Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[Captain_Oblivious]

Tower, This is Ghostrider Requesting a Flyby.

I see someone has already claimed this quote.

When I threatened to eat her hot dog, she had no reaction. I grabbed it and took a bite and I quickly understood why.

Worst hot dog ever.

It was just downright disgusting. I’m not sure why, but that thing was just nasty. We threw about $12 worth of hot dog in the trash.

Ugh. I remember when my parents would yell at me about not eating my vegetables and they'd say starving children in Asia would love to have them, and I would volunteer to donate them to a worthy cause.

We thought about spending some time at the zoo or some other places, but in the end we thought that USS Midway probably made the most sense for us from a cost perspective and for the amount of time we had.

Plus, aircraft carriers are awesome.

While we were there, I took my phone out of my pocket to take some pictures. It was off. Again. What the heck is going on???

I have no idea, but the NSA has some questions for you.

I mean he talked for a solid half hour about all the details and checks and balances that the flight crew goes through to launch a plane… only they run through that whole process about once a minute per catapult. Absolutely incredible.

When we got to the hotel, I told DW to take the kids to the room and I’d keep walking and go to the convention center to get registered. I really don’t remember what the conversation was at that point or why on Earth we did it this way, but she decided they’d just go with me. So here I am, still carrying DD. Somewhere around this point she fell asleep… so now I’m carrying her while she sleeps.

Sure...that makes sense.

DW offered to go look for some cereal for the kids to eat for breakfasts and said she’d just bring food back to the room. Since there was a Cheesecake Factory right next to the hotel that we could see from our window, it seemed to be calling our name.

Cheesecake for breakfast! Brilliant idea!

That’s when someone replied asking if I was going to Disneyland for the race.

Uh… what race?

D'oh!

It rained on Sunday.


All day.


In Southern California.


Where they tell me it isn’t supposed to rain.

I would blame @franandaj for this.

Instead, he did a stand up routine.

And it was a stand up routine that quite frankly, was highly offensive and not all that funny.

People were getting up and walking out. It was bad enough that email apologies from higher ups in the organization were coming out the following week. They claim that they had had some discussions with him and he totally just went off script.

Wow...that's, uh, not much of an endorsement. I guess when you lose your fastball, you really lose it.

Some of you who have followed other TR’s of mine might remember mention of a phone that I destroyed because I had it in my pocket when I waded into the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago. This is the type of thing that just happens to me.

Usually due to a moment of stupidity on my part.

Hey, you said it, not me.

I figured I’d just carry it without the Otterbox until I got home, then I’d see about getting a new phone. Problem solved...

Tuesday morning we’d have some time to explore either some more of San Diego or the Anaheim area as we’d be moving from our beautiful San Diego hotel to the Grand Californian!

 

[afwdwfan]

I see someone has already claimed this quote.

I had faith that you'd follow through if nobody else did though.

Ugh. I remember when my parents would yell at me about not eating my vegetables and they'd say starving children in Asia would love to have them, and I would volunteer to donate them to a worthy cause.

So what you're saying is that Julie has you to thank for Scotty being Scotty?

Plus, aircraft carriers are awesome.

I have no idea, but the NSA has some questions for you.

I didn't do it!

Sure...that makes sense.

I have no idea why we did that. I honestly don't remember the thinking.

Cheesecake for breakfast! Brilliant idea!

The best!!! I seriously should have just gotten a piece every evening to eat the next morning.

D'oh!

Big time screw up on my part.

I would blame @franandaj for this.

She must have been responsible because she seemed very apologetic for the rain.

Wow...that's, uh, not much of an endorsement. I guess when you lose your fastball, you really lose it.

And a Phillies fan should know about losing a fastball...

It really was bad. It just really wasn't very funny and almost painful to sit through.

Hey, you said it, not me.

Well, truth is truth.

 

[jedijill]

Catching up...The Top Gun quotes made my night. There is/was another HRC in San Diego that had a ton of Top Gun memorabelia when I was there 10 years ago. I love that move. Volleyball scene. 'Nuf said.

Can't believe Leno was so bad. That stinks. I used to get dragged to my parent's Teachers conventions and the most interesting speakers were Capt Kangaroo and Jeanne Yaeger and Dick Rutan (they flew the first around the world nonstop flight).

Jill in CO

 

[pkondz]

Jeanne Yaeger and **** Rutan

Such a silly DISboard rule. Can't even talk about one of Disney's most beloved character actors without those stars...

 

[afwdwfan]

Catching up...The Top Gun quotes made my night. There is/was another HRC in San Diego that had a ton of Top Gun memorabelia when I was there 10 years ago. I love that move. Volleyball scene. 'Nuf said.

I love Top Gun. And I've seen it way too many times. But I prefer plenty of other scenes to that one.

Can't believe Leno was so bad. That stinks. I used to get dragged to my parent's Teachers conventions and the most interesting speakers were Capt Kangaroo and Jeanne Yaeger and **** Rutan (they flew the first around the world nonstop flight).

They usually have Jack Hanna at this one. He usually is a speaker at a breakfast that costs extra (it happened before we got into town so we didn't go this time) and then he's available for meet and greets in the trade show area with some animals. The kids usually enjoy that one quite a bit.

Such a silly DISboard rule. Can't even talk about one of Disney's most beloved character actors without those stars...

 

[amazingact21]

Sounds like an overall good time in San Diego. It must have been really convenient to be in walking distance from everything. (Maybe not so much with a bad back) And it's good that there were places to eat other than chain restaurants. I hate visiting a new place and only eating the same things I'd be able to get back at home.

I'm not liking all this talk of your phone. Taking it out of a case is never good. Never. And this coming from someone who has, in the last three weeks, dropped and cracked her phone screen protector. And that's with it protected. So I worry whenever someone has a phone out of a case.

 

[franandaj]

When I threatened to eat her hot dog, she had no reaction. I grabbed it and took a bite and I quickly understood why.

While we were sitting there, I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. It had turned off somehow. Hmmm…. odd.

Uh-oh....

The Midway was a great way to spend a few hours.

That's great you found a nice way to spend a couple hours!

