Martinolich Family's 1st Trip to Disneyland! TR *UPDATE 7/31*

[martinolichfamily]

Hey ya'll! We are back safe and sound! Still a little on Cali time it feels like! All my pictures...well most of them are uploaded to photobucket now so I can get started! Ordered our photopass CD...cant wait to get it!
We had a great time! Can't wait to get back to Disney again! (WDW next July!) It's never too soon to start planning, right??!!

To refresh...

When: July 14 - 21, 2012

Where: Desert Palms Hotel

Who: Me, DH, DS10, DD5, DS then we were joined by DFIL, DMIL & DN6 on Tuesday night!

<insert family pic - gotta get it off photopass>


Departure Day: July 14


Waiting to board!

Our flight took off at 5:15p and we would arrive at LAX 7:35p Cali time.
This was our first time to fly anywhere with the kiddos....to say least, I was a bit nervous about it! I just didn't want to be "that" person with the screaming baby! I can say that baby was great! The screaming baby was behind us! Poor little guy...I felt so bad for him...he had just turned 1 yr old the day before. DD played with him through the seat and he loved her! DD is a 'little mommy' when it comes to little ones. She's so good with them!
The flight was great...I couldn't have asked for better!



Once we landed, we gathered all of our belongings and kiddos, got off the plane and headed for our luggage...found our luggage and then waited for the car rental shuttle...a few minutes later of thinking we wouldn't get picked up....the shuttle arrived! We were the only ones on it...off the Fox rent a car to get our "full size" suv! Hubby thought we were getting a Tahoe but nope...it was an Explorer w/ 7 seats....we are use to my Expedition! Anywho...he threw a fit about that and told him just deal with it that we wont be in the car that much anyway. We get out to get the Explorer and they said that it wasn't available and we could have a Jeep....it was a little mix up and ended up driving off with the correct vehicle! Whew!

Made it to Desert Palms hotel and DH went to check in while I waited with the kiddos in the car. Didn't take too long and he was back in car going to park us. We had room 420 and it had a balcony! Guess what!!?!! It was a park view room! Nice surprise! The hotel was clean, friendly staff and the complimentary hot breakfast was great! The breakfast included: scrambled eggs, sausage patties, cereals, make your own waffles, donuts, toast, yogurt, juice, milk and a few other things but can't remember...should have taken a pic! Breakfast is over at 10am....and they mean 10am! lol Twice we were running late and got in just in time...they lock the door so no one can come in after 10 and start emptying and putting everything away at 10! Once it was just our family and 2 other tables but the second time the dining room was packed!

Here's some pics of our room and the view!


Yuha Suite..King Room


Kids room w/sofa bed to right


Set of bunks on left of room


bathroom is to right just as you enter room...love that there were 2 sinks!

And look.........we even got a towel animal!


View from Balcony...it may be the "back park view" but still! Better than looking at the parking lot! You could hear the screams from ToT! It was funny!




By the time we had gotten our things in the room and pictures taken, we were starving! Remember...we were 2 hrs behind our normal time so it was well pass dinner for us!

I had wanted to go to DTD for dinner but we passed and went to find something...first we tried Denny's but we could not find a place to park! Parking lots were horrible..not much room in any of them it seemed!
After we turned around a few times and such...we went to IHOP..not my favorite but it was food! I did find it a little overpriced! I believe it was $8 for a kids plate?! Kids ate free anyway so no biggie! DH asked for grits instead of pancakes...here in TX that's no problem! But the waitress just looked at him like what are you talking about...so...I told her "grits" she said she didn't know what that was! We found that too funny! Guess you had to be there!

After dinner...we headed back to the room and crashed!


Day 1: Will DSbaby like the characters?

Day 1: Cont'd (not completed yet)

[arthur06]

Can't wait to read your TR...

[BabyEeyore]

Yay! Can't wait to read all about it.

[monkey30]

i am here and ready to read!

[DisneytheKid]

Cool! Looking forward to hearing more

[BeckWhy]

I'm on board!

[martinolichfamily]

Originally Posted by BabyEeyore

Yay! Can't wait to read all about it.

Originally Posted by monkey30

i am here and ready to read!

Originally Posted by DisneytheKid

Cool! Looking forward to hearing more

Originally Posted by BeckWhy

I'm on board!

[Echo queen]

I'm in

[BeckWhy]

I'm so glad I'll be able to find grits when I move to Texas. It's not exactly a food of western New York, but my mom's family is from the south so we eat a lot of grits.

Maybe they are called hominy in California... or maybe they don't have them at all.

[tffnyjean]

Looking forward to the rest of your TR!!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Heather, I am late but here!!!! So excited to read all about your trip. We were in San Francisco when you were in Disneyland. It may not have been a "Disney" trip but we managed to see the Walt Disney Family Museum---loved it.

