Surprise! We're going to Disneyland...with Cass, Rob & Kira

[jenseib]

I know where you are getting!!!!
I almost missed your TR. I was actually going to steal a picture from you facebook page when I saw the TR started! LOL Thats why you are sneaky.
I was having the same issue with Marty's book too.
So the DL express worked out better this time around then?
I am so excited to read about everything. I am still working on Skip to go yet in the next few months

 

[Timon]

If you guessed NACHOS....you win!!!

Chicken Nachos from White Water Snacks!

I got three orders because Kira LOVES nachos and so does Rob and we were all hungry and well, I didn't want to share

Well, my daughter took one bite, said she hated them and refused to eat them! Rob said they were just okay and for me, they were yummy! Not as good as last year, I will admit but still very good! However, since my daughter was sitting there, refusing to eat the nachos and was complaining about how hungry she was, I went up to grab her something that I know she would eat. In hindsight, I should have sent Rob because by the time I got back, my nachos were cold and weren't as appealing

Since Rob didn't care for his nachos and mine were cold ( I like hot food!) we ALL partook in Kira's chicken nuggets It had been a year and four months since we had tasted Disney's delicious chicken nuggets and they did not disappoint!!!

I was a little bummed out because I had been looking so forward to that first meal, to sharing the nachos, which I was sure they would both love only to have disappointed them both and in turn, sort of ruin our first Disneyland dining experience.

Oh well, there would be lots of good food to come!

During our lunch I received a phone call from Disney reservations saying that they had found us a new room and this one was ready! I just had to stop at the front desk and get new key cards. Fantastic!!

So we went back to the hotel via Downtown Disney, which was so funny because of Kira's reaction when she first laid eyes on the DD area.

She looked around with big eyes and said "WHOA!"

Got our new key cards and then Rob went to Bell services to deal with our luggage while I stayed with Kira when we spotted this guy...

That is when I realized that we needed a sharpie for her autograph book! I purposely didn't bring one because when she used one in WDW in 2013, she got black marks all over her clothes and princess dresses! Goofy signed her page but because it's not regular paper, it didn't work so well.

Our room number was perfect, 2727! I was born on the 27th, so it was pretty darn easy to remember! The rooms were numbered a little weird here, normally if you are on the 9th floor, like we were, your room number would start with the number 9 but in this hotel, your floor number is actually the first two numbers of your hotel added together.

Rob was already there when we got there, so I let Kira look around real quick and then I booted them out so I could take photos and videos before we mess everything up

Here's some pics...

Clearly, this was NOT a standard room! Looking straight ahead out the window...

Looking left...

And the best for last...looking right, towards Disneyland Park...

I will zoom in so you can spot a few things

Not too shabby eh???

We spent the next hour or so settling in at our new home for the week. Our grocery order turned out great despite them not having one of the things that I requested. (Chocolate croissants)

And it all fit perfectly in the little fridge!

I guess this would be a good place to give my review of the room and hotel for the week.

I managed to get a really good rate so with what we paid, it was good value for us. However, if I had paid full rack rate, I think I would have been a little disappointed. The hotel and grounds were gorgeous and I love the update they did back in 2010, I think it was but the rooms are already showing some major wear. The tiles and grout need redone, the wallpaper is tearing and showing dirt and age, the fixtures are all scratched and need some TLC.

The only major complaint we had was concerning the shower/tub. First of all, the tub was WAY too small! It was only about half as deep as your normal tub, which made it difficult for Kira to have a bath, plus there is very little space to put any soaps or shampoo, it would be nice to have a little recessed area in the tile. The shower was horrible! There was zero water pressure and for two whole days, we didn't have hot water. We did speak to Guest Services about it to let them know and it did seem to improve but honestly, in any deluxe hotel, you should not be without hot water, ever!

I absolutely love the resort area! It is Disney at its' finest! I think it helps that my two favourite colours are blue and purple and you see that combination of colours everywhere you look! I love seeing all the vintage photos of Disneyland and Walt Disney, especially after doing my research because I recognized some faces and names and some of the behind-the-scenes stories that would go along with them.

I love the pool area, the slides, the whole vibe of the resort, especially at night. The entire week we were in that Disney bubble and we loved it! To be honest, if price was not an issue, I would still stay at the Grand Californian every time because I am an Arts & Crafts kind of girl but I still really love the Disneyland Hotel

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Neat room!!

