First DLR Trip was magical! TR (3/09) Heading back for more magic! TR w/pics (4/10)

[TheTXTaylors5]

What wonderful pictures!

Thank you! As you can tell, I try and tell a story with the pictures. I often take pictures, keeping in the back of my mind how I want to set-up my scrapbook pages. Am I the only one that does this? It drives DH crazy. He and the kids often get frustrated when I take a lot of pictures. However, it pays off when putting together the trip scrapbook or creating a Trip Report.

Thank you for reading and putting up with my long babbling Trip Report. I can get wordy at times.
I have restrained myself a little on this Trip Report.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

This is "The End" of our Disneyland Adventure. I planned and planned. But, nothing could have prepared me for the amazing time we had. The weather was nothing but perfect. The parks (both DLP and DCA) kept our family entertained. We've made some new magical memories this week. I know the kids had a great time. They've already started asking about going back.

Next stop ... In-N-Out burgers, great night at a Holiday Inn Express and The Grand Canyon.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

When we got into our minivan, it was bittersweet. We couldn't wait to see the Grand Canyon. But, we were sad to leave Disneyland. It had been an amazing week. Once we drove off property, we were back to reality. Our first stop, Starbucks. There's one right down the street. DH needed a little caffeine kick to get him going and to face the terrible OC traffic. It was around 5 PM, when we finally hit the highway. I've heard about the bumper to bumper traffic in the LA area. But, nothing prepared me for the cars and cars that were on the roads. I couldn't live there. It was ridiculous.

Once, we got near Big Bear the traffic died down. Around 8 PM, we needed to stop for gas and get the family a late dinner. While DH was pumping the gas, I noticed a wonderful site ... an In-N-Out sign. I'd always heard about In-N-Out burgers. What better time to try them? Not much of a selection though. Sure glad I'm not a vegetarian anymore. We ordered burgers and fries for everyone. DH had tried them while in San Diego on business and didn't like them very much. He was willing to give them another try to let the family try them too. They were good and you could tell the meat and fries were fresh. However, DON'T go there if you are in a hurry. It took forever to get our food. I would say it was a step above McDonalds and BK. But, Steak 'n Shake burgers are better. IMO I'd try them again if in the area.

DH drove on until around 11 PM. After being up so early and in the park. He was understandably tired. We stopped off in Kingman, Arizona (I haven't a clue where that is. I just saw the name on the receipt). We arrived in the dark of night. So, we couldn't see what was around us. DH found a Holiday Inn Express & Suites that had availability. When we opened our room, I was VERY impressed. We had two queen beds AND a sofa sleeper. Also, it had a little bar area with a microwave and refrigerator. All that for around $80 (w/AAA discount). Not bad. Being a family of five, we have a hard time with hotels rooms. We either have to get a suite or only have two children on the register. With Holiday Inn Express, DH found out they have these larger rooms. We have found a new family favorite "traveling" hotel. With the price of the room, we got a free hot continental breakfast. The breakfast included eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, bagels, danishes, muffins, waffles, cereal and of course the cinammon rolls they advertise. Those cinammon rolls are yummy.

When we stepped out of the hotel the next morning, we were surrounded by beautiful scenery. There were huge mesas everywhere. Arizona has some beautiful sites.

We were back on the road. Next stop ... The Grand Canyon National Park

 

[pmama]

Very helpful report. I didn't know about the back of the monorail in DLR. So, glad your family had a great time.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Working on the Grand Canyon pictures. Will post soon ...

Jennifer

 

[charmama4]

When we got into our minivan, it was bittersweet. We couldn't wait to see the Grand Canyon. But, we were sad to leave Disneyland. It had been an amazing week. Once we drove off property, we were back to reality. Our first stop, Starbucks. There's one right down the street. DH needed a little caffeine kick to get him going and to face the terrible OC traffic. It was around 5 PM, when we finally hit the highway. I've heard about the bumper to bumper traffic in the LA area. But, nothing prepared me for the cars and cars that were on the roads. I couldn't live there. It was ridiculous.

