Calypso*a*go-go Is Now Home-Home (Insert Sad Face Here!)

[calypso*a*go-go]

Mini trip report on the next page...

Well troops now that we've all made it thru the rapid-fire action of wildeoscar invading Universal and looking for a needle in a haystack, (or in this case, a Pete in a DIS Unplugged shirt!) I can get to the business at hand -- packing for my trip to Disneyland tomorrow!!! It's been four years since our last visit and I'm getting really excited.

A bit bummed that I'll be missing Pete by just a few days but what the heck, the cruise is already gone so the most I might have gotten out of stalking him would have been a partially-used 2 oz. bottle of H2O Spa product, and a fleeting glimpse at a fading scar...

DS is bringing his iPod Touch so I'm hoping we'll be able to find some wi-fi hot spots so I can check in from time to time. Anaheim weather is not as warm as I would have liked as it's been in the 30's & 40's here in the Portland area and I was hoping for high 70's (I need Vitamin D!). At least the forecast is only showing the possibility of rain one day during our stay.

So for the other Spring Breakers out there -- have a great week!!!

(Oh yeah: Non-Spring Breakers are allowed and encouraged to have a great week too!)

[msteddom]

Yay! I love it when people make the journey out to my neck of the woods! Most of our local schools had Spring Break either the week before or the week after Easter, so crowds should be managable for you. Have a wonderful time!

Melissa

[cocowum]

Have a great trip Lisa! I'll be thinking of you in cold and snowy NY. :cold: :sad:

[DebbieT11]

have a fabulous trip kiddo.... according to weather.com, you've got some lovely weather for your trip, high 60's and low 70's, with some sun for your vitamin deficiency every day.

Have a ball, safe trip, and wave at Mickey for me!!

[XxDisneyFan00xX]

Have a very magical trip to Disneyland!! I hope that you and your family have loads of fun!!

Melanie.

[Disneybridein2k3]

Enjoy your trip - I can barely contain my jealousy! Don't forget a trip report when you get back and food porn - MUST.HAVE.FOOD.PORN.

[MenashaCorp]

Have fun-a-go-go, Lisa!! I haven't been to DL since childhood (about 30 years), so PLEASE take pictures and check in.... The Adventures of Oscar and your comments make me want to get an iPhone, even though in my area the network coverage stinks for anything other than Verizon....

At least by the cruise I'll have to sort it out...

Go Go Have fun on The Matterhorn!!!! :thumbsup2

[Madi100]

Have a great trip! One of these years I'm going to get out to Disneyland. DH wants to go to San Fransisco, so I'm thinking we'll do that someday soon. Hope the weather is good for you!

[ADP]

Have a great time Lisa. Can't wait to hear all about your adventures when you return.

[UrsulasShadow]

Safe travels, Lisa and Mitch! Have fun for me, too!

[Annette_VA]

Have a great trip!!

[NC Belle]

:wave2: Have a great trip!

[BRobson]

Have a fantastic trip :goodvibes

[beachwarmer]

Have a wonderful trip.

[lttlmc3]

Have a great trip, you lucky thing you!

[calypso*a*go-go]

Thanks everybody!!!

I was just checking in before bedtime after a long day of housecleaning, laundry, and packing. At least we don't have an early morning flight...so no rushing around at the crack of dawn like our usual trips to WDW. :thumbsup2

Hopefully I'll be able to download the Tues/Wed podcasts from iTunes so I don't miss any of the fun!

[firsttimemom]

Have a great trip! We're going in Nov and are in the midst of the 'where are we going to stay' planning process. One day it's the GC, the next day it's the HOJO. Today it's DLH. Tomorrow- who knows!

Wishing you great weather and short lines :-)

[thunderbird1]

Bye, neighbor--have fun! It may not be in the 70's down there, but at least there's not much of a chance of HAIL! Nothing says spring break like a little hailstorm (or 5), right? Looking forward to hearing all about it when you return--especially the Nemo submarines.

[calypso*a*go-go]

Yep TB1 -- The hail has got to go!!! An hour and a half before we head to the airport -- it would be a heck of a know it if our flight got delayed because of some freak storm. Has this been the weirdest weather week ever, or what?

We're actually giving the Candy Cane Inn a try this time around. We've never stayed there and have friends that always raved about it and would stay nowhere else. Hopefully we'll be just as happy.

DD & DS are the official photographers...so who knows what we'll end up with. Don't be surprised if my trip report includes photos of various bathrooms and any other oddities that catch their eye. :lmao:

[maiziezoe]

Have a great trip!!

