Our nine day trip to the Left Coast, with five of them at DL, a first for WDW Vets

[RweTHEREyet]

I first posted this trip report elsewhere, so if you read other Disney discussion boards, you may have come across this already. Since not all DL fans visit that other site, I thought I would also post this here. I have made a few changes and am adding lots more pics, but a lot of it will be the same. However, if you are like me, you could read half way through and then figure out you have read it before. :)

To bring you up to speed as to who the players are:

Me~~Disney World visitor since 1972 who has always dreamed of visiting the original Park and home to the Mouse that started it all.

DH~~became a Disney lover when I took him on his first trip not along after we married in 1980.

DS and DIL~~married here at home in April of this year and then they hopped in a car and drove cross country to their new home, Orange County, CA, about 30 minutes from Disneyland. They are the reason, well, excuse, for this trip.

Disclaimer~~We went to Orange County, Ca, in January for 4 days, but it was during the deluge, and then I got really sick, so we don't even count that trip. Most things were closed the day we spent in DL and we didn't get a true feeling for DL, CA or the VGC. This trip would be a lot different.

So, in true Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Jiminy Cricket fashion (three of my favorite characters), let's 'Wish upon a star" and take that 'second star to the right, and straight on till morning...'



We left Raleigh the afternoon of Friday, May 21 on Southwest. The trip would be 5 days at Disneyland and two weekends with our newly married son and his new bride. The flight out was delayed as we waited on some connecting LAX passengers to board as this was their last chance for a flight out that night. This then caused us to have a grand total of about 15 minutes total in our connecting airport, Phoenix. We ran thru the airport to arrive at our gate just in time board our next flight, no potty breaks, and nothing to eat or drink. We lucked out and had a window and aisle seat on both flights with no one in the middle :highfive: It still made for a long, long day from the East Coast to the West, especially after working half the day. I have to say that during these long flights from the East Coast, it is the first time that this Pooh sized person has wished for additional padding on my seat to make the flights more comfortable :rotfl:

View out the window as we approached Phoenix:

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We arrived at LAX, collected our bags (what a surprise that they made it considering we were only on the ground in Phoenix for a total of 15-20 minutes, thank you Southwest) and then headed out to catch the DL Express--the instructions said to head out to the median and stand under the green sign. Man was it chilly, the sun had gone down and it was breezy, more like Fall back home in North Carolina. Our son was driving home from San Diego that day and would not be able to make it to LAX in time to pick us up, so we decided to catch the DL Express to the DL hotel and they would pick us up there. And, truth be told, I believe he is a bit intimidated with the LAX airport and didn't really wish to have to negotiate it to pick us up.

We kept an eye out for the DL Express, had the $5.00 off pp coupon that would give us a great one-way rate. While waiting, I spotted the Super Shuttle and walked over and asked what their fare was, and it was actually $1.00 less than the discounted DL Express one-way fare would have been. So, we chose to go with Super Shuttle since it was getting ready to leave. Only 5 of us total on the ride and the driver said the DL Hotel would be the first stop, sounded good to us. What we didn't know is that there would be several stops at the various terminals of this huge LAX airport before we headed out, but that would have been the case with the DL Express, too. We actually followed the DL Express for a few stops, so it appears we had just missed it at our stop, and while I was sorry we were not on the very attractive blue DL Express, I think we made the right decision on transportation for this particular trip.

Uneventful drive, considering California traffic and all, which is not for the timid and faint of heart. :crazy: We arrived at the DL hotel and paid our driver, which seemed to take some time, could be I was just ready to get on with it and make our connection with the kids who were picking us up at the hotel. We went into the DL Hotel and sort of expected to find them waiting for us, but they were no where to be found, so we called and found out they were walking thru DTD and almost to the hotel.

DL Hotel lobby shots:

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Hugs all around and then we figured out we were really hungry as our last meal was around noon our time and it was now about 2:00 a.m. our time. We thought it would be better to get something here rather than making another stop once we got on the road. See, we aren't quite ready to check in to our hotel as we will be spending the weekend with "the kids." We checked with Bell Services was very happy to hang on to our bags for us, even though we were not staying there, which I thought was a nice touch of magic for us. :goodvibes DS said that DTD was pretty busy, so we decided that Crocs Bits n Bites would be about the fastest option, so chicken strips for us it was, and then we were off to Rancho Santa Margarita to see our Grandpuppy and to get some much needed sleep.

Day 2 of Trip (Saturday)

I won't bore you with the details, but the next day (Saturday) was spent at Ikea, having our first In 'n Out Burger and catching up with the the kids. In 'n Out was as good a burger as every one says, but fries were not crispy, probably because we got everything to go, but crispy is a big thing with me. Will definitely go for In 'n Out again. Dinner for 4, not including drinks, was less than $15.50.

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Tomorrow: buying annual passes, DL, Sweet Sundays and California Adventure.

[RweTHEREyet]

Day 3 of Trip, Day 1 at DL (Sunday)


Sunday morning found us packing up (you will find this to be a recurring theme) and heading to DL. I had purchased four tickets for us to attend the last Sweet Sundays event at Food and Wine. The session was being put on by two ladies that own a bakery in San Diego called Sweet Cheeks, that specializes in using healthy ingredients in their baked goods, and it sounded like something I would enjoy learning more about.

All 5 of us started out early, yep 5 of us, because the grandpuppy was going to the DL kennel for the day so that we could all stay at the Parks as long as we wanted without worrying about her being home alone for so long. We left Rancho Santa Margarita early because we had lots to do before getting to the Sweet Sundays session at 10:30, and we weren't too sure just how long the drive would take. Remember, son hasn't lived out here that long and isn't totally sure about the traffic here yet. Being a Saturday, traffic ended up not being too bad and we made it in about 20-25 minutes.

Our first stop was the Grand Californian so that DH and I could get checked in to the Villas. We stopped at the Front Desk, got our keys, room was not ready, as we had expected, and then we headed on to the kennel to get Gizzie checked into her villa for the day. We had been told we could bring Gizzie into the lobby of the Grand Californian as long as we were just passing thru, so we did just that and then on thru DTD, and stopped at the entrance of DL for a quick photo.

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Then we went on to the kennel and got her all checked in.

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Then we proceeded to the ticket booths, where we had no wait to get to an available window. We had two Get a Day vouchers to trade in and also knew we would get the $20 DVC discount on two of the passes. At the first window, we were able to get the GAD vouchers traded in for a one-day ticket, and then for "privacy purposes" we had to move to the next window to get our AP vouchers. I didn't really understand the privacy bit, but we did what we were told and stepped over to the next window. At the second window we traded in the two one-day tickets for two Premium Annual Pass vouchers and purchased two additional PAP voucher's for my son and new DIL. We were given the $20 DVC discount on all four tickets and were not asked about addresses. Mind you, I never asked for the DVC discount on all four, she just rang it up and put it on all four and told me how much I owed. I am not even sure she asked to see our DVC membership cards. I have to say I have wondered on more than one occasion why the DVC discount is not the same $100 for an AP at DL that it is in WDW. After all, the cost of a DL AP is about the same as at WDW, and with only two Parks, you would think discount would be just as good, if not better. Doesn't seem right.

Once we got the AP paper tickets, we had to take them into DL to the AP processing center at the end of Main Street for pictures and final processing. Even though we were fairly early, we waited in line about a 20 minute line before we could have our pictures taken and receive our new PAP's, which are a plastic credit card style, unlike the paper ones at WDW. However, we have also learned that if you lose your DL AP, you will pay $20 to have a new one re-issued, instead of free like at WDW. The difference must be having a plastic card with your picture on it rather than the paper ticket that WDW gives you.

For those of you more familiar with WDW, rather than insert your ticket into the slot and scanning your finger to go thru the entrance turnstiles, at DL they simply scan your ticket with a hand-held scanner. And every time they scan your ticket, it makes a sound like Tinkerbell's pixie dust :tinker:, which is so cool. They do have the slots to put your tickets in like WDW does, they just don't use them. You would think that WDW and DL would use the same technology for ticket processing, but they don't.

Once we were done at the AP processing center, we took a quick ride on Indiana Jones, which is just around the corner from the AP processing center, took a few pictures along the way and then made our way over to California Adventure for our Sweet Sundays session.

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My crew stopping to take in all the sites new to them. This is in the esplanade between DL and California Adventure. How to cool to "walk" from one Disney park to another--sure can't experience that at WDW without the help of a bus or monorail. Well, I guess you could walk from DHS to EPCOT, but it isn't something I would choose to do.

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Had my only "un-Disney like" experience with a CM at the turnstiles. I told her we were there for Sweet Sundays and needed to find our way to Stage 19, I think. She just looked at me and I told her I didn't know where it was. Her response, and the only other words she uttered, "I don't either." :confused3 No suggestion as to who to ask or a point in the best direction to get an answer, just "I don't either." Kind of made me want to ask her if she got her training at Universal Studios.

Once we passed thru the turnstiles and found a more helpful CM, we made our way back to the area where Monsters is and found where the event was being held. They had us sign a model release because they would be filming some promotional footage. And then the first snafu of the trip happened, they could not find us on the list and told us just to get in line and they would seat us. Everyone else was given a table assignment. We got to the front of the line, and the CM wanted to see our confirmation, which I was so glad I had with me, then they turned us over to a Manager type. He took my confirmation and disappeared for what seemed forever.

In the meantime, everyone else had been seated and was helping themselves to the "light" breakfast that was included. We could only stand there and watch everyone filling their plates. The light breakfast included quiche, sausage, bacon, fruit, sweet rolls, coffee, tea, juice, and they served the two Disney sparkling wines, Magicale and the other one, can't remember the name. They continually poured the sparkling wines whenever your glass was empty. Seems there was more food on the buffet, but I can only recall what was on my plate.

Anyway, we waited and waited for the Mgr. to return, and he finally came back and said that yes, we were in the system and could not understand why we were not on the roster. He seemed surprised that my confirmation was valid, which kind of annoyed me. They tried to split up the four of us between two tables and eventually put us all at one table because I think there were some no-shows. We got an apology for the delay, but that was it. I didn't expect anything more, but we really did feel uncomfortable standing off to the side while everyone else was enjoying the event. We also got a few looks from the Guests that were already seated and eating, almost made us feel like we were trying to crash the party.

Shot of the table and our favorite dessert of the three presented, Presidential Pecan Diamonds, a recipe from the White House:

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The seminar/demonstration started and we enjoyed the two ladies from Sweet Cheeks Bakery. They prepared three different items, and we were able to sample all three when they were completed. Surprisingly, none of them were really made what I considered healthier ingredients, just the same kind of stuff that I have in my kitchen. The two bakers were very entertaining and we enjoyed their demonstration, their humor and their recipes. The light breakfast was very good, and the setting for the show was delightful, sorry I didn't get many pictures, but with being held to the side, we were rushed to eat and then the demo started right away.

Food and Wine at DL is so very different than at WDW. The main focus, seems to be wine, and California law prohibits them from setting up the food tents like we are used to at WDW. Each counter service location has one special/additional food item, and then they offer about 7-8 food items in the area where we had our Sweet Sundays seminar. But, if you didn't know about the food items back in Stage 19, you might not make the trip back to that area to sample. We never went back to try anything during our wekk-long stay. They also have wine walks, where you can sample various wines in an enclosed area after paying a fee, showing ID and obtaining a wristband. There is no strolling along, eating, drinking, seeing the sights, eating some more and so forth that we enjoy so much at WDW. On the positive side, there were no lines to stand in to get any of the food.

After having done the Sweet Sundays this time, at $70 per person, I can say that I would not pay to do it again. I also would not make a special trip to DL for their Food and Wine festival, as this is one thing that WDW definitely does far superior to DL. If Food and Wine coincided with the time I had a trip planned, that would be an added bonus, but it is nothing to get excited about, imho. Maybe if I had never experienced the one at WDW, I might feel differently, but I have several times and therefore was not impressed with the one at DL. Not sure what they could do differently, but they need to beef it up some. At WDW, you definitely know that Food and Wine is going on, at DL, except for the signs all over the place and the "wine walks" and one large tent for demonstrations at the front of the park, you would never know it was happening. The one Food and Wine merchandise area that I saw is where we attended Sweet Sundays, and it was very small. I may have missed others, but I am usually good at finding any shopping opportunities.

