CA Coast & Disneyland! Pics & Video - Update 9/18- Pg. 12 #177 - The End!

[Claire L]

Oh great trip brings back memories of our 2nd and 5th wedding anniversary trips, we got married the week before you in 2001! In 2003 we went from SF to Carmel then Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara and ended in Newport Beach. Then in 2006 we did SF, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, California desert, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

Your trip included alot of the areas we love, with some great pictures you have I can just imagine being back in SF again.

Claire

 

[Spartangirl]

Still here along for the ride The Newport Beach pics are awesome. Looked like a beautiful place.

Glad you're still here!!! Newport Beach was amazing...we really do want to go back....preferably sooner than later!

I feel like a broken record, but once again, great photos! I've actually been on that little ferris wheel in Newport Beach. We only had one evening there, but really enjoyed the area. It's so sad your trip is almost over - I want more!

Thank you so much for the compliment on my pics! We never got to ride the ferris wheel because it wasn't open yet on the morning we were there. It was cute though! Thanks for staying onboard......I know that there's only one more day left to cover, but we did A LOT and we had a couple of "magical moments" along the way. I still have a few posts left to go.....stay tuned!

Oh great trip brings back memories of our 2nd and 5th wedding anniversary trips, we got married the week before you in 2001! In 2003 we went from SF to Carmel then Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara and ended in Newport Beach. Then in 2006 we did SF, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, California desert, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

Your trip included alot of the areas we love, with some great pictures you have I can just imagine being back in SF again.

Claire

So glad you're onboard and enjoying the trip down memory lane! Sounds like you experienced some wonderful trips too!!! We LOVED our time in California and really want to head back again!

 

[spongemommie05]

wow newport is beautiful i have been addicted to watching The O.C on soap net and some of those sites i have seen on there like the open mall ... love the picts ,,,

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Can't wait to see what's in store for you on the 4th!

 

[DisDancerina]

I'm so jealous, your dogs are cute and you have great picture taking karma! 2 Thumbs Up -

 

[Spartangirl]

wow newport is beautiful i have been addicted to watching The O.C on soap net and some of those sites i have seen on there like the open mall ... love the picts ,,,

Newport was beautiful......I too, used to watch the O.C. and was curious to see some of the places featured on the show before we went! Thanks for the compliment on my pics!

Can't wait to see what's in store for you on the 4th!

The 4th was really exciting for us!!! I can't wait to write about it! Hopefully I'll have the next installment up soon.....School starts tomorrow and I'll have a brand new class of 1st graders. Things will definitely be a bit busier, but I'll be sure to make some time for the DIS!!!

I'm so jealous, your dogs are cute and you have great picture taking karma! 2 Thumbs Up -

Thanks for joining in!!! I appreciate the compliments about my dogs and my pictures!

 

[Lynne D.]

Best Wishes on your first day of school tomorrow. We will patiently wait for the next installment.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Good luck with your new group of 1st graders! I have one in my house - I couldn't imagine dealing with a whole classroom full of them

 

[Spartangirl]

Best Wishes on your first day of school tomorrow. We will patiently wait for the next installment.

Thanks for the well wishes on my first day! I made it through the day!!! I'm working on getting an installment up tonight! My next few installments may be shorter than the past ones, but I'm hoping to get them up sooner by doing that!

By the way, how was your CA trip?

Good luck with your new group of 1st graders! I have one in my house - I couldn't imagine dealing with a whole classroom full of them

Thanks for wishing me "luck!" I think I needed it! You know, even with this being my 9th year of teaching, I still get butterflies in my stomach for the first day! First grade is definitely tough to teach, but I love it!

You sound like the parents from my class.........whenever I invite them in to help out, they go home exhausted!!! They always say that they can't imagine having a class full of six-year-olds day-in and day-out!

 

[Spartangirl]

4th of July!!!

Chris and I woke up bright and early the next morning. We had mixed emotions about this day......we were super excited since it was the 4th of July, but sad that it was the last day in the parks and of our vacation.

We showered, got dressed, and headed down for our usual continental fare. After breakfast, we didn't even glance in the direction of the CCI shuttle.......we decided to walk and just enjoy the beautiful morning.

Our plan was to hop between both parks today, with the majority of the time spent in Disneyland. We decided that we would head to California Adventure later in the afternoon to see Aladdin, since it was up and running on this day.

At around 9 a.m. we entered the turnstiles and headed for Indy. We wanted to pick up some fastpasses for later on......this ride was awesome the first time around and we wanted a second go at it!

After scoring our fastpasses, we wanted to meet with our favorite pirate! We walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean and got in the 5 minute line. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"

I couldn't resist video taping a "certain someone" in the ride! Take a peek!



LOVE that ride!!! We decided to head toward the Haunted Mansion.....along the way, we stopped for a photo op!

This staircase is just so cute!!!

We made it to the Haunted Mansion and found ourselves in yet, another 5 minute line! Being the 4th, we expected many more people and LONG lines.........so, we were happy with what we were finding!

After riding the HM, we continued walking through New Orleans Square and into Critter Country. We stopped near the water and watched a few ducks for awhile........they looked so peaceful and relaxed.

We soon found ourselves at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Since we had yet to ride this one, and the wait time was nonexistent, we hopped right on.

It was a cute ride......similar to WDW's version, but no "bounces" during the Tigger portion.

Upon exiting the ride, we found ourselves in a fun, little shop. We took a look around and I found a giant Eeyore! He's one of my favorites, so I had to get a picture!

We continued our journey and soon found ourselves in Fantasyland. Chris decided to try his luck with the "Sword in the Stone." It just wasn't happening today...

