Our Disneyland & GCV TR:or walking in circles for 8 days with AussieKaren.

[zanzibar138]

Wow PIO that is a really evil looking smiley

 

[5ofus]

Oh wow, that is EVIL!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Let's just agree that I have the evil eye....

 

[gogo65]

Hope the evil eye hasn't scared Karen away

 

[areweindisneyyet]

She will be suffering the blues. She's tough. She will return with tales to tell. Good evil eye though. She should be scared

 

[ColinA]

Did you have the one bedroom or have you run out of points!

 

[WAMUMOF4]

 

[PrincessInOz]

The wait time seems to be longer than the Radiator Springs Racer queue.

 

[jacs1234]

I can't wait to hear all about it and I want to know what a mainly disneyworld goer thinks of disneyland. So excited to see pics.

 

[jacs1234]

And........I'm also jealous of your ticker, that you still have another trip to look forward to.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Welcome back ..and waiting too - PIO you are the world's best source of gifs (or whatever you call them!)

 

[australiankaren]

sorry for the delay..but will complete this by the end of this weekend, so hold tight...

GCH....Feb 1-9 2013
The DH and myself staying on DVC points at GCH villas for 8 nights in a studio.....flying Qantas on our awesome (thank you ms pototohead) $850 QF fares...using 14 day passes....so lets begin shall we.....oh and i have to warn you this is more of a photo essay rather than a blow by blow explaination...but as they say in welding "a picture paints a thousand words..and put on your damn glasses..dont make me come over there"....

So we leave during one of the biggest thunder storms I have seen in a long while..thus delaying the flight for 2.5 hrs.....but once on the A380 (upstairs exit row) brill......had great hostie (((hi ya Mia))) who was just great...got PDD...then business class doonas...business class meal, snacks, booze....they even gave the DH a tour of the business section and he had 2 short blacks in the business lounge at the pointy end at 35,000 ft......such a great flight....

now if you notice I take dumbo...which fits perfect on the seat and is so soft and comfy.....just looks a tad funny with his head popping out from between my knees....

We arrive at LAX and the DH doesnt know I organised a limo.....he thinks we are slumming it on a bus....so he sees the sign with our name and it takes him about 400m following this random guy before it sinks in....grin from ear to ear..who says i cant keep a secret!

check in at GCH.....piece of cake...walk right up, which is not normal, it normally is about a 20-30 min wait...later we find out this week they are at 50% capacity..never been that low before...SCORE!!!! But DVC villas are full as per usual....so we get our room, our 14 day hopper and our signed pic from mickey and toddle off to...Studio overlooking Grizzly play ground thingy...

next..the shopping that was waiting for me....

 

[australiankaren]

so I made a few online purchases, as you do when the aussie dollar is doing well....34 parcels later....how was I to know they split orders into on average 4 boxes.....anyway here is a little of the carnage( boxes in boxes)..

now i love Disney detailing...down to the shower curtains....

our views...yea haaaaaaaaaa......notice the mickey wheel of doom in the background...a tale for later I feel...

 

[australiankaren]

so after unpacking my stuff..i need to nest before I can move on...we head out to explore the resort.....

the quick serve place was great..the breakfast borittos were the size of small cattle....and HI to the lovely lady behind the counter.....

so after a toddle, I'm hungry so we stop in at storytellers for lunch...open til 4.50 ish for the lunch menu...cheap and nice..we shared 2 mains..ribs and qestidellas ( you know what I mean)...with a side of bread..and of course my unlimited diet coke katnip....

now after being fed, watered to an extent where I slosh as I walk we decide to go and have showers and try to sleep..........22 hrs later after sleeping thru fireworks, the second coming and a brass band outside our door we wake to discover its 4 pm saturday...we went to bed 6 pm fri...

yes ...we are getting old....

 

[australiankaren]

Ok, we have been to Disneyland in 1983 for me, 1979 for DH...so I think it may have changed a tad...

so after the sleep of the dead, we wake refreshed and keen to hit the CA...maybe we can get fast passes for radiator springs..yep, we are new in town.....

showered, fed and chumping we head towards GC thru the private enterance for GCH guests....right into grizzly thingy...we keep thinking we are outside the park and are now those people we mock at WDW who huddle as if being attacked by wild schnauzers looking desperately at a map that makes no sense whatsoever......

before being lost...so full of excitement and self esteem...

now humbled by the beast that is the lack of any map reading skills ...oh and DH was no help, I'm sure he thought we were still near the airport....

so after finally just going "bugger it...well keep walking till we hit water" we stumble off into the great unknown.....now to be honest we were not expecting what lay around the corner...

we were in shock...all we could do for at least 10 mins is run around pointing going "look at that"..."oh look at that"....fantastic is all we can say....until we stumbled upon one of the top 5 rides of our trip...then it just got better....

the silly swings...loved them..and was lucky cause 2 days later they were closed for refurb for the rest of our trip.....

now this pic is a mixed bag...if only I knew then what I know now re the mickey wheel of doom....I wouldnt be that happy to stand in front of it smiling...maybe setting it alight, or handing out leaflets telling people to avoid..but thats a story for later........

then the find of the day....decent coffee....

a well fed and watered DH is a happy DH

 

[australiankaren]

so after reading all the great reports re the pork and coke at flo's we toddle off......

15 mins of reading the menu....so many choices and so diff to WDW menus we chose..shock horror...the coke pork and the kiddie meal....

Dh being in the aussie shirt had the girl serving asking if he cycles......oh well we scored some badges and had an awesome meal....

DH's coke pork

my kiddie meal...sorry for blurry..and they are grapes not olives !

we intended going back later in the trip, but too many other places to try so didnt

 

[miss.potatohead]

I picked a good night not to go out. Cheers for starting your TR/photo essay!

 

[australiankaren]

so after being fed...and its starting to get dark after 5 so we have a look around cars land...what theming...totally blown away.. Disney has outdone themselves....over the 8 days we spent at least 40% of our time in cars land and paradise pier...so much to see and do..over and over and over again....

 

[australiankaren]

OMG...love love love this ride.....what more can you say!

 

[australiankaren]

before

after