The Dis Dad's Club II
- Thread starter chillcoupons
- Start date
- Status
The Disney Fanatic
DIS Dad's Club Member #1
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2007
Hi guys, british disney dad here. Just joined the forum a couple of weeks ago and stumbled accross this tread today. Please can i join your little corner of disney?
Your membership will push us over 400! 
Emma's Dad
DIS Dad #115 Virginia Beach, VA
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
Of course you can! Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself... what's your name? How many times have you been to WDW? How many kids?
You are member # 401!
WELCOME TO THE DIS DAD'S CLUB! You have been added to the DIS Dad's Club list
1Grumpy John
Grumpketeer
- Joined
- May 28, 2007
In case you guys wonder what my life is REALLY like...
I'm the last guy to speak...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0_guwkJcJU&feature=related
OK sprayed the monitor again over this one 
stopher1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2008
Hey guys - first off, WELCOME to our newest Dads - and woot, woot, for achieving 400! My last post was 10 pages ago prior to heading down to Atlanta - straight from So. Cal. I wasn't finished posting pics from my DL trip yet... so sorry, I guess I'll just have to bore you all with a few more. Once I finish uploading them to photobucket I'll get a few more posted here for you all - and then scroll through those 10 pages to get caught up on what's going on. I did post on the party bus thread for the Dec. 2010 trip meet some of you are planning ... I'm hoping we can work that out and join you guys, but I'm still not sure. If nothing else, I can probably head down myself for a couple to a few days solo.
We're presently nailing down our 2010 & 11 trips now other than the big family reunion one we're taking in Jan (my folks are joining us from Oregon, & my bro is flying in from Hawaii as well) - a mere 26 days away now. Can't wait for that! So hopefully a Dec. trip will work out. Additionally we have an anniversary trip to VWL in March, and I promised a daddy/daughter trip for sometime next fall - perhaps this will be the December trip... hmmm, I'm just thinking about that one. That could work out... 
Our plans are fluid right now - we were planning on heading west as a family, even have a reservation at VGC for the summer, but that is possibly going to change before too long. DW is still pondering. Oh well... I'm taking a wait and see approach right now. I'm hoping that we can make it work, but that one might need to be postponed until spring or summer 2011 since DS13 starts the 9th grade next fall, going in to the public school system (he's been homeschooled all along) so we're facing some BIG changes to our vacation timing abilities over the next 12 years
, since DS10 will be following him when he reaches high school as well - and then by the time DS10 is ready to graduate, DD5 will be entering high school shortly thereafter as well... the flexibility is leaving in 2010! Ugh. Oh well. Time does go by quickly. It seems he was just born, and now he's taller than his mom and catching up to me. Lately I've been putting myself into my parents' shoes now - thinking about how in the not too distant future DW & I will be wondering when our kids will "have time" to come for a visit, call, etc...
We're presently nailing down our 2010 & 11 trips now other than the big family reunion one we're taking in Jan (my folks are joining us from Oregon, & my bro is flying in from Hawaii as well) - a mere 26 days away now. Can't wait for that!
So hopefully a Dec. trip will work out. Additionally we have an anniversary trip to VWL in March, and I promised a daddy/daughter trip for sometime next fall - perhaps this will be the December trip... hmmm, I'm just thinking about that one. That could work out... Our plans are fluid right now - we were planning on heading west as a family, even have a reservation at VGC for the summer, but that is possibly going to change before too long. DW is still pondering. Oh well... I'm taking a wait and see approach right now. I'm hoping that we can make it work, but that one might need to be postponed until spring or summer 2011 since DS13 starts the 9th grade next fall, going in to the public school system (he's been homeschooled all along) so we're facing some BIG changes to our vacation timing abilities over the next 12 years
, since DS10 will be following him when he reaches high school as well - and then by the time DS10 is ready to graduate, DD5 will be entering high school shortly thereafter as well... the flexibility is leaving in 2010! Ugh. Oh well. Time does go by quickly. It seems he was just born, and now he's taller than his mom and catching up to me. Lately I've been putting myself into my parents' shoes now - thinking about how in the not too distant future DW & I will be wondering when our kids will "have time" to come for a visit, call, etc...
trennr
"Nater" DISDad #104
- Joined
- May 16, 2006
Wow... we hit 400!
