Disneyland!! Take Me Away!! -Days 1 & 2 About This Page:

[Cinderella_68]

Okay, the vacation hasn't technically started, yet, but I thought I'd put down some pre TR stuff, since I have 18 hours until we leave and nothing to do, unless you count housecleaning. [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] (It NEVER ends!)
Noteworthy for this trip is that Disneyland Reservations matched a price I found on Hotels.com, which, minus the extra website charges, saved us $120. We hadn't planned on staying at the DLH, but since we have so much to celebrate, and we had to cancel our WDW due to DD's surgery and not being sure when DH would be home from overseas, we figured, why the heck not?
I'm impressed with dealings I've had over the phone with the Vacation Planners of the DL Hotels. They've helped me plan a surprise for the kids to be delivered to the room from our pals at DL, and helped us secure PS's and even came up with phone numbers for DtD eateries to make reservations. Very nice staff, I can't wait to see how the surprise turns out! They also do gift baskets, a la WDW. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] I've got my Passporter pockets filled with my Disney Dollars and a small steno pad for notes, now if my clock would just move faster... [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img]

[ 09-01-2003, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: Cinderella_68 ]

[Tara O'Hara]

Priscilla, have a wonderful, magical time!!!!!! Of course, don't forget to write about it when you get back! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[loobyoxlip]

Have a great time. 18 hours is going to fly by!!! All the CM's at DL are great!! In the 3 trips we've taken, I've only encountered one CM who wasn't nice and helpful. [img]graemlins/usa.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Have a wonderful, excellent time - can't wait to hear all about it when you return! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[WDW Novice]

Yay, another DL trip report is on the way! I haven't been there since about 1978, but you guys are making my mouth water to get back there!

[DebiDebiDebi]

You are gonna have FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cinderella_68]

Luuuuu-cccy! We're ho-oome!
Wow, it was over so fast! But we are planning on going back next month for a weekend, already! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I've started my TR and will have day 1 posted tomorrow. Never did make it to Tiki's thotful spot, but we did have a great time!

[Cinderella_68]

Disneyland!! Take me away!!

Cast:
The Daddy: DH Jim
The Mommy: Me, I also answer to beautiful, beautiful Princess Mommy, usually when DS is in trouble. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
DD: Ashleigh, 11
DS: Nate, 4

The Dates: August 3-7, 2003

The Place: The Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Resort

The Reason: Well, there are a variety of reasons, DH returning from being out in the Gulf for 6 months, kicking butt in my first year of nursing school, getting my nurse externship, DD’s 16th surgery, you name it!! I feel like that commercial for Calgon! Except the best thing I know for us is a family trip to the Mouse. Does wonders for me and my family!

Pre-TR continued: Okay, after my pre-TR post, I can’t sleep. Just like the commercial for WDW, except the kids are out, DH is out, but I’m too excited to sleep! I’m going to be hating life tomorrow.

Day 1:
The plan was to be ready and leave by 9 am, since the packing was all done already, and get to the hotel by 11 am. Well, we didn’t get out of the house until 9:30, since someone who couldn’t sleep last night couldn’t wake up this morning! Who?!?! ME?!?! But it’s Sunday morning, so there is no traffic and we get to the hotel by 11:10 am, anyway. Needless to say, I slept the whole drive up. After a wrong turn into the Downtown Disney parking area, we get back on the right track and soon pull up in front of the DL Hotel!
We’d planned to vacation in WDW this year, but due to the war and DD’s surgery, we decided to stay closer to home, since the Doctor wouldn’t okay DD to fly anyway, and we weren’t sure when DH was actually going to come home. DH suggested spending our vacation at the DL Hotel, since we'd already saved the money for WDW and so here we were, like all the out-of-state people I’d envied in my youth, staying for a full 5 days at the DL Hotel. No, I’m not spoiled, DH just loves me a whole lot! Hey, what’s wrong with being spoiled? [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]
The front of the hotel is jumping as we park the car, find a bellperson and unload. I head over to the check in line, still not quite believing that we are here, together. 11:20 we check in, not bad, only a 10 min wait. I had placed a request on our reservation for either the Marina or Sierra towers. I held my breath for a moment as she handed us a packet of information and looked us up in the computer. Marina tower it was! We were on the 6th floor, in room 2424, and our room was ready! The CM handed us our itinerary which included our PS’s which were made by the Vacation Planners. We headed up the elevator to the sixth floor after checkout is complete. (Tiniest elevators on property, I think, thank goodness there are plenty of them!) The room is great! It is roomy, with a desk area, a daybed/sofa, and two wonderfully comfy queen beds! The décor is classic with a touch of whimsy. There are two sketches of the jungle cruise attraction hanging over the sofa. My favorite touch is the Tinkerbell/pixie dust wall border along the top of the wall. I need some of that for MY room! We head to the window and throw open the drapes and feast our eyes on the wonderful view of the Neverland Pool.