While we were there, I took my phone out of my pocket to take some pictures. It was off. Again. What the heck is going on???

Hmmmm...definitely not good.

I stood on the flight deck for about a half hour listening to a talk about how the catapult works to launch the planes and a detailed description about all the jobs and people involved with making each launch happen.

I would find that fascinating too.

We really only spent maybe 2 or 3 hours on the Midway.

That's a perfect amount of time when restless kids are involved.

When we got to the hotel, I told DW to take the kids to the room and I’d keep walking and go to the convention center to get registered. I really don’t remember what the conversation was at that point or why on Earth we did it this way, but she decided they’d just go with me. So here I am, still carrying DD. Somewhere around this point she fell asleep… so now I’m carrying her while she sleeps.

Not good for your back....

I told them once I get to the room I’m taking a shower and laying down and then I don’t intend to move until morning.

I don't blame you!

DW returned with our food from Cheesecake Factory and we had a nice laid back dinner in the room.

That's a nice way to do it.

Uh… what race?

It rained on Sunday.


All day.


In Southern California.


Where they tell me it isn’t supposed to rain.

I think that would be defined in your insurance policy as "an act of god".

It was just a light mist. But it misted all day long.

What do you mean????? That's RAIN!!!!! The pavement got wet. The sun was obscured!!!

I guess if that’s a winter storm to the locals, I probably shouldn’t complain too much. These folks clearly don’t know what winter is.

The reporters were probably out in force, with their rain gear and TV cameras with graphics on screen declaring "Storm Watch". And doing it all with their most serious expressions!

And it was a stand up routine that quite frankly, was highly offensive and not all that funny.

Ugh. I remember when my parents would yell at me about not eating my vegetables and they'd say starving children in Asia would love to have them, and I would volunteer to donate them to a worthy cause.

Asia? My parents must have lied! They told me the starving kids were in Africa!

I would blame @franandaj for this.

Wha??????

She must have been responsible because she seemed very apologetic for the rain.

I planned it just for you! Bwwwwah!

 

[afwdwfan]

Sounds like an overall good time in San Diego. It must have been really convenient to be in walking distance from everything. (Maybe not so much with a bad back) And it's good that there were places to eat other than chain restaurants. I hate visiting a new place and only eating the same things I'd be able to get back at home.

It really was a nice set up. Would have been nicer if we could have walked without getting wet on Sunday, but the location was nice. We had plenty of good options to choose from.

I'm not liking all this talk of your phone. Taking it out of a case is never good. Never. And this coming from someone who has, in the last three weeks, dropped and cracked her phone screen protector. And that's with it protected. So I worry whenever someone has a phone out of a case.

I used to have a Droid Bionic. I thought at the time that it was big and bulky. It was nothing compared to my Galaxy S4 in an Otterbox though. I carried it for 2 years without a case because I didn't know how I'd ever fit it into my pocket with it in a case. I never had a problem... I even kept it several months after I was due for an upgrade. Until I ran over it one day... yeah, a case wont help that one.

Anyway, since that phone, I've yet to have a phone last me until I'm due for the next upgrade. And it has never been anything random happening. It has always been something stupid I did.

Uh-oh....

That's great you found a nice way to spend a couple hours!

It was. It worked out perfectly.

Hmmmm...definitely not good.

Not really...

I would find that fascinating too.

It really was. They had another one talking about how the mechanisms that catch the planes works when they land too, but I didn't think the rest of the family would appreciate me nerding out for long enough to see that one too.

That's a perfect amount of time when restless kids are involved.

Gotta mind those short attention spans.

Not good for your back....

Definitely didn't help. But thankfully, it didn't make things worse.

I don't blame you!

I'd gone from single digit temps to high 60's or 70's. I was hot, I was tired, I was sore... time to kick back!

That's a nice way to do it.

It definitely was. I'm glad we thought of that, because I definitely didn't want to turn around and go anywhere.

I think that would be defined in your insurance policy as "an act of god".

What do you mean????? That's RAIN!!!!! The pavement got wet. The sun was obscured!!!

Wet, damp... yeah close enough.

The reporters were probably out in force, with their rain gear and TV cameras with graphics on screen declaring "Storm Watch". And doing it all with their most serious expressions!

Seems about right!!! Everybody was in full freak out mode. The hotel rolled out these umbrella racks with plastic bags all over the place... I never even saw them the rest of the trip. People would look at us like we were crazy when we walked outside with no umbrella.

Asia? My parents must have lied! They told me the starving kids were in Africa!

I always heard the Africa version too.

Wha??????

Well, you're the only local we know, so...

I planned it just for you! Bwwwwah!

Thanks.

 

[afwdwfan]

If You’re Gonna Spew, Spew Into This.

Sorry for the long boring post... but let's just knock this whole day out in one shot so we can get to the good stuff...


We woke up Tuesday morning with no real firm plans in place. The only thing we knew is that we’d need to check out of our room by 11 and then check in at the Grand Californian sometime later in the day.

We’d considered checking out some other areas of San Diego, or getting to the GCH for some pool time and DTD time or maybe doing some sightseeing somewhere in between.

I woke up, once again, at around 6 am. I got ready to go and picked up the last few things we had scattered around the room and packed them. We weren’t in any rush, so I didn’t want to wake everyone up. DW eventually woke up and showered and got ready, and not long after, the kids started to stir.

I don’t remember what time it was when DS informed us that he didn’t exactly feel very good and then… well, there’s no good way to say it. He puked.

We got him in a bath and got him comfortable and then put all our plans, or lack thereof, on a temporary hold. We had him lay down in one of the beds for a while and kept asking him how he felt.

He said he felt fine.

We hung around the room for a couple of hours and he seemed fine. Didn’t have any more issues. We were going to have to leave at some point, and hoped that maybe it was a one time thing so we decided that we might as well go ahead and check out.

I’d completed the handy check out feature on the TV grabbed all of our bags and was standing in the hallway waiting. When DS let it be known he clearly wasn’t feeling well. Again.