 

[Darkrobe]

In no way shape or form did you "ruin" our first DL meal my love! Great TR so far! You forgot to mention all the complaining Kira did about walking lol! Crazy kid.

 

[Crustysgirl]

Such a bummer about the nachos! They look so good!And I know if you ask Rob ^^ and I bet if you ask Kira, your first DL meal was not ruined at all! Plus you gotta try stuff to know whether you like it or not - it's all an adventure. Those chicken nuggets look amazing too!
I hate when you go to a fancy hotel and it disappoints. I can't believe you didn't have hot water for 2 days!! That's crazy!! I often wonder who designs hotel bathrooms, even when they are big and luxurious they are never practical. Your room looks nice though, how were the beds and pillows?
Also what a fantastic idea to have groceries delivered! I would have never of thought to do that, but how awesome!!
I am soaking this Trip Report up like a sponge! You are such a good travel writer - you should write a book!

 

[Timon]

Once we were all settled in, it was Pool Time!!!

It was a little chilly, especially for Kira but today and tomorrow would be the only time we would get to do the slides as they closed at 5pm every day.

Rob was doing some work so Kira and I headed down and he would join us later.

We tried both slides once and then she got very cold. It actually wasn't so bad but the wind picked up and that made us a little chilly. It was nice once you were in the water but obviously, doing slides, you need to get in and out of the water.

After a couple spins on the slides, Kira needed the hot tub STAT! There are two of them at this hotel, one is a Mickey Hot Tub and the other is the Minnie Hot Tub. I'm pretty sure most people would not even notice but when you see them from above, one has mickey ears around it and the other one has ears and a Minnie bow.

Here is a photo of the Minnie hot tub that I found online (not my photo)...

And here is a pic of the Mickey Hot tub that I took last year, you can kind of make out his ears...

And here is a good pic (not mine) of the slides, although the blue monorail is now yellow...

Since we were doing the slides, the Minnie Hot tub was closer to us and that is where Rob found us!

Rob was not in his swimsuit so he walked around taking pics of Kira doing slides and of us swimming.

I went into the D ticket pool while Kira did some slides...

You can see me in the pool in the background behind the bars

Kira and I spent a good hour or so in the E ticket pool, playing together. She told me all the things I should do, she made all the rules and conditions of each "game"...boy is she ever bossy!!!

The sun was setting and Rob got some great shots! I love all the palm trees here

Right after check-in, I had told Rob and Kira about all the feral cats here at the Disneyland Resort. In case you don't know the story, I will share it with you. Ever since Disneyland was built in 1955, there have been feral cats around the property. There's also been mice everywhere so when they discovered the cats, they decided to adopt them as "CM's" to help control the mice population. They are taken care of by Disney, meaning they are neutered and spayed and they receive medical attention from CM's that work on the Ranch in Disneyland Park. They have set up feeding stations in different areas around both parks and the resorts. They tend to come out mostly at night and hunt the mice, so it's a win-win for Disney. Plus how cool is it to see cats running around the Happiest Place on Earth, right?

We had spotted our first cat while we were swimming. It was pretty funny because after I pointed one out to Kira, she pointed to it and yelled "CAT!!!" and the cat stopped in its' tracks, glanced at Kira with an expression on its' face like it was saying "CAT? WHERE???"

Here's just a couple of the ones we saw that night...

 

[Timon]

Once Kira and I had had our fill of the pool and tubs, we headed back to our room. She had a bath then we got dressed and headed out for some dinner.

Pic on the way to dinner...

Tonights' dinner would be at Tangaroa Terrace, which is just at the end of this bridge, overlooking the pool.

I went in to order our meals while they staked out a table. They picked one that was near the tiki torches and the propane heater! Think they were cold or something

I got a Ham and Pineapple flatbread for them to share...

Got Rob a Hawaiian Burger...

Kira had a Kid's Snack pack, which she loved!

and I gots me the cheeseburger with sweet potato fries!

Rob didn't care for the burger, which was surprising because he loves this particular combination with the pineapple and bbq sauce but he said it was very lacklustre, hardly any flavour. He did enjoy the flatbread though, so I am glad I got that for him. I thought Kira would like it too since it is like a Hawaiian pizza but she didn't care for it


I enjoyed my cheeseburger and ate it all!