The view from our balcony of the Neverland Pool.

Unfortunately, the balcony consists of about 12 inches, so you can’t really do much with it, but if you stepped out onto it, and leaned out, you could see Downtown Disney to the left.


The DtD view, looking to the left from our "balcony", including the DLR version of the BAH.

We unpacked best we could, considering there are only four drawers, but the closet is good and roomy. Then we headed to ESPN Zone for lunch, since we were having rumblies in our tumblies. DD, DS and I shared an order of ooey gooey cheese fries, while DH had cheeseburger with portabello mushrooms on it. Yum! I love the cheese fries here. Lots of bacon and cheese. The peppercorn ranch dressing is good, too. The three of us couldn’t finish the fries, there are a lot. After lunch, we headed to the DtD monorail station to hit DL! DH got his free military pass at the kiosk by the station, then we had our bags checked and boarded the next monorail. The monorails run about every 6 minutes or so, it was a very short wait. DD dubbed this monorail station the "Flik and Atta station," since the theme is leaves. We boarded the monorail red and were in Tomorrowland in a jiffy.


The gang waiting to board monorail red.

First on our list was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but when we got there, it was down. Next on our list was Splash Mountain where the wait was almost two hours! We got a Fastpass for 9:20 pm, and received a Surprise Fastpass for Haunted Mansion for right away! What a cool deal! Surprise Fastpasses seemed to turn up whenever the FP wait was on the long side.
We headed to Haunted Mansion and slipped through the 999 ghosts safely. Only once did the spooks try to get us by interrupting the ride, at my favorite part, I might add! I love the part where the busts are singing in the graveyard! Grab son’s stroller and we are off to another classic, the Pirates of the Caribbean! It’s a 20 minute wait, which is no big deal, considering the massive crowds. (Did I mention the crowds? If not, well, DL was crowded all five days!)
Potty break after surviving the curse of the pirates, while I run to the ATM to get some cash. How could I have forgotten to do that yesterday?!? I hit the ATM by the Frontierland entrance, and we met up at the gift shop. With NOS being so crowded, we decided to head to the Tiki Room, since the Dole Whip floats were calling us anyway. It was only in the mid-80’s, but boy was the sun draining! Ah!!! Nectar of the gods! Paired with a great show, what more can we ask?
After the Tiki Room, we decided to see how the line for Matterhorn was. It was reasonable, and it moves pretty quickly, so we waited about 25 minutes for our journey through the Alps! I think I favor the right track, although I can’t put the difference in words. I just love Matterhorn. It is one of the kids’ favorites too. We’re silly, but we like to pretend that every ride is a near miss from the clutches of the abominable snowman!
After Matterhorn, we grabbed a cold drink and contemplated what to do next. Going back to the room sounded great, it was crowded and hot in DL. But the Vacation Planners were up to their surprises and would be delivering surprises to our room between 4 and 5, so we had to make ourselves scarce. So being in the general vicinity and needing something cool to do, we loaded our cargo onto IASW. Plus, we were stranded in the area since the parade was starting from this side of the park. I really like IASW since the rehab. The audio sounds better. It will always be one of my favorites. At least, until I get stranded on it for 45 minutes or so. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]


The mermaid scene from IASW.

