Cartcanuck
Saltwater Mickey
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2010
- Messages
- 72
Hopefully it's ok to do this, but I figured I'd throw out a report of my first time visit to Disneyland that took place from October 16-20, 2010. I will have pictures to post in a week or so once I work through them and do my tweaking to make them look "right". 
Trip summary
Day 1, Saturday: arrive in the evening, stay at Camelot Inn and Suites
Day 2, Sunday: move to Paradise Pier, first day at Disneyland
Day 3, Monday: California Adventure all day
Day 4, Tuesday: Disneyland all day, Halloween party
The participants:
Cartcanuck: 43 yrs old (13 in my mind), bad back and bad knees
Mommynuck: tall, beautiful, and 5 ½ months pregnant
Littlenuck: 4 years old, 41 inches tall (YAY!), total Disney princess
Now, the details ..
Day 1 arrival
We flew into Palm Springs because we were booked through a corporate travel deal for a conference in Palm Springs later in the week, and drove to Anaheim. Easy drive. No problems. We were booked into the Paradise Pier for our stay (thanks to my wifes bosses travel miles) but couldnt afford to stay there Saturday night so we booked into the Camelot Inn and Suites across the street from Disneyland. It was very nice, clean, and the staff was friendly. We sat by the pool and watched the fireworks and had a great view. The beds were comfortable, and the location was great. We found the room relatively quiet and the free breakfast was on par with most mid-priced hotels Ive stayed in. The only negative I could say about the room was that there was not enough room for suitcases. We had 3 suitcases and there was only one baggage stand, so we had suitcases open on the desk and on the table. That didnt leave a lot of extra room. If we were there for more than one night I would certainly have unpacked my suitcases into the drawers because it would have driven me crazy having open suitcases all around us in the smallish room.
And now that Ive been there and seen how close all the hotels are to the entrance to Disneyland, the advice I would give to other first-timers is to not wear yourself out worrying about which hotel to book based on being one hotel closer to the entrance. They are so tightly packed into this short stretch of street that choosing the Carousel, the Camelot, or the Fairfield wont make a big difference to your walk each day. Pick a hotel from the reviews you read, and take some comfortable shoes, and just go enjoy yourself. This should be the least stressful decision youll make.
Day 2 moving to Paradise Pier and Disneyland:
We checked out of the Camelot and drove around the park to Paradise Pier at 10:00am. We pulled straight into the parkade and went to do an early check in. I had been advised by a reservation rep that early check in was possible and the hotel would store your bags until the room was ready. Well, surprise surprise, the room was already ready for us! The guy at the check in counter was great, gave us our first visit buttons and took the time to go through maps with us showing us where to go and how to get there through the Grand California or through Downtown Disney, etc. It was a great start to our day.
We dropped off our bags in the room and were very impressed with the room. Lots of room for suitcases, very clean throughout, very spacious, and we looked right down on California Adventure. Awesome. But we were only in the room for 5 minutes before we took off for Disneyland.
We (I) decided to walk up Disneyland Drive and walk through Downtown Disney. This was a mistake. I didnt realize that Disneyland drive goes UNDER Downtown Disney, so this turned into a longer walk than we had planned. To first time visitors to Disneyland and the Pier, dont go this way! For the rest of our visit we either walked behind the theatres to Downtown Disney and either took the Monorail or walked through Downtown Disney, or (most often) we walked through the Grand California hotel. The Grand California was definitely the quickest path for sore feet.
Let me tell you something, walking out of Downtown Disney into the big plaza between Disneyland and California Adventure was one of those incredible wow moments in my life. Here I was. Disneyland. To stand and look at the train station in Disney and realize Im going in there was a childhood dream about to come true. So in we went. And there it was the train station, the Mickey Mouse in flowers. These images Ive seen since I was a kid. And this time, I have my kid with me. This is too good to be true. The weather wasnt perfect (cloudy, relatively cool, especially for SoCal), but who cares.
And in we walked. Under the tracks, and into Mainstreet USA, but not without my first attention being drawn to the firehouse and Disneys apartment above the firehouse. I have to admit, it almost brought a tear to my eye realizing that the man that made this all happen used to hang out up there and used to walk the same street I was on. Another cool! moment. And down the street we walked towards the castle, which was of course the main attraction to Littlenuck. She got more and more excited with every step.