I am not trying to insult the Food and Wine at DL, just to give my comparison since I have attended the event on both coasts now. The one thing I would be interested in doing next year, when we are there in May would be the cooking session at Napa Rose. I do think that would be a lot of fun, but you really have to have some deep pockets to attend that event.

If you are reading, leave me some love so I will know if I need to keep going or if you guys are falling asleep at the computer. :)

Next up: More of CA and a Room with a View

[RweTHEREyet]

DL, Day 1 continued

Once Sweet Sundays was over we did Monsters, Inc., dark ride, done very well, one of the cutest dark rides at the DL resort, in my opinion~~

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And Animation, which is so different from from WDW's Animation. DL has WDW beat on this one. I loved the lobby area and the films that are highlighted on the 360 deg screens. Sorcerers' Workshop is really cool with a lot of fabulous special effects and fun interactive things to do.

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one of my fav's:

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the exit wall:

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And then we went on to see Aladdin at the Hyperion.

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I was lucky enough to have someone share preferred seating tickets for Aladdin with me, and we got some of the best seats in the house. I really did not know what a treat we were in for. This show is fabulous. My first favorite has always been Hunchback at WDW (now closed), and I put Aladdin right up there with it. The Genie improv was so fun and the surprise effects were just amazing. I would encourage everyone to see this show, and I would definitely get in line early, early, early. Right now it is only showing on on Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun.

:genie:

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We strolled around the rest of California Adventure , Screamin wasn't runnning at that time (not like I would have ridden anyway :holymoly:) . We then decided to go find out where the room was located--we had received a text message with the room no. earlier that afternoon. The kids went to check on Gizzie and give her a walk. The caretakers there can do nothing but stay with them. They can't walk them, feed them or anything, so you have to go do it yourself--not a bad thing--just the way it is.

DH and I decided to go get settled in the room. The entrance to the Villas at the Grand Californian is not overly impressive. You walk thru the doors, elevators are to the right, and there is a sideboard, pictures, etc. on the left. Very similar to the entryway from the Contemporary to BLT, nice enough but nothing special.

Up the elevator we go to our one-bedroom, #4502, which is just off the elevator, very convenient. We open the door and here is our view~~

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The room was beautiful, nothing wrong, nothing needed repair, and the view was spectacular. I was in love. Too bad we don't have villas just like this at WDW. I have stayed in all, but Vero Beach, and I think that VGC is the nicest of all. It follows along the lines of BLT in that you have the huge picture window in the living area and the balcony is off the bedrooms. We never heard our neighbors at all during our two night stay. We did hear noise from the Paradise Pier area, especially when they were testing World of Color, but no footsteps overhead or noise from either side. There is nothing I would do to improve on VGC, with the exception of having a full-sized washer and dryer like we have at OKW. I love the fabrics on the furniture and the mission-style furnishings and wood trim. I just love everything about it.

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The World of Color observation deck was over to our right, and I believe the view would be better from this room. Truth be told, I think that you will have to see World of Color from the viewing area in California Adventure to get the total picture :yes:, then when you see it from your villa, at least this villa, you will have a better idea of what is going on.

Down below we could see the barbeque area, and there are what appears to be two really nice stainless steel barbeque grills. Not sure if they are gas or not. Pool area at VGC is lovely, but we didn't spend any time using the pool. The gift shop is a bit lacking, small but adequate. We had a small grocery stop before getting to the hotel, so there wasn't much we needed. Never saw or used the laundry facilities. As others have mentioned, I don't think the Grand is used to DVC people yet. There seem to be a few differences, such as no Equal, sugar or Sweet 'n Low packets in the villas, if you do use the laundry room there is a charge and you have to get tokens from the Front Desk to make it free for DVC owners. If you run out of something, dish detergent, etc., I have read of additional charges,etc. I would think things for DVC would be the same on both Coasts just to be consistent and for people to know just what to expect.

The walk thru the lobby and right into Downtown Disney is just the best thing, as well as the entrance right into California Adventure from the hotel. To be within walking distance of both parks and Downtown Disney makes staying at the Villas special in a way that no WDW DVC has to offer. VGC is the only DVC that is actually physically located inside a park, and you just gotta love that. :goodvibes Sorry WDW, but I have to call it as I see it.

Once we called Bell Services, our bags were delivered so quickly, and then the kids joined us and we chilled for a while while deciding what to do for dinner. I had the birthday coupon from Patina Group that has 3 restaurants at DTD, and I let the kids decide which one, and they went with Tortilla Jo's. I was leaning towards Naples, but we went with their choice. I called from the room and was able to get an ADR for around 6:15 with no problem at all. We walked over, had our meal, and two of the four of us enjoyed it. Nothing wrong with the meal, it just wasn't anything special or extraordinary. Should have gone with Naples.

After dinner the kids decided to pick up Gizzie and head for home. They both had to work the next day and had a little bit of a drive home. We would see them again on Friday when they came to pick us up. (Famous last words)

I knew that night was the only option for DH and I to see DL's Remember fireworks. So, we walked back to the kennel with the kids and said our goodbye's for the week and then DH and I went into DL. We strolled around and checked out the park for a while and then staked out a spot in front of the castle to wait for the show. Speaking of the castle, I am shocked each and every time I look at the castle as to how small it is--major, major surprise and shock, even though I have seen it once before. Looks like the guest house to WDW's castle--actually 125 feet difference in height. Size aside, the castle is beautiful and when the sun shines on it, it is just lovely. With the lights on it at night, the colors are beautiful.

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Backtracking just a little, after we went and retrieved Gizzie, the kids headed on home. DH and I went on into DL to wait for the fireworks. After we had been waiting a good 45 minutes, the phone rings and my son says that the kennel has messed up and returned the wrong papers to them when they picked up Gizzie, and they wanted them to return them, even though they explained they were almost home. When you check a pet into the kennel, you have to provide proof of their imunizations, etc. When you check out, they return the papers to you. Since they were folded in half, the kids never noticed that the papers weren't theirs. The kennel made all sorts of promises of passes, etc. if they could see their way to come back. I wouldn't have gone back, possibly would have faxed or e-mailed them back, but would not have driven back to the kennel. Well, they decided to be nicer than I am and return the papers, even though they were almost home. When they got back to the kennel, the lady offered two "head of the line" passes and a one day stay at the kennel, not exactly what DS had in mind, but he didn't say anything since he thought he would make the woman cry. At this point, the kennel has cost them about 1.5 hours in driving time, some gas, and when they did get home, after 10:00, there were no parking spots close to the apartment to be had and they had to park quite some distance away.

I am not one to push for compensation from Disney for a minor issue, but I thought this was a real inconvenience and that the kennel was asking a lot for their mistake. Not sure what else they could have done for the kids, maybe a meal or something, but in this case, I don't think the kennel showed their appreciation for the kids helping them out of their mess. It appears that the owner of the papers could not have boarded their pet the next day without the papers, even though Disney was at fault, and this was consided a big screw up on Disney's behalf.

Back to the fireworks~~we sat on the concrete waiting and waiting for the show. This is something I never do at WDW as we have seen Wishes or whatever is being offered, many, many times and don't feel we have to have the best view to enjoy the show. First time for this show and I wanted no obstructions and didn't want to be in one of the holding pens on Main Street I had heard about, so we staked out a spot right in front of the castle and paid the price for wanting such a good spot.

More waiting and waiting, and then came the announcement that due to winds, it was possible that the fireworks could be cancelled. Unlike WDW, DL has to worry about the wind blowing debris into surrounding neighborhoods and onto the interstate. At WDW, we normally only have to worry about heavy rains. Each Coast has different issues to deal with. Fifteen minutes later, the same announcement, which is met with loud groans from all that were waiting. Ten minutes later, we here the familiar, "ladies and gentlemen, in a few minutes, the lights will be dimming", and then you here the cheers and I grinned from ear to ear as I was going to get to see the show after all.

Everything that everyone had said about Remember was true. It is the best fireworks show I have seen, and I simply love Wishes, but sorry folks, this one is better, and I was so thrilled I got to see it at least once, because Magical was starting the next weekend. Tinkerbell flies all over the place, not just one time from the castle to Main Street like at WDW, and it is spectacular. It was worth the long wait, worth sitting on the concrete and I was glad we had such good positioning.

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It was a long, long day, and we slowly headed back to our villa, no waiting for busses to deal with, no transportation involved, except our own two feet, and it was great to be right there.

We stopped in at World of Disney to pick up a set of the special edition Mickey ears in the hatbox. We had stopped in earlier after dinner and on the way to get Gizzie, but didn't want to take the time to make the purchase then. Long story short, asked about shipping home and the lady didn't how much it was. She went to ask and came back and just proceeded to ring it up without saying how much. When she gave me the ticket to sign, I saw they wanted $25.00 to send that small box home. I said no thank you, then she couldn't reverse it out of the register. Took quite a while to get it sorted out, and for the inconvenience they gave me 35% off my purchase.

One thing we noticed is that DL is quick to offer discounts on food, purchases, etc. When parking they asked if we had eaten at a restaurant, etc. At WDW, you have to work hard to get the discounts that are due you. DL was refreshing in this respect. :goodvibes

Finally, off to the villa for us, what a spectacular day it had been, even with the couple of hiccups that we experienced, and a marvelous start to our stay DL adventure. I am really liking the convenience of having everything right there together and so convenient, Parks, hotel, dining, shopping. :cloud9:

Next: Walking in Walt's Footsteps

[RweTHEREyet]

First some fireworks pics~~

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[kikiq]

Trying to reply here, but my computer keeps deleting my post.:confused3

I love your report...that's in case the reply really did go through, let me say again. I like to read WDW vets reaction to DLR. I'm a DL vet who just happens to live near your son off the toll road in Foothill Ranch.

Glad you enjoyed Remember. It is my favorite too but Wishes from the Poly beach is right there in second place.

I would give DLR F/W some time to develop. It's still young and I think they have to work out the food part some how with California's food laws. The Napa Rose cooking school is very popular and usually sells out the first day, I know, some folks have the bucks or save the backs.

We loved VGC so much that even though we live only 25 minutes away, we bought points there to have a "staycation" with relatives. Didn't want to trust the 7 month reservation at certain times of the year.

Can't wait for the rest of your trip report. I've been busy with family and school ending, we missed a couple of our weekly trips to DL for the Big Band concert so I'll get my dose from you.

[Sherry E]

Just wanted to pop in for a quick second to say that I'm here, following along, and I've read the whole thing! I'm waiting for more!!:cool1::cool1:

[GoofySon'sMom]

As a WDW Veteran about to make the trip to DLR for the first time, I am loving your report!

[RweTHEREyet]

Trying to reply here, but my computer keeps deleting my post.:confused3

I love your report...that's in case the reply really did go through, let me say again. I like to read WDW vets reaction to DLR. I'm a DL vet who just happens to live near your son off the toll road in Foothill Ranch.

Glad you enjoyed Remember. It is my favorite too but Wishes from the Poly beach is right there in second place.

I would give DLR F/W some time to develop. It's still young and I think they have to work out the food part some how with California's food laws. The Napa Rose cooking school is very popular and usually sells out the first day, I know, some folks have the bucks or save the backs.

We loved VGC so much that even though we live only 25 minutes away, we bought points there to have a "staycation" with relatives. Didn't want to trust the 7 month reservation at certain times of the year.

Can't wait for the rest of your trip report. I've been busy with family and school ending, we missed a couple of our weekly trips to DL for the Big Band concert so I'll get my dose from you.

I know where Foothill Ranch is, actually been there. The job that took my son to the West Coast is with Oakley, and you probably know that their corporate offices are located at Foothill Ranch. Gotta love that tank they have in the front yard of the building.

