1st trip to DL, 1st Anniversary, 1st time on the coast...COMPLETED!!

[PrincessAlways]

Loved the update! ESPN looked great! I've never been to the one at WDW. Is is the same? Seems like the two of you had some fun at those games!! Soarin' at Disney World has the orange & pine smells too. It's one of my favorite rides. Now I've got to ask, that yellow ferris wheel....it looks like the people get wet when they go along the bottom. Do they? Did you go on it?

 

[tjl1388]

Great post, I hope we can get out there one day.

 

[nat1234]

I'm loving your trip report so far. Your pictures are great too.

 

[MeLaNie9]

Karen - I finally found your TR and am all caught up! I have missed so much - what great updates and pictures (exactly what I would expect from you ) It looks like you guys had a great time!

I guess I will try to put a few comments in a bit late:
So sorry about the contact issue, but you do look great in your glasses. That happens all the time to me (the ripped contact thing) and it stinks!

I love the DL castle - its smaller but beautiful!

I would love to hear more about differences between rides that DL and WDW have in common. And what is the Matterhorn like? (I don't know anything about DL )

Your anniversary surprises were great - how nice the resort was to put the rose petals on your bed!

Oh - and I love your rehearsal dinner/anniversary dinner outfit!


Looking forward to more!!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

I can't wait to ride California Screamin.
I love your nightime pictures of DCA.
Can't wait to hear all about the DL fireworks with Julie Andrews narrating. I her & am sorry you missed her since you were there the day she was signing books. My DH actually got on line & tried to get me an autographed copy on the DL website but no luck.......but we do get to see her in concert in Atlanta in August.
Our vacation was great thanks.......no Disney, but we had a great time exploring Stowe Vermont & Quebec City Canada.

 

[Jennifer48]

Great update Karen!

I've been to the ESPN Zone at WDW and its not nearly as big or nice as the one at DLR!

I saw your picture of the chicken fingers and I read your description but I don't see any onion rings! Did you eat them all or are they hiding beneath?

 

[Spartangirl]

Wow......ESPN Zone at DL looks so big compared to the one in WDW. It looks like you both had a blast!

We LOVED California Screamin' too.........glad you had such a short wait time!

Your pics are wonderful! Isn't DCA beautiful at night? I love the boardwalk area!

I can't wait to hear what you thought about the fireworks..........they were some of the best that we've seen!!!

 

[MA pigletfan]

LOVE the update..as always, Karen!
CA screaming looks almost too intense for me..i think i will be packing my dramamine for sure on this trip if i want to ride aything hahah

 

[LaLaroo78]

Great update Karen! Can't wait to read more!

 

[Girldreamer02]

Love the update! There is the orange and pine smell at WDW. I can't believe you didn't notice it! Thats my fave part of the ride. Lol. Can't wait for more!

 

[minniecarousel]

You have me wanting more! You write a great TR!

Those orange flowers (that reminded you of the Tiki Room) are Bird of Paradise. We have them up here in Northern California too.

 

[Djibouti]

Karen, your update is great! My DH and I are going in Sept to celebrate our 2nd anniversary and your report is helping to tide me over until then!

 

[kmab00]

Yay! An update! And a great one! Love it!

Thank you so much! Another one is on the way, too!!

I just the update!!!

Aww thanks! I'm glad you liked it!!

Great update! California Screamin' looks awesome!

Thanks! Oh yes, California Screamin was FABULOUS!!!!!

Ok, so I read that really late last night right before I went to bed and did this ---> so I had to re-look at the pictures. I didn't even SEE that plane 1st time I went to DCA cuz I was with commando in-laws, will def. get pic w/kids with that! Also, I can't WAIT for single rider line for California Screamin! SOO excited to try that one this year!

LOL! Well I'm glad you saw something new!! That plane will be a great picture spot for your kids! It's kind of hidden....when you are in front of Soarin, look towards the Grand Cali and you'll see it. If you can't see it because of all of the people, walk towards the Grand and it'll come into view! Yes California Screamin was SO much fun!! What a great ride!!

Yes, we still had a really good time at Sea World. But the experience was enough for us to say that we are definitely not going during peak periods or summer again! Which is kinda sad since we had planned on going to Epcot later this month. But we will still go, just later in the year. We have the SW Fun Pass, so we plan on hitting that park again around September or October when the crowds die down and it's not so hot! Not to keep harping on the crowds, but we had to wait 30 minutes before each show to get seats and 1 hour before the Shamu show - so that ate up a big chunk of our day. While waiting at the Shamu show, DH went to get some food and people kept coming up and asking if his space was saved. I said yes to one man, and he went to complain to a CM (not sure if this is what they're called at SW), and she basically blew him off. I don't understand why he complained, get there 1 hour ahead like us if you want a seat - not 10 minutes before the show starts! Whew! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!