[martinolichfamily]

Originally Posted by Echo queen

I'm in

Originally Posted by BeckWhy

I'm so glad I'll be able to find grits when I move to Texas. It's not exactly a food of western New York, but my mom's family is from the south so we eat a lot of grits.

Maybe they are called hominy in California... or maybe they don't have them at all.

We have hominy here but is not same as grits! DH loves his grits! Me not so much!

Originally Posted by tffnyjean

Looking forward to the rest of your TR!!

I'm hoping I can remember it all! lol I had written all rides we did on the maps each day but am missing them! I do have some notes though!

Originally Posted by jeremysdisneymom

Heather, I am late but here!!!! So excited to read all about your trip. We were in San Francisco when you were in Disneyland. It may not have been a "Disney" trip but we managed to see the Walt Disney Family Museum---loved it.

Hey Erika! Glad you are here! Very cool! How was the museum?


I am now armed with Photopass pics!

[martinolichfamily]

Day 1: July 15

We actually woke early! This would be the only day for that! I was up at 7:30a to get a shower while everyone else was snoozing away! Once I got ready then it was everyone else's turn to get up and ready to go! This would become the routine!

Someone was excited for their first time to Disney!


We had to get to our first character meal of the trip.....we had a 9am ressie for.....


The buffet was "OK" to me...maybe b/c we were tired?! The kids barely ate! Luckily the nice CM we had didn't charge us for DD as she ate like the baby!

Since these were the first characters of the trip....this was a test for DSbaby! He wasn't so sure about them...especially the bears!




Notice: No Brayden!



Here's a plate of food...I wasn't with my foodie pic taking yet....first day!



Once breakfast was over, we moved on to DTD! Love that you are able to get to DTD and the parks from GC! So nice and such a perk to stay at that resort! We had to stop at the sunglasses shop b/c DH 'thought' he lost his new pair of sunglasses again! (He did loose an Oakley pair on our Anniversary trip to WDW on the plane! BTW..he didn't loose any this trip...he left them in our car back home at the airport!) So....anywho DH bought himself a pair of Oakley's AND a strap to keep them around his neck! lol We finished up with that and caught walked to Disneyland! Finally!

BUT...on the way..our little "Tour Guide"




Gotta love Main Street....


First we headed to Big Thunder Mountain for our first ride! Wait was maybe 10 mins...not bad at all! Crowds this day were GREAT!



DD was so excited to ride BTM and she named off few other rides that she WAS going to ride...this being BEFORE BTM! AFTER the ride...she wasn't riding ANYTHING but kiddie rides! lol Next up we headed to Winnie the Pooh (DSbaby first ride! He loved it!)...we got some FP for Splash Mountain b/c it had a decent wait time...but most of the other rides were 5 - 10 mins waits! I think we went to Haunted Mansion as well and DH and DS rode then DS & I rode...DD was having no part of it! We also went on Pirates of the Carribean..this is my favorite ride at WDW! I do like DL version though a bit better! Now we were all beginning to get hungry for lunch so...we ended up at Hungry Bear! YUM! It was good for QS! We ate downstairs as there was a nice breeze and we could watch the ducks (and feed them) and also watch the canoe's go by and such!

Here's some foodie pics! Love that they have Sweet Potatoe Fries! They were so good!


Toddler meal

DH had onion rings with his burger...they were good too!

And............feeding the Ducks! There were sooo many! lol


Con't in next post!

[martinolichfamily]

Once we were done with our lunch as well as making sure the ducks all ate....it was time for SM FP to be used! I'm not a huge fan of getting wet and having to walk around like that but...DS wanted me to go with him. Once DH and DS rode w/the FP, it was my turn to ride with the rider swap card (love those!)...I didn't get too wet which was ok in my books!

A random picture...



We headed up toward the Castle and the parade was going on so we stopped to watch the remainder of it!







Star Tours also had a wait so...FP it was! While we waited we went to Buzz!

We love this ride too! Very cool that the laser is able to be taken out of the 'holder'! Of course...the exit MUST put you into a gift shop!



Too cute but we did not get it! Love the little ponytail!

Another random pic....of the "Mini" Monorail! I have nicknamed it Mini bc its little compared to WDW and only has TWO stops!


And finally....the Castle!











WILL FINISH UP...MUST EAT DINNER!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Wow, what a great start! Some neat characters at their breakfast. Some I have never seen in the WDW parks.

DL looks so neat and different.

The parade looks very cool! I love those princess floats.

At the Walt Disney Family Museum, they have the original model of Disneyland. Jeremy spent hours (literally) there looking at it and talking with a cast member. They also have Walt's train that was in his back yard. So neat and so much fun. Full of so much history and knowledge. I am going to do a little post about if and when I finish the current trip and start my new one. Who knows, I might finish the one today!!! At least that is the plan.