Disneyland take 2~July 2013 PTR aka I obsess over making decisions!-updated 7/8

[stacy~**]

Yay! After loving and lurking over so many trip reports over the years I have decided to test the waters myself. So here it is: Disneyland take 2-PTR

A little about our Disney history! This will be our second Disneyland trip (and first since 2007....back when we were Disney newbies). I am the driving force behind our Disney obsession although my oldest daughter is following in my footsteps. While my true love are Disney parks....I also enjoy all amusement parks and always need to plan a trip around some sort of park. We all love collecting character pictures (especially rare or special event ones). Aaron and Lucy are more of the dark ride type. Olivia and I are the thrill seekers! You will find us pair off alot! Finally we are about 2.5 people collectively vegetarians so once we get to DL, I will do my best to document vegetarian eats as I don't think there is as much info out there for DL as there is WDW.

So here we are at WDW this past summer:

Stacy (me).
Favorite character: Pooh bear. Also have a special spot in my heart for villians.
Favorite ride: Tower of Terror

Aaron
Favorite character: Mr. Incredible
Favorite Ride: Buzz Lightyear

Olivia (age 17)
Favorite character:Woody
Favorite Ride: Everest?

Lucy (age 9)
Favorite character: changes frequently maybe Peter Pan/fairys?
Favorite Ride: again changes (although I can tell you she doesn't like Space Mountain and Tower of Terror ) maybe Haunted Mansion



A few more pictures of us from our WDW this summer:

Next up....a summary of our last DL trip!

 

[stacy~**]

So instead of calling this the 2007 trip summary let’s call it lessons learned in 2007!

Lesson 1: Unless you only plan a day trip away don’t commute out of Anaheim for a 10 day trip (we went to the parks 5 days and did other SoCal things the other 5 days but I couldn’t resist the $59-$79 per night Hojo entertainment rate so drove ALL over SoCal). This trip will be spent in 2 different lodging areas (more on that later…). Here is the only Hojo picture I have! LOL...can you tell someone has been sitting on an airplane for hours??

Lesson 2: Have a plan. I know this is a given to us on the Dis but I was a newbie last trip and lack of planning (especially on my So Cal portion) really limited some of the things we were able to do. I will include “underestimating traffic” in this section as well. Yes we saw Rodeo Drive in the dark when everything was closed!

Lesson 3: DCA is a quiet little private park just for us when DL gets busy in the afternoon. You will learn to love it (insert Carsland…lesson 3 no longer applies).

Lesson 4: Disneyland has a magic that cannot be replicated at WDW. The small feel givens me goose bumps just thinking about it!!
Example~
No recalling of DL magic would be complete without the retelling of our most magical Disney moment ever.  Right inside the entrance we met Mary Poppins and Bert. They were very fun and engaging. Insert magic. We are walking up Main Street and Mary is walking down HOURS later and she just waves and casually says Hello to Lucy by name. Hours later. By name. As if they were two neighbors saying hello as they passed each other walking down the street. We were shocked! Very awesome.

This brings me to lesson 5.

Lesson 5: Disneyland characters are often found roaming around without handlers, etc. This took awhile to get used to but really adds to the magic. Lucy’s carrousel ride with Peter Pan would never have happened at Disney world.

Next up~Decisions....Lodging!!

 

[PHXscuba]

Sounds like fun! Your daughters are adorable (and I love the Perry shirts from WDW).

A Disneyland/California combo trip is perfect -- enough time for the parks, plus sightseeing around one of the best places.

There are a lot of locals (and former locals, like me) on the board to try and answer your questions.

Best of luck plotting and planning!

PHXscuba

 

[TheChapman6]

What a cute family. I have a few questions for you. What did you not do last time that you for sure will do this time? What did you do last time that you will skip this time?

 

[Sherry E]

Hi, Stacy!

I just wanted to let you know that I subscribed to this thread yesterday. You told me (in my Catalina Island TR) that you planned on starting a Pre-TR in the next week or so to have somewhere to gather your thoughts as you planned your trip - so I was surprised to see that the Pre-TR had already begun!

In any case, I'll gladly chime in with random Catalina suggestions or help (if and when you need it), but from what you mentioned in my TR I think your initial ideas about what to do in Avalon are good ones!