ESPN Zone looks like a lot of fun! The nachos look yummy! That's a great picture of you on the second Nascar game - such concentration!

I've wanted to go to DCA just to ride California Screamin'!

Oh my gosh! That's crazy! Sorry the crowds were so nutso!!! I know what you mean about that man who complained! You want a decent seat, you get to the show early and that's what you'll get! ESPN Zone was so much fun!!! Lol....I was concentraing all right! I think that it's worth it to go to DCA just for Cali Screamin!! It's a great ride! Thanks for following along!!

Karen, great update!!!! ESPN Zone looks so fun, oh my gosh, I had no idea. I wonder if they have one of those at WDW?? My Christmas plans have changed, I will be visitng WDW instead of DL so it would be cool if they had one too. I didn't realize how fun the place was.
That is sweet that someone gave you those pass's for Soarin. I am so mad that I didn't get to ride California Screamin. I had major surgery in Dec. and my doc. told me I couldn't ride it in March, too soon. Thats ok, next time.
Your trip report is so great and I can't wait to read and see more, keep up the awesome work.

Thank you so much!! I've heard that there's one at WDW but not with the "Zone" (aka the fun part) included in it. Come to think of it, I've eaten at the one in the Wide World of Sports and I don't remember it having the games seciton. It reminded me a lot of Buffalo Wild Wings. You're going to LOVE Disney World at Christmas! It's breathtaking!! Thanks again!!

I went to the ESPN Zone at WDW and don't recall them having a game area like they do in Cali. I could be wrong and have missed it, but I don't believe one is there.

You're right, there isn't one! Thanks for reading along!

 

[kmab00]

I loved your update Karen! Woohoo!

Thank you so much!!

Great report!

Aww thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying it!!

Loved the update! ESPN looked great! I've never been to the one at WDW. Is is the same? Seems like the two of you had some fun at those games!! Soarin' at Disney World has the orange & pine smells too. It's one of my favorite rides. Now I've got to ask, that yellow ferris wheel....it looks like the people get wet when they go along the bottom. Do they? Did you go on it?

I didn't like the one at WDW as much as the one at DL! It's a lot different from what I can remember. Then again, it's been about 10 years since I've been to the one in WDW so it's kind of fuzzy!! Oooh it DOES have the scents? I cannot believe that I didn't notice that before!! I'm definitely going to have to "smell" for that one next time!! Soarin is one of my favorites, too! We did ride the ferris wheel but no, you don't get wet at all! The cages in the middle are on a bar so they slide as the ferris wheel moves. The other cages are stationary. We rode the moving ones and it was fun!

Great post, I hope we can get out there one day.

It's fabulous, you'd love it! Thanks for reading along!!

I'm loving your trip report so far. Your pictures are great too.

Thank you so much! That's so sweet of you to say!

Karen - I finally found your TR and am all caught up! I have missed so much - what great updates and pictures (exactly what I would expect from you ) It looks like you guys had a great time!

I guess I will try to put a few comments in a bit late:
So sorry about the contact issue, but you do look great in your glasses. That happens all the time to me (the ripped contact thing) and it stinks!

I love the DL castle - its smaller but beautiful!

I would love to hear more about differences between rides that DL and WDW have in common. And what is the Matterhorn like? (I don't know anything about DL )

Your anniversary surprises were great - how nice the resort was to put the rose petals on your bed!

Oh - and I love your rehearsal dinner/anniversary dinner outfit!


Looking forward to more!!!

Aww yay you found me! lol! Thank you so much for the compliments!!

The Matterhorn is cool....it's one of the first ever of it's kind when it was built. It was a "Walt original" and that's why I liked it so much! It kind of has that whole "abominable snowman" thing like Expedition Everest does except this ride isn't as thrilling. It's still a lot of fun, though! Reminded me a lot of WDW's version of Space Mountain except in the daylight and in a mountain with an abominable snowman if that makes any sense!!

I can't wait to ride California Screamin.
I love your nightime pictures of DCA.
Can't wait to hear all about the DL fireworks with Julie Andrews narrating. I her & am sorry you missed her since you were there the day she was signing books. My DH actually got on line & tried to get me an autographed copy on the DL website but no luck.......but we do get to see her in concert in Atlanta in August.
Our vacation was great thanks.......no Disney, but we had a great time exploring Stowe Vermont & Quebec City Canada.