Once again, we got him cleaned up. He said he was ok… we grabbed every plastic bag we could find in that hotel room. Trash bags. Ice bucket bags, Laundry bags. We cleaned them out.

We headed out to the car and settled in for the drive north to Anaheim. I really didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know what was wrong with DS or when he’d get better. We couldn’t really hang out in San Diego since we had to check out, and we had a room waiting for us at Disneyland. We really thought the best option for us was to hope he’d be ok for the ride and maybe we could check in to our room at GCH and he could lay down and feel better by Wednesday.

And the fact that it was a rental car, made me a little less concerned about the consequences.

Anyway, we got on the interstate and enjoyed the er… um… uniqueness of southern California drivers. I don’t know if it is legal there for motorcycles to drive as fast as they want and pass cars by driving between lanes. But every time I saw one coming in my mirror, I had a hard time keeping myself from throwing my door open at the last second.

Traffic wasn’t too bad for southern California. Probably. I guess considering I've never driven there before, I really don’t know. It was bumper to bumper, but once we got outside of San Diego, we were able to run the speed limit pretty much the whole way to Anaheim.

We got out on the road and we were maybe halfway to Anaheim when DS alerted us that the still didn’t feel good. DW told him to get one of the many plastic bags that we borrowed from the hotel. Well, I’ll leave the details out… but thankfully this was round 3 and there just wasn’t much left to come out.

We were in one of the middle lanes of bumper to bumper traffic. There really wasn’t much we could do at that point anyway. DW climbed into the back seat with wipes to help him clean himself up. Thankfully he fell asleep and then we were fine until we arrived at Disneyland.

We got to GCH and I pulled up and went in to check in while DW waited in the car with the kids. I’ve got to say that I like WDW’s check in process a whole lot more than DL. I waited probably 20 minutes in line before I ever got up to the counter to see a CM. I guess guests can arrive in waves so it could always be hit or miss, but I’ve never waited more than a couple of minutes at WDW. There was a long line and only 3 CM's checking guests in. It was very frustrating!

The CM who checked me in though, was very nice. I know she was doing her best. But they really needed to have more CM’s available to help with check in. We went through all the usual check in procedures. She told me the room wasn’t ready, but she thought it was close and might even be ready by the time we got done talking. She asked if I had any questions…

Why, yes I do!

I hear there’s this little Star Wars race thingy going on right out here on this street in front of the hotel. I have a flight to catch early Saturday morning. Am I going to be able to leave sometime between 5 and 6 am to drive to the airport?

I got the deer in the headlights look.

She clearly knew nothing.

From the maps that @eandesmom turned my attention toward, I could see that the race was going to be running right past the GCH on the road I used to enter the resort. I assumed I wouldn’t be able to get out of there going that way.

One would think that the front desk personnel at that hotel might be prepared to deal with questions and concerns regarding road closures.

One would be sadly mistaken.

She called over to bell services, because, why not? There were 2 gentlemen who came over to help her. The first one told me that they will be directing anyone who needs to leave during the hours that roads are closed to park at the DLH self parking lot and they’ll be able to leave from there. He then started going on a tangent about how that will be a pain for hauling luggage.

Yeah, you don’t say…

He said that if we call bell services they’d probably be able to get a cart… when his buddy shook his head “no” and cut him off. “If I were you, I’d haul your bags out to the car Friday night with everything you won’t need for that last night and then move it to DLH. That way you’ll only have to carry one bag.”

I was really disappointed by the fact that they had no plan in place, and essentially, no way to offer assistance. I mean for the love of God, I was paying a premium price for Disneyland’s flagship resort. I’d like to think I’m being reasonable here and not just taking a “me, me, me” attitude about it, but you’d think that if there’s a race causing road closures and you have to park somewhere that is a 15 - 20 minute walk from the resort that they might put something in place to help get you and/or your luggage over there.

It isn’t like we were paying Super 8 prices.

At this point I felt really confident that this was a total cluster… I had some answers. But they didn’t exactly come with a high degree of confidence from the CM’s giving me said information. I was possibly more nervous about getting out of there Saturday than I was before check in.

Oh well, the text still hadn’t come for our room being ready, so I went back outside and we had bell services store our bags for us while we went to park the car in the GCH lot. We really didn’t know what to do. We didn’t want to go hang out in the lobby and wait since we were treating DS like a ticking time bomb by this point. I found a shady spot to park… meaning a parking spot next to the single palm tree in the middle of the parking lot, and we rolled down the windows to sit and wait.

Thankfully, no sooner had I turned the car off than a text came through that our room was ready. We asked DS how he felt. Once again, he said he felt fine. We asked if he thought he would be ok walking to our room. He was ready to go, so we got out of the car, gathered the last few bags and started to set out.

But not before DS had to go over and fertilize the palm tree.

Ugh… not good at all.

Once he regathered himself, we asked if he thought we could make it to our room. He said he could, so we made him ride in the stroller with a bag handy, just in case. I carried DD and we headed for our room as quick as we could go. Thankfully we made it without incident.

​

I think the check in process kind of soured me on the resort just a bit, but once we got into the room, I felt kind of underwhelmed, to be honest. Part of it might have been that we had just come from the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego and had an awesome room there… but our room at GCH in comparison was smaller and seemed to be showing some age. Don’t get me wrong, it was clean, but the carpet and furniture just had some signs of wear and tear. Totally not what I expected from a Disney resort, and definitely not the flagship resort.

And the bed wasn’t near as comfortable as the one we’d just come from.

In addition to that, we had a balcony overlooking a courtyard where the monorail went through. Ok… monorails are cool. So I won’t knock the fact that we had a monorail view room!

But there were some roof structures jutting out from the building, one just below our balcony. And there was all kinds of trash on the roof. It looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a while. There were balls of paper, condiment packages, straws, plastic eating utensils, just all kinds of trash.

Did it affect our stay there?

Absolutely not.

But do I expect that kind of thing at a Disney resort?

Absolutely not!

The common areas though, were amazing. The lobby and resort grounds are spectacular.

