Back From DL 4 Days Ago ... Our Trip Was Great! - Day 1

[degrapevine]

Hi, everyone!

We returned from our week-long trip to DL late Tuesday night and have been trying to recover from the jet lag (3 hour time change).
Boy, are we having a hard time dragging ourselves out of bed each morning!
Anyway, I'm going to be posting our trip reports both here and in the trip reports section, since it seems that there isn't alot of traffic (unlike Santa Monica Blvd. - I'll get to that later!) over there.
So, here I go ...

Day 1
Tuesday, June 21
Cast of Characters - DH (David), 38; Myself (Rose), 35; DS10 (Eric); DS7 (Patrick); and DD4 (Gina).

Our flight was scheduled to leave Tampa around 11, so we planned for my parents to pick us up at 8:30 to drop us off airside at 9:30 to allow for plenty of time to go through security and check in.
We were ready to go and with little traffic, made it to the airport around 9:15.
Dropped off the bags with the baggage guy and got our boarding passes.
Went on in, through security, and over to our gate and waited ...
We were really early, but the kids played card games and watched planes take off until it was time to go.
Time to board - Kids were excited, as this was their first plane trip.
Gina and I in front, brothers behind, with David behind them on the aisle.
They enjoyed takeoff and did great on the flight - They thought the turbulence was like a ride (theme park kids)!
Anyway, got to Dallas on time, walked to gate for connection ...
Oops - they seated us next to an exit, had to reassign seats.
Flight to John Wayne again on time, baggage claim was easy - This airport is really empty!
Glad we flew into here instead of LAX.
Picked up the rental van - Alamo was close by, a short walk with 3 kids and 10 pieces of luggage/carryons.
Got the van and we were on our way to our hotel, the Residence Inn Anaheim Resort Area!
David drove, using directions from MapQuest, which were great until we got to Harbor and they told us to turn left.
Drove for a while before realizing we should have turned right.
So, we turned around and headed back north - Found the hotel and got a parking space right up front.
Check in was easy, and we got a Kids Suite on the 2nd floor, pretty close to the elevator.
Suite had a king size bed room with bath, a bunkbed room with bath, living area with desk, tv, and pullout sofa, and full kitchen.
Got a rate of $150/night with Expedia - Thought it was great, plus it included a free shuttle and breakfast buffet.
So, we got all our stuff put away and jumped on the 6:00 shuttle.
Our shuttle dropoff was the furthest away from the entrance, near the taxis, but it was still a short walk.
We went through the bag check and the kids saw Herbie right away.
Had to get a picture!
Then we walked over to the big "O" and took a picture there.
I had signed David and I up for the ESPN Zone club and had our letters in hand, so we headed over that way.
Gina saw the Build a Bear and I promised to bring her there later in the week to get some DL outfits.
Checked in at ESPN Zone, wait was around 1 1/2 hrs.
We got our 2-$20 vouchers, which we planned to use for dinner, $40 in game cards, the 2 mini-coolers, and the additional $50 in game cards from our Park Hoppers.
Then, we headed upstairs to play games until our table was ready.
The kids had a lot of fun and used up most of the game points, since there isn't a ESPN Zone near us.
We were called to our table around 7:30 and were seated in a booth, well in sight of plenty of tv's showing Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
We're not big sports fans, but the energy in the place was great ... Lots of stuff for the kids to look at to try to keep them awake (remember, 3 hour time difference!).
I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo, David got steak, and the kids had chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and mini burgers.
Food was good and with the $40 in vouchers, the bill was only $10.24 before tip!
We finished just as the game ended and they were about to have a live broadcast with some ex-Lakers from the stage there.
Gina was falling asleep on the table, though, so we left right around 9 (they told us to leave FAST because they were about to start shooting the show!).
I just know that any guys that are sports fans are probably thinking we're crazy not to stay - We could have been on SportsCenter Live!
Oh well, got to get some sleep for the big day tomorrow!
Caught the 10:00 shuttle back to the hotel and hit the sheets.
Set the alarm for 6:30 ... Want to be on that first 7:30 shuttle to get to the gates right before opening.
We were all so excited, I don't know how we could possibly sleep ... But with the time change, we were pooped!

So, that's our Day 1 - I'll try to post a couple days at a time.
We had a great trip, just minor complications, and got SO much done!
Feel free to ask any questions you might have!
You're going to notice right away that we are park open-close kind of folks, and our kids are used to it.
We go to WDW all the time and just go, go, go!
We did try to plan some easier times throughout the day, but since our kids are older, naps just didn't seem necessary.
They did really well and had a wonderful trip.
Lots more to report ... and over 350 pictures to go through - Got to figure out how to post some of those.