You are going to be very happy that you have the 11-month window at VGC. I have already had two wait-lists this year that never came thru, and I have one for this coming October that I don't expect to work out either. :sad2: We also figured that holidays and special event times of the year would become increasingly difficult to get.

Thanks for following along with my report.

[RweTHEREyet]

Just wanted to pop in for a quick second to say that I'm here, following along, and I've read the whole thing! I'm waiting for more!!:cool1::cool1:

Glad to see you here. :goodvibes

As a WDW Veteran about to make the trip to DLR for the first time, I am loving your report!

Oh cool, as WDW vets, I was very overwhelmed in planning this trip. I can do WDW in my sleep, but DL was a totally new animal. Have fun with your planning.

[kikiq]

I know where Foothill Ranch is, actually been there. The job that took my son to the West Coast is with Oakley, and you probably know that their corporate offices are located at Foothill Ranch. Gotta love that tank they have in the front yard of the building.

You are going to be very happy that you have the 11-month window at VGC. I have already had two wait-lists this year that never came thru, and I have one for this coming October that I don't expect to work out either. :sad2: We also figured that holidays and special event times of the year would become increasingly difficult to get.

Thanks for following along with my report.

Oakley, nice place to work. The local school used to have fund raisers there when they first moved to Foothill Ranch. It's a remarkable corporate building, not to mention the pirate flag.

Yes, going to love that 11 month window shortly. I scored one night this last Memorial Day weekend and the relatives loved it so much that we are already planning next year and reserving a pool cabana.

[DSNY4ever]

Following along! I agree with most of what you've said so far. WDW's Food and Wine is a totally different experience,, I prefer it to DL's- and yes DL's fireworks are better :goodvibes. Your park view was awesome!

That is pretty crazy about the dog kennel paperwork. That was so nice of them to drive back.

Can't wait to read more, it sounds like you had a good trip!

[wdwfanatic316]

Just wanted to say that I"m really enjoying your report! It's helping me get even more excited for our first trip ever to DL in one week! :cool1: Your review is also making me wish that the regular DL fireworks were going to be showing while we're there instead of the special 4th of July fireworks :headache: They must be AMAZING if you think they're better than Wishes!

Looking forward to more reviews! :goodvibes

[Vexorg]

Looks like you were there the same weekend I was. They actually had to cancel the fireworks on Saturday evening, and I was fully expecting a cancellation on Sunday as well since it had been fairly windy all day, but it looks like they got a window in at the last minute. What type of camera are you using for the fireworks? Mine doesn't do nearly that well in low light.

I've gone to Disneyland twice now (well, three times, but the first one was 1 day in 1987 and barely counts) and WDW once, and they both have their charms, but DLR is a lot easier to get to from here. I really need to get back to WDW for more than 4 days at some point though...

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm enjoying your report! I'm also a WDW vet and just now trying to dig up info about DL. It's amazing (and frustrating) how little is out there compared to WDW. Like you, I can plan a WDW trip in my sleep but DL does seem like it's a completely different animal!

Keep it coming! I can't wait for more!

:thumbsup2

[tinksdreamwishes]

Cant wait to read more! this is a great report- thanks for sharing! :lovestruc

[GoofySon'sMom]

Oh cool, as WDW vets, I was very overwhelmed in planning this trip. I can do WDW in my sleep, but DL was a totally new animal. Have fun with your planning.

Me, too! I know everyone says DLR is so much easier but I have been super stressed with the planning. I even used Dreams Unlimited so I could have the help of a wonderful travel planner! I wouldn't even consider not having full control of the planning for a WDW trip.

So, was it more relaxing/laid back once you go there? I can imagine that being able to walk back & forth to the Parks & hotels must be heavenly!

[nunzia]

Great trip report! Thank you for all the hard work. I second the camera question. I can never get decent low light shots...

[RweTHEREyet]

Well, regarding the pictures. Some of these are mine, and some are my DH's. Mine is a Fuji, point and shoot, his is a Nikon D300, I believe, and he usually carries a couple of lenses with him. Some of these are done with a fish eye that I gave him for his birthday a while back. He has really enjoyed that lens. The low-light shots are mostly his. He posts on the photography board also, under the screen name of YesDear, very smart man. :lmao:

Taking the time to set up descent photos really makes you see a lot of the details in the Parks, both WDW and DL, and I truly enjoy taking a slow pace. I love point out fascinating photo ops, and then he makes it happen. Some days at WDW we go in the Parks, stroll around, take pictures, get something to eat and don't ride anything at all. I just enjoy being there. Our commando days are pretty much over.

[GrandBob]

I was lucky enough to have someone share preferred seating tickets for Aladdin with me, and we got some of the best seats in the house. I really did not know what a treat we were in for. This show is fabulous. My first favorite has always been Hunchback at WDW (now closed), and I put Aladdin right up there with it. The Genie improv was so fun and the surprise effects were just amazing. I would encourage everyone to see this show, and I would definitely get in line early, early, early. Right now it is only showing on on Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun.



It's a shame that Hunchback is closed -- we enjoyed that one.

But IMHO Aladdin blows it away - no comparison! I'm so glad they changed their mind and are continuing it. Hope it plays forever!

Enjoying your TR. Thanks much, and keep it coming!

-Bob

[RweTHEREyet]

Day Two of DL (Monday)

This morning started out with breakfast in the room. I had planned on ordering from Von's, but when I tried to place my order, it said there was a $50 minimum for delivery, and I only needed cereal, milk, some water etc., not enough to bring it up to $50, so I had my son drop us by the Vons in his area on Saturday night, and I got everything we would need there instead. I would have preferred not spending part of my vacation time at the grocery store, but that is the way it worked out.

After breakfast we headed out of the villa and into DTD. We needed to be at the Guided Tour kiosk by 9:30 for our Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour this morning.

We got to the kiosk and I presented the paper that was in the little envelope given to me at hotel check-in. It showed what I had purchased, amount paid and date, etc. The CM asked me where my tickets were, and I said that was my ticket, and they said no, it was my receipt. :tsktsk:

Well, I said, it seems like there isn't much going right with anything special we had booked on this trip so far, since they couldn't find us for the Sweet Sundays event and then the kennel snafu, and now missing tickets., and I was starting to feel a little unspecial. A CM in the kiosk said we would always be special to him, and turned out he was our Tour Guide, Stephen.

The CM said that "they were all about the tickets," not sure what that meant, and they would call the hotel to see if they still had them. She then reassured me that they would get us on the tour but needed the ticket issue resolved. We were then handed a menu and asked to choose what we wished for lunch when the tour was over. There was a selection of 4 or 5 sandwiches, chips or fruit and a cookie and choice of beverage.

We were given a tag to put on our clothing somewhere to identify that we were part of the tour and then asked to step around the corner of the kiosk. To my surprise, there was Alice and the Mad Hatter, just for us for a picture opportunity.

Our Tour Guide, Stephen:
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Our tour group was small, 7 of us in total. One family of 3 (also WDW vets and new to DL), two young ladies (from California) and DH and myself. We were given headsets and a control unit that hung around your neck. It would be nice if they did it this way in WDW (they didn't the last time I took a tour, which has been a while) because it it so hard to hear the Guides :listen:, especially when walking down Main Street, and you can adjust the volume to suit yourself on these headsets.

I won't bore you with the whole tour, but we did walk straight on to Jungle Cruise. First time I had ridden it in a long, long time, some of the same corny jokes as I remembered from WDW, but some new to me also, and our Cruise Guide was a fun young fellow. We also walked straight into Tiki room, saw the show, and then we were asked to remain seated after the show and were given some history on the attraction and a close up look at one of the animated flowers as our Tour Guide held her. Hearing all we did made me appreciate the Tiki Room, which I normally avoid at all costs.

Here is the flower he let us get a close up of, and he was able to control her. Looking at them close up gives you a true appreciation of the detailed work involved and the materials used~~

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Those were the only two attractions we went on during the Tour, with the exception of riding the train from New Orleans Square to Fantasyland.

One of the highlights of the trip was going into Club 33. Our Guide excused himself from our presence while we stood at the main entrance, and he entered through a secret entrance and then opened the front door for us to go in.

Sign at the front door, which I had passed before and just never even noticed. This is the only way you would have a clue that this is where Club 33 is located.

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Our Guide, told us some history of Club 33 and was continually pointing upstairs and saying here you will find this, and here you will find that, and I thought that he was going to take us upstairs to see the rest, and I got so excited. But, alas, this is as far as we got, standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up and wishing for more--so close and yet so far:

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Here is the obligatory shot of the "lift" that we were allowed to stand in, as long as we promised not to touch anything. It is very attractive and would have been interesting to see it in operation.

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They did give each of us a writing pen with the Club 33 logo on it, and that was a pleasant surprise, a tour upstairs would have been nicer.

Overall the tour was good, our Guide was very pleasant, nice, informative. We both enjoyed it, and were talking just yesterday that while we would not take the Tour for a while, we would do it again eventually. I had heard that we would get to see Walt's apartment and would get to ride on the Lilly Belle as part of the tour, but neither of those happened and our Guide told us that those stops were removed from the regular tour and were now reserved for VIP's. No Lilly Belle or apartment for us. :tsktsk:

Our tour ended up back at the kiosk where we checked in and our Guide was giving us closing remarks when we got a visit from one of my favorite furry friends:

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Our Guide seemed genuinely surprised, so I am not sure if that was normally part of the tour or not.

We then saw that our lunch was ready, covered dishes with a nametag on the top of each one so we would know which was ours. This sign was on top of each table, and it was all I could do not to try and slip one into my bag:

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Our Guide stayed with us and told us we could ask any questions we wished. We took our time, visiting with our tour mates and asking occasional questions of our Guide, Stephen and enjoying our lunch in the shade. He did present us with a special Walk in Walt's Footsteps pin, a pretty gold one, and he said he had heard it is 14k gold, but I am not so sure about that part. While Stephen was sitting at our table, I started to pull the nametag off my lunch, a cute Mickey label with our names nicely done on them. He said, oh, here, let me get you a new one, and he printed the tags off again for all of us. It doesn't take much to keep some of us happy and entertained. :upsidedow

I never did find out what the kiosk CM finally worked out about the missing tickets, but we got our Tour and that was all that mattered to me. ;) But there is more to this story coming up later on.

Next up--

Can't remember, gotta check out my video and pictures to refresh the memory, and then a really good dinner and a really rude and disgusting incident.

[RweTHEREyet]

Monday, Continued

A few more pictures taken during the tour and as we wondered thru CA on our way back to the Grand:

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After lunch we walked around a bit and then headed back to the villa for a break. When we hit the lobby of the Grand Californian, we saw the DVC desk and thought now might be good time to talk to a Guide about current availability at VGC. The DVC rep at the desk called and they had someone that could meet with us then. We were escorted outside the hotel and told that our transportation would pick us up shortly. They did pick us up and it was just a short drive over to their preview center. I don't know what I was expecting, but DVC shares their office space with the wedding planning division. You enter the building and DVC is on the right, weddings on the left. Get married and buy your vacation destination in one-stop shopping.

We were shown to an office and a Guide walked in and wanted to know what questions we had for her. Price and incentives and availability were the main things. While I had been following the boards, things do change and I just wanted to make sure we knew the current deal. We knew we would be visiting California now as often as we had been visiting WDW since our only son had just moved out there, and I was batting 0-3 of my wait list reqiests coming thru. I don't want to take the chance of not getting a ressie during the holidays or a birthday event, etc., and I think that the 11-month window is going to be critical at VGC.

She got us a 2010 Point chart, Dreams book, and a pricing sheet. She told us that VGC would sell out in two weeks, and when asked for a 2011 point chart, she said no one had those yet. :confused3 Since the 2011 points chart are posted on the member website, I knew that wasn't the truth and wondered about the selling out statement, too. We visited with her for a while and she set us up with bottled water and snacks for the next couple of days. She then asked if we needed transportation back the hotel and we gladly accepted. Guess she thought we may want to walk back, but that wasn't what I had in mind.

