InspiredMischief
Inspired Mischief
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2005
- Messages
- 4
Date of trip: June 3rd through 5th.
Cast members:
Me: 18 years old and this made my 17th or 18th trip to Disneyland.
Josh: 18, my best friend and boyfriend of six months, second trip to Disneyland.
Jennifer: 32, my aunt, this made her third trip.
Greg: 34, my uncle third trip.
Back ground: This was a high school graduation present to both me and Josh from my aunt and uncle. We stayed at the Hyatt regency hotel, about a mile from Disneyland. Now for all of you who are experienced Disneyland Goers, we know that staying across the street at one of the cheaper but still comfy hotels is the best bet; unless of course youre staying at the Disneyland hotel or the California Grand. I highly recommend the Disney Land Hotel . I love the little sprinkles of Pixie Dust! I would have even settled for the portifino suites even though those are like a block or so away. We live in Stockton, so we had about a six hour drive down from the valley. Its a straight shot down five, so it wasnt anything we couldnt handle. I was totally excited, Ive been to Disneyland every year since I was two, and one year I went twice. But the great thing about going to Disneyland with people you havent been with before is that its almost like going for the first time! Its a brand new experience! Nobody is a Disney fan like me though, theyve seen the movies sure, but they dont have the deep appreciation for Disney like I do. Bear with me if this seems long, I like details!
Day One 06/03/05
After a somewhat sleepless night, with Josh crashing out on my couch, we woke up at around four A.M. I of course awoke bright eyed and busy tailed, eager to begin the day. After a quick shower and Standard Disneyland Preparation (STD means hair goes into pony tail, makeup minimal, and backpack purse is equipped with camera, cell phone and chap stick.) We left at 5:04, and began our journey. After being in a car for two hours and coming to the realization that you still have four hours to go, you begin to lose the initial excitement and the fact that you havent slept for more than four hours kicks in. Luckily Josh and I had pillows, so we fell asleep right after a quick bite at Jack in the box. I awoke a few hours later sick to my stomach. Note to Self: do not eat a sourdough breakfast sandwich and orange juice before napping. It just doesnt make for a very comfortable experience! Jenny was prepared with Dramamine, which of course knocked me out again.
I came to just as we were making the descend into Anaheim. Groggy though I was, my excitement kicked right back in. In my past trips to Disneyland, I am used to getting there, dropping my things off at the hotel and heading straight into the park. But Jenny wanted to do things a little different. Since she was footing the bill for the trip, I kept my difficulty and pouting to a minimum. We went straight to the hotel. From the outside, the Hyatt seemed fantastic! It had beautiful architecture, and a stunning lobby. I was getting a good vibe, even though I was nervous because it wasnt very familiar. We got our luggage out of the car, had it parked and then Greg got our room key and we were off. This is when Jenny decides to mention that she and Greg got us a room with Bunk beds! Oh joy! Two 18 year olds crammed onto bunk beds. This aggravated me to no end; Josh and I were old enough to share a bed or at least a sleeper sofa!
The room sucked and not because of the bunk beds. The carpet was worn down and tattered, the sheets and bed spreads looked tired, and the little area where the bunk beds were located had one tiny Florissant light. We didnt even have a window! We were thrust into a dark abyss. The bathroom was quite nice though but it did not make up for the shoddiness of the rest of the room. After a few minuets of checking out our surroundings, I changed out of my road trip clothes and into jeans and a pirates of the Caribbean shirt that I had bought at pieces of eight last year.
Now I finally thought that maybe, we would be heading straight into Disneyland. It was after all nearly eleven thirty. Nope! Jenny wanted to stop for a brief lunch somewhere. Since I was the walking guide map to Disneyland everyone asked me where we should eat. Our hotel had a red robin and an outback across the street, but I was eager to get as close to the parks as possible. I suggested we try the rainforest café; great atmosphere and yummy food. An added plus to this was that neither Jenny, Greg nor Josh had ever eaten at one before. Yay for first timers!