 

[stacy~**]

Sounds like fun! Your daughters are adorable (and I love the Perry shirts from WDW).

A Disneyland/California combo trip is perfect -- enough time for the parks, plus sightseeing around one of the best places.

There are a lot of locals (and former locals, like me) on the board to try and answer your questions.

Best of luck plotting and planning!

PHXscuba

Hi! Thanks for joining in. You are my first follower!! Thanks for the compliment on my daughters....I tend to agree with you. It is hard to believe that by the time we go on this trip my oldest will be a HS graduate!

I definately would love suggestions on my itinerary once I get around to posting it. I have lots on the list and will need help trimming it down as well as organizing things that make sense to do on the same day, etc.

What a cute family. I have a few questions for you. What did you not do last time that you for sure will do this time? What did you do last time that you will skip this time?

Thanks for the compliment. I see you have a trip coming up sooner than mine! As far as what we plan to do different this time....well alot of it will have to do with two factors 1. My youngest was 3 on our previous trip and will be 9 on this one and 2. Last time we actually spent alot of time with some friends that we have in Longbeach (at their house, etc.). Not really sure there is anything we would not repeat...maybe the Queen Mary and Olivera Street (although we liked both enough at the time). New things are definately Catalina Island and a studio tour...but really I have lots more on my list. Stay tuned!!

Hi, Stacy!

I just wanted to let you know that I subscribed to this thread yesterday. You told me (in my Catalina Island TR) that you planned on starting a Pre-TR in the next week or so to have somewhere to gather your thoughts as you planned your trip - so I was surprised to see that the Pre-TR had already begun!

In any case, I'll gladly chime in with random Catalina suggestions or help (if and when you need it), but from what you mentioned in my TR I think your initial ideas about what to do in Avalon are good ones!

Yup, Sherry...I just decided to get it going!! I am usually somewhat of a last minute travel planner (at least in comparsion to the people on this board) and having purchased our airfare in November I have ALREADY been driving my family crazy with my rambling...so I have turned to the internet! Please jump in with advice whenever you can!

 

[stacy~**]

I will get to the lodging details later this weekend (or next week) but thought I would post this gem of a picture from our DL trip in 2007. We happened to go the week that HS Musical 2 was coming out. It was a crazy, fun day! Gotta love a parade with Zac Efron in a car with Minnie Mouse!!

 

[Sherry E]

Zac Efron looks so young in that picture above^^^! He definitely has 'grown up' in the last 5-6 years!

Yup, Sherry...I just decided to get it going!! I am usually somewhat of a last minute travel planner (at least in comparsion to the people on this board) and having purchased our airfare in November I have ALREADY been driving my family crazy with my rambling...so I have turned to the internet! Please jump in with advice whenever you can!

I don't know if you saw it (because the DIS may not have sent you an e-mail alert), but I did give some Catalina advice/suggestions (specifically regarding the golf cart and staying for only one night on the island) in this post. I think I added that reply shortly before you started this thread.


The Internet is always a good place to find people who 'get' you and who understand the need to discuss, ramble and plan! People in the 'real world' don't really get it. I think my friends still don't quite get my love of Disneyland, despite the fact that 80% of the photos I post on Facebook are from there. It hasn't quite sunken in, I guess. I remember one time, a few years back, one friend asked me (when we were discussing Disneyland), "Well...which do you like better? Knott's Berry Farm or Disneyland?" I think I got a puzzled look on my face as if to say, "Knott's??!! When do you ever hear me talking about Knott's??"

People don't understand.

 

[stacy~**]

The Internet is always a good place to find people who 'get' you and who understand the need to discuss, ramble and plan! People in the 'real world' don't really get it. I think my friends still don't quite get my love of Disneyland, despite the fact that 80% of the photos I post on Facebook are from there. It hasn't quite sunken in, I guess. I remember one time, a few years back, one friend asked me (when we were discussing Disneyland), "Well...which do you like better? Knott's Berry Farm or Disneyland?" I think I got a puzzled look on my face as if to say, "Knott's??!! When do you ever hear me talking about Knott's??"

People don't understand.

What a great story!!

 

[stacy~**]

Lodging Part 1~

The first half of our trip (Friday through Wednesday) will be spent seeing the sites of So Cal. Very rough itinerary to come soon but for now let’s talk about lodging.

