Boo Bear's 1st TR *UPDATED w/ TONS of Details & PHOTOS*

[Sarah84]

Can't wait to read more and see your pics, looking at all the DL pics gets me even more excited for my first visit in september

Glad you enjoyed your visit, but sorry you couldn't spend july 4th with your family as you normally do, but at least you got to be somewhere magical like Disney

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I'm in, lady! I'm glad you made it here okay!! How are you liking the weather!?

 

[BillyFan]

I'm ready for details!

 

[QueenDoOver]

Great Start Bridgett!! Everybody neat and tidy? Then on with the show...

 

[magicallyDisney001]

I'm here, too! Can't wait to see your TR! Hope the crowds weren't too bad with 4th of July

 

[Boo Bear]

Luckily a room on the concierge floor (11th of the Dreams Tower) was ready when I arrived at 9am on Friday July 3, 2009. It had a pool view instead of a DTD view but I took it because it was available. In some ways I wish I had taken the DTD view because the noise from the pool was very loud during the hours it was open. I tried to nap a few times with little success. I was only a few doors down from the concierge lounge, so if I got to choose which room I would want, a DTD view on a different floor, or a noisy pool view on the same floor, I’d probably choose the noisy version.

The appearance of the room was great! When I walked into the room there was a little hallway that turned to the left. Once you turn, you face a door for a connecting room option. On the left is the bathroom and on the right is the bedroom/main room. I was very satisfied with the bathroom. There was Disney magic everywhere! There was a separate room for the toilet to the left, the counter and sink was straight in front as you walk in, and the shower/tub on the right.

The turn down service was a fun treat as well!

I apologize for the messy room, I forgot to take photos of the room until I was about to check out.

 

[Boo Bear]

There are a lot of people who say that the DLH is dated. It is, but it didn’t bother me at all. I could’ve cared less if there was an HDTV in my room or if the wallpaper was more up to date. I barely watched TV. I can see how it would be important to some concierge guests who choose to take advantage of the complementary DVDs, but for me it was no biggie.

ps. I was right across the hall from the Mickey suite and got a peek inside during housekeeping service! It was soooooo awesome!

 

[Sherry E]

Great report and pictures! I always love seeing those Mickey head bath products! But....it looks like you have 3 different TRs going. I am confused. I don't know what to follow! Are they all from the same trip? You could do one big mega report like some of the rest of us have going, and combine all the sections.

 

[Boo Bear]

I watched the 4th of July fireworks from this little window table. They opened the sliding glass doors so we could hear the boom of the fireworks, but they played the music. I have to say that the music and firework synchronization was the best I've ever seen... Honda sponsored the holiday show and it was absolutely incredible. They had a similar show a few days before and a few days after, but the fireworks on the 4th were 5 minutes longer. I'll post those images soon!

This last photo was taken from the concierge glass elevator.

 

[Sherry E]

Bridgette - Okay, I merged your 3 TR threads together into one super duper TR thread. So you can just keep posting and adding to this thread when your update your TR! This way, we have all of your great info and photos in one place!

By the way, I love how the chocolate coins on the bed are in the Hidden Mickey formation! Adorable! Was that the way you found them when you got into the room? If so - gotta love that attention to detail.

Your TR is making me long to get back to the DLH - I used to stay there all the time and it has been way too long since I have been there because I am usally at the PPH (or GCH if I am lucky)!!

 

[Boo Bear]

Bridgette - Okay, I merged your 3 TR threads together into one super duper TR thread. So you can just keep posting and adding to this thread when your update your TR! This way, we have all of your great info and photos in one place!

By the way, I love how the chocolate coins on the bed are in the Hidden Mickey formation! Adorable! Was that the way you found them when you got into the room? If so - gotta love that attention to detail.

Your TR is making me long to get back to the DLH - I used to stay there all the time and it has been way too long since I have been there because I am usally at the PPH (or GCH if I am lucky)!!

Thanks Sherry E!

That's how they were when I got back to my room, I didn't manipulate anything!!! I am so excited that I'm going back in a week for my birthday.

 

[wendylady36]

Seeing your pictures has made me really miss the DLH! The last time I stayed there was 8 years ago.

I'm enjoying your report and I can't wait to read/see more!

 

[Boo Bear]

I checked into my room at 9:30 and hauled buns through DTD to DL Park. I didn’t have time to get my AP processed right away because I was signed up for the Welcome to Disneyland Tour at 10am.

First of all, I have to say that the Welcome to Disneyland tour was an excellent value and completely worth my time. It is ordinarily $25, but with my Disney Visa Card, I was able to get it for only $20. Many publications say that it’s only best for people who have never been to Disneyland before, but I completely disagree even though it really was my first time. The main reason I say this is because not only do you get a bunch of background information while touring the parks, but you get 3 Choice FastPasses which allow up to 6 people onto any ride in the FP system, with the exception of Toy Story Mania. You also get priority seating for one of the parades or for the Aladdin show and priority seating the day of for a few choices of restaurants within DL Park. I passed on that because I am usually not that hungry at noon.

