TLinden16
Scotty and Ray at Jelly Rolls are the best!
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2002
- Messages
- 16,243
Day 1--Sunday, October 9, 2005
I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready to head to the airport to catch my 6:50 a.m. Song flight to Los Angeles. My long awaited first trip to Disneyland had become a bit bitter sweet, as I lost my father just six days before the trip. I had debated canceling or postponing my trip, but with the encouragement of my family and friends, I decided that I would make the trip to Disneyland.
I arrived at Logan International Airport about 90 minutes before my flight. I got in line to check in for my flight. This was my first time at the new Delta terminal at Logan, and I have to say that I was quite impressed by it. There are a lot of interesting dining and shopping options (although most of them were closed at this early hour). It would be a horrible place to get stuck for a few hours if your flight was delayed.
My flight took off right on time, and it was quite smooth. We had a little bit of turbulence here and there, but not too bad. I got a very tasty ham and cheese sandwich with pineapple cream cheese on a croissant. It was $6, and I thought that was quite reasonable for plane food.
My flight was on the ground at 9:40 a.m., a half hour before schedule. I made my way to baggage claim to get my luggage, and then headed to the curb to catch my Super Shuttle to the Disneyland Hotel. I had to wait about 15 minutes for Super Shuttle, and wound up with the grumpiest driver on earth. He was very upset that I was put on his shuttle, as I was by myself, and he had two seats left. He made another swing around the loop, but couldnt get another passenger, and he was complaining about it to dispatch.
Finally on our way to the Disneyland Hotel, we made it there pretty quickly. When I got out of the shuttle, there were no bellmen available to assist me with my luggage. There were several cast members in front of the hotel directing traffic in the lanes, but no one was available to help with the luggage. I felt bad for the other family who got off the shuttle with me--they had two kids in tow, and they couldnt get help with their luggage either.
I dragged my luggage into the lobby and got in line to check in. I only had to wait about five or ten minutes to check in. Check in was relatively quick and easy, but that was in part due to the fact that I wasnt checked in properly--I wasnt given all of my documents at check in--more on that later. To my surprise and pleasure, my room was ready!
I dragged my luggage up to my room--2301 on the fifth floor of the Sierra tower. As soon as I opened the door, I was shocked to see how small my room was--I had heard that the rooms in the Disneyland Hotel were quite large, and this was by far the smallest room I have ever stayed in! There was a long hallway that lead to the main part of the room. The living area of the room was smaller than a room at a value resort at Disney World! There was one queen sized bed, two end tables, a small round table with one chair, and an armoire. If the chair wasnt pushed all the way in, you could not walk between the bed and the table! There was very little floor space, and no place to lay out my suitcase. The bathroom was tiny, as well, just a speck bigger than a typical bathroom at Disney World resorts with a single sink. The room was right next to the parking deck, and had a partial view of Disneyland (I could see the Matterhorn and Thunder Mountain). Overall, I was greatly disappointed by this room, and surprised that it was considered a standard room because it was so small. I felt like I didnt get what I paid for with this room!
Upon entering the room, I noticed that there was a message light blinking on my phone. There was a message from the front desk telling me that I did not receive my parking pass or guest charge card on check in, and these items would be waiting for me at the Information Desk. When I went down to the Information Desk to get it, there was nothing waiting for me. The cast members spent several minutes looking for it, and finally, one of the people wound up printing up a new copy. They gave me the parking pass only. I was not given the guest charge card--I didnt realize how important that was, as it is needed for charging items to the room, gaining priority access to the monorail, and gaining early entry to Disneyland.
I then headed down to Goofys Kitchen for lunch. I had a 1:00 priority seating, and I was hoping that they would take me in early. When checked in, the cast member originally said it wouldnt be a problem to check in early, but a few minutes later snapped, We wont be able to seat you until your regular time. You may as well leave and come back. I was taken aback by his abruptness!