Once we got back to the Villa, we put a call into our WDW Guide. He has always been above board and straight with us. He said that as far as the "selling out" statement was concerned that she probably meant that our Use Year was close to selling out as far as being able to get the 2009 and 2010 points. He wasn't positive on that fact and would call us back the next day with more definite information.

It was getting late in the afternoon and we got to thinking about dinner. We had to only dinner reservation I had made for dinner that night at the Blue Bayou, but we weren't sure we wanted to go trek back into DL. We discussed it and I suggested the Trattoria in California Adventure or the wharf area for one of those fabulous soup bread bowls.

We made the short walk into CA thru the hotel entrance (just gotta love having that option), and as we passed through security and the turnstiles, they reminded us that CA would be closing shortly. So, we figured out no time for dinner in CA that night and maybe it would be best if we just kept our original ADR at Blue Bayou since our ADR time was only about 30 minutes away.

We strolled over into DL and checked in at the Blue Bayou podium, requested to sit by the water and waited the little extra time it took to do that. We were actually seated very close to our ADR time, even with the extra wait. I did notice as we passed by Cafe' Orleans that the line waiting to get in was at least 100-125 people deep. Made me thankful we had booked and kept that ADR for Blue Bayou.

We were seated, reviewed the menu and placed our order with our temporary server (our real server was on lunch break). Once our order was taken, then it happened, a wad of gum came flying thru the air from one of the Pirates boats and lands on our table with a thud. :scared1: :eek: :scared1: Thank heavens it didn't land on the back of my head and get stuck in my hair.

DH and I just sort of stared at each other, and as soon as our temp server came by we asked for a paper napkin since we didn't want to use the linen. We explained what we needed it for and left it at that, after all, nothing they could do about rude and crude Guests and it certainly wasn't the restaurants fault. We weren't making a stink at all, just needed a paper napkin. Got that and our server kindly took it away.

Our food arrived, and after all the reviews I had read, I wasn't expecting much but average good. DH had the cajun salmon--I had crab cakes and both our meals were just delicious, no complaints at all whatsoever. Something we both fell in love with at DL that was new to us is the pomegranate lemonade. I now know they also have this at WDW, and I am tickled to hear that. The stuff was so good and such a nice change from plain water (we have given up sodas--well one of us has totally, and one has a soda about once a month).

Our server came by and said that the Mgr. had been informed of the gum incident and they wished to give us a dessert for the trouble, sure wasn't expecting that, and they planned to review the surveillance cameras to see if they could catch the guilty gum tosser. Thanks for the dessert, but good luck with catching the culprit. Dessert came, was delicious, and then the bill and an update that yes, the guilty party had been found on the surveillance cameras and had been apprehended, holy Toledo, wasn't expecting to hear that either. Way to go Disney, and thanks for making this situation right, even though it was not Disney's fault at all.

And did I mention that because we purchased Annual Passes that we were getting discounts on everything, including 15% off food at table service and at every cart we purchased from. On this meal we saved $10.04, final total was $61.90, and we both agreed we would eat there again on our next trip.

After all I had read about Blue Bayou, I wasn't prepared to be overly impressed with the atmosphere or the food, but wanted to experience it and form my own opinion, and I am so gad we ended up giving it a try. It ended up being one of the more favorite meals of the trip.

After dinner, it was back to the villa--see we were still on East Coast time, and it was getting past my bedtime. The ticket issue was still bothering me, so I went back thru all the stuff we were given when we checked in. I still had the little envelope that had the "receipt" in it for the tour. Those envelopes are about the size of the one they give you with your room key, but they are an ennvelope that open on the right side, not from the top like a regular envelope. Well, it appears that when I opened the envelope, the first thing in there was the receipt, which I pulled out, because there at the very bottom, were two tickets for the Tour. Oh my, color me embarrassed. In my haste, I guess I had not looked all the way in the envelope, but then I really didn't know what the actual ticket would be, so the receipt looked just fine to me since it contained all the information, and it was perforated as if there were two of them.

I probably should have taken the tickets to them the next day, but I decided they would be a nice addition to the scrapbook I plan to do, one of these days. I did feel badly though, and I am betting that for the next couple of days they were on the lookout for someone trying to get in on that tour with my missing tickets. I fessed up to DH, and he rolled his eyes and said something about there needing to be an adult in charge from now on.

We chilled in the room for a while, and it wasn't long before they started testing WOC. They tested the fountains some, tested music some and tested lighting on the rides, like Mickey's Fun Wheel, no complete show, just various components. And yes, we could hear the music in the villa with the doors closed. The noise will be worse when the crowds are there. Was it bad, no, but we heard it over the t.v., and when there are 3 shows a night, I predict it will get old really, really fast.

Here are some shots we took from the room of WOC being tested. These were all taken thru the window, so there is a little bit of reflection in them.

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Last night in the one-bedroom, so I wanted to make sure I got all the laundry caught up for the rest of the week, Once more, just loving my DVC and those fantastic one-bedrooms with a washer and dryer. Those airline baggage fees sure do make you think twice about how much you pack these days, and packing lighter was the goal for this trip, so doing laundry was a necessity. :laundy: Either that or have some airline baggage fees, which I absolutely hate to pay. I also hate to pay for shipping, and bottled water, but those are stories for another day.

Moving to a studio tomorrow, :guilty: so packing up, once again, and then another good night's sleep in that king-sized bed, still loving my DVC.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quick note to add that while I was writing this report originally, I got a phone call from DVC Guide to ask some questions about purchasing at VGC. Got answers that suited me, so I told him to draw up the paperwork for us to make our purchase. Since then, the paperwork has been received, but I watched the DVC webcast on Saturday and can get an additional $2.00 off per point, making it $19 off, and they are re-doing the paperwork and sending it out again.

My points are already in the system, I have banked them into next year, and I already have a reservation made for next May. :dance3: I am so proud to be a VGC owner. I just love this resort.

[RweTHEREyet]

Just wanted to say that I"m really enjoying your report! It's helping me get even more excited for our first trip ever to DL in one week! :cool1: Your review is also making me wish that the regular DL fireworks were going to be showing while we're there instead of the special 4th of July fireworks :headache: They must be AMAZING if you think they're better than Wishes!

Looking forward to more reviews! :goodvibes

Yes, I did think that Remember is better than Wishes, and I cry at Wishes. When I see Remember next, I am sure I will cry then, too. Remember was full of pyrotecnics and I loved the "story" as it moved thru the different Parks.

Never fear, you will enjoy Magical, too, think that is the correct name. We saw parts of it from Fantasmic, and there are some added attractions in this one other than Tinkerbell. You will just have to make another trip to see Remember at another time. :thumbsup2

[Belle Ella]

:goodvibes Checking in and loving your report so far. As a DLR vet it's interesting to see things from the perspective of a WDW vet (I've been once -- when I was 6 months old, lol) and it's been a great read so far. That and I love photos! Some of your DH's photos are just making my desire for a few new lenses for my camera kick back into overdrive, lol.

[blackjackdelta]

Great report, I have been waiting since I first saw that you were going.

Jack

[RweTHEREyet]

Great report, I have been waiting since I first saw that you were going.

Jack

So glad you found me here. I know you are getting super excited about your upcoming trip and stay at VGC.

I have a lot more pictures of the villas from our first trip. Let me see if I can find them tonight and post a few for you. We were just in a studio then though, so you might not be interested in those.

[RweTHEREyet]

:goodvibes Checking in and loving your report so far. As a DLR vet it's interesting to see things from the perspective of a WDW vet (I've been once -- when I was 6 months old, lol) and it's been a great read so far. That and I love photos! Some of your DH's photos are just making my desire for a few new lenses for my camera kick back into overdrive, lol.

My DH said the only reason I got an iPad was to use as a photo frame. :rotfl: Actually, he was wrong, I got hooked on Plants versus Zombies and can't quit playing that stupid, stupid game. Wish I had never been introduced to it. But really, I love my pictures and find that they make the best reference for a trip report because they are in true chronological order. :goodvibes

I might add that none of these have been edited in any way at all, they are straight out of the camera. I am sure he would have done some photoshopping if he knew I was going to use them for a trip report.

[tinksdreamwishes]

Wow what an experience you are having at DL! I love your pics alot- all the details are great! Cant wait to read more!

[KCmike]

Loving the report. Our first time was in 2007. We went during Halloween time and got to see the Overlay at Haunted Mansion. Oh my its awesome.

Gotta agree with RDCT as the best fireworks show. Aladdin is far and away the best stage performance in any disney park as well. We are staying at GC for the first time this summer. We absolutely love Disneyland. The kids don't even want to go back to WDW anymore. They think the California weather, sites (San Diego, Monterey, San Francisco, and especially Yosemite National Park), and the ocean are wonderful. If you get a chance you have to head up to Yosemite.

What do you think of DL's Fantasyland? So much better than WDW.
What do you think of Pirates? Sorry not trying to get ahead of your report but I'm always excited for someone's first time.

[kikiq]

Quick note to add that while I was writing this report originally, I got a phone call from DVC Guide to ask some questions about purchasing at VGC. Got answers that suited me, so I told him to draw up the paperwork for us to make our purchase. Since then, the paperwork has been received, but I watched the DVC webcast on Saturday and can get an additional $2.00 off per point, making it $19 off, and they are re-doing the paperwork and sending it out again.

My points are already in the system, I have banked them into next year, and I already have a reservation made for next May. :dance3: I am so proud to be a VGC owner. I just love this resort.

Well then...Welcome Home!!! I'm so excited for you knowing that you have family here and can enjoy it with you. Also...for the future...Grandma has a home in Disneyland, don't you know. When you bring your grandbaby "home" for the first time at VGC, it's a thrill.

[mickeycruisemaniac]

We also live near Raleigh, and will be going to DLR for the 1st time ever in October, and I can not wait, I too am a WDW fanatic, but can't wait te see where it all started :yay: We will be staying in a 1 BR in VGC too, and loved seeing your pics and hearing all the nice things you had to say about the resort. I will be wishing for a view like you had, what luck! :goodvibes
I can't wait to hear more about your trip, you sound just like me!:laughing:

Keep the updates coming! popcorn::

[sweetpee_1993]

Golly, I'm hanging on every word! Love the perspective. The pics are a continued awesomeness!

I was glad to see you did the Walk in Walt's Footsteps. I'm a brand new homeschool mom so I'm also looking at little ways to "plus" a trip & add more Disney history to the mix. Only VIPs see the Lilly Belle & apartment, huh? I wonder does that mean if I book a VIP "guide" for the minimum 4 hours could be get access. I'm all about bucking the red tape. LOL!

I can't wait for more. You're making me sooooo want to kick the DH for buying the boat vs. the DVC like I wanted! Grrrrrr!!!!!

[ACDSNY]

I'm loving your trip report and the pictures are fabulous!!! I agree VGC is the best DVC resort and my favorite too!

DLR is where my heart will always be as it's where all my childhood memories are from.:love:

[RweTHEREyet]

Loving the report. Our first time was in 2007. We went during Halloween time and got to see the Overlay at Haunted Mansion. Oh my its awesome.

Gotta agree with RDCT as the best fireworks show. Aladdin is far and away the best stage performance in any disney park as well. We are staying at GC for the first time this summer. We absolutely love Disneyland. The kids don't even want to go back to WDW anymore. They think the California weather, sites (San Diego, Monterey, San Francisco, and especially Yosemite National Park), and the ocean are wonderful. If you get a chance you have to head up to Yosemite.

What do you think of DL's Fantasyland? So much better than WDW.
What do you think of Pirates? Sorry not trying to get ahead of your report but I'm always excited for someone's first time.

Regarding FL, at WDW, we don't do much in FL, Peter Pan and Philharmagic are about it. We never do IASW at WDW. We did a lot more of FL at DL and that is coming up in the next day. :)

Pirates is definitely better at DL. That is one of the things we were able to do on our washed out trip in January, it was one of the few things that was open, and we thought it far better to the one at WDW.