Once, we got near Big Bear the traffic died down. Around 8 PM, we needed to stop for gas and get the family a late dinner. While DH was pumping the gas, I noticed a wonderful site ... an In-N-Out sign. I'd always heard about In-N-Out burgers. What better time to try them? Not much of a selection though. Sure glad I'm not a vegetarian anymore. We ordered burgers and fries for everyone. DH had tried them while in San Diego on business and didn't like them very much. He was willing to give them another try to let the family try them too. They were good and you could tell the meat and fries were fresh. However, DON'T go there if you are in a hurry. It took forever to get our food. I would say it was a step above McDonalds and BK. But, Steak 'n Shake burgers are better. IMO I'd try them again if in the area.

DH drove on until around 11 PM. After being up so early and in the park. He was understandably tired. We stopped off in Kingman, Arizona (I haven't a clue where that is. I just saw the name on the receipt). We arrived in the dark of night. So, we couldn't see what was around us. DH found a Holiday Inn Express & Suites that had availability. When we opened our room, I was VERY impressed. We had two queen beds AND a sofa sleeper. Also, it had a little bar area with a microwave and refrigerator. All that for around $80 (w/AAA discount). Not bad. Being a family of five, we have a hard time with hotels rooms. We either have to get a suite or only have two children on the register. With Holiday Inn Express, DH found out they have these larger rooms. We have found a new family favorite "traveling" hotel. With the price of the room, we got a free hot continental breakfast. The breakfast included eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, bagels, danishes, muffins, waffles, cereal and of course the cinammon rolls they advertise. Those cinammon rolls are yummy.

When we stepped out of the hotel the next morning, we were surrounded by beautiful scenery. There were huge mesas everywhere. Arizona has some beautiful sites.

We were back on the road. Next stop ... The Grand Canyon National Park

IN and OUT Ahh, can't wait to get to San Diego for some double double while we grab the train to DL!!!!! Those burgers looks so good!!

 

[javamoma]

Thanks for the awesome trip report. I was enjoying it so much that I am sad to see it end!

I noticed you mentioned skipping a lot of the rides that are the same at WDW. Could you not fit them in or did you just not want to waste time on them?

We are WDW vets but will be going to DLR next year with young children around your kiddos' ages. I am asking the above question because I want to know if your number of park days were enough to see everything but do it at a relaxing pace (not camando). We are thinking of going for the same number of days.

We will also be driving from Dallas! Can I just copy your trip ?

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I noticed you mentioned skipping a lot of the rides that are the same at WDW. Could you not fit them in or did you just not want to waste time on them?

It was a combination of both. Some rides we (or the children) didn't want to ride, others we ran out of time. We took the time to truly enjoy BOTH parks.

Some rides we wanted to ride (mostly in Fantasyland), but ran out of time:
Alice in Wonderland (It looked so cute!!!!)
King Arthur Carrousel (I wanted to find Jingles.)
Mad Tea Party (DS8 loves this one at MK. But, the line was always fairly long. Another dowside for this being a "locals" park. Fantasyland was ALWAYS crowded!!! )
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (We wanted to see what the WDW vets were getting into such a huff about with it's departure from MK.)
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Parade (Was not being shown while our stay.)

Grizzly River Run (It was broken. )
Sun Wheel (soon-to-be Mickey Wheel) It was down for renovations.
Aladdin (Was not being shown while our stay.)

Rides we purposely skipped:
Autopia (This ride is so popular it has a FP machine. It looked so slowwwwwwwww. I would have sat there the whole time thinking what other rides we could be riding. )
Snow White's Scary Adventure (We rode this at MK and it scared our children. The Scary in the title is very fitting. )
Dumbo (We may have the only children in the world that don't like Dumbo anymore. DS3 and DD6 could ride the Aladdin carpets @ MK and Triceratop Spin @ DAK over and over again. But, they don't seem very interested in Dumbo.)
Peter Pan's Flight (We've ridden this at MK and would NOT wait in a long line for it. It's fun. But, NOT that fun. It always had a long line as DLP too.)
Astro Orbitor (We've ridden this at MK and find it loses it's appeal at DLP being so close to the ground. It is Dumbo spaceships IMO.)
Gadget's Go Coaster (It looked just like Goofy's Barnstormer @ MK. Our DS3 does NOT like that ride. So, we avoided it all together at DLP.)