Since I now had about 90 minutes to kill before my priority seating, I decided to walk over to California Adventure. I had a lunch voucher that I could use at either Goofys Kitchen or Ariels Grotto, so I figured Id check to see if I could get into Ariels for lunch. Their computers were down, and they didnt know if they would be able to seat me or not, so I left there and walked around the park for a bit. I took a ride on the Tower of Terror. The ride seemed a lot shorter than the version at Disney/MGM Studios. The drops didnt seem as long, and it wasnt nearly as thrilling. I enjoyed the ride, but it is not as good as the one in Florida. I almost felt like they just kind of threw together a cheap version of it to put another ride in California Adventure.
I then walked back to Goofys Kitchen. I wasnt all that impressed by the buffet. Much of the food was cold, and there was no one available to carve meat at the carving station. The character interaction was bad--in the hour I was at my table, only Max and Mulan came to my table, and there were about a half dozen characters around that day. I watched Goofy work the same area of the restaurant four times, but he never came over near my section. The character interaction was so bad that one little girl at a nearby table found Timon in another part of the restaurant, took his hand, and lead him to her table so her family could meet him.
I had the living daylights scared out of me at Goofys Kitchen. All of the sudden, I heard this loud crash, like someone had dropped some plates. I stood up, and saw shoes and checked pants on the floor. I could not see the rest of the body. I thought that one of the chefs had fallen! Well, next thing you know, the guy gets up, and it was Goofy! He was getting ready to start a parade of pots and pans around the restaurant!
After lunch, I met up with Califgirl and her DH. We met in front of Ralph Brennans Jazz Kitchen, where they had eaten lunch. We walked into Disneyland, and I got my first view of Main Street and the castle. Everyone had told me how small the castle was, but I was a bit surprised by just how small everything was! The buildings on Main Street were tiny--I felt like I had to duck under the awnings at most of the buidings. It didnt feel as real as Main Street at Disneyland. The buildings were beautiful, but the size of them was shocking.
We headed towards Adventureland. We grabbed Fast Passes for Indiana Jones, and headed over to Pirates. I really liked Pirates. Like most folks, I thought it was better than the one at Disney World. The skeleton stuff at the beginning was interesting. The ride felt a lot more open--it really felt like you were outside at night--it didnt feel like their was a ceiling above you.
We spent the afternoon hitting as many rides as possible. We rode Thunder Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise. We rode Indiana Jones, which I really enjoyed--its very bumpy, but exciting. The storyline is a bit tough to follow, but it was still a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the Matterhorn. The first time we encountered the Yeti, I jumped a mile! I just wasnt prepared for the encounter with the Yeti in a dark tunnel.
I stopped by the Virtual Magic Kingdom booth to turn in my quests to get the virtual prizes for use in the game. I found the cast members there to be a bit rude--they gave me a hard time about getting one of the cards, even though I clearly was entitled to one. The cast members switched up in the middle of my transaction, and the second one was trying to tell me that the first one had given me stuff, even though she hadnt. It would have been nice if they had switched up after the transaction.
Califgirl and her DH had gotten fast passes for Space Mountain earlier in the day, and Califgirl was kind enough to skip the ride so that I could use her fast pass I absolutely loved what they did with Space Mountain! The sound system and special affects are fantastic. The ride is so smooth, and seems so fast. There are no big drops, but all of the twists and turns are very exciting. I hope that they eventually upgrade the version in Florida to something like this.
I browsed around in a shop while Califgirl and her DH used there fast passes for Buzz Lightyear. I then said goodbye to them. I sure enjoyed spending the afternoon with them--it was nice having my own personal tour guides showing me around the park!
After Califgirl and her DH left, I headed into Innoventions to log onto VMK, and say hello to some of my friends. It was nice to be able to get right on to VMK without waiting for a computer.
I grabbed a steak skewer at the Bengal Barbecue. I was a bit disappointed by this. I got steak in a spicy sauce. The meat was very tough, and beef jerky-ish. It wasnt very tasty, and I thought that $3.49 was a bit pricey for a small piece of meat on a stick.
I then headed over to the Gallery to check in for my Fantasmic Dessert Buffet. I was in the front row to the far left if you are facing the river. I thought my seat was excellent. The choices for the desserts were pretty good. They had chocolate cake, carrot cake, mini pastries, fruit, cheese and crackers, and a fried dough puff with an apple topping. I had a mint julep and some water as well. Everything I tried was very good.