I wont go through every ride or attraction we saw, but the Princess Fair (or whatever its called) was great for little girls. To get to dance with princesses and have pictures taken with them afterwards was worth every minute. Plus it was a decent place to stop for a snack. Toontown was a lot of fun because we got to chase Goofy around, go see Mickey in his house, ride the little roller coaster, and generally just have fun. It was a great time. Next was Pixie Hollow and that was a long long wait (by our standards, not typical Disney standards) but it was worth it because Tinkerbell and Vidia actually spent 3 or 4 minutes talking to each child. For Littlenuck it was like being in heaven, she even invited them both over for a tea party and they agreed to come! It was worth the wait. The bobsled ride on the Matterhorn was a bit much for Littlenuck as the sounds in the dark scared her, but she liked the speed of the ride.
In the evening we were right on the side of the street for Celebrate parade. A lot of the characters came by to shake hands with Littlenuck and then one of the amazing dancers pulled her out of the crowd so she could dance on the street with them. What a great experience for her. She had so much fun, even though she was pretty much exhausted already. We then moved back to Mainstreet USA to find a good spot for the fireworks. By now it was raining lightly so we found a bench under an umbrella and waited. I held a spot while Mommynuck took Littlenuck to the Peter Pan ride, but Littlenuck got scared when she saw the evil queen looking out through the curtains and was too spooked to go on any ride after that. I will say that Littlenuck is a pretty adventurous soul who loves to explore and have fun, but she still found enough at Disneyland to scare her quite frequently. It seems to be a theme that for as much fun and silliness there is at Disney, there has to be a fair amount of scariness as well. Something for parents with small kids to think about as they go to Disneyland for the first time.
We had great spots for the fireworks and Littlenuck LOVED seeing Tinkerbell fly over the castle as part of the show. The two times we saw the fireworks display at Disneyland (Saturday from the hotel, Sunday at Disneyland) were the first time shes seen fireworks and except for a few scary voices and ominous music, she was absolutely enthralled. After the fireworks we made our way through downtown Disney. It was a long tiring day and we really appreciated the shortcut through Grand California Hotel, and the comfy beds in the PP. We got to see the end of World of Colour from our hotel room. That was cool and it made us extra motivated to take advantage of the early entry into California Adventure to get our Fast Pass for WoC for Monday night.
Day 3 California Adventure:
We were in California Adventure by 9:15, got our FastPass for WoC and came back out to Grand California for breakfast at Storytellers Café. Here we had Chip and Dale and Baby Bear come and visit Littlenuck at the table. This brought laughs and giggles from her that wed never ever heard from her before. It was well worth the tab. The food was alright, nothing special, but the experience was invaluable. Plus the location was perfect.
After breakfast, straight to Soaring. Fabulous. We had no lineup. Monday of low season ..awesome! All three of us loved it and it was great seeing Littlenuck lifting her feet so they wouldnt get wet flying over the water. This was one of our favourite rides of our visit. Then past the Lightning McQueen and Mater display (Littlenuch shouting out Get er Done! and rubbing Lightning McQueens hubcabs to see if he was ticklish). Then, off to the back lot section for Playhouse Disney Live (a little disappointed that it was puppets and not live characters, but none of the kids seemed to mind) for a fun and active show. Then for an interactive chat with Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo. Littlenuck even got to ask a question (what do you eat) and Crush asked what do you eat to which Littlenuck responded with pasghetti Everyone seemed to enjoy the interaction. This was far cooler than I expected. Then off to Monsters Inc., which frankly was a disappointment to all three of us. There was no interaction with Monsters Inc., just a few animatronic displays. We were hoping for more.
Next, off to Aladdin. Which takes place right next to Monsters Inc, but due to construction, we had to circle back through A Bugs Life so we made it just as the show was starting. Running like that is not good for a pregnant Mommynuck, but she was a trooper and we made it. Aladdin is a MUST! We didnt expect much more than a simple kids show. What a surprise this was. It was a full on Broadway production with flying carpets overhead and everything. All three of us loved this.