Almost immediately after purchasing airfare in November I secured our lodging at the Los Feliz Lodge.

Pros:
Within our acceptable price range (at about $200 per night-although wouldn’t call it a “bargain”)
Adorable
Great Trip Advisor reviews
No parking fees (street parking-which could be a con but I asked about it and was told it isn’t a problem)
Seems to be in a pretty quiet yet centralized location (would love to hear from locals on this one!)
Separate sleeping area from the girls
Kitchen/washer and dryer/more space than standard hotel room

Cons:
The sleeping area for the girls will be an air mattress (provided) on the floor in the living room (they are young, right?).
It won’t get us into the Magic Castle Club! (I have an obsession with going here after reading OhioStateBuckeyes TR and the only way to do so is staying at the Magic Castle Inn).

With so many more Pros than Cons I am wondering why I keep questioning this choice….I guess because that is just what I do!!

A few more pictures:

Up next DL lodging....where I currently have 2 reservations and long to stay at a 3rd location.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Your hotel looks adorable!! I love how it looks on the outside, the brighter colors and all the plant life.


Were you guys thinking of doing a movie at one of the Hollywood theaters? We are going to see what is playing at Grauman's when we are there and then decide. Sadly, we miss the new wizard of oz movie at El Capitan by a few days So we can either see Mulan at El Capitan or whatever Grauman's is playing, so we'll decide when Grauman's posts their schedule.

 

[stacy~**]

Your hotel looks adorable!! I love how it looks on the outside, the brighter colors and all the plant life.


Were you guys thinking of doing a movie at one of the Hollywood theaters? We are going to see what is playing at Grauman's when we are there and then decide. Sadly, we miss the new wizard of oz movie at El Capitan by a few days So we can either see Mulan at El Capitan or whatever Grauman's is playing, so we'll decide when Grauman's posts their schedule.

Hi!! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I do think the hotel is adorable....I guess I need to stop second guessing it PLUS...my DL choice is a much more difficult decision so I should at least let this part go.

Not sure about a movie or not. Since we will be there the second week of July I am wondering if Monsters U will still be playing (comes out June 21st, I think). Problem is is we won't be able to wait to see it!! So to "waste" time in California seeing a movie we just saw...eh. I did see that they do character breakfasts/then movies at El Capitan so that might be an option for something different.

Do you know what is going on with the Grauman's tour? It says they have one on the website but the link doesn't have any information?? hmmm

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Hi!! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I do think the hotel is adorable....I guess I need to stop second guessing it PLUS...my DL choice is a much more difficult decision so I should at least let this part go.

Not sure about a movie or not. Since we will be there the second week of July I am wondering if Monsters U will still be playing (comes out June 21st, I think). Problem is is we won't be able to wait to see it!! So to "waste" time in California seeing a movie we just saw...eh. I did see that they do character breakfasts/then movies at El Capitan so that might be an option for something different.

Do you know what is going on with the Grauman's tour? It says they have one on the website but the link doesn't have any information?? hmmm

Yeah I don't think the website ever has info. Unless something unusual is going on, they will have them every day at pretty regular times. What we did was show up to Grauman's, ask about tour tickets, they told us the next time and we just hung out and look at the handprints and walked around a bit checking out the Stars on the sidewalk and taking pictures of our favorite stars or putting our feet in the star's footprints.

 

[stacy~**]

Yeah I don't think the website ever has info. Unless something unusual is going on, they will have them every day at pretty regular times. What we did was show up to Grauman's, ask about tour tickets, they told us the next time and we just hung out and look at the handprints and walked around a bit checking out the Stars on the sidewalk and taking pictures of our favorite stars or putting our feet in the star's footprints.

Great! Seems easy enough!

 

[stacy~**]

Well originally I thought I would move on to the Disneyland lodging but have decided to move on to the So Cal itinerary-although this will change..probably ALOT! But here is the “starting” point:

Friday -Arrive Burbank approx 4:30pm-Since we are traveling from EST I imagine we will be tired and not up for much so will just get dinner/groceries, etc and check into our lodging.
Saturday- Farmers Market/the Grove, Beverly Hills and Dodgers game (4:15)We always try to take in a baseball game when we are out of town (this is from last March in Sarasota, FL).