I really enjoyed Fantasmic. I loved the scene with the Columbia and all of the Peter Pan characters. I have to say that I like the version in Disney World better. I was amazed that people were staking out their spots three hours early! People had their blankets stretched out along the lagoon three hours before the show! I sure was glad I spent the money for the dessert buffet after seeing that--I wouldnt have been willing to wait three hours for a great seat to a 25 minute show!
After Fantasmic, I stayed on the balcony to watch the fireworks. The display was fantastic. I was amazed by some of the fireworks, and I loved the soundtrack that went along with it. I couldnt wait to see it from in front of the castle later in the week.
After the fireworks, I headed back to the Disneyland Hotel. I had been up for about 21 hours by this point, and was ready to crash. When I arrived back in my room, there was a gift basket sitting on my table. The card read, Have a Magical 50th Birthday, Danny. Well, let me say that my name is not Danny, and I am not 50!
I picked up the phone, and tried to call the front desk. I waited on hold for 10 minutes, and no one picked up the line. I wound up putting my shoes on and bringing the basket downstairs. When I explained to the cast member that the basket was in my room, he said, Why do you have this? How did you get this? I felt like he was accusing me of taking something that wasnt mine, and explained to him again that it was in my room. He took the basket, and went into the back to try to figure it out. He came back a few minutes later, and said, I dont know why you have this. This obviously isnt for you. I was a bit surprised by his rudeness! Here I was trying to do the right thing, and he made me feel like a thief! He took the basket, and told me he was bringing it back to bell services.
My eyes welled up with tears as I walked to the elevator. I just couldnt believe how much trouble I was having at the Disneyland Hotel! I know I was overtired from a long travel day, and oversensitive due to the death of my father, but I still couldnt believe what horrible service I was receiving from the hotel. I went to my tiny hotel room and went to bed, nor realizing that my problems at the hotel were only just beginning.
I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready to head to the airport to catch my 6:50 a.m. Song flight to Los Angeles. My long awaited first trip to Disneyland had become a bit bitter sweet, as I lost my father just six days before the trip. I had debated canceling or postponing my trip, but with the encouragement of my family and friends, I decided that I would make the trip to Disneyland.
I arrived at Logan International Airport about 90 minutes before my flight. I got in line to check in for my flight. This was my first time at the new Delta terminal at Logan, and I have to say that I was quite impressed by it. There are a lot of interesting dining and shopping options (although most of them were closed at this early hour). It would be a horrible place to get stuck for a few hours if your flight was delayed.
My flight took off right on time, and it was quite smooth. We had a little bit of turbulence here and there, but not too bad. I got a very tasty ham and cheese sandwich with pineapple cream cheese on a croissant. It was $6, and I thought that was quite reasonable for plane food.
My flight was on the ground at 9:40 a.m., a half hour before schedule. I made my way to baggage claim to get my luggage, and then headed to the curb to catch my Super Shuttle to the Disneyland Hotel. I had to wait about 15 minutes for Super Shuttle, and wound up with the grumpiest driver on earth. He was very upset that I was put on his shuttle, as I was by myself, and he had two seats left. He made another swing around the loop, but couldnt get another passenger, and he was complaining about it to dispatch.
Finally on our way to the Disneyland Hotel, we made it there pretty quickly. When I got out of the shuttle, there were no bellmen available to assist me with my luggage. There were several cast members in front of the hotel directing traffic in the lanes, but no one was available to help with the luggage. I felt bad for the other family who got off the shuttle with me--they had two kids in tow, and they couldnt get help with their luggage either.
I dragged my luggage into the lobby and got in line to check in. I only had to wait about five or ten minutes to check in. Check in was relatively quick and easy, but that was in part due to the fact that I wasnt checked in properly--I wasnt given all of my documents at check in--more on that later. To my surprise and pleasure, my room was ready!