It was a great atmosphere here, I just love this place! The tiki torches really give it a warm, welcoming, tropical feeling, even though my family were freezing

I need to vent for a quick second...

Now, I totally realize that everything at Disney costs more. I get it. I don't normally complain about it and we freely plop down $120 + for character meals without flinching but do you see that little lemonade my daughter is about to open? Hard to tell but it's just a mini bottle, smaller than a pop bottle, or maybe the same size but it cost $4.29+ tax!!!! That is more than the cost of pop at Disney and I think the pop price is ridiculous!!!! I mean, it's freaking LEMONADE people! Lemons, water, sugar and few million other ingredients we can't pronounce! There's no big secret recipe...it's lem-o-nade!!! She had asked me for one at White Water Snacks and I just laughed in her face! LOL! This time she asked the wrong (or I guess right, in her case) parent because I turned around and Rob was holding it! BAH! Okay, that's my rant for the day

Despite being cold, they both were adamant about getting a Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich, so we grabbed one and went and sat next to the beautiful, comfy hearth.

We sat on pillows right next to the fire so they could keep warm...

After ice cream, we had debated on just going back to the hotel but my daughter pleaded to do a little shopping and well, I gave in!


First stop was the Fantasia Shop in the hotel where I spied this

Just gorgeous and I have the perfect spot for it too but it was too many pennies for this girl!

We did find a nice hoodie for Kira...

She wore it every single day and it wasn't really white by the time we left

We headed over to Downtown Disney, where she spotted the Anna & Elsa Boutique.

Unfortunately, every other girl spotted that store too because it was a freakin' zoo in there!!!

That is when I remembered that I needed to stop at Guest Services when we got back because I needed to see if they had any appointments left for the Boutique for hotel guests! I had made a reservation (shhh don't tell Kira ) at the Boutique on Wednesday for an 11:00am makeover but I found out that they have reservations available to hotel guests before the boutique actually opens, which after seeing how busy this store gets, would be a great idea

We did manage to grab a shirt that she liked but I sent them out of the store while I paid for it because you literally couldn't move! Just before she left, she spotted the makeover chairs and said "Look mommy, they do the makeovers here!"

I replied "Yes, they do baby but they are super expensive here, maybe another time" and told her to wait outside for me

Once we were done at the Anna & Elsa Zootique, I remembered that I needed to stop off at the Grand Californian to see if they had a spot open for tomorrow's Art of the Craft Tour. My plan was to take the tour while Rob and Kira checked out the Lego store. I just loathe Legos. I don't really know why but they just bug me! They are expensive and they get everywhere and I am constantly stepping on them! Okay, so maybe I do know why I hate them

We made a quick stop at The World of Disney Store though. It was worse than A & E's!!!

Kira made her first purchase with her own money that she had saved from her birthday in November and from Christmas...a pillow pet!!! She wanted two of them but due to limited luggage space, we had to limit her to one.

Rob and Kira made their way back to the hotel via Downtown Disney and I headed into the GC where I was lucky enough to snag a spot for the tour tomorrow.

I did not feel like walking through crowds so I took the back way to our hotel.

Check out the sky...

I took my time, soaking in the atmosphere. It was perfect weather for me! I was in shorts and a tee with my DL hoodie I bought last year and it was awesome

Plus no one was whining or complaining so it was very peaceful!

I stopped at Guests Services and was lucky enough to grab a spot for 8:30am on Wednesday at the boutique, 90 minutes before it even opened to the public! Sa-weet!

I found my family cuddling in bed watching Pirates of the Caribbean 4 together when I got back...

I told Kira if she got all ready, she could watch the fireworks from bed.

We put the fibre optic fireworks on while waiting for the real ones to start...

They were pretty darn awesome, especially since we could watch them from bed

I forgot to put the channel on the TV with the music though and some of my shots had Captain Jack Sparrow in them from the reflection

Here is a small clip of the fireworks that I took on my iPhone...