By now it was nearly lunch, so off to the Pacific Wharf and the Pacific Wharf Café for some awesome soup in breadbowls. Then off to Paradise Pier and Toy Storys Midway Mania. Here we encountered an hour long lineup, but the ride was a lot of fun. It was definitely worth it. While in line, Mommynuck picked up a Fast Pass for Screamin so as soon as we were done at Toy Story, I jumped right onto Screamin and had an absolute BLAST on this roller coaster. From the countdown launch to the loop to the final turn it was GREAT! Then off to Mickeys Fun Wheel, Jumping Jellyfish and a twirl on the swings. By this time it was time for the Pixar parade (which was underwhelming after the Celebrate parade in Disneyland the night before) but Littlenuck love seeing all the characters from Pixar movies, especially Lightning McQueen and Mater.
Now it was time for dinner and then World of Color. This is when things turned a little goofy for us, and not in a good way. We had reserved supper at Ariels Grotto for Monday night, but no one had explained that the princesses arent there for supper, only breakfast and lunch. But this was secondary. We got there and they had lost our reservation and couldnt do anything for us. Then they explained the princess situation so we simply said to forget it and tried to book for lunch the next day and the best they could do was 11:40, so we took it. (this will play a part in tomorrows story) So off we went looking for someplace else to have a decent dinner, someplace to sit down and eat a decent meal. The Wine Country Trattoria turned us away saying that they were only taking reserved seating because their patio was closed. By this point I had a very grumpy 4 year old and a VERY grumpy, tired and hungry pregnant wife who really wanted a decent meal but we needed to be back in time to take use of our FastPass for WoC. We ended up at the Taste Pilots Grill. Good fast food meal, but not want any of us wanted or needed. Then off to line up in our FastPass line for WoC. Im not sure how bad our view would have been if we didnt have FP, but we ended up with a partially obstructed view because there were so many people with the FP that we were so far back in line. HOWEVER, the WoC presentation is so big that even with a little obstruction, it was still GREAT. We ended up chosing a spot right next to a garbage bin because we could lean up against it (did I mention a pregnant wife and me with a bad back AND a 4 year old). So I had Littlenuck sitting on the garbage can so she could see the display without breaking my back. She was up on the can before someone from the park came to me and said she had to get down and I explained my wifes condition and my back problems and she simply looked at me and said that Littlenuck would have to get down or we would have to leave. So this evening turned out to be much less enjoyable than we had expected. The WoC show was great, but we were very ready to leave California Adventure. Back to Disneyland the next day.
Day 4 Back to Disneyland for our last day:
First, thanks CJ
It was cool and rainy on Tuesday. But by the time we got to the ticket booth there was a little blue sky showing. This was a special day for us because Littlenuck got to wear the Cinderella dress we bought for her the night before and she was going to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique later in the day for her makeover for Mickeys Halloween party later that night. She felt on top of the world in this dress and everyone who worked at Disney made sure she felt that way too. I was very impressed on how so many cast members would make a point of making her feel special. The cast members at Disneyland are some of the best customer service people Ive ever experienced.
So on we go to Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters (awesome fun!!!) and as soon as we get out it starts to rain. And not a little bit, its pouring rain. Off to the nearest store to buy ponchos. Then off to Finding Nemos Submarine Adventure (Littlenuck loved it), but this ran us tight on time and we missed the train back to the main station so off we went with Littlenuck on my shoulders trying to make our reservation at Ariels Grotto in 5 minutes. Lets just say we were a little late trying to make it from the submarines to Ariels Grotto. I ran up to check in at Ariels Grotto with no feeling in my neck or shoulders after having Littlenuck ride the entire distance on my shoulders, and a very tired Mommynuck in tow only to find out that they only hold reservations for 15 minutes and we were too late (by 3 minutes). I explained the problems the night before with the lost reservation, apologized for our lateness and not realizing how long the ride would take at Nemos and the fact that we couldnt travel any faster considering my wifes condition. The cast member got on the phone downstairs into the restaurant and pleaded our case (the patio was closed because of the rain) and got us in. REDEMPTION! We were so relieved (and wet and tired). But seeing Littlenuck finally get to meet Cinderella was worth it. It was one of those moments when the world seemed to set itself right. Each of the princesses came by and each time, Littlenuck was the most important princess on earth. The food? Who cares. It was mediocre. But who cares. We were not there for gourmet food, we were there to feed our soul with the smiles and giggles of a 4 year old princess. After lunch it was back to Disneyland (thanks to parkhopper passes) and Adventureland, Frontierland (Littlenuck enjoyed Thunder Mountain except for the scary red eyes), and Critter Country.