The hotel had a tram that left for the Disney gates about every fifteen minuets. We had to pay close attention to which tram we were to take to get back to the right hotel. The trams looked as though they came right out of the seventies. I swear only shag carpeting could have perfected to look. I enjoyed it, but Jenny looked as though she was very uncomfortable. The walk from the tram station to the other end of Downtown Disney took forever, especially since the only thing on my mind was must be inside Disneyland However my fix was somewhat satisfied because of all the shops along the way to the Rainforest café.
When we finally got there, we only had to wait about ten minuets before they called Jennifer safari of four! Until our table was ready Josh and I goofed off in the gift shop and laughed at the glow in the dark boxers. We were sat in a place that had a great advantage and one big disadvantage. The plus side is that we were sat on the second floor, and when the thunder showers commenced it was awesome. The downside was that we were the table closest to the damn stairs and people kept walking by and stopping to chat. It didnt really go with the whole jungle theme. Josh and I shared a steak, rib and shrimp platter, not too bad! Although I had to say that was not the best meal I had in the park, more on that later.
After everyone had eaten their fill, it was about one thirty, and it was agreed that since I was the only person to have been in the California Adventure park that we would make that our first stop. The line was minimal to get through the gates, and upon entering I heard the beach boys playing softly in the background. California Girls brings back memories of the last trip I had with my friend Joana, maybe Ill post a trip report of our trip for her later.
The first ride on our agenda was soaring over California. I decided this for two reasons: one, because it was probably the closest ride to the entrance, and two we could swing around and hit grizzly river run right after. The line for SOC was somewhat long, 45 minuets, but nothing near as horrible as the year before when I waited for over and hour and a half! Everyone enjoyed this ride, I think its brilliant, and I love the smell of the orange groves! We then meandered over to Grizzly river run, where my nose told me there was a churro stand somewhere, but I couldnt find it. Josh pulled me into line for the ride with the promise that we would go on a churro hunt afterwards. I particularly enjoy the themeing on this ride, it gives a very authentic feel and I enjoyed the country music playing in the background.
I was glad we got this ride done with early, because Jenny and Greg got drenched! My butt got a little wet, but they went backwards down the big drop and were bombarded with rapids! After GRR I had forgotten about my churro and Josh and Greg decided it was time for a funnel cake, hurk bleh! I knew Paradise Pier was the way to go. I dont particularly enjoy this area of the park, due to the fact that If I really wanted to go to the boardwalk I could have saved a lot of money and gas by going to Santa Cruz. The only ride I really enjoy is California screaming and maybe the Zinger.
Jenny insisted we ride the Maliboomer, something I wasnt thrilled about. (reminded me of a bad state fair incident). I went on it, reluctantly, and even joined them the second time around because there was no line. The crowds up until that point were light, only the big rides had long lines. One major advantage in this park is that there are far less strollers! Most of the little kids are in Disneyland. As a tradeoff for me riding the Maliboomer with him, Josh went on the Orange Zinger with me, yay! We found the funnel cakes at the end of the boardwalk, where Josh then proceeded to stuff his face with not one, but two funnel cakes! Those things are huge!
After the mass consumption of sugar we decided to skip California screaming, due mostly to the fact that nobody felt like puking their guts out. Not usually advisable. I had missed Tower Of Terror my last trip, we had left the week before it opened, so I suggested we walk over to the Hollywood back lots and check it out. This was a great idea for two reasons, one being the walk made our stomachs feel a lot more settled, also I figured if we would have waited any longer the line would have been much worse.
We arrived at the Hollywood tower hotel and enjoyed a twenty minuet wait in the little outside queue garden area, and were then welcomed into the lobby. I love the line on this ride! The furniture is so ornate and it really feels like a 1950s abandoned hotel! The cast members are all so grim, and creepy! The only thing that got irritating during this trip had to be seeing that damn twilight zone movie repeatedly; I knew it by heart before the trip was over! That ride was probably the best of the trip, we bought a picture and I did a penny press for my scrap book.