Tower of Terror (We've ridden this at DHS numerous times and loved it. I read they don't have the random option just yet. So, we'd plan to wait for that and ride and re-ride it next time.)
Playhouse Disney (We've seen both the old and new shows at DHS. It was fine the first, second and third times. After that, even the children get bored.)
Muppet Vision 3D (We've seen this at DHS numerous times. It's suppose to be the same show. We spent that time riding Monsters, Inc. A great new ride!)
Turtle Talk with Crush (As the other mentioned attractions, we've done this numerous times at Epcot. Somehow, our children are always picked to speak and DH and I end up on the microphone. However, it doesn't seem to fit the Hollywood Backlot area to me. They need to move it over to Tomorrowland next to the Nemo Subs. IMO)
Toy Story Mania (We've done this at DHS and loved it. But, the line at DCA was ALWAYS long and they don't offer a FP for this attraction. We'll be at WDW in June. We'll get our TSM fix then. )


We re-rode a few new family favorites while at DLR. We probably could have fit in Fantasyland somewhere, but we were having so much fun elsewhere. Five full park days should be plenty for any first time visitor. If you don't go commando, it will leave you wanting more and dreaming about going back.

Jennifer

 

[marvel]

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your trip report. I love reading about all the places you guys get to visit on road trips. Being from Australia we have been able to make a few road trips on both the west and east coast and love it. Glad you had such a great trip.

Just reading about IN n OUt Burgers and Steak 'n Shake burgers (which I have never heard of) makes me soooo jealous!

Haven't been to Texas yet but it is on the list.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your trip report. I love reading about all the places you guys get to visit on road trips. Being from Australia we have been able to make a few road trips on both the west and east coast and love it. Glad you had such a great trip.

Just reading about IN n OUt Burgers and Steak 'n Shake burgers (which I have never heard of) makes me soooo jealous!

Haven't been to Texas yet but it is on the list.

Thank you for the kind words.

Come on down to Texas (or I guess it would be over from Australia ). Y'all are welcome in the "Lone Star State" anytime.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I had our Grand Canyon portion compiled yesterday (with photos and all), I was about to click "Submit Reply", when the power went out. You should have seen my shock ridden face. We had terrible wind here yesterday. The power went out a few times. It was so windy my holiday flag bracket that is attached to the bricks on the house was ripped out of the bricks. DH had it anchor-bolted/brick bolts and all. So, I am once again working on the most beautiful part of our trip. Bear with me ...

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Anaheim, CA to Grand Canyon, AZ (484.75 miles)

Once you venture off I-40 and head north towards the Grand Canyon National Park, there is NOTHING out there until you get about five miles from the park entrance. Make sure you fill up in Williams if you are low on gas. Seeing the park sign was a great site. We had arrived. We drove up to the Ranger, paid our $25 (per carload) and were handed a map. Then, we were on our own to explore the park.

We first stopped at a little area that everyone and their mother seemed to pick too. Pictures cannot show the true beauty of the Grand Canyon. They don't do it justice. Being so grand, it makes you feel really small. However, I'll post some photos to tie you over until you can make the trip for yourself. It's definitely "a must" destination. IMO. Truly breathtaking and well worth the drive. When DD6 went back to school from Spring Break, she was asked what she did during Spring Break. Her first answer was The Grand Canyon and then Disneyland. The kids enjoyed it more than I expected. That was a pleasant surprise.

Here are some pictures from our first stop within the park:

As you can see from the photos, we had a beautiful clear day. It was in the 70's. Someone was looking over us during this trip. Besides the snow flurries on the first day, we had nothing but beautiful weather there out.

More photos to come ...