Thanks so much to everyone for all your help in planning that made our trip so great!
Rose

 

[DisneyFreak43]

Thanks for sharing- sounds like you had a great trip! We're headed there in a couple of weeks, can't wait! Signed up for our ESPN stuff last night, glad to hear that works well! Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

 

[tinknsnow]

Hi, glad your trip was great. Looking forward to reading more about DL!

We have three kids and are flying into John Wayne also. Tell me about your rental van... we want to drive to San Diego one day, otherwise we'd just do a shuttle. Was it a minivan? Do any of your kids use carseats (and if so, did you bring them along)?

Thanks

 

[degrapevine]

Hi, tinknsnow!
We decided to rent a mini van because we went to Legoland on Friday and then Hollywood/Church on Sunday.
We also needed to get to the grocery store and the Character Warehouse.
The cost of alternate transportation to those places plus airport transfers was going to be more than the $250 we paid for the van for the whole week.
The van was a Chevy Astro with seating for 7.
It had a CD player, automatic doors and windows, and was clean.
Our DS7 didn't need a carseat, as CA law only requires one for children 6 or under (and under 60 lbs.).
Our DD4 did need a carseat, but we just brought along a booster for her (the kind that just raises her to a better seatbelt position) and checked it with our luggage.
She didn't need one for the plane and I wasn't sure if the regular high-back booster (with 5-point harness) she uses at home was going to be too wide for the airplane seat, so we opted for the smaller booster instead.
Since you're going to San Diego (Legoland is in Carlsbad, 1/2 way between Anaheim and SD), it will probably be best to rent a van for at least that day.
There are some rental places just off Harbor - I know I saw them driving around, just can't remember where!
If you want a vehicle for your entire stay, most of the major rental companies have desks at John Wayne for you to pick up and return.
They will also provide you with a car seat (for a fee) if you'd rather not bring yours along.
Hope this information is helpful - Just make sure you check with your hotel for their parking rates/rules.
Ours had free parking, but the lot filled up at the end of the night and we had to search a little for a spot.
Happy planning!
Rose

 

[bjakmom]

degrapevine - what can you tell me about Legoland? Am taking DNeph (7) out at the end of next summer and he really wants to spend a day at Legoland - he just loves legos !!! We are planning on 3 days in SD for zoo/SW - then I was thinking of driving up near Legoland and spending a day and night at a nearby hotel - then on to DL for the rest of our stay. I haven't been to DL since DS was 5 mo - 16 years - I'm sure a lot has changed ! - can't wait to hear about the rest of your days !

 

[degrapevine]

Hi, bjakmom!
Legoland was the highlight of our trip for my DS10.
My DS7 enjoyed it, too, but he's really into thrill rides and there aren't many there.
We went on Friday, the 24th (I'm working on getting my reports ready to post) and were there all day, from open to close (10-8).
The rides are pretty tame, but the level of skill on all the minis is just amazing!
There was more than enough to keep us busy all day, and we didn't even spend that much time in the building areas.
The shows are kind of corny (not up to DL standards!) and the food was on the expensive side (gotta get Granny's Apple Fries - mmm!).
I would definitely say go for it if your nephew is a Lego Maniac, like my boys are.
It can't compare with Disney, but since you're going before DL, it won't pale so much in comparison.
I bought all our tickets on eBay and saved quite a bit of $ - Just make sure you check the expiration dates.
You probably won't want to get them until it's closer to your trip.
I can also scan a map and email it to you if you'd like.
All in all, Legoland is well worth a day in Carlsbad - My kids had a blast!
Rose

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks, Rose ! Your review seals the deal ! We looked at the web-site and he got so excited, but I wasn't as sure - last month he spent well over an hour building and racing lego cars just in the lego store at DTD one night - give him some legos and he's in heaven !! I would love a map - I'm getting him as hooked on planning and dreaming as I am - if it's not too much trouble. bjakmom@aol.com

 

[scotthart]

Can anyone give me the details on the ESPN ZONE deal? We are leaving in a week and it sounds great!

 

[degrapevine]

Hi, scotthart!
Just go to:
http://www.mvpclub.espnzone.com/
and sign up for the ESPN Zone MVP Club.
They will email you a confirmation letter that will allow you to receive:
$20 ESPN Zone Voucher (can use for food or merchandise)
40 point MVP Card (for video games)
ESPN Mini-Cooler
and a trial offer for their magazine.
Make sure you sign up all adults in your party, as my husband and I both signed up and we received 2 of everything and were able to combine our vouchers for a $40 savings off of dinner!
The letter expires 1 month after you sign up and I received it within 30 minutes of when I submitted my information, so if you do it now, you should have it all in time for your trip!
Enjoy ...
Rose