Time for a pre-emptive potty break, since DS has a bladder the size of a walnut and we were pushing fluids on him the whole trip, so we headed over to Toontown, since we were still trapped by the parade. We wandered once around the crowded land of the toons, then once it was 5 pm, we headed for the train, but ended up taking the monorail, since the train queue was overflowing. (The parade had just let out.)
A perk of staying at one of the DL Hotels is express service for the monorail, so many times the stand-by line was pretty long, but we could flash our pass and use the express line. Nice perk, especially when the stand-by line was outrageously long. Monorail orange whisked us back to DtD where it was just a short walk to our room. DD said it was like DtD was in our backyard.
DH entered the room first to ready with the video camera for the kids’ reactions to their “surprise.” They didn’t have a clue and I was busting with anticipation to see what would transpire. Needless to say, they were ecstatic! The Vacation Planners had worked with the shoppers to purchase an array of toys in the suggested characters up to the limit I had set with them, and had arranged the goodies on the beds, along with a large envelope stamped Toontown Mail. In each envelope was an autographed photo, Disney Princesses for DD and Buzz and Woody in front of the castle for DS! DS couldn’t believe that Buzz and Woody sent him so many goodies! DD was speechless, which is so unlike her!
DD received a Princess Aurora doll, a princess keychain, a magnetic princess photoholder, and a princess autograph pen from Belle, Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora. DS received a Buzz playset, a Sorcerer Mickey beanie, Candy in a clip-on Buzz coin pouch, and a Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin diecast ride car from Buzz and Woody. The autographed photos will go up in their rooms as soon as I can find the right frames!
After toys were unwrapped and played with, and the excitement died down, we got into our swimsuits and headed down to the Neverland pool for a refreshing dip in the pool at about 6:30 or so. The pool was heated just right. Warm enough in the evening and cool enough in the daytime. Two thumbs up for the water temperature. DS loved the flotation vests they provided for free and always enjoyed picking out his size and getting most of the buckles done himself. We all had a blast. My only complaint would be people who use their towels and leave them on the lounges, causing a “shortage” of lounges, because you were never sure if they had left, or had just taken a sunbathing break. If I didn’t see personal articles or a nearby sunbather could confirm noone had been there recently, the spot was fair game. I’d brought an underwater Fuji camera to take pictures by the pool, we got a lot of cute shots, but when I’ll actually get them to the developers remains to be seen. Boy, do I love digital!
We frolicked and cooled down about an hour, then back to the room to shower and re-dress. We decided we were hungry and that we wanted to go to GK for dinner. The verbalized wait was 30-45 minutes, but if we waited 10 minutes, I’d be surprised. DH barely had time to order our drinks at the nearby lounge! (BTW, they make an excellent amaretto sour there. DH had never had one, and decided he really likes them.) We had a great dinner, our server was great and the food was really good. My favorites were the salmon with melon/mango chutney/salsa, the ribs in citrus BBQ sauce and of course, the desserts! The cheesecake brownies and Chip and Dales nut bars (pecan pie bars) were to die for!! I wanted to be able to taste everything, so I took just a bite or two everything that looked scrumptious. Belle was there in the buffet area to sign autographs and take pictures, while Minnie, Aladdin, Max, Goofy, Chip and Dale made rounds to their guests. Goofy wrote all over our tablecloth paper, much to the delight of our 4 year old. He also informed us that Chip and Dale were his assistant chefs. We gave them all two ears up!


The kidlets with the famous Minnie Mouse!

Stuffed, we sauntered around the grounds, just having missed the Fantasy Waters show, enjoying the nooks and crannies of the grounds, then decided we were too tired to go back to the park, we headed back to our room to get ready for bed. We heard the fireworks like thunder at 9:30. Tucked snug into our beds, I was too excited to sleep as the Tinkerbell/Pixie Dust border glowed in the dark and the magic was everywhere! Eventually, all the heat and walking and swimming and dinner did me in and I was soon fast asleep like my family.

[tikibird]

WOW!!! What a full and excellent first day!!!

Glad the kids enjoyed their surprises, and looking forward to hearing more!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Colexis Mom]

Wow, what a great first day [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img] How great that you had surprises for the kids when you got back to the room. That must have just made their day!! Looking forward to more [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Tara O'Hara]

You sound like you are having a wonderful time and your pictures are so cute!! [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] Keep [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img] !

[Cinderella_68]

Okay, I'm a bad girl! I was planning to finish my TR this weekend, but through no fault of my own *ahem* it looks like a friend has twisted my arm and we will be going to DL this weekend. She and her daughter have two days of their hoppers burning a hole in their pockets, and we got a great deal for Crowne Plaza Resort on Priceline...and well, I guess I'm just making excuses for not posting the rest of my TR, huh? [img]images/icons/blush.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/ukid.gif[/img]
I promise to put it at the top of my list when we get home!!