Unfortunately, DL is something we really have to plan for. The distance is so great and airfare so expensive that it is not something we can do spur of the moment so to speak. And, since we have to pay so much for the airfare, we want to make sure that we stay long enough to justify the cost, which means really planning vacation time. WDW, on the other hand, we can do quickly, in fact, I just started work yesterday on possibly going to WDW for Labor Day weekend. Two months is short-notice to us. I know that DL locals are not used to having to plan except figuring out which weekend they might like to go, but it is a bit different for those of us that are hundreds of miles away from either resort.

We are hoping to go back to DL this October. Have the room booked, am presently searching for reasonable airfares, etc. I really want to see DL at Halloween, since we love WDW during that time. I am wondering how MNSSHP compares and have also read about the Happy Haunts Tour, so there would be lots new for us to do.

[RweTHEREyet]

Well then...Welcome Home!!! I'm so excited for you knowing that you have family here and can enjoy it with you. Also...for the future...Grandma has a home in Disneyland, don't you know. When you bring your grandbaby "home" for the first time at VGC, it's a thrill.

And I see that you also own at one of our other Home resorts, SSR. We think it lovely there, although a lot of people don't like the location and the hugeness of the resort. We have no problem with either and really do enjoy staying at SSR.

I am sure that going to WDW for you is the same as us planning a pilgramage to DL and is probably just as daunting a trip to plan. I can only imagine how hard it is to go from two Parks to four and to have to figure out all the transporation.

I saw you also mentioned that you were at VGC for Memorial weekend. We checked out that Friday, and it was getting really crowded.

We will have to stay in touch so I can learn all your tips and tricks of dealing with the crowds and the best times of the year to go. :goodvibes

[RweTHEREyet]

We also live near Raleigh, and will be going to DLR for the 1st time ever in October, and I can not wait, I too am a WDW fanatic, but can't wait te see where it all started :yay: We will be staying in a 1 BR in VGC too, and loved seeing your pics and hearing all the nice things you had to say about the resort. I will be wishing for a view like you had, what luck! :goodvibes
I can't wait to hear more about your trip, you sound just like me!:laughing:

Keep the updates coming! popcorn::


You are going to just love VGC. I found no fault at all. Sure there are always things we might change if we had a do over, but all in all, this is my favorite DVC resort and as you can tell by my siggie, we own at a couple of them. Do you own there, renting from an owner or staying on cash?

When are you going in October, we have a trip penciled in for the middle of the month, but haven't talked to our DS about it yet. He travels a lot in his job, and I am not sure what his schedule is looking like. It would be funny if we were there at the same time.

Good chance you will have a park view at VGC. The majority of the villas are a park view, with a small percentage having a pool view, which is what we had for our short stay in January, and that view was just fine, too. I would not be unhappy with any of them.

[RweTHEREyet]

Golly, I'm hanging on every word! Love the perspective. The pics are a continued awesomeness!

I was glad to see you did the Walk in Walt's Footsteps. I'm a brand new homeschool mom so I'm also looking at little ways to "plus" a trip & add more Disney history to the mix. Only VIPs see the Lilly Belle & apartment, huh? I wonder does that mean if I book a VIP "guide" for the minimum 4 hours could be get access. I'm all about bucking the red tape. LOL!

I can't wait for more. You're making me sooooo want to kick the DH for buying the boat vs. the DVC like I wanted! Grrrrrr!!!!!

If you end up doing the VIP Guide option, please let us know how it works out. Yes, I was so disappointed to not see either Walt's apt. or the Lilly Belle. Even one of the two would have been so special to me.

Regarding DVC, even if I lost my job, I would live on PBJ's so I could keep my DVC. It is one of the best decisions "I" ever made in "our" lives. Our very first trip to DVC, the best thing was the morning we checked out, the envelope hanging on the door had a statement and the amount due was $0.00. It was the best feeling knowing that nothing was not going to be a big credit card bill waiting for us back at home. Sure I had paid up front, but that was sooo nice to get a zero bill.

Yeah, I would give him a kick in the shins, too. :angel:

[DSNY4ever]

Wow your pictures are fantastic! And I can't believe that gum incident:eek:!!! Glad they gave you a free dessert to make up for it.

[sweetpee_1993]

If you end up doing the VIP Guide option, please let us know how it works out. Yes, I was so disappointed to not see either Walt's apt. or the Lilly Belle. Even one of the two would have been so special to me.

Regarding DVC, even if I lost my job, I would live on PBJ's so I could keep my DVC. It is one of the best decisions "I" ever made in "our" lives. Our very first trip to DVC, the best thing was the morning we checked out, the envelope hanging on the door had a statement and the amount due was $0.00. It was the best feeling knowing that nothing was not going to be a big credit card bill waiting for us back at home. Sure I had paid up front, but that was sooo nice to get a zero bill.

Yeah, I would give him a kick in the shins, too. :angel:


I talked to my brother yesterday & he's interested in going with us when we go. I'm hoping to get my mom on-board, too. If I can recruit 2 more warm bodies to share some of the expenses I think it would be more do-able to schedule a VIP tour as well as manage a stay in a VGC unit vs. just a regular room at the GC. We'll have to see.

Yeah, even the hubby has made the statement since getting the boat that he wishes he woulda listened to me & got the DVC instead. I love when I'm right. It's even better when he admits to it. :rotfl:

[RweTHEREyet]

Day Three of DL, it is now Tuesday

We got up, had breakfast, and got everything packed up, once again. We were sorry to be saying good bye to the one-bedroom, but the wait list had not come thru, and we had even asked at check-in and we were told that they were absolutely full and there were no one-bedrooms available for the rest of our stay.

We got Bell Services to come and get the bags, groceries, etc. and they were there in very short order. We said so long to the view and wondered what our new view would be like in the studio we would check into later, hopefully just as nice as the one we had been enjoying so far. :goodvibes

Off to the parks we went. Didn't have to be any where at any particular time today, so we were free to roam as we pleased and just take our time. Our goal was to do things we don't have at WDW. We did Alice (which I liked a lot),

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-1093101_275.jpg

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Storybookland (so impressed with the miniature homes and lands from some of my favorite Disney movies). The landscaping proportioned for all the small buildings was pretty cool too. While I enjoyed it, DH thought it a bit lame. And, we had a service dog on our boat-- I would do it again for the photo opportunities. Even though the boat is going very slow, it is still a little fast to get shots of everything.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF1979.jpg

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Having the ride stop on us once at WDW and having that song play over and over and over and over is one reason we don't ever ride at WDW. Even though we normally avoid Small World at WDW, we wanted to see this one and the new Disney characters that had been put in. Not sure we saw them all, but we did catch a lot and I thought that they had been incorporated nicely because they looked as if they had been there all along. Boarding outside was interesting compared to WDW, and the exterior of DL's Small World is tons better than WDW. Not sure if it was because it had just been refurbed and everything looked clean and shiney or what, but I enjoyed this ride and was not in a hurry for it to be over. Even the song wasn't as annoying. But I liked it and would do this on each and every trip to DL while still avoiding the one at WDW.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-1096501_340.jpg

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http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101000_516.jpg

To be Continued:

[RweTHEREyet]

I talked to my brother yesterday & he's interested in going with us when we go. I'm hoping to get my mom on-board, too. If I can recruit 2 more warm bodies to share some of the expenses I think it would be more do-able to schedule a VIP tour as well as manage a stay in a VGC unit vs. just a regular room at the GC. We'll have to see.

Yeah, even the hubby has made the statement since getting the boat that he wishes he woulda listened to me & got the DVC instead. I love when I'm right. It's even better when he admits to it. :rotfl:

I will keep my fingers crossed for you on getting that VIP tour all worked out. I hope it falls into place for your.

As far as the boat goes, they do make For Sale signs... just sayin'

[RweTHEREyet]

Wow your pictures are fantastic! And I can't believe that gum incident:eek:!!! Glad they gave you a free dessert to make up for it.

That was very nice of them to do that for us, and they had no need to. I mean it wasn't like we had bad food or bad service or anything under the control of the restaurant. It wasn't their fault, and we weren't upset or complaining or anything. It just happened.

It does take a real jerk to do something like that though and I have wondered if they kicked the person out of the park when they caught him.

[RweTHEREyet]

Day 3 of DL, Tuesday, continued~~

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-1099401_397.jpg

We also hit Toontown and rode Roger Rabbit's Toontown Spin. Won't make that mistake again. It was jerky and really set off my equilibrium issues. I loved the movie and even though I had read the description and knew it might be a bumpy ride, I just had to try it once, but that was it for me, don't need to experience that one on future trips. I had to get something cold to drink to keep from getting sick and even though it was time for lunch, there was no way I could get any food down after that ride. Because I wasn't feeling the best, we really didn't check out much more of Toontown and we will have to definitely go back on our next trip. If nothing else, there seemed to be lots of great photo opportunities.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF1982.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10102301_563.jpg

I sure wish I could be drawn like her~~
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF1988.jpg

We ran into one of our favorite furry friends while we were there in the area~~
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101021_558.jpg

A couple more favorite shots~~

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http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10101801_553.jpg

We strolled around the park for a while, just enjoying the scenery seeing Disney sights we had not seen before. Somewhere around this time, I realized that I no longer had my lightweight cotton jacket with me. I thought back and the last time I recalled having it was in Toontown, not sure if I left it on Roger Rabbit or possibly where we sat for a while and had a cool drink or what. It was the only lightweight jacket I had brought, one of my favorites and I wouldn't find anything like it in the parks. Anaheim weather is tricky, cool and cloudy in the morning so you need a light sleeve, then warm, then cool again. I knew it wouldn't turn up but it was worth a stop at City Hall to put in a report for the Lost and Found.

We worked our way over to California Adventure and to the entrance of the Grand. We had gotten a text to check back in with the Front Desk so that our room keys could be re-issued and we could connect with the rest of our party (this becomes important the next day), but no room no. was given out. We weren't meeting up with anyone else and we were the only two in our party, so we were a bit confused about what this was about.

Stopped at the front desk and we were told that there must have been a mistake made, and they confused us with another party. We were then given our room no., and I immediately knew that we were on the first floor and that our view would be the construction fence that was between the Grand Californian and the new Little Mermaid attraction under construction. I must have had the most pitiful look on my face because the CM offered to let me speak to the room controller. She came out and said nothing available, zip, nada, nothing at all as only 7 DVC rooms had checked out that morning. She offered to move us with no fee to another room tomorrow. I declined as we were already moving too much. I know my face looked really pitiful, but it was disappointing enough to have moved from a huge room to the smaller studio, and then to know the view was not going to be very good just made me very unhappy. I know, I know, I was at Disney, get over it.

I pouted all the way to the room, and then found it was almost the first room once you walked past the bank of elevators in the DVC side. I was worried there would be noise from the elevators, but we never did hear any noise from that area the rest of our stay.

Here is the view we left this morning~~

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http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10897_218.jpg


and here is our view for the next 3 days~~

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2142.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2139.jpg

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http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2141.jpg

Not that bad a view, not a dumpster or a parking lot view or anything like that, just not what I had been enjoying earlier this morning. It would have been far better to go from the studio to the one-bedroom with the great view instead of like we did, but that darn waitlist just never came thru and this is just the way it turned out and this is the second waitlist that didn't work out for me. Going to have to do something to keep this from happening on future visits.

We waited for Bell Services to deliver our bags and the groceries that they had refrigerated for us. They were delivered very quickly. We chilled for a while and then thought we better make some decisions about dinner. Didn't want to go back the Parks, didn't want to head out to DTD either. So, we opted to give Whitewater Snacks a second chance. In January we had eaten breakfast there one morning, and it was one of the worst biscuits this southern gal had ever eaten in her life. Dinner consisted of a cheeseburger and a chicken sandwich with pomegranate lemonade that we fell in love with. Food o.k., not great, not bad, so maybe WWS had slightly redeemed itself.