I definitely enjoyed our time at the resort and hanging out there, but as for whether I’d stay there again, it isn’t very likely. I really had a hard time saying this was worth the price tag. Considering that this resort is somewhat comparable to Wilderness Lodge in theming and architecture, I can say without a doubt, I’d choose to stay at WL over GCH.

We made the decision to stay at GCH based on the fact that this was essentially our “once in a lifetime” trip to Disneyland. I had some Disney Visa Rewards money to spend, so we figured the GCH would be the way to go. We were torn between DLH and GCH, but eventually decided we didn’t want to have any regrets and went big. When it was all said and done, I really wished we would have stayed at DLH. It turns out that our hotel choice did end up being the biggest regret from the trip.

Now a lot of this comes from the inconveniences surrounding the race weekend, but I walked through the DLH grounds every day of our trip, and I really liked it there. It felt more “Disney” than GCH. The only thing it didn’t have was GCH’s prime location!

Anyway, back on topic, once we got to the room, DW and I started unpacking the small bags we’d carried in and I called bell services to bring the rest of our luggage. They were there within about 10 minutes.

We had a room with bunkbeds so we got DS settled into the bottom bed to lay down and relax. We really didn’t know what was wrong with him. He seemed to act perfectly fine until he would suddenly puke. No other symptoms and we didn’t have a thermometer, but he didn’t seem to have a fever.

I think it was around 1PM at this point, but once we settled into the room, DW went to sit on the balcony while DS watched some TV. I took DD and the stroller and we went searching for food. We walked down to the lobby and went into the gift shop to grab some hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to use in the room… just in case.

We headed out to the food court there, but I just didn’t see anything too appealing for us to have for lunch.

I decided that I was going to cheat and take advantage of my little bit of freedom. I wasn’t sure what DS’s being sick would do to affect our trip going forward, but I wanted to see what DTD was all about. We headed out and found Earl of Sandwich. I figured that would work for a good lunch for us. I got a buffalo chicken wrap for myself, a kids turkey and cheese for DW and a grilled cheese for DD. DD also requested some grapes so I grabbed those and a few drinks, including a couple of bottles of Sprite for DS, and we headed back to the room.

When we got back, DS was able to drink some Sprite while we enjoyed our sandwiches. I love buffalo wings and buffalo chicken sandwiches. This was my first EOS experience, but I’ve got to say, I can understand what all the talk is about that place now. That was one of the best buffalo chicken wraps I’ve ever had, if not the best. It was just really fresh and tasted great.

After we enjoyed our lunch, I laid down and grabbed my laptop and started trying to do more research on the traffic situation surrounding the race. I was looking for road closures, potential alternate routes, and just trying to get myself really familiar with the area in case I had to come up with some alternate plans to get out of there.

DS had been drinking some Sprite and was doing very well. We had some crackers that we brought for snacks on the plane, so we let him start eating a few of those. It had been a few hours since his last incident in the parking lot, and he seemed to be doing ok. For now, anyway.

I wasn’t coming up with any information that made me feel warm and fuzzy about getting out of there Saturday. I’d even noticed that the DLH lot where the bell services workers told me I’d need to park was on a street that was marked on the map as being one that would be closed Saturday morning. I was getting even more nervous about it, so I figured I’d head over to DLH and check things out.

I wouldn’t have to move the car until Friday afternoon. But here we are sitting around the room. It is Tuesday, DS is sick, and we aren’t doing anything. If I’m gonna waste half a day harassing CM’s for answers, today will be the day to do it. I really didn’t want to waste valuable time during one of our 3 park days moving the car and dealing with figuring out the details.

I headed out to the car and drove over to DLH. I pulled into the guard booth at the outside of the parking lot. I told him I was a guest at GCH and I’d need to get out early Saturday morning to catch a flight. I explained that they told me to park in this lot and I’d be able to leave, but when I looked at the maps online, they showed the road I had just entered the lot from to be one of the roads that would be closed. I asked him if I’d be able to get out of there Saturday morning if I was parked there.

His response: “If they told you to park here and you’ll be able to get out, then they’ll probably have some way to get out.”

Seriously????

And I’d heard such great things about Disneyland CM’s.

I went ahead and parked, but my stress level had climbed. I walked into the lobby of DLH, because surely they’d know if guests checking into their own hotel would be able to get out or not.


By the way... for reference, the map below shows the route the 10K was going to follow Saturday morning and the red rectangle is the lot that we were told to park in.

I walked up to the guest services counter… noticing that there was no wait to check in or visit guest services at DLH, unlike the crowd at GCH, and spoke to the CM standing there. I told the whole story again about staying at GCH, being told to park at DLH so I could get out Saturday. I explained the road closure listed on the map and told him I’ve never been to Anaheim before. I just wanted to know if I’ll be able to get out of that lot, how I’ll be getting out of that lot, and where I’ll be in relation to a major road with Interstate access when I leave.

He didn’t have answers, but he tried to help. Unlike every other CM I’d spoken with, he at least seemed confident when he assured me that I would be able to leave that lot on Saturday morning. He wasn’t sure how yet… he didn’t know if they’d leave the road north of the lot open going west to Walnut and just barricade it to the east, or if they’d allow us to leave via a backstage exit somewhere behind the convention center at DLH. But it was something.

Lacking an affirmative answer, but finally feeling a little bit better, I headed out of the DLH lobby and decided to explore the grounds. There was something in particular that I was looking for though. With all the stress of the day with DS being sick and trying to figure out the parking and traffic plans surrounding the 10K on Saturday morning, I wanted to kick back and just relax for a few minutes.

Maybe enjoy a nice cold beverage.

What better place to do this than Trader Sam’s?

You have got to be kidding me…

​

The sign posted just said that they would be closing at 10 pm that night. It didn’t offer an explanation of why it was a locked up ghost town at like 3 pm though. My understanding was that it was open from like 11 am to 11 pm or something like that. Maybe I was wrong, I don’t know. But there was no getting in there short of breaking and entering. It was just another frustrating letdown. I stumbled my way back up the pathway and headed toward DTD. I considered going back to the room, but I decided instead to walk around and try to get myself into the Disney spirit that I had yet to find since our arrival.