I was going to say 401...but we already hit it...402?
1Grumpy John
Grumpketeer
- Joined
- May 28, 2007
yes you get to buy the first round
And after reading the last few pages, you guys appear to be thirsty. Maybe being #400 wasn't such a good idea.
This may get expensive.
stopher1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2008
And after reading the last few pages, you guys appear to be thirsty. Maybe being #400 wasn't such a good idea.
And after reading the last few pages, you guys appear to be thirsty. Maybe being #400 wasn't such a good idea.
Ummmmm....Goofy...just in case you're wondering....there is a man law about the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5zYPFf4sz4&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh+div-1r-1-HM
Emma's Dad
DIS Dad #115 Virginia Beach, VA
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
And after reading the last few pages, you guys appear to be thirsty. Maybe being #400 wasn't such a good idea.
And rowdy!
itJeff
I'm just not so sure how well this plan was though
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
I was going to say 401...but we already hit it...402?
It's always important to aim high, huh?
Pumping Fuel Tank out of boat: Fun
Discovering the fuel stabilizers worked: Awesome
Finding out the cranking battery is dead at the ramp: Even More Awesome
Disney Fed's Minivan (by popular request):
Now ask me how much a new cranking battery cost me this morning?
Discovering the fuel stabilizers worked: Awesome
Finding out the cranking battery is dead at the ramp: Even More Awesome
Disney Fed's Minivan (by popular request):
Now ask me how much a new cranking battery cost me this morning?
Emma's Dad
DIS Dad #115 Virginia Beach, VA
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
Pumping Fuel Tank out of boat: Fun
Discovering the fuel stabilizers worked: Awesome
Finding out the cranking batter is dead at the ramp: Even More Awesome
Disney Fed's Minivan (by popular request):
Now ask me how much a new cranking battery cost me this morning?
OOPS! How many were waiting at the ramp??That's a pretty sweet setup you got there... makes me want to go fishing...
That's a pretty sweet setup you got there... makes me want to go fishing...
No one (thank God)...it was just me...it's cold here in South Georgia...brrrr, it was 59 degrees.....wind made it feel almost like 55
stopher1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2008
Ok, so here are a few more photos from my recent DL visit. I stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel on the front end of my trip for one night, with DCA & DL that evening and the next day... then did the work portion of my trip... followed by 2 nights in the new DVC Villas at the Grand Californian Hotel. I had a studio, with a theme park view room. I was on the 4th floor (of 5), and looked directly out into Paradise Pier. Immediately below me was the DVC BBQ deck on the ground floor, with two amazing grills available to use for DVC members. The Mulholland Madness roller coaster (to be rethemed to Goofy's Sky School later in 2010), was directly to my right as I stood on my balcony. Right in front was the Jumpin' Jelly Fish attraction with the Mickey's Fun Wheel and Malliboomer behind that. Off to the left just a bit was the Golden Zephyr and Paradise Bay (where the new World of Color show will be) with California Screamin' and Toy Story Midway Mania directly beyond the bay - and directly to the left of me was the construction site for the new Ariel's Undersea Adventure Little Mermaid ride to open in 2011. Here's a view out of my window, followed by some general resort photos.
This is Mickey's Fun Wheel and the Golden Zephyr
The BBQ deck, just feet away from the perimeter wall of the DCA park (Mulholland Madness is just behind the fence... I could hear it VERY WELL from my room when the sliding door was open!)
My room was right up there in the top... looking up from the pathway walking from the bbq deck around to the pool deck - the DVC Member World of Color Viewing Platform is atop the red portion of the building. Not sure how it will work, but it sure looks to be a cool, exclusive option. Members will only be able to use it while staying at VGC... not while staying at the other DL hotels on points
Here's a pic of the tree inside the Great Hall (lobby) of the hotel
Looking down at the new Mariposa pool (from the elevator lobby on my floor) that was added with the new DVC wing
Some pool complex photos...