We met at the Guided Tours booth just to the left of the Main Street Train Station. There were three other people on the tour with me. A kind woman named Mary, her son, and I think the other woman was a family friend or nanny. I can’t remember her name, but she was the reason they did the tour, as she is from Mexico and it was her first time at the resort as well. She was very sweet! Her English wasn’t the best, and I am in the process of learning Spanish, but it’s amazing how people find ways of communicating.

We began the tour over in DCA and went towards the Hollywood area. The guide, Nancy, explained how forced perspective is utilized throughout many aspects of both parks. I really wish I would have gotten a photo, but for those of you who don’t know, when you take your first left inside DCA, you’ll see that at the end of the street, there is a mural painted on the side of a building to create the illusion that the street goes on forever. Disney Parks uses this effect in many of their structures. On Main Street U.S.A., the buildings are taller closer to the entrance, and get smaller and the proportions change as you get closer to the Sleeping Beauty Castle hub. This is to create the illusion that the street is longer than it really is. But back to the Hollywood Pictures area of DCA… it was really cool to re-enter that park at different times of the day and at about 2 or 3pm, the sky is the same color as the side of the building. It’s a fooler! *har har*

We saw Muppet Vision 3D. I love the Muppets… even though I’ve seen this attraction at WDW, it was still magical. Then we went into the animation area and toured the Sorcerers Workshop. In Beast’s Library, I sat down at one of the stations to figure out which Disney Character I am. Well, it isn’t the most flattering angle of me, but here are photos of what I found out!

Then we went towards the Tower of Terror to get FastPasses. I couldn’t get any because I didn’t have time to process my AP, and all I had was a ticket voucher. Mary, bless her (for the first time), let me have hers.

Then we skipped It’s Tough to Be A Bug, and it was my fault. I said I was afraid of spiders and so she said “we’ll skip that one”. It can’t be that bad, can it?!

We toured the tortilla factory and watched an adorable movie made by kids, then ate a tortilla. It tasted like a warm regular tortilla. I wished I had salsa or something…. Oh well, it was free.

We headed to the bridge that leads to the Paradise Pier area and stopped on the bridge near Ariel’s Grotto and where the construction for the future water show will be. We heard all about the plans for DCA over the next 5 years and to be perfectly honest, I zoned out during that speech.

After snapping out of it, we walked over and around to Grizzly River Run (I think that’s what it’s called) to get FP. Mary wanted her FP for that, so Nancy said she’d have them make me a paper voucher for it, but I actually ended up getting a 4th Choice FP. SCORE! Then on our way out, we learned that the rocked part outside of Soarin’ is on loan from NASA and it’s an actual rocket ship part.

The whole DCA segment took about an hour and ½. Then we re-entered DL Park and stopped at the flag pole and learned about Walt’s opening day speech and as we walked down Main Street, we learned about the forced perspective idea I discussed earlier. Then we rode Pirates of the Caribbean and I was TOTALLY impressed. It had 2 drops, unlike WDW and it seemed to be much longer and just as fantastic! Truly nostalgic IMO. Then we rode the Train from New Orleans Square back around to Main Street where we got our packets for the tour containing our choice FP’s, confirmations for our priority seating arrangements, I chose Aladdin at 4:15, but went back to my hotel room and passed out on my bed so I missed it. I guess I could’ve done a brisk walk to DCA and maybe I would’ve made it, but my thought was that I have an AP and will probably see it when I go back for my birthday.

This photo makes me think of Courtney! (prettyprincessbelle)

 

[Sherry E]

Ooooh! I love those photos inside the Animation Building. Your Beast's Library pictures came out great, and the one where you are figuring out which character you are at least has you IN the photo. For some reason, I could not sit in the right spot on the chair and the camera kept cutting off a chunk of my head.

I didn't know about the part of the rocket in the Soarin' building being on loan from NASA! Cool! Those are the little details that are so interesting to learn about DLR.

 

[BillyFan]

Thanks for the tour info, Bridgette. It sounds like a great trip so far!!

 

[Stacerita]

Great report so far. I love the pics from the Animation Building. I could spend tons of time there.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! So glad to hear about the tour. Now I am thinking that we should book that for our surprise trip with the little boys. Sounds like they may temper it to audience a bit. Hmmm... I wonder if they do the tour on Saturdays.