I walked into the World of Disney store and looked around. I thought I'd see if they had one of those stupid Christmas sweater shirts that I never could find in XL at Disney World. They did, but also not XL. I found a phone case that would fit my phone, and considered buying it. But then I figured if I was going to try to upgrade after I got home, there’s no point spending $30 or whatever it was for a case that I’ll use for maybe a week.

I was just wandering around, looking for nothing in particular when “One Little Spark” started playing. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t care much for the current version of Figment, but I’ve always had fond memories of Figment and Dreamfinder going back to my first visit to Disney World.

Hearing that song, at that exact time, did it. It kind of pepped me up and reminded me where I was. I could feel the weight lifting off of my shoulders. I didn’t know if DS would be able to go to the parks tomorrow or not, but one way or another, we’d figure out how to make it work. And we were going to have fun!

I left World of Disney and walked toward the bag check area. I considered going through and getting a good look at the train station, but just that little glance from an angle lifted my spirits even more. I headed back to the room to check on the kids and DW.

But not before a quick detour.

There was something else that I knew would help raise my spirits. When I got to GCH, I headed to the quick service place and grabbed a Mickey Bar. If Mickey shaped ice cream can’t make you happy, nothing can.

DS was still feeling ok. He was lying in bed surrounded by cracker crumbs. He’d been eating them with no ill effects and drinking plenty of Sprite. Hey… don’t judge, he likes it and it got him drinking something.

DW had been enjoying sitting out on the balcony, and DD was bouncing off the walls. She was constantly climbing up and down on the bunk bed. We couldn’t get her to stop; both kids would end up falling over the course of the week. I really wished we had never been given one of those rooms.

I had done some exploring, so I offered to let DW head out for a while and I’d stay with the kids. She left and explored the resort for a bit while I hung out in the room. She came back all excited about finding lemon trees with lemons on them next to the pool.

When she got back, I offered to take DD to the pool for a swim. DS wanted to go, and while he seemed to be feeling much better, and hadn’t been sick in a few hours we decided that he didn’t need to be going anywhere near a pool.

We headed to the pool, but even though it was warm outside… probably around 70, the water was pretty cold. We didn’t last very long at all before DD was shivering, so I wrapped her in a towel and headed back to the room for a warm bath.

It was late afternoon at this point, and it was almost time for dinner. I failed to mention that we had an ADR. Not knowing what we planned to do for sure on Tuesday, or when we’d check in, we decided to grab an ADR in DTD for I think 7:30 PM.

We really weren’t sure what to do. We’d been discussing it all afternoon. DS was sick, so a legitimate reason to cancel and ADR. But we were inside of our 24 hour cancellation window and didn’t want to be charged.

Our ADR was for Naples, so my thinking was worst case scenario, I’d just go by myself and get a pizza and take it back to the room.

It had been several hours since DS had been sick. He seemed to be feeling considerably better and wasn’t showing any ill effects. We were all sick of staring at those 4 walls, so we decided to venture out and see some things around DTD.

We started off with the World of Disney and turned in the voucher they’d given us when booking our package for a free pin and lanyard. After that we headed to the opposite end of DTD to check out the Lego Store.

​

Yeah… blurry Hulk picture. But it was hard to get one without getting photobombed.

DS was up and walking with us. And doing very well. He seemed to be enjoying himself and feeling fine.

We got to Naples and checked in for our ADR. They seated us outside on the patio right under a heater. It was a beautiful setting to enjoy some pizza.

We placed our orders, but being sick earlier and then all the walking in DTD started to catch up with DS. He curled up in his chair and went to sleep. DD was being a handful and didn’t want to sit and eat, so once our pizza arrived, we asked for the check and a box, scarfed down a few slices, and took it back to the room.

For those of you who might not know, Naples is basically Disneyland’s Via Napoli. It is owned by the same company, and the pizza is pretty much the same. So yes, it was frickin’ awesome.

We didn’t spend a long time at Naples, but I’ve got no complaints. The food and service were both very good there. If you like Via Napoli and find yourself craving some good pizza at Disneyland, this is the place to go!

I also found out that the pizza is still good if you eat it cold for breakfast. I’ve never let a VN pizza hang around long enough to get cold to find out.

We got back to the room and got the kids bathed and settled in for the night. It was an early bedtime for all of us… I think it was around 8:30 or 9:00 pm.

We had all just laid down in bed when there was a knock on our door. I didn’t even realize they did this, but they were coming around to do turndown service. I went to the door and told her we were already in bed… and I put the “do not disturb” sign out.

I climbed back into bed and closed my eyes. Hoping that when we wake up, DS will be feeling better and ready to go.

And hopefully he didn’t share whatever it was that he had with any of the rest of us.

 

[shan23877]

"I'm giving you a no honk guarantee" Except you weren't. First, poor DS. There is nothing more sad than a sick kid. And nothing to make a parent feel more helpless-especially so far from home!

Okay, I would have been super angry about the parking/race info situation. I obviously don't know how this played out, but it sounds to me like Cynthia pretty much saved the day. I'm guessing they would have let you park there and then not let you out.

And honestly the first thing I thought when I saw the picture of the room was "huh". I expected more I guess. Everyone makes GCH sound like the ULTIMATE DLR hotel. The common areas look pretty though!

Figment saves the day! And here my money was on a beer...

Glad you enjoyed EoS! My DH loves the meatball, which is "seasonal" now And Yay! for good pizza! That will go a long way toward improving moods.

It finally occurred to me that you were defending yourself a little since DS was sick. Made me laugh because 1. It's not our business anyway and 2. I would hae done the EXACT same thing. Sprite keeps 'em drinking and after a few hours in a hotel room and no sickness? We'd be out the door!

Can't wait to hear more, and I sure hope that it improved.

 

[jedijill]

Poor kid! That stinks getting sick on DL day! I remember all the issues with the race and your bad and no information. So frustrating! Glad the pizza was good!

Jill in CO

 

[SarahDisney]

I don’t remember what time it was when DS informed us that he didn’t exactly feel very good and then… well, there’s no good way to say it. He puked.