[DisnyMama]

Have a Magical and Safe Trip!:smickey:

[mommyceratops]

Whats the Candy Cane Inn?

Have a very safe trip!! :yay:

[disneycruise05]

Have a great trip Calypso! I haven't been to Disneyland in 19 years, and am making a trip in May with my mom after the repo cruise. Let us know how it goes! We'll be expecting a trip report!

[calypso*a*go-go]

Phooey --Just hit the first speed bump!!! Flight from Portland was delayed because the scheduled aircraft got diverted to a different city due to maintenance issues (yep -- Southwest!). We now arrive in Orange County three hours later. Oh well, parks are opened fairly late tonight...not going to let it get me frustrated. :goodvibes

Kim: The Candy Cane Inn is a hotel within walking distance of the parks but they also have their own shuttle too. It gets consistantly good reviews and is actually rated #1 on Trip Advisor. I think it's independently owned and operated.

So now we're just going to officially start our vacation off with some good 'ol greasy fast food -- kids are thrilled!

I'll try to check in later once we've made it to DLR.

[msteddom]

I drove by the Candy Cane Inn the other day and thought of you. I hope your trip has been wonderful!

Melissa

[calypso*a*go-go]

Thanks Melissa -- It's been great so far. We've pretty much been flittering between the two parks as needed to catch all the attractions. I've been very pleased with the crowds -- much lighter than I expected. We haven't had to use FP at all and have been able to ride the main attractions multiple times. The only really long line has been Nemo and we've been too impatient to wait. Today is our last full day, so we're going to bite the bullet and do it.

I absolutely love the current fireworks display. For those of you that haven't seen it, the show is based on the rides at Disneyland and is narrated by Julie Andrews. Tink is a major part of the show and glides thru the air at multiple times. We've watched it twice now and will probably catch it again tonight.

Weather has been manageable but we've definitely needed a jacket or sweatshirt each day along with pants in the evening. Luckily the Candy Cane Inn is close enough that we can pop back to the room in about 15 minutes if needed. The property is older, but maintained really well. Grounds are beautiful. Our room is on the second floor right across from the pool. Nice, convenient location. It could do with some new carpet (just getting old and worn looking), but other than that -- just fine. Kids love the ample supply of candy canes in the main lobby and seem to always have some in their pockets!

I'll check in again after we've made it back home tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

[carelo]

I love Disneyland!! I'm an AP holder so I go several times a year. I haven't stayed at the Candy Cane you'll have to give us a review.

[calypso*a*go-go]

Well, we made it home safely late last night. We got out of Disneyland just in time as the crowds really picked up by Friday afternoon and Saturday was just horrible. We only went on two rides and then went back to our hotel to wait for the shuttle back to the airport.

We really enjoyed our visit to DLR, but feel it will be a few years before we return again. I'm not trying to be negative, but this trip reinforced my feelings that WDW is a total vacation destination, whereas DLR is more of a weekend getaway (but with pricing that equals our costs to visit WDW for a week or more).

The Candy Cane Inn was fine. They offered a continental breakfast daily that consisted of cold cereal, oatmeal, muffins, pastries, bagels, toast, apples/oranges/bananas, coffee, and juice. It's served from 7-9am and the line gets much longer around closing time. I used the tray under the ice bucket to go and gather enough breakfast for the family as they usually woke up after I did (and they never tipped me or anything! LOL). The pool is pretty small but never had that many people in it (probably because the weather was chilly most of our stay). The rooms themselves are adequate but could do with some new carpeting. The one thing that was really weird was the lack of washcloths...for whatever reason, they would never leave any new ones and I'd have to keep asking for them.

The location is very convenient as it was only about a ten minute walk to the parks or you could use their shuttle which left on the 1/2 hour and returned on the 1/4 hour. There is a mini-market next door and a 7-11 on the other side of it...so it was easy to pick up drinks or snacks. They also had a few things they sold in the lobby. Across the street is a little strip mall that had Chinese, Mexican, pizza, ice cream, and a Subway. So there are lots of other options besides just eating in the parks.

We finally made it on the Finding Nemo Submarine ride and it was really cute. They have combined the same ride at WDW with the use of the submarines. This was one of the longest lines we had to wait in but it moved fairly quick.

Our family agreed that Pirates of the Caribbean (more theming), Space Mountain (much darker and a very smooth ride), and Buzz Lightyear (the "guns" are not secured to the ride, so you can actually hold them in your hands to aim them) are better @ DLR. We felt Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were pretty much the same at both locations. Splash Mountain is better @ WDW. But, of course, Indiana Jones and California Screamin' are only available @ DLR/DCA and are both awesome!