It was starting to get a little busy at this point; there must have been a parade about to start, so we all decided to head over to Disneyland! Finally, what I had been waiting for! I though I did a great job at being patient! At the last second Jenny and Greg said that they wanted to go back to the hotel, so Josh and I went ahead to Disneyland! The 50th anniversary flowers of Mickey Mouse in front of the Disneyland Railroad were awesome; so colorful and well maintained! There was an enormous group of teenagers dressed in what looked like prom dresses and tuxedos, they were very annoying and made getting a decent picture in front of the flowers difficult. Grr
The first ride Josh and I hit up was The Jungle Cruise. I love this ride, despite the cheesy lines and goofy Cast Members. The last time Josh had been at Disneyland he was three, and thought that he was too old to go on rides like this. I changed his mind about it and he actually suggested we ride it again at a later point during the trip. The Cruise was great; we had a really funny cast member who picked on me because I knew all of the words to the Pirates of the Caribbean song. Im sure he would have picked on me more should he have found out I can act out entire scenes from the movie. I thought the piranhas were a nice touch to the end of the ride. That was most definitely the best jungle cruise I could have taken!
The line for Indiana Jones was much too long, plus Jenny and Greg had never ridden it and I wanted to be with everyone while they experienced their firsts for the trip. The crowds were beginning to get uncomfortable, but we ducked into Pirates just before a huge group of like thirteen people got in line. For some odd reason Pirates seemed deserted, the wait was only about ten minuets! Awesome! Josh laughed as I sang along to the song and quoted the voice when you get into the dark caverns of the ride. Since it was close, we almost always did Haunted Mansion and Pirates one right after the other. Josh particularly enjoyed this ride because he stole kisses the whole time!
It was starting to get late, so the last ride we attempted to ride was big thunder mountain railroad. It was closed, a cast member said it should be open again within the half hour, we waited around for awhile and talked to a really great dad and his two kids. After about twenty minuets of waiting the same CM said that it would not be opened again. Josh and I decided to make our way out of the park and catch the tram back to the hotel. Josh suggested we get some Jacuzzi time. Sounded good to me!
At the hotel Jenny and Greg were relaxing in the room and we checked in before heading down to the Jacuzzi. We didnt get any alone time however, there was an older man on a business trip there and two giddy fifteen year olds. After a half hour of soaking Josh and I began walking back to our room, but it wasnt a total loss, we did catch a glimpse of the fireworks spectacular! Before we settled in for the night we made a run to Outback and got dinner. Falling asleep proved to be difficult, as Joshs feet hung over the end of our bunk bed. Im rather short, 51 and I slept just fine!
Cast members:
Me: 18 years old and this made my 17th or 18th trip to Disneyland.
Josh: 18, my best friend and boyfriend of six months, second trip to Disneyland.
Jennifer: 32, my aunt, this made her third trip.
Greg: 34, my uncle third trip.
Back ground: This was a high school graduation present to both me and Josh from my aunt and uncle. We stayed at the Hyatt regency hotel, about a mile from Disneyland. Now for all of you who are experienced Disneyland Goers, we know that staying across the street at one of the cheaper but still comfy hotels is the best bet; unless of course youre staying at the Disneyland hotel or the California Grand. I highly recommend the Disney Land Hotel . I love the little sprinkles of Pixie Dust! I would have even settled for the portifino suites even though those are like a block or so away. We live in Stockton, so we had about a six hour drive down from the valley. Its a straight shot down five, so it wasnt anything we couldnt handle. I was totally excited, Ive been to Disneyland every year since I was two, and one year I went twice. But the great thing about going to Disneyland with people you havent been with before is that its almost like going for the first time! Its a brand new experience! Nobody is a Disney fan like me though, theyve seen the movies sure, but they dont have the deep appreciation for Disney like I do. Bear with me if this seems long, I like details!
Day One 06/03/05
After a somewhat sleepless night, with Josh crashing out on my couch, we woke up at around four A.M. I of course awoke bright eyed and busy tailed, eager to begin the day. After a quick shower and Standard Disneyland Preparation (STD means hair goes into pony tail, makeup minimal, and backpack purse is equipped with camera, cell phone and chap stick.) We left at 5:04, and began our journey. After being in a car for two hours and coming to the realization that you still have four hours to go, you begin to lose the initial excitement and the fact that you havent slept for more than four hours kicks in. Luckily Josh and I had pillows, so we fell asleep right after a quick bite at Jack in the box. I awoke a few hours later sick to my stomach. Note to Self: do not eat a sourdough breakfast sandwich and orange juice before napping. It just doesnt make for a very comfortable experience! Jenny was prepared with Dramamine, which of course knocked me out again.