The original pool
The slide, with the new DVC wing behind it. The new wing used to be an "event lawn"
A close-up of the new pool & jacuzzi. The jacuzzi is about 2.5x the size of the original jacuzzi. Quite choice too. I was in it several times. Reminds me how much I want one here at home. Beyond the pool you can see the new Cabanas that can be rented. They are quite choice, by the way. If you have the means and want to spend a full day at the pool, they can be rented for something like $200 or was it $250 for 8 hours. I believe it was $150 for 4 hours.
You get designated deck chairs outside, plus a couch, chairs, table, stocked refrigerator, ceiling fan and flat screen HD tv inside.
All I could say was "WOW" when I saw them up close.
here's a view of the "connection point" - where they added on to the hotel. It's an L shaped addition, with the short end of the L being the new DVC wing, and the long end regular hotel rooms.
Here's the corner of the L, and notice how the balconies are closer together for the regular hotel rooms on one side, and the more expansive windows and less frequent balconies for the villas on the DVC side
Here's a pic of the giant fireplace inside the lobby. There's another one on the outside as well with an intimate little patio and rocking chairs. Makes for a nice place to sit and enjoy a drink or conversation. I didn't get one of the outdoor fp, since a group of women were doing yoga in front of it when I wanted to snap a pic, oh well... use your imaginations
Here's a view of the main entrance to the hotel, with the Porte Cachere for dropping off luggage or utilizing the Valet Parking. Valet Parking puts vehicles below the new wing in the underground parking garage... self parking means parking across the street and then walking back. It's only a 2 minute walk though (depending on the traffic light) It was designed in the ARTS & CRAFTS stylings of that design movement from the early 20th century very, very popular throughout So. Cal - and was designed by the same architect who designed the Wilderness Lodge. They both feel quite similar inside, and as such, are considered sister hotels. This was the first Disney designed hotel at the Disneyland resort - the other two, not so as I mentioned in a previous post back in the 190s page range
A few of the room...
And then, on Saturday morning the World of Disney store was having their own version of a Black Friday kind of sale for AP holders (me) and DVC members (also me). They were having discounts of up to 50% on select merchandise, and lots of other doorbuster type stuff for 30-50% off. The doors were slated to open at 6:30 am. I braved the crowds to be one of the first 1,000 in line for a free gift. Not something I enjoyed doing, but with Christmas coming up I wasn't sure if I'd find anything to add to under the tree or not. I learned afterward that there were over 2,000 people in line that morning, and the first couple lined up at 3 am. Craziness! This photo was taken from where I stood in line before they opened the doors. The queue was wrapping quite a bit. I arrived downstairs to get in line around 6:10ish, and when I approached the door and got my wristband for my free gift (just a little Vinylmation figure, nothing overly exciting) I was told that I was in the upper 700's in line.
For those of you who have not yet been to the DL resort, the Grand Californian straddles the edge of Disney's California Adventure park (it's actually billed as being INSIDE the park), and has it's own private entrance into that park. It also straddles Downtown Disney - so much so, that a portion of DTD is actually the lower floor of the hotel, with rooms up above. Here are some views of the DTD with the hotel rooms above... and the DTD entrance directly into the hotel
Once you pass through the DTD entrance into the hotel complex, there is an outdoor courtyard (used for private parties, receptions, etc), above which the OBA passes as it continues on its' route to the DTD station
I will post a few more shots in a while.
This is Mickey's Fun Wheel and the Golden Zephyr
The BBQ deck, just feet away from the perimeter wall of the DCA park (Mulholland Madness is just behind the fence... I could hear it VERY WELL from my room when the sliding door was open!)
My room was right up there in the top... looking up from the pathway walking from the bbq deck around to the pool deck - the DVC Member World of Color Viewing Platform is atop the red portion of the building. Not sure how it will work, but it sure looks to be a cool, exclusive option. Members will only be able to use it while staying at VGC... not while staying at the other DL hotels on points
Here's a pic of the tree inside the Great Hall (lobby) of the hotel
Looking down at the new Mariposa pool (from the elevator lobby on my floor) that was added with the new DVC wing
Some pool complex photos...