Sunday- Hollywood Blvd “stuff” (still working on what the stuff will include). I am hoping there is something “special” going on at the El Capitan for the release of Monsters University (I am sure we will have already seen in the movie but would see again if there was something going on, Griffith Observatory in the evening
A few Hollywood pictures from 2007:

Monday-Santa Monica/ Venice Beach/bus tour?
Picture from beach in 2007

Picture from SCARY Santa Monica Ferris Wheel! Can you tell I could barely look over the edge?

Tuesday-Universal OR a studio tour (WB maybe) (early to bed!)
Wednesday -pack up and head to Long beach to take the express for a day trip to Catalina Island. Upon return drive to Anaheim and check in to undecided Disneyland hotel!
A few others things I might want to squeeze in:
La Brea Tar Pits
Would LOVE to find a TV show taping but guess that is unlikely in July…would especially love to find one that we could all go to (Lucy will be ALMOST 10)
I think the Museum of Tolerance looks very interesting and I think Olivia would like it but concerned about it being too “old” for Lucy
Would love to check out Knott’s Berry Farm but it probably won’t happen. Does anyone know if they offer a discounted after 5pm type admission?

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions??

 

[PHXscuba]

I've never seen an "after 5" admission for Knott's. Honestly, that's when all the teens with passes arrive and the park becomes less family-friendly, especially on weekends. If you want a half day there, go early, do it until 5 p.m. and return to DLR for evening entertainment.

PHXscuba

 

[stacy~**]

I've never seen an "after 5" admission for Knott's. Honestly, that's when all the teens with passes arrive and the park becomes less family-friendly, especially on weekends. If you want a half day there, go early, do it until 5 p.m. and return to DLR for evening entertainment.

PHXscuba

Thanks for the advice! I am in Ohio and our two parks (Cedar Point and Kings Island) both offer evening admissions....good to know that Knott's doesn't and that the feel changes in the evenings. I wasn't sure how we were going to squeeze it in anyways so it was pretty wishful thinking on my part. Might be for the best....at least for this trip!

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

The tar pits can very easily be quickly squeezed in one day. There is a museum but we skipped it and were still able to see all the outdoor tar pits for free (well, + the cost of parking).

There might not be many sitcom tapings in July, but you could always look for game show tapings. That one with Wayne Brady (Lets make a deal?) has families with little kids in the audience.

 

[Sherry E]

Have you been to The Grove and Farmers Market before? If you have, I apologize if I am telling you stuff below that you already know! I was assuming it was your first visit there but now I'm not sure?

The Grove/Farmers Market and the Tar Pits are in my neighborhood! I am just minutes away from all of those places, and I often walk to them!

Farmers Market is at the corner of Third Street and Fairfax. Farmers Market basically segues into The Grove, and you can easily walk from one to the other.

The show "Extra" with Maria Menounos and Mario Lopez often tapes at The Grove, and during summer there are sometimes concerts and special events. Plus, both FM and The Grove are good celebrity-watching places. On the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet (or was it the Golden Globes?), Naomi Watts and her husband were saying how they had just been at the Farmers Market earlier in the day, having a meal.

There are a lot of interesting counter service food options (by small, mom & pop vendors and families) around the inner portion of the Market (which is the historical portion that has remained intact over the decades), and table service places along the newer, outdoor section of the Market (which transitions into The Grove).


The Tar Pits and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) are just a few minutes away from The Grove and Farmers Market. You could literally just jet down Fairfax, turn left onto Wilshire Blvd. and drive to LACMA/the Tar Pits.

The Tar Pits is also the location of the George C. Page Museum, which is mostly fossil-oriented but pretty interesting. It's educational. It's kind of nice to spend a couple of hours at the Tar Pits and walk across the common grassy area over to LACMA to roam through the (free) sculpture garden (lots of Rodin's pieces there), as well as see the crazy "street lamp installation" in front of LACMA on Wilshire Blvd., which makes for some cool photos!

I would do Farmers Market/The Grove/the Tar Pits/LACMA all in one day because they are so close to each other. FM/The Grove are right next door to each other, and the Tar Pits/LACMA are right next door to each other.

Technically, you could even really hit Hollywood in the same day but it would be a full day.

