First Ever Disneyland Trip Updated 10/13 - Page 7 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
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.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
I must have posted my last comment as you were posting. The Grand Cali is beautiful! I'm not much of a photographer, but one of my challenges was to get a photo of the front door! It is stunning, but as this is a busy place and it opens automatically, catching it fully closed was a trick. Worth the effort though. The GC entrance to DCA is so convienent, but be warned that you might not want to use it for EMH. There are only 2 turnstiles and it can get backed up. Going to the main entrance is more efficient for EMH.
So glad you were able to get in at GC!! That's actually one of our home resorts, even though we've never stayed there.
Hoping dinner reservations open soon!!!
I so hear you about a Disneyland trip only working if you can use your points. There is no way we could have visited the place so many times if we'd had to pay. You'll love the Grand Californian, it's such a relaxing place and I love the fact it has its own entrance into the California Adventure.
I'm so happy that you got the reservation for the Grand Californian!!! That's where Pete and I want to stay when we return to DL. Sorry you're still having issues with the ADR but hopefully they'll get the dates up there soon that work for you.
Huge score with booking the Grand Californian! Luke's experience with booking at GC sounds like mine in 2013 and for this upcoming trip in November. I had no luck and if it weren't for a special travel company dealing with the runDisney races and great rates we would not have been able to go. for your ADR's today. We ate at Blue Bayou on our last trip. We also got the World of Color Package at Carthay Circle as our celebration meal after running the half marathon. Blue Bayou was good, but we loved Carthay Circle!
I know how it feels to sit on the edge of your seat. Glad everything turned out great for your Resort. Our ADR's did not pan out at all. 180 days out and only have 1 ADR that we wanted. Others still have no opening as of yet. It will all work out for your trip.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Just catching up! I am something of an expert on DL. Not really, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. In all seriousness, I have been to DL a bunch of times - I need to count them up, but at a guess, I think I'm in double digits by now.
I have used both Super Shuttle and the Disneyland Resort Express to both SNA and LAX, so I can give you my opinion. Super Shuttle is fine. I've always been happy with their service and have used them numerous times in other cities as well. Only had one off experience with a less-than-knowledgeable driver at the Port of Miami. The Disneyland Resort Express is fine too, I've never had an issue with them at all. Given a choice, I'd pick the DLR Express, just because the bus has Disney characters on it - it's more of a DME experience. I'm easy to please. I can check my old TRs to see if I've got a photo of it.
You'll love the GC! I haven't stayed at the villas because, unlike Luke, I am not at all diligent about booking the morning things open, and by the time I get around to it 3 weeks later, everything is booked!
Good luck getting the rest of your dining booked. I don't think you'll have trouble, but that those dates get released ASAP. I'm excited for you and Luke as first timers! I hope you'll love DLR as much as I do! And if you have any direct questions, feel free to ask me!
EDIT: Found 2 pics! Not the best, but it gives you an idea what I'm talking about.
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Great score on the Grand Californian. It looks beautiful! I bet those other ADRs will open up any time now. I don't think they book quickly like they do at WDW. Still very stressful though!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I will second what HollyH has to say about the entrance from GC. It can get really backed up in the mornings. I've had better luck going through bag check and the main gates.
Glad Luke was able to score a room for the GC with some work! That is so aggravating with the ADRs and I would be losing my patience as I know you are! We are just spoiled with WDW's ADR routine!
I didn't realize just how spoiled to WDW's routine I had gotten, but I'm definitely appreciating it more and more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HollyH
Signing in! I just returned from my first trip to DLR (we've been home 10 days). I LOVED it there!!! It certainly is different than WDW but there was so much I loved about it. One thing we did that was terrific was the Welcome to Disneyland tour. This is a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of both parks. It did help us get acclimated to our new surroundings and our guide was GREAT. We rode 2 attractions during the tour (Little Mermaid and Pirates). Be forewarned, I sat in the front of the boat on Pirates and got pretty wet! I've never gotten wet on PotC in WDW. We also got to choose priority seating for one show. We chose Aladdin. So worth it! With PS, you are let in to the theater before everyone else and allowed to choose your seats. Pick the first row in the second level. Other package perks, they will make dining reservations for that evening for you, you get FPs for Star Tours, Indy, and WOC to use that day, you get a Disneyland pin. The cost was reasonable. -$20 per person with our DVC discount.
We used Super Shuttle to get back to LAX from DLR. The price was about $17 per person (check for discount codes online). I had a good experience and would use them again. They will send you a text with a link to track your shuttle. We were given a 15 minute arrival window and received a call at the end of the 15 minutes checking to be sure our shuttle had picked us up (it hadn't yet, but pulled into the driveway as I was speaking to the rep.)
I'm sure I'll have more to chime in on as you continue your PTR. I had considered doing a TR but, as a teacher, I'm gearing up for back to school and I'm not sure if I'll get around to it.
I am so glad you are chiming in. Your review makes me feel better about Super Shuttle. I like the sound of the tour, too. I totally remember trying to finish my summer TRs and scrapbooks before school started because after opening day, my days were very full. Good luck for the new school year!