I came to just as we were making the descend into Anaheim. Groggy though I was, my excitement kicked right back in. In my past trips to Disneyland, I am used to getting there, dropping my things off at the hotel and heading straight into the park. But Jenny wanted to do things a little different. Since she was footing the bill for the trip, I kept my difficulty and pouting to a minimum. We went straight to the hotel. From the outside, the Hyatt seemed fantastic! It had beautiful architecture, and a stunning lobby. I was getting a good vibe, even though I was nervous because it wasnt very familiar. We got our luggage out of the car, had it parked and then Greg got our room key and we were off. This is when Jenny decides to mention that she and Greg got us a room with Bunk beds! Oh joy! Two 18 year olds crammed onto bunk beds. This aggravated me to no end; Josh and I were old enough to share a bed or at least a sleeper sofa!
The room sucked and not because of the bunk beds. The carpet was worn down and tattered, the sheets and bed spreads looked tired, and the little area where the bunk beds were located had one tiny Florissant light. We didnt even have a window! We were thrust into a dark abyss. The bathroom was quite nice though but it did not make up for the shoddiness of the rest of the room. After a few minuets of checking out our surroundings, I changed out of my road trip clothes and into jeans and a pirates of the Caribbean shirt that I had bought at pieces of eight last year.
Now I finally thought that maybe, we would be heading straight into Disneyland. It was after all nearly eleven thirty. Nope! Jenny wanted to stop for a brief lunch somewhere. Since I was the walking guide map to Disneyland everyone asked me where we should eat. Our hotel had a red robin and an outback across the street, but I was eager to get as close to the parks as possible. I suggested we try the rainforest café; great atmosphere and yummy food. An added plus to this was that neither Jenny, Greg nor Josh had ever eaten at one before. Yay for first timers!
The hotel had a tram that left for the Disney gates about every fifteen minuets. We had to pay close attention to which tram we were to take to get back to the right hotel. The trams looked as though they came right out of the seventies. I swear only shag carpeting could have perfected to look. I enjoyed it, but Jenny looked as though she was very uncomfortable. The walk from the tram station to the other end of Downtown Disney took forever, especially since the only thing on my mind was must be inside Disneyland However my fix was somewhat satisfied because of all the shops along the way to the Rainforest café.
When we finally got there, we only had to wait about ten minuets before they called Jennifer safari of four! Until our table was ready Josh and I goofed off in the gift shop and laughed at the glow in the dark boxers. We were sat in a place that had a great advantage and one big disadvantage. The plus side is that we were sat on the second floor, and when the thunder showers commenced it was awesome. The downside was that we were the table closest to the damn stairs and people kept walking by and stopping to chat. It didnt really go with the whole jungle theme. Josh and I shared a steak, rib and shrimp platter, not too bad! Although I had to say that was not the best meal I had in the park, more on that later.
After everyone had eaten their fill, it was about one thirty, and it was agreed that since I was the only person to have been in the California Adventure park that we would make that our first stop. The line was minimal to get through the gates, and upon entering I heard the beach boys playing softly in the background. California Girls brings back memories of the last trip I had with my friend Joana, maybe Ill post a trip report of our trip for her later.
The first ride on our agenda was soaring over California. I decided this for two reasons: one, because it was probably the closest ride to the entrance, and two we could swing around and hit grizzly river run right after. The line for SOC was somewhat long, 45 minuets, but nothing near as horrible as the year before when I waited for over and hour and a half! Everyone enjoyed this ride, I think its brilliant, and I love the smell of the orange groves! We then meandered over to Grizzly river run, where my nose told me there was a churro stand somewhere, but I couldnt find it. Josh pulled me into line for the ride with the promise that we would go on a churro hunt afterwards. I particularly enjoy the themeing on this ride, it gives a very authentic feel and I enjoyed the country music playing in the background.
I was glad we got this ride done with early, because Jenny and Greg got drenched! My butt got a little wet, but they went backwards down the big drop and were bombarded with rapids! After GRR I had forgotten about my churro and Josh and Greg decided it was time for a funnel cake, hurk bleh! I knew Paradise Pier was the way to go. I dont particularly enjoy this area of the park, due to the fact that If I really wanted to go to the boardwalk I could have saved a lot of money and gas by going to Santa Cruz. The only ride I really enjoy is California screaming and maybe the Zinger.