By then it was time for a train ride back to Its a Small World and a walk to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique where Littlenuck was transformed into Princessnuck. She LOVED this, and so did we. Her ears arent pierced, we dont always make sure her hair is perfect, she never wears makeup, and only seldomly gets nailpolish on her toes. We dont princess her up at home. But at Disneyland, this is a must for any little girl. The cast members treat her awesome. She couldnt have been more thrilled to have her hair and make up and nails done while wearing her Cinderella dress. This half hour was worth the entire trip. Ill never forget it.
Once done, Princessnuck needed a ride on her horse, so off to the carousel we went for the third or fourth ride on the carousel of the week. Then Dumbo (the cars of which were full of water from the rain) and then we headed through the castle towards the hub to find some dinner. We ended up at the Plaza Inn and were satisfied with the food. The location was perfect as we sat and enjoyed dinner until it was time to start trick or treating during Mickeys Spooktactular.
Maybe we would have found this more fun if it wasnt raining, and we were expecting something different. We ended up in long lines that moved quite quickly to receive candy from cast members. We would received candy in three stations in each line. So there was definitely no shortage of candy and the cast members were generous with the amount of candy they gave us. We went to three different candy stations and avoided the rest as they were spread pretty widely through the park and Mommynuck and Princessnuck were wearing down pretty quickly. The biggest disappointment was that we had hoped to have characters handing out the candy (Princessnuck would have loved this) and we were hoping to do a door to door sort of trick or treating throughout Disneyland. Not that we wanted more candy, not at all. Just for the trick or treating experience. As it was, it felt like trick or treating in a movie theatre lineup. Not exactly magical.
Thankfully, part way through the evening the rain stopped and the clouds broke, turning it into a very nice evening. We walked through the hub and back towards the train station at the end of Main Street to wait for the parade. I figured it would be very fitting to end our days at Disneyland with the parade, so as soon as it was over, we made our way out of the park, not staying for the fireworks. Exhaustion was setting in and knowing that the fireworks would involve more spooky stuff, we decided that Princessnuck may not enjoy it as much as we might. So off we went for our final walk through Downtown Disney.
Day 5 Departure:
We decided to eat at Goofys Kitchen for our last morning in the area and it was great. The food was OK, but again, its not about the food. We had our pictures taken with Pluto and then Goofy, Cinderella, Dale (from Chip and Dale) came by, and then Goofy did the Twist with all the kids from the restaurant, and that was priceless.
Then, it was all done and we were on our way to Palm Springs, which would usually be a good thing, but it was sad to be leaving Disneyland.
Some final thoughts .
wear very comfortable shoes. Forget fashion, choose comfort. Trust me.
DO some character meals. If you have a little girl, then Ariels Grotto (breakfast or lunch only!) is a must. Goofys Kitchen (in the Disneyland Hotel) is great. Storytellers Café in Grand Californian was pretty good.
DO leave yourself enough time to get to where you are going if you have a reservation for a meal. With the amount of people around you dont get anywhere quickly. Plus, you likely have more ground to cover than you expect.
DO plan on visiting California Adventure in 2012(?) to see Carsland. I cant wait to tour Radiator Springs. The development they are doing looks AMAZING!
DO go see Aladdin on stage.
DONT try to save money on a vacation in Disneyland. Enjoy yourself.
DO take the time to relish the joy your children are experiencing. Who knows when youll see those faces and hear those laughs again.
DO forget about the outside world and just enjoy yourself. If you dont do this, its just another theme park. Let yourself get into the world of Disneyland and really enjoy it.
DO stay at the Paradise Pier.
DO stay at the Camelot Inns and Suites.
DO take the time to stay for the fireworks and World of Color
DO experience Soaring
DO Ride the monorail and take the train around the park
if you have a little girl DO go to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and princess her up for the day. You wont regret it.
DONT try to stick to your diet. I know why its the happiest place on earth. Its because of the sugar content on Main Street USA!
DO stop at the firehouse and smile at the light in the window, and say a little thanks to Walt for having a vision and doing what he did.
DO GO TO DISNEYLAND!!!!!! Its a great time.