Back to the villa to take it easy for the evening. It seems that some of the adrenalin high of the trip was wearing off, and our East Coast time zone was catching up with us as we would get tired early every evening. We had no problem getting up in the mornings, but evenings we couldn't manage to stay up too late.

When it got dark we definitely heard WOC being tested, and you could see the water shooting up over the top of the construction fence. We unpacked and got settled in for the remainder of the week. Miss the big refrigerator, king-sized bed and washer and dryer, and miss my huge park view, she said like a pouting two year old. :(

It was a quiet rest of the evening, but tomorrow morning would bring some excitement bright and early.

[DSNY4ever]

You crack me up- I was expecting some awful view :rotfl:

But I know what you mean- once you know what you are missing it's hard to "downgrade."

[sweetpee_1993]

I will keep my fingers crossed for you on getting that VIP tour all worked out. I hope it falls into place for your.

As far as the boat goes, they do make For Sale signs... just sayin'


Oooh...the signs have been on it for a while. Not a lot of biters on a $35K boat in this economy. LOL!

Still loving your report. I wondered what the Storybook Canal thingy was about. I guess it's just all those little buildings/scenes. I'd do it at least once. IaSW looks so much better than WDW. I love WDW's version (I'm a doll collector...what better place for a doll collector than a ride jam packed full of dollies!!!) so I'm sure I'll adore DL's.

DL's Toontown looks awesome! I supposed we'll have to do some Disney "homework" before we go out to DL. My boys have never seen Roger Rabbit. LOL! I know when my mom was going to WDW in May with my brother for the 1st time in 14 years I kept telling her to do her "homework" and watch the movies I listed for her so she'd get the attractions/shows. When she got home she said Festival of the Lion King & the Nemo musical shows were okay, she thinks she missed a lot of the significance in the stories because those are two movies she's never watched. She shoulda done the homework!!! LOL!

Sorry about your downgraded blues. I think your view wasn't horrible although not as wonderful as what you previously had. I suppose it could've been worse. What if they'd not had any availability even in the studios for those last 3 nights?! Gah!!! The horror! Honestly, from your report and all the investigating I've been doing the GC/VGC seems like the best location. Hands down.

Can't wait for more!!!

[RweTHEREyet]

Oh, no problems on the studio availability. I already had it booked. I originally booked the studio for the whole time, then decided to go for the one-bedroom, and it was only available the first two nights. So we had Sunday and Monday in the one-bedroom and Tuesday-Thursday in the studio. I had waitlisted the one-bedroom for the rest of the trip, and that is what didn't come thru. Frankly, I don't think wait lists will come thru at VGC like they do at the WDW DVC properties, there just isn't that much inventory to work with.

Maybe summertime weather will bring some boat people around for you..:thumbsup2

[RweTHEREyet]

DL, Day 4, Wednesday

Wake up to the phone ringing, geez, it must be late for the phone to be ringing, but who would be calling.

Me: Hello
Caller: This is Robert, the hotel manager, and we have a problem with your address in our computer system, is it a Street or a Drive.
Me: It is neither (at that point I notice it is only 7:00 a.m.)
Caller: See, that is why we have to get this straightened out quickly.
Me: And you are calling me for this at 7:00 in the morning of my vacation to do this?
Caller: Yes, we need to get it corrected right away.
Me: Why don't you tell me what you are showing in your records...
Caller: no response and hangs up.

I sat there on the side of the bed for a minute not sure just what had happened, but I knew I was not happy about getting that phone call, especially so early.

I called back to the operator and said I wasn't sure who I wished to speak with and explained what had just happened. She exclaimed, Mrs Miller, I am so sorry, I put that call thru to your room. She went on with "He said he had been put thru to your room earlier and we can't challenge callers too much or our Guests can get upset." She then said that some calls had started the week before and that the operators had been warned about them. I asked her just what they were after, and she said that if they got someone to confirm an address, then they would try and verify credit card information. Identity theft.

Since the hotel had texted us the day before about meeting up with the rest of our party, I almost confirmed the address, thinking they still had us confused with some other Guests. Thank heavens, I am not a morning person and was pretty cranky with the guy that called and I challenged him on the address.

At WDW, when you call for an operator, you never know just where you are reaching. At DL, it appears that the hotel operators are located in one spot, and it was just coincidence that the same gal answered his call as well as my call, too, or maybe we would have never known what in the world was going on.

She felt very badly about this happening and offered us complimentary breakfast. I didn't respond because I didn't feel she had done anything wrong, and we talked a minute more about the guy calling. She said the callers pick a common name and then when there is a Guest with that name actually registered, the operator has no choice but to put them thru. This guy picked the name, Lisa Miller, my DIL's new name. While she and my son were not staying with us, I had added their names to the reservation so they could park at the hotel when they came to get us without having to pay for parking and evidently the hotel listing shows everyone in the room, not just the main name on reservation. She (the hotel operator) was also able to turn around and ask the other operators if they had put a call thru to a Lisa Miller and they all said no, they had not. The guy just got lucky with the name he chose.

The operator then insisted on offering us breakfast and wanted to make a reservation right on the spot for us. I agreed (sounded better than the Raisin Bran Crunch I had planned) and she said, so there are four in your room, and I said well, could we do breakfast for two this morning and then again for two on Friday. She said sure, booked it, and said that there would be vouchers waiting for us at the front desk.

We got ready, headed to the front desk to pick up the vouchers.

Don't you just love all the lighting fixtures at the front desk and through the lobby. I think these are adorable.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2003.jpg

We gave them our name and were handed another of those adorable pink envelopes with Tinkerbell on it. I checked, and sure enough there were four vouchers, so off we were to make our 8:20 reservation at Storytellers with time to spare. According to the back of the voucher, we could have also chosen PCH Grill and somewhere else, can't remember, but we were thrilled with Storytellers. Love the atmosphere in Storytellers, the rich woods and warm colors. We were seated right away, and the place wasn't that busy, but when we were leaving, people were waiting outside the doors for their table to be called. It appears that getting in there before 8:30 is the way to go. Breakfast was great--especially the Mickey waffles and the eggs benedict --characters were fun and the best part was the vouchers included all gratuities, etc. , no bill for us. We did leave additional gratuity for our server.

Back to the villa to pick up cameras etc. and to head out for the day. We spent most of the day in DL. I wanted to ride the Mark Twain.

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http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2023.jpg

and we also did ~~

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and~~

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Pirates is much better at DL, but you DL people have heard that tons already, right? Haunted Mansion, while I loved the exterior, makes me think of the Deep South, the ride was basically the same, missing the footsteps. Also the little lady saying "come baaack, and don't forget your death certificate" or whatever she says, is not located in the same spot. You think she isn't there at all, and they she shows up right before you leave the ride. I missed her the first time, saw her the second time.

[RweTHEREyet]

Wednesday continued~~
and~~
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http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2042.jpg

While we didn't do this, I thought the sign was just adorable. I was worried people might look at me funny if I went in to see the pixies, but next trip I am going to do it. The little kid in me wants to see what all is in Pixie Hollow.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-1086901_164-1.jpg
Can't wait to have a little princess to do stuff like this with.

What's for lunch? I had heard that many people really like Carnation Cafe' so we thought we would check and see if there was a long wait or not. We ended up being about 3rd in line for a table and we were seated in about 10 minutes. We each had the turkey sandwich and soup and pomegranate lemonade. Soup was very good as everyone had highly recommended. Total bill was $24.00 after the 15% AP discount. I am loving that discount, and unlike WDW, you are often asked if you have AP so they can give you the discount. At WDW, it seems you have to beg them to give discounts you are entitled to. (May have said that already once before, but it really made an impression).

Somewhere along the line we stopped in at City Hall to see if my lost jacket had shown up. I thought that Lost and Found was located right there, but I learned it is actually to the left of the Californian Adventure entrance, as you face CA. But City Hall made the phone call for me, and no it had not turned up. I didn't think it would, but it was worth a shot. So, I knew I could write that one off, and I also knew I couldn't replace it as it had been purchased last year and was no longer available. Well, better a jacket than a wallet or a camera, which I have been known to lose two in two trips.

Then we headed to ~~

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2049.jpg

and saw the Captain EO Tribute, which we used to stand in line for hours to see at WDW. Glad I got to see it one more time. (So appropriate I am posting this part of the trip today as it is one year to the day that he died.) Regardless of anyone's personal feelings about MJ, we did lose a brilliant entertainer when he died.

I talked DH into doing Autopia, as he didn't know just what it was. I thought it was a lot better than WDW's Speedway. Both of our cars kept stalling. They are not a comfortable thing for an adult to drive. The route is fun, the signs are cute, and I understand that doing this at night is a great idea because you see so many sights all lit up and from a different perspective.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2052.jpg

We then headed to catch the monorail and got these shots along the way:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2054.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2056.jpg

We asked to ride in front and were told it was first come, etc., so we decided to wait until we could be in the front. We love doing this at WDW, and I am not sure if they are letting people up front yet after the accident, so let's do it here. It is a very different experience in the front of this monorail than it is at WDW, especially with the banks and turns this one takes. We rode round trip, and along the way, it dawned on me that California Adventure was built around this monorail. The monorail was there first, and I am guessing it used to be all parking lot underneath what is now the California Adventure part. It is so strange to me to be on the monorail and to be riding past the outside World, Harbor Drive is it maybe, and the hotels, etc. It makes me appreciate WDW being totally protected from the outside world--thank you, Walt for your vision and foresight.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2063.jpg

When we arrived at DTD, we were able to stay in the front cab to ride back, and when we got back to Tomorrowland, we disembarked and got in the section behind the one we were in so someone else could enjoy the ride up front, but we did head back to DTD and to the villa for a rest.

It was funny, sometimes when we road the monorail, they announced it was a one-way trip only and other times they didn't. We are so used to the monorail being a mode of transportation and not as much a "ride that this seemed different, not worse or better, just different. It is also so strange to have the windows open.

While we were taking our little break, DH gets a phone call and it turns out to be Lost and Found, and my jacket has shown up. Woohoo, I was thrilled. Unfortunately, it was almost closing time for Lost and Found and we new we wouldn't make it over in time on foot, so tomorrow that would be our first stop. Love some of that Disney magic. I truly didn't expect to get that jacket back.

What to do for dinner? It is nice not to freak, like you do at WDW, when you realize that you don't have an ADR for dinner because at DL it does not mean you will be waiting for an hour or so to eat something other than counter service. We decided to head to DTD to see what might strike our fancy. It wasn't going to be the Jazz kitchen, ESPN or Rainforest as they just didn't strike our fanc for some reason. House of Blues had something going on, because there were 200-300 waiting to get in, but we never heard what it was.

We settled on Naples and upon asking at the podium they said the wait would be about 10 minutes. We enjoyed watching them hand toss the pizzas and put them in the brick oven while we were waiting for our table. Pizza topping choices in CA are a bit different than back home, but we settled on a pepperoni and sausage with chicken on half. It was delicious. There were about 3 large slices left over and I had them box them up for me. I didn't think we would heat them up in the studio, but I thought I might know somewhere they would be appreciated and wouldn't go to waste. The AP got us a 10% discount here. :slyasafox

Inside Naples, part of the Patina Group~~
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2068-1.jpg

I did a little bit of shopping at DTD, picking up some birthday presents and other gifts I needed to get. Love Basin, but was surprised at how small it is compared to WDW. I was also surprised at Marceline's, thought it would be bigger. Actually, it seems odd to me to have so many non-Disney businesses in DTD, not just restaurants, but businesses like Sephora and Ann Geddes, etc. Just doesn't seem right for some reason. Not wrong really, just different from what I am used to.

Back thru the Grand Californian DTD entrance and into the hotel. First stop was at Bell Services to see if I could talk anyone into some Naples left over pizza. The guys jumped on it and I was glad to share. We always leave our leftover (unopened) food items for the Cast Members when at WDW, but I am not sure that DVC Members in on the Left Coast have gotten into that yet. Also, a lot of Left Coast DVC members drive to DL and aren't concerned about getting their stuff back on a plane.

