring since it was dark so not much to look at along the way. Shortly after midnight, we pulled into the garage and a fabulously magical first trip to Disneyland was officially over.
I have so loved reading this report, as it's been wonderful to see Disneyland for the first time through your eyes. Your enthusiasm has been truly infectious!
Now did I read that right - four legs of the flight back home? Good grief! If that's right, I never cease to be amazed by air travel in the States, given we can fly straight to LAX from Heathrow.
Now did I read that right - four legs of the flight back home?
That's what I thought at first as well but then re-read it and realized Cam meant four legs total - so two on the flight to California and two on the way back
The breakfast buffet looks very inviting - I would've loved to jump through the screen Glad your journey home was uneventful.
I have loved reading along with this! It was so exciting to see all your pictures, and your descriptions of the different areas of both parks. You have a great style of writing, that makes the reader feel as though they are there with you!
Sad that it has now come to an end, but you still have WDW to look forward to soon, and I love that Luke has said that on your NEXT trip to Disneyland you will be flying non-stop!
Thank you for taking the time to post the report and pics, I have loved every minute.
__________________
Silvercat
(Enjoy reading trip reports? Why not try my books, "Tiggerific Travels Parts 1, 2, 3 & the new volume 4" - available now as e-books)
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Our first visitor was Meeko who came by shortly after we returned from the buffet. Then he was followed by Dale who was followed by Chip. Since Luke was away, no pictures as proof. 
Stunning! 
With only our two carryons left, we now made our way to where we thought we’d enter security. We couldn’t figure it out though, but we weren’t alone as several others were as lost as us. But eventually, Luke realized that part of the construction was just confusing us all. He lead us all up the stairs and we were soon through TSA. 
If that's right, I never cease to be amazed by air travel in the States, given we can fly straight to LAX from Heathrow. 
Looking forward to your final thoughts! 
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