Aw, poor guy

Anyway, we got on the interstate and enjoyed the er… um… uniqueness of southern California drivers. I don’t know if it is legal there for motorcycles to drive as fast as they want and pass cars by driving between lanes. But every time I saw one coming in my mirror, I had a hard time keeping myself from throwing my door open at the last second.

So ... why didn't you do it? There is only one mode of transportation whose drivers are worse than motorcycle drivers - and it has the same number of wheels.

I got the deer in the headlights look.

She clearly knew nothing.

And that's exactly what you want to see from a CM ...

I was really disappointed by the fact that they had no plan in place, and essentially, no way to offer assistance. I mean for the love of God, I was paying a premium price for Disneyland’s flagship resort. I’d like to think I’m being reasonable here and not just taking a “me, me, me” attitude about it, but you’d think that if there’s a race causing road closures and you have to park somewhere that is a 15 - 20 minute walk from the resort that they might put something in place to help get you and/or your luggage over there.

Totally agree with your sentiment - I'm very surprised. Having been in FL for a race weekend (which didn't even affect transportation as much because most of the hotels are nowhere near the race), it seemed like things were very together and there was generally someone who knew what was going on. You'd think in California, with less space and a greater likelihood that people staying onsite will be affected by the race, I'd expect them to have a lot of special procedures in place.
Were there any people around who seemed to work specifically for runDisney? We found the runDisney people knew more than the regular CMs in Florida.

But not before DS had to go over and fertilize the palm tree.

Ugh… not good at all.

I really like this picture - it's a really cute spontaneous picture of the kids!

I think the check in process kind of soured me on the resort just a bit, but once we got into the room, I felt kind of underwhelmed, to be honest. Part of it might have been that we had just come from the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego and had an awesome room there… but our room at GCH in comparison was smaller and seemed to be showing some age. Don’t get me wrong, it was clean, but the carpet and furniture just had some signs of wear and tear. Totally not what I expected from a Disney resort, and definitely not the flagship resort.

Kinda disappointing to hear that. I really don't have much interest in GCH (I always figured PP or DLH were more my speed), but you expect the big fancy hotel to be in good shape.

The common areas though, were amazing. The lobby and resort grounds are spectacular.

That's all I've seen of the hotel (at least in person, I have seen more in pictures), so I can totally agree with this statement - I was really impressed just walking through the common areas of the hotel.

Now a lot of this comes from the inconveniences surrounding the race weekend, but I walked through the DLH grounds every day of our trip, and I really liked it there. It felt more “Disney” than GCH. The only thing it didn’t have was GCH’s prime location!

Like I said - DLH always appealed to me more, and I think that's part of it. GCH has an amazing location, but when I walked through, I thought it was beautiful but wasn't struck with a huge "this is Disney" feeling, which is something I think you get more of at DLH.

He didn’t have answers, but he tried to help. Unlike every other CM I’d spoken with, he at least seemed confident when he assured me that I would be able to leave that lot on Saturday morning. He wasn’t sure how yet… he didn’t know if they’d leave the road north of the lot open going west to Walnut and just barricade it to the east, or if they’d allow us to leave via a backstage exit somewhere behind the convention center at DLH. But it was something.

Yay! A helpful CM!

But there was no getting in there short of breaking and entering.

Um ... did you try opening the door? Maybe it was just closed but not locked?

Hearing that song, at that exact time, did it. It kind of pepped me up and reminded me where I was. I could feel the weight lifting off of my shoulders. I didn’t know if DS would be able to go to the parks tomorrow or not, but one way or another, we’d figure out how to make it work. And we were going to have fun!

Love this sentiment!

There was something else that I knew would help raise my spirits. When I got to GCH, I headed to the quick service place and grabbed a Mickey Bar. If Mickey shaped ice cream can’t make you happy, nothing can.

We started off with the World of Disney and turned in the voucher they’d given us when booking our package for a free pin and lanyard.

That's one thing I really wish they did at WDW - I love getting the free lanyard and pin. On my first WDW trip after my first DL trip, I really hated not getting that pin/lanyard.

I never understood eating leftover pizza for breakfast (I usually save it for lunch ... although I'm guessing you were probably out of the room before lunch) ... but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed!

 

[eandesmom]

Ugh Ugh and UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH just all around a relatively craptastic day. I am so sorry on so many fronts. I am glad something was able to pep you up if even for a moment.

I hated bunk beds at that age for that exact reason. Did you book that category or just get it by "luck"? I can't say I am surprised by the lack of knowledge on the race parking, I imagine as the expo hadn't even started yet, they hadn't been briefed at all and given that the goal is for the races to be over in time (or runners out of the parks themselves in time) for the parks to open at normal time...many don't even think about the road closure impact. Not to mention each of their races is different as to what is closed.

I had NO idea Naples and Via Napoli were the same company! I've still never eaten at Naples. Now I need to!

 

[ichabody]

Curious if you saw any interesting sights on the freeway between SD and Anaheim...specifically the stretch that is right along the ocean and the Marine base. You know...the nuclear power plant and the two interestingly shaped dome buildings.

We've stayed at GCH twice...both times in a studio overlooking California Adventure. Had a friend who sold us some DVC points cheap. It was great! Can't wait to here about your park days and how the heck you got out of there.

 

[natebenma]

Not the best way to start your trip to DL! So sorry to hear DS was so sick. That picture of him just went straight to my heart, remembering the helplessness when one of our little ones is not feeling well.

Oh, my, what a lot of hassle trying to find out info about the race and the road closures. Was this the first time they had this race or was it an annual occurance. You would think there would be plans in place and a wealth of info, but I guess that was to much to ask!

We enjoyed our stay at GCH in July, but we were upgraded to an awesome DTD view room (when they didn't have a room with a daybed for us). We could see Space Mountain, DTD, the monorail and fireworks from our balcony. No view of trash on a rooftop. Loved the location.

We never made it over to the DL Hotel, although Trader Sam's was on our wish list for dining. As was EoS, but we didn't make it there either. We did have takeout pizza from Naples a couple of times. Yummy, but expensive!

Yay for One Little Spark , and a Mickey-Pick-Me Up Bar!