 

[Boo Bear]

After my naparoo, I grabbed some waters, a brownie (so delicious) & banana from the concierge lounge and headed back through DTD. I stopped and played at World of Disney for awhile then headed back towards DCA. I rode Soarin’ first using one of my choice FP and then went to Tower of Terror. I wasn’t nearly as impressed with DL’s version as I was with WDW. It was TOT that made me begin to realize that the CM aren’t as ‘in character’ as they are at WDW. Don’t get me wrong…. After visiting WDW last August and DL now, I think I like DL better because WDW is extremely overwhelming and hotter than Hades with humidity and more bugs. I love Disneyland for its nostalgia. I’m a true Walt fan to the core.
Speaking of nostalgia, I recommend that everyone see the DVD “Walt, the Man Behind the Myth” at least three times. I Netflix’ed it so many times that I finally bought it at WOD. Make sure you have a pack of tissues handy. You’ll laugh as you sob…. And don’t turn it off when the credits start. The second best line is from Walt at the very end. The best quote is also from Walt,
“I’m not an optimist, I’m an optimal behaviorist.”

Then I headed to DL Park and ate the roast beef, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and corn bread at the French Market in New Orleans Square. It was DELICIOUS! I drank an entire large Sprite after having downed two bottles of water from the concierge lounge. This fact becomes relevant in a minute.

Next, I rode Indiana Jones with one of the choice FP because I didn’t know there was a faster single rider line. I also learned this about Splash Mountain. From both experiences, I learned that there is much less of a wait time if you join the single rider queue than if you use a FP. Soarin’ (I think) and GRR at DCA also have single rider lines.

After having eaten only a brownie and banana all day, the roast beef meal was highly satisfying, but sat like lead on my stomach. I had absolutely no idea what to expect from Indiana Jones, and if I had known, I would have let my lupper digest for at least an hour before riding Indiana Jones. It’s like the swimming pool phenomenon. Also, by the video portion of the queue, my bladder was heavy as well. *Never ride this ride with anything about you being full* I have never had such a body mass reality check as I did while riding Indiana Jones. My body shook in places I never imagined possible. I walked out of the attraction not knowing what to think. I asked the first CM I saw where the ladies room was.

Then I rode Pirates of the Caribbean again and then wandered and shopped around. I rode the DLRR to Tomorrowland and got lost trying to find Space Mountain. By that time it was 8:30 and Toontown and some of Fantasyland had closed. The roping off of routes didn’t help the being lost factor. All I wanted to do was find the hub before the fireworks. Eventually I wandered my way around Matterhorn through Frontierland and staked out my spot after buying a frozen strawberry lemonade. It was rock hard so I stashed it in my purse until after the show.

The special holiday fireworks were showing that night, but were a shorter version than the fireworks that were planned for the 4th. I must say that I got a little choked up when they beginning of the fireworks honored Native Americans. Also, like I’ve mentioned before, the fireworks were especially in synch with the music. After the father in front of me took his toddler off of his shoulders, I was able to get some decent photos. The fireworks gave me goose bumps, which didn’t help the fact that I was starting to get really cold and was wearing a tank top.

 

[Boo Bear]

After the fireworks I made a b-line for Space Mountain and used a choice FP. It was incredible and so much better than the WDW version! Then I went to get my seats for Fantasmic at 10:30. I bought the dessert seating and the tray was awesome! I wasn’t hungry because I ate that frozen strawberry lemonade because at the time I bought it, I was really hot. Well, lets just say that I froze my tooshie off at Fantasmic. There was this annoying couple behind me too. The husband actually had the nerve to say something like, “enough with the Spanish already” when they did the announcements in Spanish after the English and then I think he whispered something like “learn English”. What a creep. They also talked really loudly to one another throughout the whole thing and the woman sang along really loudly. Some people have no consideration for others. I didn’t let it ruin my enjoyment though, I have an awesome ability to tune people out.

I really wish that I had chosen the earlier seating because I was still pretty jet-lagged at that point. It’s 3 hours later in Indiana and I was so tired, freezing, and my feet were absolutely killing me. (I’ll explain that in a later). Fantasia is one of my absolute favorites and as a photographer; I really appreciated the technology of reverse projection. FYI, reverse projectors run in the 10s of thousands of dollars so I had never seen one before. My favorite part is when the water caught on fire! I got a great photo of the eyeball and whale!

I ate the chocolate Mickey head off the mini cheesecake, half of the cheesecake and one marble sized truffle and that’s it. My feet hurt so badly that I had no appetite too. For those of you who don’t know, I broke out in absolutely horrible hives when I moved and was put on steroids. To top it off, the night before in Vegas, I had gotten a pedicure and had my feet buffed and sanded. Then when I had gotten to DL I took the Welcome to Disneyland Tour in Croc sandals. That was a terrible idea because the bottoms of my feet where they had sanded were raw. Then I wore sneakers all day long that were about a size too small because of the swelling from the steroids. When I got back to my hotel room, I drew a bath with the milk bath I had just gotten from Basin and ate the rest of my Fantasmic dessert in the tub. The only word that can describe it is GLROIOUS!

 

[magicallyDisney001]

Aww, so sorry about your sore feet! Especially when Disneyland is so exhausting as is. Glad you enjoyed dessert and a bath; that sounds fantastic!

Hope the sore-ness didn't take away too much of the fun