Jennifer

 

[DizNee Luver]

Well I'm a bit late in reading this, but really enjoyed reading the pre-TR & the report itself. You may not take a ton of pictures, but the ones you have are great!! Love when you see the Disney-Magic in the facial expressions!!!!
You got to the parks one week after we left. The crowds were definately picking up & knew we got out at a good time!!
I didn't realize the monorail had a back car.....we rode up front with the driver & they only could let 5 riders in, so my older boys had to ride in the normal areas.
We've never done the Storyteller's breakfast, so I enjoyed looking at your pics & how pleased you were with it. It is definately one we need to try.....we've done all the rest of them!

Did you just love staying at the DL Hotel? We got to stay 2 nights of our 7 day trip....would have stayed the entire time if we could have budgeted for it!!!! I thought the rooms were so detailed with Disney....right down to the bedspread (with all the attractions on it). I can't remember if you actually swam in the Neverland Pool........we had a blast (wish the water would have been warmer). We even wandered over to the kiddie pools (which were warmer.......and we had them to ourself).

I'm so pleased you had a great trip & weren't disappointed. We love our little park!!!

 

[MAH4546]

Day 5 (Wednesday)

TWe didn't ride a lot of rides they have in Florida too (ie: Dumbo, ToT, Muppet Vision 3D, Peter Pan, Snow White, Turtle Talk w/Crush, It's Tough to be a Bug, Enchanted Tiki Room, Astro Orbiter, etc...) because they were the same and we honestly didn't want to waste precious park time. We wanted to ride new or better versions at DLP.

Great TR!

Just FYI for your next trip to DL, but Peter Pan, Snow White and the Tiki Room are different rides at DL. Peter Pan is slightly less elaborate, especially with the London scene, but has a much cooler fly over Never Land. Snow White is a very different sequence of events. And the Tiki Room at DL is the original Tiki Room, not the revised one at WDW.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Great TR!

Just FYI for your next trip to DL, but Peter Pan, Snow White and the Tiki Room are different rides at DL. Peter Pan is slightly less elaborate, especially with the London scene, but has a much cooler fly over Never Land. Snow White is a very different sequence of events. And the Tiki Room at DL is the original Tiki Room, not the revised one at WDW.

We knew the Tiki Room at at DLP was not the "Under New Management" version like at MK. We've experienced the attraction at MK and have checked it off our list. We are not Tiki Room folks. It was fun to see once.

There are many rides we skipped or just didn't get to. We DO plan to go back for more Disneyland magic.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Well I'm a bit late in reading this, but really enjoyed reading the pre-TR & the report itself. You may not take a ton of pictures, but the ones you have are great!! Love when you see the Disney-Magic in the facial expressions!!!!
You got to the parks one week after we left. The crowds were definately picking up & knew we got out at a good time!!
I didn't realize the monorail had a back car.....we rode up front with the driver & they only could let 5 riders in, so my older boys had to ride in the normal areas.
We've never done the Storyteller's breakfast, so I enjoyed looking at your pics & how pleased you were with it. It is definately one we need to try.....we've done all the rest of them!

Did you just love staying at the DL Hotel? We got to stay 2 nights of our 7 day trip....would have stayed the entire time if we could have budgeted for it!!!! I thought the rooms were so detailed with Disney....right down to the bedspread (with all the attractions on it). I can't remember if you actually swam in the Neverland Pool........we had a blast (wish the water would have been warmer). We even wandered over to the kiddie pools (which were warmer.......and we had them to ourself).

I'm so pleased you had a great trip & weren't disappointed. We love our little park!!!

We loved the Disneyland Hotel. We wouldn't hesitate staying there again. The extra expense was well worth it in my opinion. We swam at the Neverland Pool. Yes, the water was chilly. Where was the kiddie pool? We never saw that. I am sure DS3 would have enjoyed it.

How was the Minnie breakfast inside DLP? I was going to book that, but read bad reviews on the characters rushing by and the food just "okay". What was your experience?

You left just in time. We felt the full effect of the Spring Breakers. However, that was the only week we could go because of the school schedule. We are going to WDW in June and plan to take full advantage of the EMHs. The Sunday we arrive, MK is open until 1 am. Hopefully, the crowds won't be too bad. That should make up for our DLR crowds.

