Better late than never...November 2012 TR

[tlovesdis]

So after reading so many pre-trip reports and trip reports I decided to write one up about my November 2012 trip! I am Disneyland obsessed and enjoy taking pics of everything so I figured I would love writing a trip report! I have a March trip I will write up next then a pre-trip report for my upcoming Halloween trip! I hope you all enjoy!!!

The cousins hit Disneyland for the holidays!

My cousin and I (both in our 40’s) LOVE Disneyland and try to go on a trip once a year! Our favorite times to go our Christmas and Halloween, although any time is a good time in our eyes, except summer when it’s super hot and crowded! In 2011 we went for Halloween so this time we decided to go at the very beginning of the Christmas Holiday season, November 15-19!
Here is a picture of me, my cousin and her 18 year old daughter, who is also a big Disney fan!




Thursday November 15th

We were flying out of SFO so we each took Bart from where we live and met at the airport at about 8am. Our flight on JetBlue to Long Beach was at 9:30, so we checked in then got some breakfast and coffee. The flight was quick and uneventful and we arrived at LGB airport at about 11am or so.

Here we are on the plane...



We got our bags, grabbed a cab and were on our way to the Disneyland Hotel! We arrived a little before noon and we were able to check in! My cousin must have sweet talked the nice boy checking her in because he upgraded us to a resort view room (we had only reserved and paid for a standard view room). Our room was great!!!

The view...



Me by the headboard...



We had all made stockings for each other, so we went through those and looked at all of our goodies!

Here is the stuff I got in my zebra print stocking...

 

[tlovesdis]

We left our stuff and headed out. First stop was lunch at Earl of Sandwich in DTD. We were excited this place was finally open as we had heard so many good things about it! And boy was it good! We loved the sandwiches and half way through our meal decided we would be eating here again before we left!!

We all wanted Starbucks, so we ran into DCA real quick to grab something and it was great that we did! Lenette got stopped to do a survey and ended up getting a free photopass +!!!! We got our drinks then went into Disneyland.

We took a lot of pictures with the photopass +! I will post some at the end!!

We took some pictures near the entrance and at the hub and castle, then went to Space Mountain, one of our favorites. After that we rode several rides and just walked around and took everything in. We love being in Disneyland!!! DL was only open til 8, so when it closed we headed back to the hotel and had dinner and drinks at Trader Sam’s. Boy was it good!

A flatbread and fried green beans...



We went back to the room to wind down and get ready for our early entry into DCA the next day!

Friday November 16th

We got up early and made our way to the entrance of DCA. EE began at 8 and we got there about 7:50, we got in and followed the masses and next thing you know, we are on Radiator Springs Racers!! We were off the ride by 8:15! We tried Luigi’s Tires (which none of us liked) and Mater’s Jamboree (we thought it was cute) then made our way to our favorite new spot, Starbucks! I got my iced gingerbread latte…



Next we hit up a bunch of rides, including Soarin, Toy Story Mania, Little Mermaid, Screamin, Tower, etc… We also checked out Buena Vista Street, as this was our first visit since it opened. We walked through the shops, which was fun!

We had an early lunch at Pacific Wharf Café and all had soup in a breadbowl as well as a yummy chocolate peppermint cupcake!



We rode more rides and wandered around before our dinner reservation at Wine Country Trattoria. It had been a few years since we ate here. The last time we did we weren’t too impressed so we skipped it for a few years, but we decided to give it a try again and I am glad we did. It was great!!! We all enjoyed our meals! After dinner we enjoyed WOC, then went back to the hotel. We were tired!!!

 

[tlovesdis]

Saturday November 17

We had early entry into DL. We got to the gates a little after, about 7:15, went in, took more pictures and then hit a few rides. We finally tried Riverbelle Terrace for breakfast and it was decent. Not sure I would do it again, but it wasn’t too bad! We did more rides and some shopping then hit Café Orleans at 1pm for our lunch reservation. This is our favorite place to eat in all of the resort and must do it on every trip! We always share the pomme frittes and benneighs! Then we each get either soup or gumbo. YUM!!!





We did a few more rides, then went back to the hotel for a rest. We went back to the park and sat and watched the parade and then the fireworks! We had a yummy treat while waiting…



We waited a bit before trying to head out of Disneyland since the crowds were a bit crazy after the fireworks. We did some shopping on Main Street, then headed out to Tortilla Jo’s for dinner. We love this place! We ordered guac and one chicken fajita platter to share. It was so delicious.



We ended up having a few drinks at TJ’s and decided to end the night with a few more drinks at Trader Sam’s. we ended up getting the Uh Oha! It was fabulous!!! LOL

 

[tlovesdis]

SUNDAY November 18

We slept in a little bit and then headed to DCA. We rode RSR and Toy Story Mania with no waits at all, then went back to Carsland for breakfast at Flo’s. We loved it. The caramel banana French toast was amazing!



We did some shopping in Carsland and rode more rides. Then we went to DTD to have lunch and drinks at ESPN Zone while watching some football. We always do this when we are in DL on a Sunday. It was fun and then we went to the room to chill for a bit. We went back to Disneyland and rode more rides then had dinner at Plaza Inn, another favorite of ours. We rode rides and shopped and had a blast on our last night there!

Monday November 19

We got up early since we had early entry into DCA and rode RSR again with hardly a wait! We hit up Starbucks for breakfast and rode a few more rides, then wandered over to DL for a bit to ride a few last rides. On the way out, I upgraded my 5 day hopper to a deluxe annual pass (my first ever)!!! Then we went and had another yummy lunch at Earl of Sandwich, went back to the hotel to gather our stuff and it was time to head home.

We had another wonderful trip!!!

 

[wiigirl]

Joining in!

 

[tlovesdis]

My computer is going wonky on my so I will finish late and add more pics!

 

[tlovesdis]

It's working! LOL!

Here are a few of our photopass pics. We ended up with a ton...

 

[tlovesdis]