Next up was It's a Small World........We were definitely impressed with the outside of the building......so much cooler than WDW's!

Other than starting outside and heading inside (rather than just being an inside ride), this ride was very similar to WDW's version........Yes, the song gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day......but, we like the ride all the same!

It's a classic, and the trip just wouldn't be complete without going on it!


We decided that now would be a good time to head on over to Indy. We turned in our fastpasses and got in line........we were halfway through the tunnels when TONS of people started shuffling past us to head back out to the entrance. The ride was down and it wasn't looking too good. We waited for about 5 minutes as people continued to pour out.........we joined the crowd. However, on our way out, we politely asked for fastpasses for later........the CM gave them to us with no questions asked! We would definitely be headed back!


Up Next: Toontown, Aladdin, and a "nice surprise from a CM!" Post # 157

 

[tksbaskets]

Great installment! Where did you find the great cartoon Jack Sparrow?

TK

 

[SoonerGirl]

Enjoyed this installment - I had to watch your Captain Jack video a couple of times.......

 

[Spartangirl]

Great installment! Where did you find the great cartoon Jack Sparrow?

TK

Thank you! The painting was on the left as we entered the building for the ride.

Enjoyed this installment - I had to watch your Captain Jack video a couple of times.......

Glad you liked this installment........gotta love Captain Jack!

 

[KimAshton]

I just read your whole TR and love it so I subscribed. There is so much to do in CA and I have been there tons but never done it all.

 

[Spartangirl]

I just read your whole TR and love it so I subscribed. There is so much to do in CA and I have been there tons but never done it all.

I'm so glad you're enjoying my TR and that you're onboard!!! I agree, there is A LOT to do in California. We did a TON, but we want to head back to do some of the things that we missed and "redo" some of the things that we've already experienced.

 

[KimAshton]

I'm so glad you're enjoying my TR and that you're onboard!!! I agree, there is A LOT to do in California. We did a TON, but we want to head back to do some of the things that we missed and "redo" some of the things that we've already experienced.

I have been to Northern CA since I have a friend that lives in San Jose and been to San Fran. Go every July for events out in LA. And I have been to San Diego. I just never thought about doing a driving tour.

 

[Spartangirl]

Toontown, Aladdin, and a "nice surprise from a CM!"

Seeing as though Indy was "down," we headed over to Toontown since we hadn't experienced it yet. Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin caught our attention first, so we decided to give it a whirl! The ride wait time was just over 10 minutes.

Since we both love the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", we found this attraction to be very cute! Plus, we loved the fact that it was a ride unique to DL, since we don't have it at WDW. It was great fun to spin the cartoon taxis through the back alleys of Toontown!

We continued our adventure by "playing our way" through Toontown. Mickey and Minnie's homes were darling and we loved Chip 'n Dale's Treehouse! The detail throughout Toontown is amazing!

We decided that we should hop over to CA Adventure to see Aladdin, so that we could make it back in time for the afternoon parade at DL. With that in mind, we headed through Fantasyland toward the castle. Before walking through the castle, we stopped for a quick picture.

Then, we were off down Main Street, and headed toward CA Adventure.

Our first stop was Soarin', where we picked up Fastpasses for later. Then we headed to the Hyperion Theater for the 12:20 show time.

All I can say is that we LOVED this show!!! The genie was hilarious and the carpet soaring through the air was magical!

Here is a short clip from the show:



After Aladdin, we walked around the park for a little while and found ourselves with a fun photo opportunity!

We then decided that we should use our Fastpasses for Soarin' and then head back to DL for the parade...........

Upon arriving back at DL, we stopped a CM near City Hall and questioned him about the best places to watch the parade from. He happened to be from Michigan, like us, so we talked for quite a while! Chris told him that we had never seen the "Parade of Dreams," and we were anxious to see it, take pictures, and videotape it. He pointed out a few good viewing areas and then told us to wait a moment...

The CM walked into City Hall and disappeared for about 5 minutes or so. He finally returned to us with some wonderful news! He told us to report to the platform on the trainstation at 3:00 p.m. because he had reserved seats for us in the "roped off" section up top. We couldn't believe it!!! We were going to be able to sit in the benches up on the platform AND we wouldn't have to sit around and wait for the parade.........What a wonderful surprise!!!

Since we had some time to kill, we headed off to see what was happening with Indy. We happened to be in luck! Things definitely seemed to be "magically working in our favor" on the 4th! We used our Fastpasses to ride Indy for the second time this trip!

After the ride, we grabbed a bite to eat. Then, we decided to head over to the train station. I snapped a picture of the beautiful castle as we walked by it.

We were on as we approached the train platform. These appeared to be the "best seats in the house!" However, we would soon realize that we had more in store for us...

Up Next: Part 2 of our surprise, a celebrity sighting, and the Parade of Dreams! Post #164

 

[Spartangirl]

I have been to Northern CA since I have a friend that lives in San Jose and been to San Fran. Go every July for events out in LA. And I have been to San Diego. I just never thought about doing a driving tour.

The driving tour was so much fun!!! It was a first for us too, but definitely not a last!!!

 

[Hound 109]

double post.

 

[Hound 109]

Must be nice to have "friends in high places".......


So if i tell em' I'm from Michigan do you think i might score some of those deluxe hoity toity seats for the parade too???


Spartan Girl, every time i see another pic of the pink castle I like it more. It's gotten to the point when I see a pic of that castle in Orlando, it looks to me like a gaudy McMansion.


Wasn't the line que (sp) of Roger Rabbit neat?


Great report & pics SpartanGirl....thanks for posting.

hound -