We loved your "little" park. They say the best things come in small packages. I can't express enough how much fun we had. The California weather was amazing. I came home with a nice tan. I have already started dreaming about going back.

Jennifer

 

[DizNee Luver]

We loved the Disneyland Hotel. We wouldn't hesitate staying there again. The extra expense was well worth it in my opinion. We swam at the Neverland Pool. Yes, the water was chilly. Where was the kiddie pool? We never saw that. I am sure DS3 would have enjoyed it.

How was the Minnie breakfast inside DLP? I was going to book that, but read bad reviews on the characters rushing by and the food just "okay". What was your experience?

You left just in time. We felt the full effect of the Spring Breakers. However, that was the only week we could go because of the school schedule. We are going to WDW in June and plan to take full advantage of the EMHs. The Sunday we arrive, MK is open until 1 am. Hopefully, the crowds won't be too bad. That should make up for our DLR crowds.

We loved your "little" park. They say the best things come in small packages. I can't express enough how much fun we had. The California weather was amazing. I came home with a nice tan. I have already started dreaming about going back.

Jennifer

The 2 smaller pools (and by "kiddie" I don't mean little pools) are over by the Fitness Center & beach area. Please don't ask for directions....I could never give them...lol We asked at the main pool & they told us.

We didn't do the Minnie & Friends this past trip but are this Monday. We love the characters at this meal (Minnie, Fairy Godmother, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Hook, Chip, Dale, etc)....the more "classic" characters. I have never been a huge fan of their buffet. The food always seemed cold, but hubby says the made-to-order omelets are the bomb!! We're going Monday to introduce our 22mth old twins girls to the characters.......hoping for the best, but with their sensory issues & delays it might not be what we dreamed of...but we're prepared for that as well.

We had breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe on Saturday, March 14 before leaving town. We parked at the Minnie Parking & took the tram back & forth to DTD. We stopped & did some shopping at the World of Disney & could hardly get out of the doors (the ones facing DL) because the crowds were backed up that far to just get thru the security tables!! A few people were saying it was at least a 40 minute wait just to get thru that part.....then they'd have to go stand in the lines to get thru the park gates!!!! Thank but no thanks!!....... Of course, we're going Monday & Tuesday this coming week.....not by choice really.....Hubby is interviewing with Disneyland on Tuesday...so we're definately going. Would not have chosen this time to be there though.......crowds, crowds, crowds. Wish they'd put in a FP for the bathrooms!!! Last year (during spring break) our poor little 2 yr old had plenty of accidents waiting in 30 minute lines for the bathroom........ Can you tell I'm not thrilled about being there with the crowds???? Thrilled to be at Disneyland....just wish everyone would pick those 2 days to go to Universal Studios or San Diego!!!!!

I'm glad you enjoyed it!!! I can't walk thru Disneyland & not feel Walt's presence....I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

 

[pmama]

Ahhh, I really hope to take my kids to see the Grand Canyon soon. On the way home from DLR seems perfect. We may have to break out and actually attempt a road trip some time soon.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Hubby is interviewing with Disneyland on Tuesday...so we're definately going. Would not have chosen this time to be there though.......crowds, crowds, crowds.

Your husband is interviewing at DLR. That is exciting. I am sending lots of pixie dust your way.

Good luck to your hubby!

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Ahhh, I really hope to take my kids to see the Grand Canyon soon. On the way home from DLR seems perfect. We may have to break out and actually attempt a road trip some time soon.

I see you are from Colorado. DH has visited Denver on business and loved it. But, the family has never been there or anywhere in Colorado. We plan to take a roadtrip to Colorado for Christmas one year. We want to rent a cabin and have fun in the snow. Remember, we live in Texas. We are usuallly wearing shorts on Christmas. Could you recommend a "family-friendly" resort that would pretty much guarantee snow around Christmas-time?????? DH was born and raised in Texas (I am a Yankee. ) I know he has a dream to wake up on Christmas morning with piles of snow outside. He didn't have it as a youth. I think he wants his children to experience it at least once in their life.

Jennifer