Thank you very much! California Screaming was SO MUCH FUN!!!! You're going to lvoe it! The fireworks were great, too (that's all coming up here in a little while!)! Awww...sorry your DH missed out on the book! That's rotten!! I didn't know she was doing concerts! I bet that was awesome! Your vacation sounds like a fun spot!! Thanks for following along!

 

[kmab00]

Wow......ESPN Zone at DL looks so big compared to the one in WDW. It looks like you both had a blast!

We LOVED California Screamin' too.........glad you had such a short wait time!

Your pics are wonderful! Isn't DCA beautiful at night? I love the boardwalk area!

I can't wait to hear what you thought about the fireworks..........they were some of the best that we've seen!!!

We did have a blast, thanks!! It was big and lots of fun!! Yes California Screamin was awesome! I think that was Jason's favorite ride out of everything!! lol!

Thank you...yes DCA is so pretty at night! The boardwalk area is so lit up and it looks great!!

I agree...the fireworks were amazing! The have risen to the top of my favorites list!

Thanks so much for following along!

LOVE the update..as always, Karen!
CA screaming looks almost too intense for me..i think i will be packing my dramamine for sure on this trip if i want to ride aything hahah

Thank you so much!! LOL it's not too bad but I don't want to say that and you ride it and it make you sick! I'm not a huge coaster fan but I love Disney rides because they are usually more subdue than six flags type coasters. There are only a select few coasters at six flags parks that I can ride! Good luck!!!!

Great update Karen! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you so much!! More is coming up shortly!!

Love the update! There is the orange and pine smell at WDW. I can't believe you didn't notice it! Thats my fave part of the ride. Lol. Can't wait for more!

I can't believe I didn't notice the smell before either! I've ridden the dang thing so many times you'd think I've had noticed it by now!! lol! I'm definitely keeping my nose open next time we're at Epcot!! lol!! Thank you very much! more is on the way!!

You have me wanting more! You write a great TR!

Those orange flowers (that reminded you of the Tiki Room) are Bird of Paradise. We have them up here in Northern California too.

Aww thank you so much! Sorry I can't update as often as I'd like to! When I get home from work, I'm so pooped it's impossible to do anything!! Thank you for telling me about the flowers! They are really really pretty! Birds of Paradise..that's probably why Walt included them in the Tiki Room! Well, it makes sense to me anyway!! lol! Thanks so much for following along!!

Karen, your update is great! My DH and I are going in Sept to celebrate our 2nd anniversary and your report is helping to tide me over until then!

Thank you! AWw you're going to have so much fun!! I can't wait to hear about it! Where are you staying? How long are you going?

Great update Karen!

I've been to the ESPN Zone at WDW and its not nearly as big or nice as the one at DLR!

I saw your picture of the chicken fingers and I read your description but I don't see any onion rings! Did you eat them all or are they hiding beneath?

The onion rings were hiding!! They were small and there weren't many so that's why you can't see them!! Thanks so much for following along!!


More is on the way!!

 

[kmab00]

Tuesday, April 8, 2008 - Disneyland at night/Remember: Dreams Come True!!

After California Adventure closed, we joined the MASSES who were walking out the front gates of DCA and straight over to the front gates of Disneyland. It took us a little while to get back into the park, but it wasn't that long of a wait.

Our first stop once we made it inside was the First 50 Magical Years exhibit. Of course we had to see it for one...because I LOVE the history of Walt and Disney and for two....it had DONALD in it and Jason just loves Donald!!

I thought that this picture was really cool! It's a bunch of tiny pictures of park guests all combined together to make one large picture of Mickey and Walt!

I LOVED everything inside! I love learning about how Disneyland came to be and the history of the parks so this was definitely a favorite of mine!

Early maps of the park

Disneyland

Small World

The Castle!

We loved the show...it was SO cute! I was disappointed that I didn't get to see "Great Moment's with Mr. Lincoln" because I had heard such good things about it but oh well!

We walked across to the fire station to look inside after we were finished with the 50 years exhibit

I was trying to look as if I had slidden down the pole. No I was NOT trying to pole dance!! :laugh3:

The firetruck inside!

After we finished looking around, we decided to get in line for the fireworks.

OK so here is where I made my mistake! It was about 20 minutes before they were to begin and I thought, "Oh yeah I've got PLENTY of time to find a spot!" Well, we walk out onto Main Street and :OMG! There are people EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!! It was CRAZY!!! We snuck under a rope and got as close as we could but we were NO where near the castle!! I wanted good pictures of the fireworks like from our December trip. Well people, I'm sorry to disappoint, but this is the best I got!!