Jenny insisted we ride the Maliboomer, something I wasnt thrilled about. (reminded me of a bad state fair incident). I went on it, reluctantly, and even joined them the second time around because there was no line. The crowds up until that point were light, only the big rides had long lines. One major advantage in this park is that there are far less strollers! Most of the little kids are in Disneyland. As a tradeoff for me riding the Maliboomer with him, Josh went on the Orange Zinger with me, yay! We found the funnel cakes at the end of the boardwalk, where Josh then proceeded to stuff his face with not one, but two funnel cakes! Those things are huge!
After the mass consumption of sugar we decided to skip California screaming, due mostly to the fact that nobody felt like puking their guts out. Not usually advisable. I had missed Tower Of Terror my last trip, we had left the week before it opened, so I suggested we walk over to the Hollywood back lots and check it out. This was a great idea for two reasons, one being the walk made our stomachs feel a lot more settled, also I figured if we would have waited any longer the line would have been much worse.
We arrived at the Hollywood tower hotel and enjoyed a twenty minuet wait in the little outside queue garden area, and were then welcomed into the lobby. I love the line on this ride! The furniture is so ornate and it really feels like a 1950s abandoned hotel! The cast members are all so grim, and creepy! The only thing that got irritating during this trip had to be seeing that damn twilight zone movie repeatedly; I knew it by heart before the trip was over! That ride was probably the best of the trip, we bought a picture and I did a penny press for my scrap book.
It was starting to get a little busy at this point; there must have been a parade about to start, so we all decided to head over to Disneyland! Finally, what I had been waiting for! I though I did a great job at being patient! At the last second Jenny and Greg said that they wanted to go back to the hotel, so Josh and I went ahead to Disneyland! The 50th anniversary flowers of Mickey Mouse in front of the Disneyland Railroad were awesome; so colorful and well maintained! There was an enormous group of teenagers dressed in what looked like prom dresses and tuxedos, they were very annoying and made getting a decent picture in front of the flowers difficult. Grr
The first ride Josh and I hit up was The Jungle Cruise. I love this ride, despite the cheesy lines and goofy Cast Members. The last time Josh had been at Disneyland he was three, and thought that he was too old to go on rides like this. I changed his mind about it and he actually suggested we ride it again at a later point during the trip. The Cruise was great; we had a really funny cast member who picked on me because I knew all of the words to the Pirates of the Caribbean song. Im sure he would have picked on me more should he have found out I can act out entire scenes from the movie. I thought the piranhas were a nice touch to the end of the ride. That was most definitely the best jungle cruise I could have taken!
The line for Indiana Jones was much too long, plus Jenny and Greg had never ridden it and I wanted to be with everyone while they experienced their firsts for the trip. The crowds were beginning to get uncomfortable, but we ducked into Pirates just before a huge group of like thirteen people got in line. For some odd reason Pirates seemed deserted, the wait was only about ten minuets! Awesome! Josh laughed as I sang along to the song and quoted the voice when you get into the dark caverns of the ride. Since it was close, we almost always did Haunted Mansion and Pirates one right after the other. Josh particularly enjoyed this ride because he stole kisses the whole time!
It was starting to get late, so the last ride we attempted to ride was big thunder mountain railroad. It was closed, a cast member said it should be open again within the half hour, we waited around for awhile and talked to a really great dad and his two kids. After about twenty minuets of waiting the same CM said that it would not be opened again. Josh and I decided to make our way out of the park and catch the tram back to the hotel. Josh suggested we get some Jacuzzi time. Sounded good to me!
At the hotel Jenny and Greg were relaxing in the room and we checked in before heading down to the Jacuzzi. We didnt get any alone time however, there was an older man on a business trip there and two giddy fifteen year olds. After a half hour of soaking Josh and I began walking back to our room, but it wasnt a total loss, we did catch a glimpse of the fireworks spectacular! Before we settled in for the night we made a run to Outback and got dinner. Falling asleep proved to be difficult, as Joshs feet hung over the end of our bunk bed. Im rather short, 51 and I slept just fine!