[tikibird]

You lucky duck! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Have a great time, and you'll owe us two reports when you get back! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[dsnytina]

Priscilla:
Are you back yet?
Thanks for the cool Day 1 post! Sounds like the pixie dust was sprinkled over your whole family!
Hope to see something new soon!
Tina [img]graemlins/usa.gif[/img]

[Cinderella_68]

Day 2:
Mickey called at 6:20AM, and my daughter got the phone. I’d love to say that we bounced out of bed like Tigger, but it was more of an Eeyore kind of crawl. We got ready and hit the monorail early, since the Birnbaum’s Guide states that the monorail begins working ½ hour before the park opens. They LIED! We waited in line for the monorail until precisely 8am, when they began boarding. Monorail Red was shining in the quickly warming sun to greet us! We were shortly inside the park and the excitement was building…what to do first? Since it doesn’t have a FP yet, we hit Matterhorn first. It is becoming a new old favorite. We love schussing (is that a word?) past the abominable snowman again and again, saying “neener, neener, neener, you can’t catch us!” Or, um, well, something to that effect. Ahem.
We decided to head into Critter Country via Big Thunder Trail to get a FP for Splash, but the lure of the Temple of Doom proved too much and we rode that first, since the wait was 10 minutes, using the stroller switch pass. DS is not happy that he can’t ride this, yet, but a shopping trip in the nearby bazaar with daddy helped ease his disappointment. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
The wait turned out to be more like 15 minutes, but knowing that later it would be around 90, we didn’t mind.
After narrowly escaping the Temple of Doom, we were getting a might warm, and figured the best way to combat that would be a splashing good time on Splash Mountain. The wait was a measly 20 minutes, so we got into line. The line moved quickly and soon we were sliding down slippin’ falls and begging “please, don’t throw me in that briar patch!”

Please don't throw me in that briar patch! Oh, okay, go ahead, it's hot!

Of course we had to look at our picture which gets a giggle out of the kids.
Pooh was down when we got off of Splash Mountain, but as we walked past the entrance, it opened up as if by (Mickey) Magic, so we had to ride! This was DH’s first ride on Pooh and he agreed that it was a better addition than nothing to the park, but it’s not as good as the one in WDW. We did have fun, and enjoyed ourselves.
Since we had left the hotel room without eating a bite, in such a hurry to get to the park, we were feeling a bit peaked and ready for some grub.
We wandered around a bit, but most of the restaurants were still closed, being only after 10AM. We were moving against the incoming tide of people heading to Critter Country and getting cranky from low blood sugar!
Finally, we spotted an oasis in the middle of the breakfast desert: The Riverbelle Terrace. The line was out the door, but seemed to be moving quickly, so DH and the kids sat in the shade while I went in for some sustenance. I was on a mission! Mickey shaped pancakes for the crew! (Daddy doesn’t do breakfast, so he was happy with a soda.) The plan was quickly amended to Mickey shaped pancakes for the kids and a humongous cinnamon roll for the mommy after catching an eyeful of one of their ooey gooey buns. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] The wait in line feels tedious as my blood sugar dropped farther, but I know I’m in the same boat as most of the others in line, so we suffer together companionably. I place my order and watch in awe as the CM makes the Mickey pancakes in front of my eyes!

Witness the magic that IS the Mickey Pancake. You can see the ooey gooey bun, too.

In an instant, I’m a little kid again. Now, I am famous for my pancakes in my family, but these were pretty good! The cinnamon roll was yummy, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I couldn’t finish it. The kids were delighted with their Mickey pancakes and asked how come I don’t’ make them like this at home. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] I told them because only these have that special Mickey Magic. Ahem.
Adequately sugared up with pancakes, cinnamon roll and chocolate milk, we head off to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The wait is minimal, so we forego the FP and ride. This is, surprisingly, DS’s new favorite ride, now.
We trek through Fantasyland, via the Trail to Tomorrowland to get a FP for Autopia. On the way, we found a lemon icee stand to help us stay cool. Not the same as a frozen lemonade, but did help us cool down quite a bit! Our FP for Autopia is only 30 minutes away, so we head into Innoventions after we polish off the icees to see if we can talk with Stitch. Alas, Stitch won’t be appearing for an hour, so we entertain ourselves with games and a little friendly family competition.