Our view from where we were standing. Pretty shabby, huh? Then OF COURSE as Julie's voice comes over the loudspeaker, dad's all in front of us pick up their kids and put them on their shoulders. GREAT, just great! How was I supposed to know that I had to get in line for fireworks 2 hours before they started?!? Oh well....I'd remember that for tomorrow night!!!

..................................................CONT...........................................

 

[kmab00]

.....................................CONT...............................

I handed Jason my camera because he was taller and all I was getting in the darn pictures was the back of this little girl's head on top of her dad's shoulders...not good!

Seriously, I'm sorry these pictures stink so bad but this is the best I could do! My mood lightened quite a bit as the fireworks started and I REALLY REALLY enjoyed this show! I guess I kind of spoiled it a little for myself because I watched it on You Tube before we left but NOTHING compares to watching Remember: Dreams Come True in PERSON! It's AMAZING!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's a new favorite of mine and it EVEN beats Wishes...go figure! lol!!

Once Upon a Time, there was a Magic Kingdom made of hopes and childhood fantasies.....a timeless place where every land was filled with wonder; a place where everyone who entered it's gates would be given the gift of the young at heart.....the power to wish upon a star and unlock it's magic.

Are you ready to wish upon a star? Then it's time to open your heart and remember, Dreams Come True!

When you wish upon a star,

Makes no difference who you are.....

Anything your heart desires will come....to.....you.

Fifty years ago, a magical place was born. And in this marvelous kingdom, there lived many delightful friends who made our dreams come true! An enchanted place where storybook heroes and daring adventures waited around every corner!

Wishes!

Tonight we're going to share a wonderful dream come true together! IN 1955, an amazing man named Walt Disney dreamt of a Magic Kingdom.

"To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." --Walt Disney

Fifty years later, Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom has grown to become the happiest place on earth to millions the world over! A place where anything is possible, where every dreamer may wish upon a star.

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[kmab00]

........................................CONT....................................

Wishes......Dream a Dream!

Wishes.........Set em free!

Wishes.........Trust your heart

Just believe.........

Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through!

When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!

Make a Wish and do as dreamers do! Just do as dreamers do.....

Make a Wish! Wishes......

Dream a Dream! Wishes......

Trust your heart.......and your Wish, will come true!

Remember: Dreams Come True!

I completely missed the Mickey Mouse "hidden mickey" fireworks that I wanted to capture on camera so badly but I was bound and determined to get them the following night!! Also, Tinkerbell wasn't out tonight...I don't know why! I was excited about the possibility of seeing her the following night, though! I love how she's in the "show" longer than the Tinkerbell at WDW!

.............................................CONT..........................................

 

[kmab00]

............................CONT.............................

After the fireworks, we walked over and joined the quickly growing line for Space Mountain!

This Space Mountain is "updated" and TOTALLY AWESOME!! It has two seat vehicles instead of one in front of the other AND each seat is equipped with SPEAKERS for this great soundtrack as you ride! The entire ride is SO smooth.....I loved it!

They even take a ride photo of you! lol! Once we learned where the camera was, we had some fun with it! lol! That's us ALL the way on the back row, but this picture cracks me up because obviously, the girl on the front row knew where the camera was as well! lol!

After Space Mountain, we had about 20 minutes before the park closed so we booked it over to Fantasyland to ride Alice!

The ride vehicles cracked me up!!

Alice fans, here you go!!

This ride was so cute! Of course, Jason wasn't so much enjoying it...lol....but he rode along with me! The cars were kind of small too which left for very little leg room!

YAY for Alice! Cute ride!

After we got off, I looked at my watch and thought "oh well, we're done because the park is closed!"

Well, Jason grabbed my hand and took off and I kept asking WHERE ARE WE GOING?!?

He led me straight to Dumbo! He remembered me saying that I wanted to ride Dumbo simply because we have never ridden it together and I wanted to do it just to!

Aww YAY!

I was so happy!

I love it when he makes gestures like that!

The "back" of the castle that was really supposed to be the front! lol!

Fantasyland's view of the castle!

Sadly, Dumbo was our last ride for the night since everything else was closing! It was time to leave! What surprised me about Disneyland (vs. WDW) is the amount of people in the parks at night! I remember in WDW for our Honeymoon, we got to Fantsayland around 10 p.m. and there was NO ONE around hardly and we were able to do everything there in no time! That's not the case here at all! There were people everywhere at 11 p.m.!! It wasn't bad and I'm not complaining, it's just a difference that I noticed!

And of course, I had to get one of the partners at night!!

Up next: A GRAND TOUR OF LA/HOLLYWOOD!! Yippeee!!

 

[stagemomx3]

Great pictures from Alice, I love that ride!