Trip summary
Day 1, Saturday: arrive in the evening, stay at Camelot Inn and Suites
Day 2, Sunday: move to Paradise Pier, first day at Disneyland
Day 3, Monday: California Adventure all day
Day 4, Tuesday: Disneyland all day, Halloween party
The participants:
Cartcanuck: 43 yrs old (13 in my mind), bad back and bad knees
Mommynuck: tall, beautiful, and 5 ½ months pregnant
Littlenuck: 4 years old, 41 inches tall (YAY!), total Disney princess
Now, the details ..
Day 1 arrival
We flew into Palm Springs because we were booked through a corporate travel deal for a conference in Palm Springs later in the week, and drove to Anaheim. Easy drive. No problems. We were booked into the Paradise Pier for our stay (thanks to my wifes bosses travel miles) but couldnt afford to stay there Saturday night so we booked into the Camelot Inn and Suites across the street from Disneyland. It was very nice, clean, and the staff was friendly. We sat by the pool and watched the fireworks and had a great view. The beds were comfortable, and the location was great. We found the room relatively quiet and the free breakfast was on par with most mid-priced hotels Ive stayed in. The only negative I could say about the room was that there was not enough room for suitcases. We had 3 suitcases and there was only one baggage stand, so we had suitcases open on the desk and on the table. That didnt leave a lot of extra room. If we were there for more than one night I would certainly have unpacked my suitcases into the drawers because it would have driven me crazy having open suitcases all around us in the smallish room.
And now that Ive been there and seen how close all the hotels are to the entrance to Disneyland, the advice I would give to other first-timers is to not wear yourself out worrying about which hotel to book based on being one hotel closer to the entrance. They are so tightly packed into this short stretch of street that choosing the Carousel, the Camelot, or the Fairfield wont make a big difference to your walk each day. Pick a hotel from the reviews you read, and take some comfortable shoes, and just go enjoy yourself. This should be the least stressful decision youll make.
Day 2 moving to Paradise Pier and Disneyland:
We checked out of the Camelot and drove around the park to Paradise Pier at 10:00am. We pulled straight into the parkade and went to do an early check in. I had been advised by a reservation rep that early check in was possible and the hotel would store your bags until the room was ready. Well, surprise surprise, the room was already ready for us! The guy at the check in counter was great, gave us our first visit buttons and took the time to go through maps with us showing us where to go and how to get there through the Grand California or through Downtown Disney, etc. It was a great start to our day.
We dropped off our bags in the room and were very impressed with the room. Lots of room for suitcases, very clean throughout, very spacious, and we looked right down on California Adventure. Awesome. But we were only in the room for 5 minutes before we took off for Disneyland.
We (I) decided to walk up Disneyland Drive and walk through Downtown Disney. This was a mistake. I didnt realize that Disneyland drive goes UNDER Downtown Disney, so this turned into a longer walk than we had planned. To first time visitors to Disneyland and the Pier, dont go this way! For the rest of our visit we either walked behind the theatres to Downtown Disney and either took the Monorail or walked through Downtown Disney, or (most often) we walked through the Grand California hotel. The Grand California was definitely the quickest path for sore feet.
Let me tell you something, walking out of Downtown Disney into the big plaza between Disneyland and California Adventure was one of those incredible wow moments in my life. Here I was. Disneyland. To stand and look at the train station in Disney and realize Im going in there was a childhood dream about to come true. So in we went. And there it was the train station, the Mickey Mouse in flowers. These images Ive seen since I was a kid. And this time, I have my kid with me. This is too good to be true. The weather wasnt perfect (cloudy, relatively cool, especially for SoCal), but who cares.
And in we walked. Under the tracks, and into Mainstreet USA, but not without my first attention being drawn to the firehouse and Disneys apartment above the firehouse. I have to admit, it almost brought a tear to my eye realizing that the man that made this all happen used to hang out up there and used to walk the same street I was on. Another cool! moment. And down the street we walked towards the castle, which was of course the main attraction to Littlenuck. She got more and more excited with every step.