Another quiet evening, and the feet were starting to appreciate it.

Tomorrow: I am definitely on a mission and Guests Behaving Badly, and oh no, she really didn't just do that.

Thanks for sticking with me so far, not much left to go.

[sweetpee_1993]

Well, I for one, am sorta bummed at the prospect of not much left for your report. I've really enjoyed it!

That's terrible you got woke up by a potential thief. Leave it to Disney to turn lemons into lemonade, tho! Glad y'all scored a nice breakfast w/the characters. The prices of those breakfasts floor me considering the comparison to the cost of Chef Mickeys or Crystal Palace. :eek: Either way, I'd spring for it at least once if not twice. We love us some character breakfasts!

Sounds like another fun day! I'm also quite impressed that you don't have to book meals 6 months ahead of time to be able to eat sit-down meals. Having to plan that way takes the spontaneity out of the mix. Some of our all-time best, most relaxing WDW days were the ones we walked out of our room not knowing where we'd end up. There's a stress factor in having to be in a certain place at a certain time day after day or else. Ya know?

You got your jacket back!!! :woohoo: :banana: Congrats to you! Wish I'd gotten our camera back from the Dinosaur ride back in '07....:charac2: <---feelin' sorry for myself...LOL! Whoever ended up with my camera could've had the camera. Priceless pictures of my boys on their fishing excursion with Daddy lost forever... :sad2:

I don't think you'd be weird going into Pixie Hollow. The first time I saw it at WDW we were in there for **me** since I'm the only princess: we have in the family (besides my little girly toy schnauzer baby). I love meeting the fairies and can't wait to see DL's Pixie Hollow. It looks so much more amazing than WDW's although I do like the little pixie dust zipping around in WDW's.

I was wondering how the pizza at Naples was while reading menus the other night. Hand tossed & brick oven bakes is just what I'd be looking for!

I **wiiiiish** the hubby's boat would sell. Sheesh! Boats are like the yin or yang of swimming pools: swimming pools=holes in the ground you toss your money into / boats=holes in the water you toss your money into. You don't even get to make a wish!!! :laughing:

Was looking around the other night and saw a website/service advertised on a couple sites that rents DVC points from owners wishing to get a return on unused points. They claim to have availability in all DVC resorts. It'd be a good way for us to stay at the VGC for a sampling of all it has to offer without the commitment. That's if they can accommodate VGC reservations. I would loooove to have the in-unit washer & dryer. All our trips we generally do 4 loads or more every 3rd or 4th day.

BTW, no more cockpit rides on the monorails at WDW. I read that the reason DLR still did them was because of a difference in the design of the cabs. The nose cones in the ones in Cali are reinforced, etc. whereas the ones in Florida are all fiberglass. I wouldn't expect co-piloting to return to WDW until those monorails are all replaced which isn't in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately. We've got great footage of co-pilot rides from the TTC to Epcot. I did it regularly when I was a kid when we'd go out to the parks every weekend (I grew up in Orlando). I'm glad my boys had the chance to do it before the accident last year. To be able to do it again out at DLR would be another must-do for us!

Thanks again for sharing your trip with us in such detail and with all the amazing pictures! Lovin it!

[sweetpee_1993]

Off topic, I apologize...

...but ya gotta find out from your son where exactly we could go to stand outside next to an Oakley sign (preferably for their offices) so we can take pics. I know it's silly but we're avid Oakley wearing people and have been for a long time. Plus, it's just funny to have those random pics like that. ((Somewhere on my external drive I have a pic of me standing by the sign for the QVC offices in San Antonio with my arms Barker's Beauties style to 'sell' the sign....LOL!))

[mickeycruisemaniac]

You are going to just love VGC. I found no fault at all. Sure there are always things we might change if we had a do over, but all in all, this is my favorite DVC resort and as you can tell by my siggie, we own at a couple of them. Do you own there, renting from an owner or staying on cash?

When are you going in October, we have a trip penciled in for the middle of the month, but haven't talked to our DS about it yet. He travels a lot in his job, and I am not sure what his schedule is looking like. It would be funny if we were there at the same time.

Good chance you will have a park view at VGC. The majority of the villas are a park view, with a small percentage having a pool view, which is what we had for our short stay in January, and that view was just fine, too. I would not be unhappy with any of them.

We own at VB, and booked right at the 7m window. We are going at the end of October, but before Halloween. How funny if we go at the same time, I will have to watch for that :3dglasses
Thanks for the great report.

[franandaj]

I'm glad I found this report and I love to hear your comparisons to WDW, especially since they are not all "down on DLR", so many of them are. I love WDW, but ever since purchasing at the VGC and staying there, I have found a new love for the place. I used to just come in for 1/2 a day, have lunch, hit a ride or two and leave and started to become jaded, but after owning there and being able to have the immersive experience, I am loving just as much if not more as WDW!

I do have to say that your assesment of F&W is accurate, our festival is much more based on the wine aspect as opposed to the food and that might be why I like it better! :lmao: Actually, I think our Festival is more geared to the locals. There is much more weight placed on the Signature events, and I know a lot of people who went to all the Winemaker Dinners! The Napa Rose Cooking School is the highlight for me every year, and I don't think the Festival would be the same for me without it. I plan to do the first cooking school every year and I plan my DVC stays that way!

I do wish we could have that stroll and savor aspect, but the darned CA Food police ruin it! I do have to say that there is a big difference in DCA during F&W even though you might not see it, not being a regular and all. Like that big Chef's Showcase tent right in the main hub, usually isn't there throughout the rest of the year! I agree that this year having the wine & spirit tastings in Studio 12 really made it out of the way to find, but I think it was a better location than in the past even if it was out of the way. They could have the tapas (which they had 2 years ago, but not last year). I think in CA all prepared foods must be prepared in a licensed kitchen, otherwise they can only sell, premade things like Mickey Bars, Churros, Corn in a baggie, etc.

As a PP said, they are still working things out, but it gets better and better each year. I'm looking forward to your future days. I think the other thing you keep commenting on about the AP discounts, there are many, many more AP holders since DL is such a local park. I think the CMs have learned to ask about the discount because it saves them time in the long run, if someone forgets until after the sale has been rung up, it is a real PITA and then more people are delayed. Because so many are AP holders, it's just easier to assume they are than assume they aren't!

I'm glad you are an owner now, I too think it is one of better resorts. Granted I have only stayed at my other home SSR (THV too), BWV and AKV, but I really love the spaciousness and layout of the 1br. I've only stayed in studios at the VGC and don't plan to stay in studios in FL if I can help it, but it's such a nice place, I can't wait to add on more points and hope that I can do it before they sell out!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of it!

[RweTHEREyet]

Off topic, I apologize...

...but ya gotta find out from your son where exactly we could go to stand outside next to an Oakley sign (preferably for their offices) so we can take pics. I know it's silly but we're avid Oakley wearing people and have been for a long time. Plus, it's just funny to have those random pics like that. ((Somewhere on my external drive I have a pic of me standing by the sign for the QVC offices in San Antonio with my arms Barker's Beauties style to 'sell' the sign....LOL!))

In what part of the country are you wanting to take your picture? It woud be cool if you could get to their offices in Foothill Ranch, really cool facility, and they have an actual tank in the front yard.

Yay on being Oakley wearers, they are really better for your eyes than other brands.

[RweTHEREyet]

I'm glad I found this report and I love to hear your comparisons to WDW, especially since they are not all "down on DLR", so many of them are. I love WDW, but ever since purchasing at the VGC and staying there, I have found a new love for the place. I used to just come in for 1/2 a day, have lunch, hit a ride or two and leave and started to become jaded, but after owning there and being able to have the immersive experience, I am loving just as much if not more as WDW!

I do have to say that your assesment of F&W is accurate, our festival is much more based on the wine aspect as opposed to the food and that might be why I like it better! :lmao: Actually, I think our Festival is more geared to the locals. There is much more weight placed on the Signature events, and I know a lot of people who went to all the Winemaker Dinners! The Napa Rose Cooking School is the highlight for me every year, and I don't think the Festival would be the same for me without it. I plan to do the first cooking school every year and I plan my DVC stays that way!

I do wish we could have that stroll and savor aspect, but the darned CA Food police ruin it! I do have to say that there is a big difference in DCA during F&W even though you might not see it, not being a regular and all. Like that big Chef's Showcase tent right in the main hub, usually isn't there throughout the rest of the year! I agree that this year having the wine & spirit tastings in Studio 12 really made it out of the way to find, but I think it was a better location than in the past even if it was out of the way. They could have the tapas (which they had 2 years ago, but not last year). I think in CA all prepared foods must be prepared in a licensed kitchen, otherwise they can only sell, premade things like Mickey Bars, Churros, Corn in a baggie, etc.

As a PP said, they are still working things out, but it gets better and better each year. I'm looking forward to your future days. I think the other thing you keep commenting on about the AP discounts, there are many, many more AP holders since DL is such a local park. I think the CMs have learned to ask about the discount because it saves them time in the long run, if someone forgets until after the sale has been rung up, it is a real PITA and then more people are delayed. Because so many are AP holders, it's just easier to assume they are than assume they aren't!

I'm glad you are an owner now, I too think it is one of better resorts. Granted I have only stayed at my other home SSR (THV too), BWV and AKV, but I really love the spaciousness and layout of the 1br. I've only stayed in studios at the VGC and don't plan to stay in studios in FL if I can help it, but it's such a nice place, I can't wait to add on more points and hope that I can do it before they sell out!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of it!


I would love to do the cooking school next year. I have already booked VGC for a week in mid-May, but I am not sure just how to make sure I am able to get in the class before it fills up.

Regarding the immersive experience~~I am all for it. We only stay on property at WDW and with only two trips behind us to DL, I cannot imagine not staying on property although it would be far easier to do at DL than WDW. To not have to take a bus or monorail or to have to drive to get the Parks is something that WDW regulars just cannot imagine. It just saves so much time in your day that you can use for shopping and eating. :lovestruc At WDW, it just means you have to spend at few extra days to get it all done, which is a good thing, too.

We have stayed in all DVC resorts with the exception of Vero Beach, and VGC is quickly becoming my favorite, although it will take a lot to knock Old Key West off the top spot--totally different experience, but they are the largest of all the villas and have full-sized fridges and washer/dryers. OKW was our first DVC resort and will probably always be our most favorite because of that. I know you are aware that you need to move quickly if you wish more VGC points before they are gone, good luck with that decision.

I certainly hope nothing I have said would come across as "down" on DL, but it is hard to not make comparisons. I really feel that the imagineers for WDW were able to learn from the DL experience, and it would have been a shame if they had not made a lot of things better than DL, but DL will also be the original and the first. So far, I love both resorts for various reasons and feel so lucky to be able to visit both. Each park gives a different experience and should be enjoyed for what they have to offer, imho.

[RweTHEREyet]

DL, Day 5, Thursday

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you that have stuck around for my ramblings. I think I have done this report more for myself than anything else, but I do hope that there are some WDW vets out that are thinking about a DL trip that may be picking up some useful tips and information.

Popcorn, Dole Pineapple Whip, Mickey Bar, they do have these in DL, don't they?

How had I gotten so far along in this trip with none of the above food items? This had to be rectified soon. So here were my missions for the day:

get my jacket back
Dole pineapple whip
Disney popcorn
premium Mickey bar

Out thru DTD where we saw this familiar site, it had been parked along the curb most every day during our stay. Looks like the electric cars we have seen over at Celebration.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101200_408.jpg

We started out with a stop at Lost and Found to pick up my jacket that I had left somewhere in Toontown a couple of days ago. We were greeted by

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2069.jpg

and a helpful cast Member, retrieved the jacket and we were soon on our way. I was really thankful to whoever turned it in as I didn't expect to see it again.