Overall wonderful time, but we left looking forward to visiting WDW in August.

Let me know if you have any questions!

[thunderbird1]

Welcome home! I was going to ask about CCI, but you answered all my questions. We have a friend who won't stay anywhere else, but she's a little thrifty, so I always wondered whether it was because it was such a fantastic hotel or because of the $$. I think I have my answer. And thanks for the description of the submarines. They were the main reason I've been itching to do DLR again, but if it's essentially the same as the Epcot attraction (except in the submarines instead of the clam-mobiles), there's no rush to get back. We'll get back there eventually but, like you, find it hard to justify when a longer WDW is cheaper, even with the cross country flight.

Good luck tomorrow morning! You timed your return just right, as the best cure for post-Disney depression is being able to plan another trip!

[UrsulasShadow]

Thanks for the li'l trippie, and glad you had a decent vacation. I have to get out there someday, but will probably not make a trip just for DLR...I'll make it part of a larger trip.

[beachwarmer]

Welcome back!! Thanks for the report. Glad you had a good time.

We were thinking of doing Disneyland instead of WDW next year for our winter break. Great information....I might just wait until the DVC opens. I also want to do San Diego etc...so should really plan for a longer trip.

[calypso*a*go-go]

I really think a week or more combined with San Diego is the way to go. I wish we would have rented a car for this trip as I felt a bit "trapped". Oh well, live and learn!

[daneenm]

Well, we made it home safely late last night. We got out of Disneyland just in time as the crowds really picked up by Friday afternoon and Saturday was just horrible.

Hope it slows down next week. My sister and her family just drove down today for several days at DLR.

We really enjoyed our visit to DLR, but feel it will be a few years before we return again. I'm not trying to be negative, but this trip reinforced my feelings that WDW is a total vacation destination, whereas DLR is more of a weekend getaway (but with pricing that equals our costs to visit WDW for a week or more).

Wow, really? Is it because of the flight? I am really curious because, being from the left coast, our trip to WDW was WAY more than I ever pay at DLR. I know it is largely because we made the decision to stay deluxe, stayed longer than we do at DLR, etc. But we stay at GCH at DLR usually and I thought WDW was more pricey. Maybe it was the time of year we went, etc.

The Candy Cane Inn was fine. ...The rooms themselves are adequate but could do with some new carpeting.

Nice to hear an updated review. We stayed there about 15 years ago and really liked it, but it was much newer then.

We finally made it on the Finding Nemo Submarine ride and it was really cute. They have combined the same ride at WDW with the use of the submarines. This was one of the longest lines we had to wait in but it moved fairly quick.

Mind if I ask about how long you waited? I am hoping to get to DLR before the end of the summer and we would like to try to get on, but not if it is going to take our whole day just to wait in line.


Overall wonderful time, but we left looking forward to visiting WDW in August.


Glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the update!
Daneen

[mommyceratops]

Just wanted to say I loved reading!!

Sorry you are home. :flower3:

[carelo]

Wow, I must say I'm surprised to hear that it was as expensive as your WDW vacations. I'm from more in the middle of the country(ok so more west than middle) and even without airfare it's much less expensive for a DLR trip than a WDW one for me.

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Thanks for the trip report. A friend of mine told me the prices were insane she was just there last month. Sounds like I wont be giving up my WDW vacation to go to DL. I also did not realize that you could not purchase alcohol in Disneyland. I recommened the Blue Bayou place to her from reading on the boards and she said she couldnt get wine with dinner. Sounds like a fun time was had though!!!

Just wanted to add congrats on the weight loss!!!

[calypso*a*go-go]

Wow, I must say I'm surprised to hear that it was as expensive as your WDW vacations. I'm from more in the middle of the country(ok so more west than middle) and even without airfare it's much less expensive for a DLR trip than a WDW one for me.


Our biggest problem was traveling during spring break -- no discounts! When comparing all components of the vacation: airfare, hotel, tickets, shuttle service, etc we could have gone to WDW for 7 nts vs. 5 nts @ DLR. Plus, with our flight delays it took over 6 hrs to get from Portland, OR to Orange Co...we kept joking about how we should have just gone to Orlando.

I'm sure it would have been a completely different scenario if we'd traveled at a different time.

[calypso*a*go-go]

Just wanted to add congrats on the weight loss!!!

Thank you! :goodvibes