I dragged my luggage up to my room--2301 on the fifth floor of the Sierra tower. As soon as I opened the door, I was shocked to see how small my room was--I had heard that the rooms in the Disneyland Hotel were quite large, and this was by far the smallest room I have ever stayed in! There was a long hallway that lead to the main part of the room. The living area of the room was smaller than a room at a value resort at Disney World! There was one queen sized bed, two end tables, a small round table with one chair, and an armoire. If the chair wasnt pushed all the way in, you could not walk between the bed and the table! There was very little floor space, and no place to lay out my suitcase. The bathroom was tiny, as well, just a speck bigger than a typical bathroom at Disney World resorts with a single sink. The room was right next to the parking deck, and had a partial view of Disneyland (I could see the Matterhorn and Thunder Mountain). Overall, I was greatly disappointed by this room, and surprised that it was considered a standard room because it was so small. I felt like I didnt get what I paid for with this room!
Upon entering the room, I noticed that there was a message light blinking on my phone. There was a message from the front desk telling me that I did not receive my parking pass or guest charge card on check in, and these items would be waiting for me at the Information Desk. When I went down to the Information Desk to get it, there was nothing waiting for me. The cast members spent several minutes looking for it, and finally, one of the people wound up printing up a new copy. They gave me the parking pass only. I was not given the guest charge card--I didnt realize how important that was, as it is needed for charging items to the room, gaining priority access to the monorail, and gaining early entry to Disneyland.
I then headed down to Goofys Kitchen for lunch. I had a 1:00 priority seating, and I was hoping that they would take me in early. When checked in, the cast member originally said it wouldnt be a problem to check in early, but a few minutes later snapped, We wont be able to seat you until your regular time. You may as well leave and come back. I was taken aback by his abruptness!
Since I now had about 90 minutes to kill before my priority seating, I decided to walk over to California Adventure. I had a lunch voucher that I could use at either Goofys Kitchen or Ariels Grotto, so I figured Id check to see if I could get into Ariels for lunch. Their computers were down, and they didnt know if they would be able to seat me or not, so I left there and walked around the park for a bit. I took a ride on the Tower of Terror. The ride seemed a lot shorter than the version at Disney/MGM Studios. The drops didnt seem as long, and it wasnt nearly as thrilling. I enjoyed the ride, but it is not as good as the one in Florida. I almost felt like they just kind of threw together a cheap version of it to put another ride in California Adventure.
I then walked back to Goofys Kitchen. I wasnt all that impressed by the buffet. Much of the food was cold, and there was no one available to carve meat at the carving station. The character interaction was bad--in the hour I was at my table, only Max and Mulan came to my table, and there were about a half dozen characters around that day. I watched Goofy work the same area of the restaurant four times, but he never came over near my section. The character interaction was so bad that one little girl at a nearby table found Timon in another part of the restaurant, took his hand, and lead him to her table so her family could meet him.
I had the living daylights scared out of me at Goofys Kitchen. All of the sudden, I heard this loud crash, like someone had dropped some plates. I stood up, and saw shoes and checked pants on the floor. I could not see the rest of the body. I thought that one of the chefs had fallen! Well, next thing you know, the guy gets up, and it was Goofy! He was getting ready to start a parade of pots and pans around the restaurant!
After lunch, I met up with Califgirl and her DH. We met in front of Ralph Brennans Jazz Kitchen, where they had eaten lunch. We walked into Disneyland, and I got my first view of Main Street and the castle. Everyone had told me how small the castle was, but I was a bit surprised by just how small everything was! The buildings on Main Street were tiny--I felt like I had to duck under the awnings at most of the buidings. It didnt feel as real as Main Street at Disneyland. The buildings were beautiful, but the size of them was shocking.
We headed towards Adventureland. We grabbed Fast Passes for Indiana Jones, and headed over to Pirates. I really liked Pirates. Like most folks, I thought it was better than the one at Disney World. The skeleton stuff at the beginning was interesting. The ride felt a lot more open--it really felt like you were outside at night--it didnt feel like their was a ceiling above you.