DH givng DS some strategy pointers.

We head out into the bright, hot day to ride Autopia. It was HOT! Our personal fans got a workout. DS and DH rode together, and DD was in her own car, so for the first time in forever, I got to drive my OWN car! LOL
By this time, we are hot and ready for a nap! We boarded the Monorail via the Express line and head out for the DtD station. A short walk later, we are in our room which is a cool 85 DEGREES?!?!?!? We called the front desk, and they called engineering who called us back and told us they were on the case, that the entire floor was without a/c. YIKES! So, we regroup and decide to switch the plan, swim first, then the nap. We headed to the Neverland Pool for a dip, hoping the a/c would be fixed when we got back to the room.
The water was the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold! We swam and relaxed, and I had a Melon Sour from the bar. The bartender said it was like an amaretto sour, but with melon liqueur instead. Mighty tasty! Always have to try new things, right?
After playing in the sun, we were thoroughly beat, and we headed up to the room, where, thankfully, engineering had worked their magic and the room was a perfect 72 degrees! GO, ENGINEERING!! We showered and climbed into our beds, except for daddy, who rarely naps, and fell asleep. DH explored the hotel and watched TV at the Top Brass while we zonked out. (I don’t’ suppose you’d believe we rarely drink when not on vacation, huh? Well, it’s true!)
Refreshed, we finished our hour nap…what?....four hours?...are you sure?!? O-kaaaay, we finished our four hour nap by getting up and getting ready for some dinner. We were hungry again, can you believe it?
We decided on RFC, and placed our name on the list at 7. We miraculously found seats at the bar and had virgin piña coladas, we call them Hawaiian slushies, all around. They are soooooo good there. (The regular ones aren’t bad, either.)

DD wetting her whistle with a "Hawaiian Slushi"

Time went quickly as we sat and enjoyed the atmosphere and one another. I love the fish tanks, they are so awesome. We were seated upstairs, against the railing overlooking the guy holding the world fountain. Great seats! I had the BBQ wrap, the DS had the mini corndogs, DD had the kids’ pizza, and DH had the Primal Steak. Dinner was delicious and the thunder storms were just as cool as ever! We had a great view of a couple of native gorillas going ape every once and again. It was a very relaxing time. We were too stuffed for dessert! We headed back to the monorail next door and back into Disneyland with the hopes of catching the Believe fireworks or perhaps Fantasmic!

Had to stop for a photo op upon disembarking the monorail.

We ventured back into the park and rode BTMRR again, still undecided as to which show to see. We found ourself at the hub about 15 minutes before Believe, and were shocked to find that there was a lot of space available! So we hung out for the fireworks, and chatted with our new neighbors. Before we knew it, the sky was full of stars and magic, and Tinkerbell was spotted flying over the castle! It was so magical, it brought tears to my eyes.
DH suggested we see if there is any space for Fantasmic since there was so much for Believe. I’m not optimistic, since I’m thinking that the hub was empty because they are all in NOS! We migrate against the human tide into NOS and miraculously find empty space for the 10:30 F! front and center, one level up! We are against the railing in the sitting only area, which is fine by my barking dogs. I forgot how painful sitting for ½ hour can be on cement, but we make the best of it with our neighbors, also in the same predicament. (Note to self, invest in stadium seats for next trip!!) The show starts and a hush falls over the crowd. The CM’s weave the Mickey Magic throughout the warm night air and amaze and delight the crowd seated on the shore. It is always as amazing as the first time! I wave like a goober as Cinderella and her friends pass by on the Mark Twain in the finale, and I start to breathe again as Mickey exclaims, “some imagination, huh?”
Wow! Wow, wow and WOW!
Exhausted and thoroughly entertained, we trudge back to the hotel through DtD, stopping on the way for some candy at Marceline’s Confectionary. We got to our still cool room and get ready for bed.
Another magical day full of memories, and we drifted to sleep with visions of glowing pixie dust.

[ 09-01-2003, 05:28 PM: Message edited by: Cinderella_68 ]