I wont go through every ride or attraction we saw, but the Princess Fair (or whatever its called) was great for little girls. To get to dance with princesses and have pictures taken with them afterwards was worth every minute. Plus it was a decent place to stop for a snack. Toontown was a lot of fun because we got to chase Goofy around, go see Mickey in his house, ride the little roller coaster, and generally just have fun. It was a great time. Next was Pixie Hollow and that was a long long wait (by our standards, not typical Disney standards) but it was worth it because Tinkerbell and Vidia actually spent 3 or 4 minutes talking to each child. For Littlenuck it was like being in heaven, she even invited them both over for a tea party and they agreed to come! It was worth the wait. The bobsled ride on the Matterhorn was a bit much for Littlenuck as the sounds in the dark scared her, but she liked the speed of the ride.
In the evening we were right on the side of the street for Celebrate parade. A lot of the characters came by to shake hands with Littlenuck and then one of the amazing dancers pulled her out of the crowd so she could dance on the street with them. What a great experience for her. She had so much fun, even though she was pretty much exhausted already. We then moved back to Mainstreet USA to find a good spot for the fireworks. By now it was raining lightly so we found a bench under an umbrella and waited. I held a spot while Mommynuck took Littlenuck to the Peter Pan ride, but Littlenuck got scared when she saw the evil queen looking out through the curtains and was too spooked to go on any ride after that. I will say that Littlenuck is a pretty adventurous soul who loves to explore and have fun, but she still found enough at Disneyland to scare her quite frequently. It seems to be a theme that for as much fun and silliness there is at Disney, there has to be a fair amount of scariness as well. Something for parents with small kids to think about as they go to Disneyland for the first time.
We had great spots for the fireworks and Littlenuck LOVED seeing Tinkerbell fly over the castle as part of the show. The two times we saw the fireworks display at Disneyland (Saturday from the hotel, Sunday at Disneyland) were the first time shes seen fireworks and except for a few scary voices and ominous music, she was absolutely enthralled. After the fireworks we made our way through downtown Disney. It was a long tiring day and we really appreciated the shortcut through Grand California Hotel, and the comfy beds in the PP. We got to see the end of World of Colour from our hotel room. That was cool and it made us extra motivated to take advantage of the early entry into California Adventure to get our Fast Pass for WoC for Monday night.
Day 3 California Adventure:
We were in California Adventure by 9:15, got our FastPass for WoC and came back out to Grand California for breakfast at Storytellers Café. Here we had Chip and Dale and Baby Bear come and visit Littlenuck at the table. This brought laughs and giggles from her that wed never ever heard from her before. It was well worth the tab. The food was alright, nothing special, but the experience was invaluable. Plus the location was perfect.
After breakfast, straight to Soaring. Fabulous. We had no lineup. Monday of low season ..awesome! All three of us loved it and it was great seeing Littlenuck lifting her feet so they wouldnt get wet flying over the water. This was one of our favourite rides of our visit. Then past the Lightning McQueen and Mater display (Littlenuch shouting out Get er Done! and rubbing Lightning McQueens hubcabs to see if he was ticklish). Then, off to the back lot section for Playhouse Disney Live (a little disappointed that it was puppets and not live characters, but none of the kids seemed to mind) for a fun and active show. Then for an interactive chat with Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo. Littlenuck even got to ask a question (what do you eat) and Crush asked what do you eat to which Littlenuck responded with pasghetti Everyone seemed to enjoy the interaction. This was far cooler than I expected. Then off to Monsters Inc., which frankly was a disappointment to all three of us. There was no interaction with Monsters Inc., just a few animatronic displays. We were hoping for more.
Next, off to Aladdin. Which takes place right next to Monsters Inc, but due to construction, we had to circle back through A Bugs Life so we made it just as the show was starting. Running like that is not good for a pregnant Mommynuck, but she was a trooper and we made it. Aladdin is a MUST! We didnt expect much more than a simple kids show. What a surprise this was. It was a full on Broadway production with flying carpets overhead and everything. All three of us loved this.
By now it was nearly lunch, so off to the Pacific Wharf and the Pacific Wharf Café for some awesome soup in breadbowls. Then off to Paradise Pier and Toy Storys Midway Mania. Here we encountered an hour long lineup, but the ride was a lot of fun. It was definitely worth it. While in line, Mommynuck picked up a Fast Pass for Screamin so as soon as we were done at Toy Story, I jumped right onto Screamin and had an absolute BLAST on this roller coaster. From the countdown launch to the loop to the final turn it was GREAT! Then off to Mickeys Fun Wheel, Jumping Jellyfish and a twirl on the swings. By this time it was time for the Pixar parade (which was underwhelming after the Celebrate parade in Disneyland the night before) but Littlenuck love seeing all the characters from Pixar movies, especially Lightning McQueen and Mater.