Hoping everyone else stays well for the rest of the trip.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

then… well, there’s no good way to say it. He puked.

What a rough way to start the disney part of the trip!

And the fact that it was a rental car, made me a little less concerned about the consequences.

Yeah nothing is worse then starting your vacation by having to clean out a car seat. (Speaking from experience on this one. )

One would think that the front desk personnel at that hotel might be prepared to deal with questions and concerns regarding road closures.

YOu would think....

One would be sadly mistaken.

I was really disappointed by the fact that they had no plan in place, and essentially, no way to offer assistance. I mean for the love of God, I was paying a premium price for Disneyland’s flagship resort. I’d like to think I’m being reasonable here and not just taking a “me, me, me” attitude about it, but you’d think that if there’s a race causing road closures and you have to park somewhere that is a 15 - 20 minute walk from the resort that they might put something in place to help get you and/or your luggage over there.

I would have totally called them on this as well.

But not before DS had to go over and fertilize the palm tree.

Really it sounds like an ear issue. The nausea only occurs when there is movement.

But there were some roof structures jutting out from the building, one just below our balcony. And there was all kinds of trash on the roof. It looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a while. There were balls of paper, condiment packages, straws, plastic eating utensils, just all kinds of trash.

Eww

If I’m gonna waste half a day harassing CM’s for answers, today will be the day to do it.

s. He’d been eating them with no ill effects and drinking plenty of Sprite. Hey… don’t judge, he likes it and it got him drinking something.

Actually Sprite is actually a rather good thing for an upset stomach. A its clear, B they will drink it and its a fluid, C I can't remember what but there is something about the gentle carbonation that helps the tummy settle.

 

[afwdwfan]

"I'm giving you a no honk guarantee"

I'm glad you got this one. I've clearly started something with this California TR so I guess now I need to come up with a movie quote for the rest of the titles too.

First, poor DS. There is nothing more sad than a sick kid. And nothing to make a parent feel more helpless-especially so far from home!

Exactly. It was a whole lot of looking at each other asking what we should do.

Okay, I would have been super angry about the parking/race info situation. I obviously don't know how this played out, but it sounds to me like Cynthia pretty much saved the day. I'm guessing they would have let you park there and then not let you out.

Well, it wasn't too bad in the end. But I was beyond frustrated with the lack of answers. This would not be the last time I ventured over to DLH to try to find out how it would work.

And honestly the first thing I thought when I saw the picture of the room was "huh". I expected more I guess. Everyone makes GCH sound like the ULTIMATE DLR hotel. The common areas look pretty though!

That's exactly what my reaction was. I've seen pictures of the DVC rooms and they seem nicer, but this one was just kind of small and unimpressive in my opinion. It might be that we came from an awesome room in San Diego that was rather large and had amazingly comfortable beds. But we clearly felt like we took a step down going from there to GCH, and in no way did I expect that to be the case.

Figment saves the day! And here my money was on a beer...

Well, if Trader Sam wouldn't have been skipping out on me...

Glad you enjoyed EoS! My DH loves the meatball, which is "seasonal" now And Yay! for good pizza! That will go a long way toward improving moods.

Good food always helps.

It finally occurred to me that you were defending yourself a little since DS was sick. Made me laugh because 1. It's not our business anyway and 2. I would hae done the EXACT same thing. Sprite keeps 'em drinking and after a few hours in a hotel room and no sickness? We'd be out the door!

I did feel bad dragging him out. We didn't know what was wrong with him and I didn't want to take a contagious kid all over the place. But when you think about it, at least he didn't have the measles.

Can't wait to hear more, and I sure hope that it improved.

It certainly did.

Poor kid! That stinks getting sick on DL day! I remember all the issues with the race and your bad and no information. So frustrating! Glad the pizza was good!

It was a really frustrating day. From start to finish. I clearly remember laying in the room at one point that afternoon regretting even booking our Disneyland trip after the conference. Thankfully that would change.

 

[afwdwfan]

Aw, poor guy

So ... why didn't you do it? There is only one mode of transportation whose drivers are worse than motorcycle drivers - and it has the same number of wheels.

I agree 100%.

And that's exactly what you want to see from a CM ...

Yeah... I was thinking it wouldn't be a big deal. Get to the hotel, check in and they'd have answers. We'd figure it out. How wrong I was.

Totally agree with your sentiment - I'm very surprised. Having been in FL for a race weekend (which didn't even affect transportation as much because most of the hotels are nowhere near the race), it seemed like things were very together and there was generally someone who knew what was going on. You'd think in California, with less space and a greater likelihood that people staying onsite will be affected by the race, I'd expect them to have a lot of special procedures in place.
Were there any people around who seemed to work specifically for runDisney? We found the runDisney people knew more than the regular CMs in Florida.

Well, as you'll see as this trip progresses, I wanted to find out a little bit more about the traffic flow leaving. I did ask a couple of runDisney CM's who were actually out directing pedestrian traffic by a barricade right next to DLH one morning. And I was told that they only know what was going on RIGHT where they were. They weren't given information on anything else. Seriously, I was not impressed in the least by the preparedness of the DL CM's regarding this event.

I really like this picture - it's a really cute spontaneous picture of the kids!

Thanks. And believe it or not, that was right when we got to the room. So clearly, DS was feeling OK in between his bouts of sickness. He was really throwing us for a loop.

Kinda disappointing to hear that. I really don't have much interest in GCH (I always figured PP or DLH were more my speed), but you expect the big fancy hotel to be in good shape.

Exactly. And it wasn't in horrible shape, but I was definitely not as impressed with the room as I expected to be, especially after seeing how amazing the lobby was.

That's all I've seen of the hotel (at least in person, I have seen more in pictures), so I can totally agree with this statement - I was really impressed just walking through the common areas of the hotel.

Like I said - DLH always appealed to me more, and I think that's part of it. GCH has an amazing location, but when I walked through, I thought it was beautiful but wasn't struck with a huge "this is Disney" feeling, which is something I think you get more of at DLH.

Well said. I couldn't agree more.

Yay! A helpful CM!