After the show, it was time to hit the dog...Lady, that is

It was 9:30 now, which was 10:30 our time and I was beat!! Apart from my recent health issues, my main concern during our Disney trips is my back. I have a birth defect that limits the movement in my lower spine and it locks up pretty bad when I walk/sit/stand for more than an hour. By the end of each day, I'm like a combination of the walking dead and the hunchback of Notre Dame

I took some pain meds, posted some pics on FB and then passed out for the night. I think Rob stayed up for a bit to get some work done before joining me in the teeny tiny Queen-sized bed

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I love Kira's Lady dog

 

[Crustysgirl]

I love Kira's arm crossed pose going down the slide, like "no big deal I do this all the time" LOL. You are the best Mom ever with all the little surprises! She must have been so excited fro her makeover!
That is so cool about the cats too!

 

[Timon]

I woke up at 5:00 am and couldn't sleep any more. It's 6:00 am our time and we usually get up at 6:20 every morning at home so I guess I was awake for the day!

I decided to get up and get dressed and take my camera on an early morning tour of the hotel. As I was sneaking out, Kira woke up so I told her to grab the iPad and watch a movie with the headphones so Rob could sleep more. I gave her a banana and told her I would make her some toast when I got back. I had purchased a cheap toaster at Superstore a few weeks before to take on our trip. She's a toast kind of girl so it was so worth the $10! I also collected a few little packets of peanut butter, jam and honey from various restaurants over the course of the previous few months

I began at the front of the hotel...

Past the convention centre to get this shot

My goal was to get this shot...

The actual sign for the hotel is so far away and not somewhere your typical tourist would walk so I had to make a point of going out to get it. I just love those palm trees!!!!

Back to the hotel, walking in the left side doors just past bell services

With that amazing, huge wall map of Disneyland Park to the right

Take a left and you can see the check-in desks

With that gorgeous seating area I told you about

I posted several around the pool shots already so I won't repost those. Out back of the hotel, the pool is straight ahead, turning left, towards Downtown Disney and under the big blue hat...

I walked down past the Rainforest Cafe

and just until the Monorail station, which has the best design! From above and certain angles, you can see the roof is made up of several "leaves".

The only people around were a few coffee junkies who needed their Starbucks fix, as they were all coming back from further down with their Starbucks cups.

Back to the hotel we go, with a lovely shot of the hat!

And the best part of the hat? The sparkle!!!

They were doing some work on the grass area in front of Earl of Sandwich. A few days later, those fences came down and it looked beautiful!

You can see ESPN Zone on the right, with the creepy little moving faces LOL!

Taking a left before hitting the pool area...

We hit the Adventure Tower, where all the suites and the Concierge Lounge is. We got to visit the Lounge last year during our TA tour and the view is impressive!!

Here is the view from the Concierge Lounge last year...

Around the bend again and you will find Trader Sams, a VERY popular spot. They are making one of these at the Poly at WDW, hopefully they will make it much larger than this one!

Opposite Trader Sams is the big beautiful fireplace and hearth that we snuggle in front of the evening before...

Walking up the path to Tangaroa Terrace, where we ate last night...

Across the bridge over the pool, can't resist one photo of the pool, right?

I am just about at the 25 image limit, so I must continue in the next post

 

[Timon]

Over the bridge, going back towards Fantasy Tower, Goofy's Kitchen is behind those glass windows on the left and the Coffee House is just down a little further past Goofy's.

In through those doors on the right hand-side of the Coffee House entrance, you find the check-in for Goofy's Kitchen, which has recently been redone with the cutest little kitchen area for pics with Goofy. You can also see Steakhouse 55 on the right.

In the other direction, you will find the attached Conference areas..

Here is where the details really stand out at this hotel. This hall area is full of small touches like hidden mickeys, vintage photos and concept drawings by Herb Ryman, one of the most important artists in Disneyland history.

Just before going back upstairs, I grabbed a coffee for my hubby because I am just such a good wife

And here's the wall with photos of celebrities visiting Disneyland, right in front of the elevator bank.

I almost forgot to tell you about the elevators!

First of all, they are very pretty with pixie dust all over the mirrors but the best part (and I remember laughing the whole week about it last year with Jen) is the lady announcing the Lobby floor!

I am pretty sure the one over at the Grand Californian is even perkier than this one though!

 

[Darkrobe]

She wore it every single day and it wasn't really white by the time we left *** yeah, it was more gray when we got home.

**********
They were pretty darn awesome, especially since we could watch them from bed

I forgot to put the channel on the TV with the music though and some of my shots had Captain Jack Sparrow in them from the reflection

You forgot to mention the sirens about 30min later only for us to find out there was a fire at Small World the next day.