We spent the afternoon hitting as many rides as possible. We rode Thunder Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise. We rode Indiana Jones, which I really enjoyed--its very bumpy, but exciting. The storyline is a bit tough to follow, but it was still a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the Matterhorn. The first time we encountered the Yeti, I jumped a mile! I just wasnt prepared for the encounter with the Yeti in a dark tunnel.
I stopped by the Virtual Magic Kingdom booth to turn in my quests to get the virtual prizes for use in the game. I found the cast members there to be a bit rude--they gave me a hard time about getting one of the cards, even though I clearly was entitled to one. The cast members switched up in the middle of my transaction, and the second one was trying to tell me that the first one had given me stuff, even though she hadnt. It would have been nice if they had switched up after the transaction.
Califgirl and her DH had gotten fast passes for Space Mountain earlier in the day, and Califgirl was kind enough to skip the ride so that I could use her fast pass I absolutely loved what they did with Space Mountain! The sound system and special affects are fantastic. The ride is so smooth, and seems so fast. There are no big drops, but all of the twists and turns are very exciting. I hope that they eventually upgrade the version in Florida to something like this.
I browsed around in a shop while Califgirl and her DH used there fast passes for Buzz Lightyear. I then said goodbye to them. I sure enjoyed spending the afternoon with them--it was nice having my own personal tour guides showing me around the park!
After Califgirl and her DH left, I headed into Innoventions to log onto VMK, and say hello to some of my friends. It was nice to be able to get right on to VMK without waiting for a computer.
I grabbed a steak skewer at the Bengal Barbecue. I was a bit disappointed by this. I got steak in a spicy sauce. The meat was very tough, and beef jerky-ish. It wasnt very tasty, and I thought that $3.49 was a bit pricey for a small piece of meat on a stick.
I then headed over to the Gallery to check in for my Fantasmic Dessert Buffet. I was in the front row to the far left if you are facing the river. I thought my seat was excellent. The choices for the desserts were pretty good. They had chocolate cake, carrot cake, mini pastries, fruit, cheese and crackers, and a fried dough puff with an apple topping. I had a mint julep and some water as well. Everything I tried was very good.
I really enjoyed Fantasmic. I loved the scene with the Columbia and all of the Peter Pan characters. I have to say that I like the version in Disney World better. I was amazed that people were staking out their spots three hours early! People had their blankets stretched out along the lagoon three hours before the show! I sure was glad I spent the money for the dessert buffet after seeing that--I wouldnt have been willing to wait three hours for a great seat to a 25 minute show!
After Fantasmic, I stayed on the balcony to watch the fireworks. The display was fantastic. I was amazed by some of the fireworks, and I loved the soundtrack that went along with it. I couldnt wait to see it from in front of the castle later in the week.
After the fireworks, I headed back to the Disneyland Hotel. I had been up for about 21 hours by this point, and was ready to crash. When I arrived back in my room, there was a gift basket sitting on my table. The card read, Have a Magical 50th Birthday, Danny. Well, let me say that my name is not Danny, and I am not 50!
I picked up the phone, and tried to call the front desk. I waited on hold for 10 minutes, and no one picked up the line. I wound up putting my shoes on and bringing the basket downstairs. When I explained to the cast member that the basket was in my room, he said, Why do you have this? How did you get this? I felt like he was accusing me of taking something that wasnt mine, and explained to him again that it was in my room. He took the basket, and went into the back to try to figure it out. He came back a few minutes later, and said, I dont know why you have this. This obviously isnt for you. I was a bit surprised by his rudeness! Here I was trying to do the right thing, and he made me feel like a thief! He took the basket, and told me he was bringing it back to bell services.
My eyes welled up with tears as I walked to the elevator. I just couldnt believe how much trouble I was having at the Disneyland Hotel! I know I was overtired from a long travel day, and oversensitive due to the death of my father, but I still couldnt believe what horrible service I was receiving from the hotel. I went to my tiny hotel room and went to bed, nor realizing that my problems at the hotel were only just beginning.
)
. You always write the best ones 
. On to Day 2 for me. . .
While I think the show itself is better at DL, the set up at MGM is better....so they are even in my book. 