Well, kind of. He at least seemed confident of something. He could have been completely wrong for all I knew, but I was glad to get a confident answer.

Um ... did you try opening the door? Maybe it was just closed but not locked?

I walked around the patio looking for signs of life too. Nada.

Love this sentiment!

What else can you do? Be miserable all week?

That's one thing I really wish they did at WDW - I love getting the free lanyard and pin. On my first WDW trip after my first DL trip, I really hated not getting that pin/lanyard.

It was nice getting the little extras like that!

I never understood eating leftover pizza for breakfast (I usually save it for lunch ... although I'm guessing you were probably out of the room before lunch) ... but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed!

Yeah, we were gone during lunch. And I needed something for breakfast and it was there.

Ugh Ugh and UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH just all around a relatively craptastic day. I am so sorry on so many fronts. I am glad something was able to pep you up if even for a moment.

It was a brutal day. At one point that first afternoon I remember laying on the bed and regretting even booking the DL visit. I was just frustrated, stressed and not enjoying anything.

I hated bunk beds at that age for that exact reason. Did you book that category or just get it by "luck"? I can't say I am surprised by the lack of knowledge on the race parking, I imagine as the expo hadn't even started yet, they hadn't been briefed at all and given that the goal is for the races to be over in time (or runners out of the parks themselves in time) for the parks to open at normal time...many don't even think about the road closure impact. Not to mention each of their races is different as to what is closed.

We "lucked" into the bunk beds.

I'm sure that they weren't quite prepared for those questions yet. But I still expected some basic answer. Even something like, "check back tomorrow and we'll have more info" would have been better than what I was getting.

I had NO idea Naples and Via Napoli were the same company! I've still never eaten at Naples. Now I need to!

I didn't know it either. We'd have likely visited Tortilla Joe's if I hadn't read that here on the boards.

I am kicking myself though for never getting around to going to Tortilla Joes' though.

Curious if you saw any interesting sights on the freeway between SD and Anaheim...specifically the stretch that is right along the ocean and the Marine base. You know...the nuclear power plant and the two interestingly shaped dome buildings.

Yes. Yes I did. I saw some hummers and other armored vehicles out driving on the hills at one point too!

We've stayed at GCH twice...both times in a studio overlooking California Adventure. Had a friend who sold us some DVC points cheap. It was great! Can't wait to here about your park days and how the heck you got out of there.

That would be pretty awesome! We ended up being across the hall from the rooms overlooking DTD.

 

[afwdwfan]

Not the best way to start your trip to DL! So sorry to hear DS was so sick. That picture of him just went straight to my heart, remembering the helplessness when one of our little ones is not feeling well.

It was brutal. Him being sick was bad enough alone, but we were stressed about the whole trip at that point. We just didn't know how it would play out having limited time and so much invested.

Oh, my, what a lot of hassle trying to find out info about the race and the road closures. Was this the first time they had this race or was it an annual occurance. You would think there would be plans in place and a wealth of info, but I guess that was to much to ask!

It wasn't the first time they've had a race, but it was the first time they've had this particular Star Wars Half Marathon. The hassle didn't end here either. I wanted affirmative answers and still didn't know exactly how it would work yet, so I wasn't about to give up.

We enjoyed our stay at GCH in July, but we were upgraded to an awesome DTD view room (when they didn't have a room with a daybed for us). We could see Space Mountain, DTD, the monorail and fireworks from our balcony. No view of trash on a rooftop. Loved the location.

That would have been nice. Maybe we should have paid for something other than a standard room. I don't know. But it was a smaller room with less comfortable beds than where we came from. And I truly expected GCH to be the more impressive and nicer of the 2 rooms we stayed in. Based on price alone, it should have been. I just wasn't impressed by it.

We never made it over to the DL Hotel, although Trader Sam's was on our wish list for dining. As was EoS, but we didn't make it there either. We did have takeout pizza from Naples a couple of times. Yummy, but expensive!

Expensive for pizza... but not necessarily for a meal on Disney property!

Yay for One Little Spark , and a Mickey-Pick-Me Up Bar!

It's the little things...

Hoping everyone else stays well for the rest of the trip.

It can't get much worse.

What a rough way to start the disney part of the trip!

That's putting it mildly.

Yeah nothing is worse then starting your vacation by having to clean out a car seat. (Speaking from experience on this one. )

Oh no... never a good thing.

YOu would think....

I mean if the front desk of a hotel can't tell guests staying there about the traffic situation around that resort, who can?

I would have totally called them on this as well.

I would have stood there and asked more questions until I got better answers, but I knew I was going to get nowhere. And DW and the kids had been waiting in the car for far too long, so I just had to surrender and move on.

Really it sounds like an ear issue. The nausea only occurs when there is movement.

Hmmm... hadn't considered that. But yeah, makes sense.

Eww

Yeah... just not very Disney-like.

Actually Sprite is actually a rather good thing for an upset stomach. A its clear, B they will drink it and its a fluid, C I can't remember what but there is something about the gentle carbonation that helps the tummy settle.

Yeah, and that's why we got it for him to start with. And it helps that he really, really likes Sprite. We'd ordinarily limit how much he had, but he drank quite a bit that day. It did seem to help though!

 

[amazingact21]

Ugh...all I could think when you said DS puked that first time was, "No, no, no!" That is just terrible. What rotten luck. You'd have thought with them catching the flu right before the trip, you'd have been in the clear from any bugs. Those kind of things sprout up, like, once a year (if that) and of course your family's had to appear on your DL trip.

It just sounded like an unfortunate day all around. I feel like maybe the GCH might have been more impressive if the kids were older? And you didn't have to stare at trash all the time...


Good for you, though, trying your hardest to find the positive in DL.


I had no idea that Naples and Via Napoli were the same. Well, now I know where I'm eating at DL.


Oh, and I had that buffalo wrap from EoS on my last trip. It was so good! Kind of redeems Disney and their sad excuse for a buffalo sandwich at DHS. I think you're the only other DISer I read reports from that loves buffalo sauce as much as I do, so it's nice to see I'm not alone in my search for good versions inside the parks.