 

[Timon]

I know where you are getting!!!!
I almost missed your TR. I was actually going to steal a picture from you facebook page when I saw the TR started! LOL Thats why you are sneaky.
I was having the same issue with Marty's book too.
So the DL express worked out better this time around then?
I am so excited to read about everything. I am still working on Skip to go yet in the next few months

Sneaky??? No idea what you are talking about

Yes, the bus was better this time even though it was 20 minutes late in both directions. This time it didn't fill up at stop # 2 and it actually made its' first stop where it's supposed to, as opposed to the Paradier Pier!

Yes, you should take your family! And you will get to see all the new stuff for the 60th Anniversary! We need to go back so we can see the stuff we missed, especially World of Color!

Neat room!!

Very neat, full of Mickey touches!

In no way shape or form did you "ruin" our first DL meal my love! Great TR so far! You forgot to mention all the complaining Kira did about walking lol! Crazy kid.

Awww thanks babe

If I mentioned all the times our sassy little cutie complained about stuff, there would be no room for anything else

Such a bummer about the nachos! They look so good!And I know if you ask Rob ^^ and I bet if you ask Kira, your first DL meal was not ruined at all! Plus you gotta try stuff to know whether you like it or not - it's all an adventure. Those chicken nuggets look amazing too!
I hate when you go to a fancy hotel and it disappoints. I can't believe you didn't have hot water for 2 days!! That's crazy!! I often wonder who designs hotel bathrooms, even when they are big and luxurious they are never practical. Your room looks nice though, how were the beds and pillows?
Also what a fantastic idea to have groceries delivered! I would have never of thought to do that, but how awesome!!
I am soaking this Trip Report up like a sponge! You are such a good travel writer - you should write a book!

They were good, just not as good as they could have been but still, better than me having to cook

The bed was nice (although small for us) as were the pillows and blankets.

We had hot water the first morning and then the next two mornings, the water was just barely warm. I like cool showers and even I was a little cold after my shower! Rob froze and we skipped giving Kira a shower one morning because we knew it was way too cold and that she wouldn't even get in. She had a bath later at night and there was hot water. Just had issues in the morning.

Not something you want in any hotel really!

Grocery delivery is actually very popular in Walt Disney World but as we always have a car, we just go grab our own at Publix. Knowing that we wouldn't have the chance this trip, I did some research and found that they offer it in Anaheim too. We got everything you saw, plus a 6-pack of paper towels and a case of water for $43 USD! Since it was my first order, I got the paper towel, water and delivery for free! Can't beat that!!!

I love Kira's Lady dog

She loves it too She now has Stitch, Sully (from the last WDW trip) and Lady. She would have had more if we let her

I love Kira's arm crossed pose going down the slide, like "no big deal I do this all the time" LOL. You are the best Mom ever with all the little surprises! She must have been so excited fro her makeover!
That is so cool about the cats too!

I know, right?!!! The CM at the top was pretty awesome, they have to go over the rules every single time and they make it fun by quizzing the kids so by the end of the evening, she was a pro

LOL, Kira didn't think I was the best mom when I told her NO to some ridiculous choices for her spending money Something about her money and spending it on what she wants

She was pretty happy though on Wednesday at the boutique though

 

[podsnel]

That hotel has so many nostalgic details. We went to Trader Sam's when we were there, but did not go into the hotel- so thanks for the tour. The CL lounge view is impressive!

The elevator lady sounds very sexy! Interesting choice for the DL hotel!

 

[jenseib]

Gosh I am missing that hotel!!! I really want to go there right now!
You guys had a great view...nothing like watching fireworks right from your bed.
I am glad you got to do the slides this time around....I still don't get why they close at 5!
The elevators were so funny and I totally forgot about them till you reminded me. Yes the GC one was more perky and she was always excited to say LOBBY!!!! and going up...but when going down she made it sound sad.
I can't remember but do they have refillable mugs at DL? It seems like we were trying to figure it out last year and they did but it was more limited??? Or I could be crazy.
I love the early morning walk! I had such issues sleeping in with our time change. It does make it nice to be able to hit rope drop though and not be dead tired.

 

[MommyJKM]

Loved the DLH pic on the empty street!