By the way, I think Grauman's is getting a name change to TCL Chinese Theater (or something un-catchy like that?), but I don't know if it already happened. It may already be changed? I just read about it recently.

​

Oh! One other thing - I know you saw endy's comment to you and the link to the discount for Catalina Express in my Catalina TR, but did you see my post to you that was right before hers? One thing I was explaining was about using up every minute of the golf cart rental (which a lot of people do not do) and how the 'get 3 hours for the price of 2' has a cut-off time so you have to make sure to get your cart before the cut-off, etc. I was also saying that your idea of going for the day to see if you like it is a great one, and then if you like it you can go back another time and stay over!

 

[stacy~**]

The tar pits can very easily be quickly squeezed in one day. There is a museum but we skipped it and were still able to see all the outdoor tar pits for free (well, + the cost of parking).

There might not be many sitcom tapings in July, but you could always look for game show tapings. That one with Wayne Brady (Lets make a deal?) has families with little kids in the audience.

Love the idea of a game show! For some reason that didn't occur to me. I will have to explore that route! Thanks!

Have you been to The Grove and Farmers Market before? If you have, I apologize if I am telling you stuff below that you already know! I was assuming it was your first visit there but now I'm not sure?

The Grove/Farmers Market and the Tar Pits are in my neighborhood! I am just minutes away from all of those places, and I often walk to them!

Farmers Market is at the corner of Third Street and Fairfax. Farmers Market basically segues into The Grove, and you can easily walk from one to the other.

The show "Extra" with Maria Menounos and Mario Lopez often tapes at The Grove, and during summer there are sometimes concerts and special events. Plus, both FM and The Grove are good celebrity-watching places. On the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet (or was it the Golden Globes?), Naomi Watts and her husband were saying how they had just been at the Farmers Market earlier in the day, having a meal.

There are a lot of interesting counter service food options (by small, mom & pop vendors and families) around the inner portion of the Market (which is the historical portion that has remained intact over the decades), and table service places along the newer, outdoor section of the Market (which transitions into The Grove).


The Tar Pits and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) are just a few minutes away from The Grove and Farmers Market. You could literally just jet down Fairfax, turn left onto Wilshire Blvd. and drive to LACMA/the Tar Pits.

The Tar Pits is also the location of the George C. Page Museum, which is mostly fossil-oriented but pretty interesting. It's educational. It's kind of nice to spend a couple of hours at the Tar Pits and walk across the common grassy area over to LACMA to roam through the (free) sculpture garden (lots of Rodin's pieces there), as well as see the crazy "street lamp installation" in front of LACMA on Wilshire Blvd., which makes for some cool photos!

I would do Farmers Market/The Grove/the Tar Pits/LACMA all in one day because they are so close to each other. FM/The Grove are right next door to each other, and the Tar Pits/LACMA are right next door to each other.

Technically, you could even really hit Hollywood in the same day but it would be a full day.

By the way, I think Grauman's is getting a name change to TCL Chinese Theater (or something un-catchy like that?), but I don't know if it already happened. It may already be changed? I just read about it recently.

​

Oh! One other thing - I know you saw endy's comment to you and the link to the discount for Catalina Express in my Catalina TR, but did you see my post to you that was right before hers? One thing I was explaining was about using up every minute of the golf cart rental (which a lot of people do not do) and how the 'get 3 hours for the price of 2' has a cut-off time so you have to make sure to get your cart before the cut-off, etc. I was also saying that your idea of going for the day to see if you like it is a great one, and then if you like it you can go back another time and stay over!

Sherry! Thanks for all the information! It will be our first time going to the FM/Grove area ( Olivia and I will definately be celebrity watching) and it's good to know that it would fit well in with the Tar Pits/Museum. I am trying to keep the LA portion of our trip kinda laid back and not run around like crazy people (that is what the Disney half is for) so planning things that are close together will be important.

I received my Catalina Island visitors guide yesterday. It is very pretty!! Yes, I did see your post about they buy 2 get the 3rd free. For some reason I was having trouble logging in for a week or so....so while I was reading posts I couldn't respond. That was maybe one of them. I want to keep our time on Catalina relaxing so I am thinking besides the golf cart I might want to just plan one other activity and then have free time to look in shops, walk around town. What do you think?