We then headed into DL and I wanted to catch another ride on Indiana Jones. It is at this point I find out that my DH is not overly fond of the ride, not sure why, he won't say if it is the jerkiness or if it just doesn't appeal to him. It is one of the few thrill rides (considered so by me anyway) that I can ride and enjoy. We head around to get a FP and possibly the stand-by line wouldn't be too bad. Almost as soon as we got the FP, the ride went down. We then went around to check out Frontierland a little more.

I have to say, I think this is one of the prettiest areas of all DL, in particular the area around Rancho Del Zocarro (right name?) the flowers and the murals on the walls of the buildings are just lovely. I wish we had tried the restaurant, but maybe next trip.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2084.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101240_491.jpg

Made our way back around, got my Dole pineapple whip, which I have to say is different than WDW. They do not have the pineapple/vanilla swirl that I love, DLs is simply pineapple all the way. I still enjoyed every bite. Back to check on Indy, still down, so we went around to Snow White~~

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101329_669.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10132701_666.jpg

and took a few more shots around the castle, here is one of my favorites~~

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101254_519.jpg

Back to Indy and it had just gotten back up and running, so I got in my final ride:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2074.jpg

I remembered from my research that the Golden Hourseshoe sometimes had shows, so we headed back to Frontierland and it seems we got there just as a show was ending. We got a seat up front and waited for the next one. Not quite ready for lunch we just had lemonades and shared some fries, also got the 15% discount off food here.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101237_485.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2078.jpg

The show that day was Billy Hill and the Hillbillies and we enjoyed it tremendously. It is nothing like the show we used to have at the Diamond Horseshoe at WDW, but still a good one and makes me wish we still had a show at WDW.

These guys really put on a fun performance~~

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10129501_602.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10128601_584.jpg

Here is the new paddle wheel on the newly refurbished Mark Twain, she is a fine looking vessel~~

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10123401_480.jpg

Got my scoop of popcorn (same container as WDW, and I am ready for some new designs as I bring them home and enjoy popcorn at the office) and another task crossed off the mission list.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101304_619.jpg

We took a ride with this lady on her little yellow car and she told us a lot of the history behind it. I saw her driving it every day we were in DL, back and forth from the train station to the hub. She could not tell us how many trips she makes a day, but she said she was either at the train station or the hub about every 5-7 minutes.

One difference we noticed in DL and WDW is that they only run the main street transportation at WDW in the mornings and when it is not terribly crowded. DL runs their transportation the entire day, at least during daylight hours.

We left DL and strolled thru CA. We started looking for something for lunch. I wanted to eat at the Trattoria, but when we got there, it was closed for refurbishment, getting ready for the WOC and the special offerings, I guess. I just thought I had seen it open earlier in the week, but I may be mistaken.

We then went around to the wharf area to potentially get a soup bread bowl. Made a stop in the ladies room and you won't believe what happened next.

As I approached the sink to wash my hands, there was an elderly woman standing there in a beautiful traditional yellow Sari. As I got up close, I noticed something sitting on the counter between our two sinks. Once I got closer, I saw that this woman had taken out her teeth :bugeyed:, full set of uppers and lowers and they were just sitting on the counter by the sink. Not on a paper towel, but directly on the counter while she was rinsing out her mouth. This may not bother some people, but it grossed me out. I am just not used to seeing peoples chompers sitting there looking back at me.

[RweTHEREyet]

Day 5, Thursday, continued:

After laughing a good bit about what I had just seen, we grabbed a quick bite of lunch at the Farmers Market. Kind of surprised I was still hungry after the teeth incident. We both had the lemonade and a chicken wrap with grapes, etc, as I recall. It was tasty and we both enjoyed it. I unrolled mine and just ate the filling. There were also some fries included, but they weren't crispy, so I passed on those. Lunch total for the two of us with 15% discount was $18.75.

From there I wanted to check out Bugs Land to see if It's Tough to be a Bug was any different than WDW. Nope it is jut the same, fun as usual, but Bugs Land is cute as can be. Very well done, kid friendly and such a pretty area.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10134701_706.jpg

I loved all the flowers that were planted. They were in full bloom and just beautiful. They probably stay in full bloom year round in this climate, where they would only last for the summer here at home. There were even some lemon trees that had the biggest lemons on them. Not Disney lemons, but real lemons, and I was sorely tempted to reach over and pick one, but if I had seen someone else doing that I would have thought ugly of them, so I left all the lemons right where I originally saw them, attached to a limb.

Sure wish I could say this was in my yard. I do love flowers, but the thing I grow best is crabgrass.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2116.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101345_701.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2121.jpg
The above is bug speak for "Cast Members Only".

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DSCF2120.jpg

From there went in the direction of Soarin'. We watched the people fall down GRR for a while and enjoyed the landscaping and theming around GRR. I have heard the drop on GRR is worse than our Kali River Rapids, and has made me a bit afraid to give it a try. My excuse is that there wasn't a day that I was prepared to get too wet , so maybe I will give it a try on another trip.

We approached the Soarin' area and there was Aviatrix Minnie in her adorable costume. Some people are jealous of Minnie, but I think she is adorable and I was thrilled there was an opportunity to get a picture with her. After all these years, to find a character in a costume I had not seen before was a treat, and I was so excited to get in line for this. :cool1:

After we had been in line for about 5 minutes or so, the Cast Member tells us that Goofy will be coming out shortly and taking Minnies place. You could tell that everyone was wanting their pic with Minnie, and we were encouraging those in front of us to move along quickly so we wouldn't miss out. Oh boy, I was next. The people in front of me went up, got their pictures, and here comes Goofy. Oh geez, come on, let's hurry up here.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-10135101_714.jpg


I rushed up to the Photopass person to hand him my card and he is fiddling with getting a new card for the people that were ahead of me. He finally took my card, and I turn around, and here is this woman and her daughter standing there with Minnie, smiling so nicely for the camera. :Pokepoke: And then Minnie leaves. What in the world just happened? I cannot tell you how bummed I was.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/jkm8113/California%20May%202010/DL5-101352_715.jpg

I stood there with my mouth open and then I think I said something not very pleasant at all, but I don't remember what it was. The woman turned and said something like she thought I was with the other people, all the while, she is scurrying away as fast as she can with her daughter and looking over her shoulder as if I might come after her :box: I sure thought about it, but then I figured it would be better if I just pouted. Pouted like a two year old because I knew this opportunity would not happen again during this trip. Second pouting episode of this trip for me, but that is far better than showing my temper. My mistake was trying to hand the photographer my Photopass card before the picture was taken, and I promise I won't be doing that again. :( Pouted all the way thru the lobby.

Back to the room and a little break and then we needed to figure out what we would be doing for dinner We eventually agreed that we both could go back to Naples for some more of that delicious pizza. This time we were seated upstairs. It had been closed last night for a private party. Ordered the same thing, it was almost as good, not quite, and the bill was $5.00 more, go figure. The only reason the pizza was not quite as good was that the crust was a little crispy, very dark brown in some spots. I now understand that is common for neapolitan pizza, and it has been suggested that I make sure we ask for it not to be as charred the next time.

There was a group of four, what I think were high school girls sitting at the table next to us, extremely loud and rude. They ticked off the balloon animal guy, he stomped off, and they seemed to give the waiter a hard time too. We almost clapped when they left.

We needed to do some last minute shopping, for ourselves this time, so I didn't take the leftover pizza with us to give to the bellmen. Felt bad about it, but I knew I could not shop while carrying a pizza box. Ended up buying one Minnie t-shirt and two sweatshirts with the huge "55" patches on it. All in all, shopping at WDW is far better, imho, than at DL. I had to search hard for anything I wanted to buy, and that normally is not the case at all. It could be that WDW is just so much bigger and that there are so many more opportunities there. A lot of people at WDW complain that the rides always dump them out into a gift shop, but that isn't a problem for me.

We enjoyed all the live music they have at DTD. I don't recall ever seeing performers at WDWs DTD, but every night we went into DTD, there were performers there and they were usually selling their cd's. etc. There was a fellow playing the hammer dulcimer right outside WOD, and that was just delightful. I wish I had bought one of his cd's, but I was tired and ready to get off my feet.

Shopping done, back to the room to think about packing up as we were checking out tomorrow and will only have a half day in DL before our son picks us up for the weekend.

But, is our Disney vacation really over? We have done a lot, but who is ever ready to leave no matter how much time they have?

[franandaj]

I would love to do the cooking school next year. I have already booked VGC for a week in mid-May, but I am not sure just how to make sure I am able to get in the class before it fills up.


If you already know the dates that you're going to be there, around mid January check www.disneyland.com/foodandwine and by then they should have the registration date listed. Be sure to be there at 10AM Pacific Time when registration opens with your credit card in hand. That's how I've gotten in each year.

Also if you bought an AP they may offer AP holder the opportunity to register for selected events (winemaker dinners and taste) early at a discount. They'll send you the link in that email if they do it again. The cooking school wasn't offered for early discount registration, but as long as you do it as soon as it opens, you'll be OK. Only one session this year sold out in three hours, the others were open for a couple weeks before they filled up.

Supposedly the first weekend will be April 29-May 1 next year.

[RweTHEREyet]

Right now we have the third week of May booked, so I guess if I looked at this year's schedule I could get a good idea of what to expect for classes for that same week next year.

We have not even eaten at Napa Rose, but from all I have seen and read, I think the cooking class would be a wonderful experience.

[franandaj]

Right now we have the third week of May booked, so I guess if I looked at this year's schedule I could get a good idea of what to expect for classes for that same week next year.

We have not even eaten at Napa Rose, but from all I have seen and read, I think the cooking class would be a wonderful experience.

The cooking school is almost every Saturday during the festival. The only Saturdays that it was not offered, Chef Sutton was doing a WineMaker Dinner that evening. I would suggest that if you do it, plan to eat at the Restaurant on your stay before the class. Sit at the Chef's Counter for the best view of what goes on.

I think you had read my F&W TR where I had pictures from the three years that I have done the cooking school. It was the most awesome experience! :thumbsup2

[RweTHEREyet]

Yes, I did, and that is what instigated my interest.

I have my villa booked for Sunday-Thursday, not because of cheaper points as I know that the points chart has changed for next year, but it worked well for us last trip to fly in, spend the weekend with my son and his wife, spend the week at DL while they were at work, and then spend the following weekend with the kids again.

If the class starts early, I may need to think about changing my ressie to add the following weekend, too, rather than driving in from Rancho Santa Margarita. I just think it would be easier to be staying on site the day of the class.

[franandaj]

If the class starts early, I may need to think about changing my ressie to add the following weekend, too, rather than driving in from Rancho Santa Margarita. I just think it would be easier to be staying on site the day of the class.

The class starts at 10 (probably not early for you coming from the East Coast!) and it says that it will go until 1PM, but every year I've been there until 3PM whether it is just lingering with classmates, getting autographs from the staff, or whatever, if you plan to leave by 1PM, you'll be disappointed, that is usually when we begin the dessert demo.

I agree with you that the Sweet Sundays are a bit overpriced, I did it last year and thought at $40 it was overpriced, at $70 we took a pass this year.

[LuvindisCruiser]

Just want you to know I have really enjoyed your trip report !:thumbsup2 I am a Disneyland Veteran, and have only been able to get to WDW 3 times. I have enjoyed seeing DLR through your eyes.

I absolutely love WDW castle so much more than DLR ! :cloud9: I wish I could get to WDW more often, but Disneyland is so much closer for us.

I have enjoyed all your pictures ! :)

Can't wait to see how the rest of your trip turns out ! popcorn::

[Todd Lee]

I'm really enjoying your trip report so far! I'm amazed that your not tired of ordering lemonade yet, you're really showing the pomegranate love.:love:

Sorry you missed your minnie photo-op, hopefully you'll catch her next time. We had a similar experience with our (then) 4 year old at the Jedi Training Academy. It still bums me out to think about it, and it was 2 years ago.:guilty:
Can't wait to read the next installment!

!!!!50 POSTS!!! YEEEE-HAAAAAA