 

[Timon]

Back to the room where I was met with a gorgeous view of the San Bernardino Mountains!

After some showers, it was time for breakfast!

Last year Jen and I had dinner at Steakhouse 55 and it was sooooo good! The best thing I had eaten all week were the potatoes from that dinner. They were au gratin scalloped potatoes and I had been dreaming about them ever since I booked this trip for us! So of course I made reservations for both breakfast (heard it was fabulous) and for dinner. Then in October, they decided to refresh their dinner menu and those potatoes were no longer available!!!

I don't know whose bright idea it was to change them but those potatoes were well loved and kind of a signature item, I still can't believe they changed them!

I decided to cancel our dinner there because it was really expensive and I was mad LOL! I kept our breakfast reservation though!

Waiting for our table...

Rob was thrilled when he saw "warm berries" on the menu! He's so easy to please, that man!

I had made Kira some toast earlier so when we sat down she declared "I'm not hungry!"

I said "Are you sure? You can have some of Mommy's if you like."

To which she amusingly replied "I am not eating!!! I am never eating again!!!!"



Yeah, okay! Sure

Rob and I ordered our food while Kira coloured. Here's mine...

And Rob's...

Kira was a little bored so I let her have my phone to play her game and then she snapped this LOL

I was about half-way through my meal when I asked her if she would like some.

She responded with a "sure".

"What would you like?" I asked.

"Eggs?"

(uh-huh)

"Ham?"

(uh-huh)

"Potatoes?"

(uh-huh)

"Toast?"

(uh-huh)

"Pancakes?"

(uh-huh)

"Sausages?"

(uh-huh)

Well, sure glad she was NEVER going to eat again

Breakfast was good. I wouldn't say it was great but definitely good! Price was decent too, so overall it was a great option for us. I don't think I would recommend travelling just for the breakfast there but if you are in the area, definitely worth a stop!

On the way out, Kira spotted her first pressed penny machine. She is very much a collector, just like her Daddy, so we dug out some quarters and a shiny penny and showed her what to do. Obviously she doesn't remember all the pressed pennies we got in WDW in 2013! She was super thrilled watching the machine do it's thing! Thus, began her new obsession

We spotted "our" ship on the way out of the hotel...

And before long, we found ourselves at another pressed penny machine LOL!

We wandered into A & E's again, where she made her second purchase, some A & E dolls. Then we made our way back into The World of Disney Store.

It's SO easy to draw Darth LOL!

Kira drooled over the wall 'o pillow pets and I drooled over these...

Gorgeous! Too pricey for me though. Although when I spotted the Cinderella Castle and the Hitch-hiking Ghosts one a few days later, I had to seriously talk myself out of them!!!

We all did some shopping and then Rob had to hurry back to the hotel to deal with a crisis at home. All was well though!

I just had to laugh when I spotted the price of these...

REALLY??? They must need those two cents! LOL!

Kira showing off two items that we bought her...a new hat and a purse!

She had been adamant about getting a purse this trip! She first saw one over at A & E's but it was a costumy purse and I told her that she has 3 like it at home that she never even plays with! So we searched in every store we saw for an appropriate purse. She asked me what an appropriate purse looked like, I told her I would know it when I saw it

And I did!

It would have to be something she could wear, as opposed to carry, otherwise, it would just end up in the backpack! It would have to be small enough for her to carry around but large enough to carry a few things in it. It had to be affordable (she kept pointing out the expensive lady purses and I kept shaking my head) and it had to be kid appropriate you know?

Happy with our purchases we went back to the room to veg for awhile.

She had a snack and watched more Big Hero 6

We relaxed until it was time for me to leave for my tour. The entire time we'd been there, it kept threatening to rain and then when it did finally rain, I always just missed it.

Finally, just before we left, the skies opened up and it started to pour! Now, I LOVE the rain and I was so happy but I felt terrible for all of the Dapper Day peeps! Today was Dapper Day and most people did not have jackets because they were showing off their amazing looks!

For those of you who are thinking "What the heck is Dapper Day?"...to sum it up, it's a day (usually the whole weekend now) where people dress up in vintage outfits ('20's, 30's, '40's & '50's styles) and gather and meet and socialize or just enjoy the parks and the resort.