I must have posted my last comment as you were posting. The Grand Cali is beautiful! I'm not much of a photographer, but one of my challenges was to get a photo of the front door! It is stunning, but as this is a busy place and it opens automatically, catching it fully closed was a trick. Worth the effort though. The GC entrance to DCA is so convienent, but be warned that you might not want to use it for EMH. There are only 2 turnstiles and it can get backed up. Going to the main entrance is more efficient for EMH.
I'll definitely be trying for a photo of the front door now. Luke had read on another board that using the special entrance during EMH was slower than the main entrance, so I've made a note of that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
So glad you were able to get in at GC!! That's actually one of our home resorts, even though we've never stayed there.
Hoping dinner reservations open soon!!!
This may be our only trip out to DLR, and we had our hearts set on the Grand Californian. So we were beside ourselves when we got it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I so hear you about a Disneyland trip only working if you can use your points. There is no way we could have visited the place so many times if we'd had to pay. You'll love the Grand Californian, it's such a relaxing place and I love the fact it has its own entrance into the California Adventure.
I have so enjoyed seeing others' photos of this resort that I'm very anxious now to finally see it for myself.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I'm so happy that you got the reservation for the Grand Californian!!! That's where Pete and I want to stay when we return to DL. Sorry you're still having issues with the ADR but hopefully they'll get the dates up there soon that work for you.
We are very happy that GC finally worked out, and I'm sure the ADRs will eventually work out, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amy L
Huge score with booking the Grand Californian! Luke's experience with booking at GC sounds like mine in 2013 and for this upcoming trip in November. I had no luck and if it weren't for a special travel company dealing with the runDisney races and great rates we would not have been able to go. for your ADR's today. We ate at Blue Bayou on our last trip. We also got the World of Color Package at Carthay Circle as our celebration meal after running the half marathon. Blue Bayou was good, but we loved Carthay Circle!
Good to hear about Carthay Circle as it's the one that Luke is not as sure about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxie2006
I know how it feels to sit on the edge of your seat. Glad everything turned out great for your Resort. Our ADR's did not pan out at all. 180 days out and only have 1 ADR that we wanted. Others still have no opening as of yet. It will all work out for your trip.
I'm so sorry your ADRs did not work out so well. I'm going to persevere in checking every day until we get them.
Just catching up! I am something of an expert on DL. Not really, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. In all seriousness, I have been to DL a bunch of times - I need to count them up, but at a guess, I think I'm in double digits by now.
I have used both Super Shuttle and the Disneyland Resort Express to both SNA and LAX, so I can give you my opinion. Super Shuttle is fine. I've always been happy with their service and have used them numerous times in other cities as well. Only had one off experience with a less-than-knowledgeable driver at the Port of Miami. The Disneyland Resort Express is fine too, I've never had an issue with them at all. Given a choice, I'd pick the DLR Express, just because the bus has Disney characters on it - it's more of a DME experience. I'm easy to please. I can check my old TRs to see if I've got a photo of it.
You'll love the GC! I haven't stayed at the villas because, unlike Luke, I am not at all diligent about booking the morning things open, and by the time I get around to it 3 weeks later, everything is booked!
Good luck getting the rest of your dining booked. I don't think you'll have trouble, but that those dates get released ASAP. I'm excited for you and Luke as first timers! I hope you'll love DLR as much as I do! And if you have any direct questions, feel free to ask me!
EDIT: Found 2 pics! Not the best, but it gives you an idea what I'm talking about.
I was hoping you'd be a around to answer questions. I sometimes feel so ignorant that I don't know what to ask, but Luke seems to have a few new questions every day or so. He was actually first interested in the Disneyland Express, but he wonders now (since your pictures have convinced me that I need to ride this bus) if you can take it back to LAX?
I will admit that I had had trouble getting excited as I love WDW at fall with F&WF. But now that I'm making ADRs, I'm getting more excited every single day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
Great score on the Grand Californian. It looks beautiful! I bet those other ADRs will open up any time now. I don't think they book quickly like they do at WDW. Still very stressful though!
It's hard for me to get out of WDW planning mode, and relax a little. I keep telling myself to take a deep breath; it will all work out.
I will second what HollyH has to say about the entrance from GC. It can get really backed up in the mornings. I've had better luck going through bag check and the main gates.
This is what we ill plan to do. Luke's excited about the entrance at it means I'll ride the water ride since I can exit easily to change in to dry clothes.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
There is no way we could have visited the place so many times if we'd had to pay. You'll love the Grand Californian, it's such a relaxing place and I love the fact it has its own entrance into the California Adventure. 
for your ADR's today. We ate at Blue Bayou on our last trip. We also got the World of Color Package at Carthay Circle as our celebration meal after running the half marathon. Blue Bayou was good, but we loved Carthay Circle! 
. Others still have no opening as of yet. It will all work out for your trip. 
on DL. Not really, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. 
In all seriousness, I have been to DL a bunch of times - I need to count them up, but at a guess, I think I'm in double digits by now.
I can check my old TRs to see if I've got a photo of it.
Luke had read on another board that using the special entrance during EMH was slower than the main entrance, so I've made a note of that. 
Linear Mode