The original pool
The slide, with the new DVC wing behind it. The new wing used to be an "event lawn"
A close-up of the new pool & jacuzzi. The jacuzzi is about 2.5x the size of the original jacuzzi. Quite choice too. I was in it several times. Reminds me how much I want one here at home. Beyond the pool you can see the new Cabanas that can be rented. They are quite choice, by the way. If you have the means and want to spend a full day at the pool, they can be rented for something like $200 or was it $250 for 8 hours. I believe it was $150 for 4 hours.
You get designated deck chairs outside, plus a couch, chairs, table, stocked refrigerator, ceiling fan and flat screen HD tv inside.
All I could say was "WOW" when I saw them up close.
here's a view of the "connection point" - where they added on to the hotel. It's an L shaped addition, with the short end of the L being the new DVC wing, and the long end regular hotel rooms.
Here's the corner of the L, and notice how the balconies are closer together for the regular hotel rooms on one side, and the more expansive windows and less frequent balconies for the villas on the DVC side
Here's a pic of the giant fireplace inside the lobby. There's another one on the outside as well with an intimate little patio and rocking chairs. Makes for a nice place to sit and enjoy a drink or conversation. I didn't get one of the outdoor fp, since a group of women were doing yoga in front of it when I wanted to snap a pic, oh well... use your imaginations
Here's a view of the main entrance to the hotel, with the Porte Cachere for dropping off luggage or utilizing the Valet Parking. Valet Parking puts vehicles below the new wing in the underground parking garage... self parking means parking across the street and then walking back. It's only a 2 minute walk though (depending on the traffic light) It was designed in the ARTS & CRAFTS stylings of that design movement from the early 20th century very, very popular throughout So. Cal - and was designed by the same architect who designed the Wilderness Lodge. They both feel quite similar inside, and as such, are considered sister hotels. This was the first Disney designed hotel at the Disneyland resort - the other two, not so as I mentioned in a previous post back in the 190s page range
A few of the room...
And then, on Saturday morning the World of Disney store was having their own version of a Black Friday kind of sale for AP holders (me) and DVC members (also me). They were having discounts of up to 50% on select merchandise, and lots of other doorbuster type stuff for 30-50% off. The doors were slated to open at 6:30 am. I braved the crowds to be one of the first 1,000 in line for a free gift. Not something I enjoyed doing, but with Christmas coming up I wasn't sure if I'd find anything to add to under the tree or not. I learned afterward that there were over 2,000 people in line that morning, and the first couple lined up at 3 am. Craziness! This photo was taken from where I stood in line before they opened the doors. The queue was wrapping quite a bit. I arrived downstairs to get in line around 6:10ish, and when I approached the door and got my wristband for my free gift (just a little Vinylmation figure, nothing overly exciting) I was told that I was in the upper 700's in line.
For those of you who have not yet been to the DL resort, the Grand Californian straddles the edge of Disney's California Adventure park (it's actually billed as being INSIDE the park), and has it's own private entrance into that park. It also straddles Downtown Disney - so much so, that a portion of DTD is actually the lower floor of the hotel, with rooms up above. Here are some views of the DTD with the hotel rooms above... and the DTD entrance directly into the hotel
Once you pass through the DTD entrance into the hotel complex, there is an outdoor courtyard (used for private parties, receptions, etc), above which the OBA passes as it continues on its' route to the DTD station
I will post a few more shots in a while.
Emma's Dad
DIS Dad #115 Virginia Beach, VA
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
No one (thank God)...it was just me...it's cold here in South Georgia...brrrr, it was 59 degrees.....wind made it feel almost like 55
Did you remember your thermals??
stopher1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2008
I'll second that...
Emma's Dad
DIS Dad #115 Virginia Beach, VA
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
Your write-ups are awesome! I've never been to DL, and when I see these from you I am like "wow... i need to go there someday!". Most excellent! Thanks!
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