Last year, I got to see the tail end of it and was amazed to see how many people actually dressed up! It was pretty awesome actually and this year, there were even more people dressed up! And I would say that 90% of those who participated, did so ALL OUT! I mean, hair, make-up, outfit, shoes, hats, accessories, the whole she bang! It is quite the sight to see!

So, when I saw just how hard it was raining, I felt really bad for all of those people!

I said good-bye to my family and headed towards the Grand Californian.

 

[southbound]

Great trip report! Love Kira's purse - it is exactly appropriate! Dani would like one too, so I might have to do some shopping soon. Kira took a great picture of you eating breakfast! Loved the Darth LMAO! And really like that hoodie on you! Can't wait to read more.

 

[Travelingmom22]

Did you make that Autograph book? If so where, and what do the inside pages look like? I would love to do something like that for my son's first trip next month.

 

[Timon]

While my family hit the Lego store, I took the Art of the Craft Tour at the Grand Californian Hotel. Because of the pouring rain, the hotel was super BUSY!!! DD people everywhere!!! Plus the DD Expo was being held here at the Convention area, so that made it worse! I checked in at Guest Services and then waited in the area where the Tour would start. Twice while standing there (and once just after that pic of Kira and I under the hat was taken) some random guest asked me a question. I answered them, it's not the first time I have been asked questions by guests but then I realized that because of my hoodie, they might have thought I was a CM

Shortly after 1pm, Max, our guide for todays' tour showed up. He went through a roll call and for whatever reason I was not on the list! No biggie as the Tour wasn't full but I would have been a little upset if he had said I couldn't take the tour because my name wasn't on the list!

Max explained that we were in for a treat today because the weather has impacted the tour and we would have to accommodate some changes. The hotel was very busy and it was still raining so this meant that we had to skip several stops that were on the normal tour.

He told us that we would be visiting BOTH Presidential Suites!!!

Lucky us that they were both currently empty! We began the tour near the check-in desk where he explained the history of the Arts and Craft movement. We continued on to a few areas near the lobby and then over to the Hearthstone Lounge. As he was pointing out the architecture of the bar, I spotted Eric Szmanda, who plays Greg Sanders on CSI! He was all decked out for Dapper Day, which brought a grin to my face because his character is very much into nostalgia and would totally attend Dapper Day

He is to the very right in this pic...

It was perfect because we were all looking towards him, at the bar, and a few of us were taking photos, so I snapped a few quick ones myself, however, the bar was not my main subject LOL!

We went up to the sixth floor and entered the Mt. Whitney suite. Holy smokes, what a room!!! It was GORGEOUS!! I posted my photos on my FB Page here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.719295574853938.1073741827.229457907171043&type=3

It was nice to see how the other half lives

We spent a good 20 minutes in there oohing and awwwing.

We then walked all the way back around to the very far side of the hotel and visited the El Capitan Suite.

After seeing the Mt Whitney suite, I couldn't imagine anything better...until I stepped foot into the El Cap!!!

WOWZERS!!!

This is the suite I would book if I suddenly found myself with a large, excess amount of money

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...1073741828.229457907171043&type=3&uploaded=31

We spent another 20 minutes in that suite. I was trying to figure out a way to hide so I never would have to leave LOL!


I forgot to originally post...

I have a small video of the view from the verandah of the El Capitan suite!

We stopped off at one more place to talk more about the hotel and then the tour ended. I was very impressed with Max, he was everything you wanted in a tour guide; well-spoken, loud when he needed to be, very knowledgeable, you could tell that what he was telling us was just a fraction of the information he actually knew. He was the kind of guy I would love to just sit down and have lunch with and have him tell me everything he knows

He might not like having his photo plastered all over the internet but he was just so good that he needs the recognition!

After the tour, I was on such a high! By then I was starving but I was daydreaming about those suites so it didn't bother me much. I began walking back to the hotel...

monorail!

Checked in the store real quick where I saw this...

It's sad that they have to put that there!!!

Kira was working on her new Lego set...

that she had gotten at the Lego store

They had gotten a hot dog at Wetzel Pretzel's and there was a bite or two left! It was cold but I was so hungry, I really didn't care!

Before I end this chapter, I noticed that the photo that was in our room was kind of hidden from the light during my room tour, so here is a better pic...

One of many peoples' favourite photos, I'm sure