Now it was time for dinner and then World of Color. This is when things turned a little goofy for us, and not in a good way. We had reserved supper at Ariels Grotto for Monday night, but no one had explained that the princesses arent there for supper, only breakfast and lunch. But this was secondary. We got there and they had lost our reservation and couldnt do anything for us. Then they explained the princess situation so we simply said to forget it and tried to book for lunch the next day and the best they could do was 11:40, so we took it. (this will play a part in tomorrows story) So off we went looking for someplace else to have a decent dinner, someplace to sit down and eat a decent meal. The Wine Country Trattoria turned us away saying that they were only taking reserved seating because their patio was closed. By this point I had a very grumpy 4 year old and a VERY grumpy, tired and hungry pregnant wife who really wanted a decent meal but we needed to be back in time to take use of our FastPass for WoC. We ended up at the Taste Pilots Grill. Good fast food meal, but not want any of us wanted or needed. Then off to line up in our FastPass line for WoC. Im not sure how bad our view would have been if we didnt have FP, but we ended up with a partially obstructed view because there were so many people with the FP that we were so far back in line. HOWEVER, the WoC presentation is so big that even with a little obstruction, it was still GREAT. We ended up chosing a spot right next to a garbage bin because we could lean up against it (did I mention a pregnant wife and me with a bad back AND a 4 year old). So I had Littlenuck sitting on the garbage can so she could see the display without breaking my back. She was up on the can before someone from the park came to me and said she had to get down and I explained my wifes condition and my back problems and she simply looked at me and said that Littlenuck would have to get down or we would have to leave. So this evening turned out to be much less enjoyable than we had expected. The WoC show was great, but we were very ready to leave California Adventure. Back to Disneyland the next day.
Day 4 Back to Disneyland for our last day:
First, thanks CJ
It was cool and rainy on Tuesday. But by the time we got to the ticket booth there was a little blue sky showing. This was a special day for us because Littlenuck got to wear the Cinderella dress we bought for her the night before and she was going to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique later in the day for her makeover for Mickeys Halloween party later that night. She felt on top of the world in this dress and everyone who worked at Disney made sure she felt that way too. I was very impressed on how so many cast members would make a point of making her feel special. The cast members at Disneyland are some of the best customer service people Ive ever experienced.
So on we go to Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters (awesome fun!!!) and as soon as we get out it starts to rain. And not a little bit, its pouring rain. Off to the nearest store to buy ponchos. Then off to Finding Nemos Submarine Adventure (Littlenuck loved it), but this ran us tight on time and we missed the train back to the main station so off we went with Littlenuck on my shoulders trying to make our reservation at Ariels Grotto in 5 minutes. Lets just say we were a little late trying to make it from the submarines to Ariels Grotto. I ran up to check in at Ariels Grotto with no feeling in my neck or shoulders after having Littlenuck ride the entire distance on my shoulders, and a very tired Mommynuck in tow only to find out that they only hold reservations for 15 minutes and we were too late (by 3 minutes). I explained the problems the night before with the lost reservation, apologized for our lateness and not realizing how long the ride would take at Nemos and the fact that we couldnt travel any faster considering my wifes condition. The cast member got on the phone downstairs into the restaurant and pleaded our case (the patio was closed because of the rain) and got us in. REDEMPTION! We were so relieved (and wet and tired). But seeing Littlenuck finally get to meet Cinderella was worth it. It was one of those moments when the world seemed to set itself right. Each of the princesses came by and each time, Littlenuck was the most important princess on earth. The food? Who cares. It was mediocre. But who cares. We were not there for gourmet food, we were there to feed our soul with the smiles and giggles of a 4 year old princess. After lunch it was back to Disneyland (thanks to parkhopper passes) and Adventureland, Frontierland (Littlenuck enjoyed Thunder Mountain except for the scary red eyes), and Critter Country.
By then it was time for a train ride back to Its a Small World and a walk to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique where Littlenuck was transformed into Princessnuck. She LOVED this, and so did we. Her ears arent pierced, we dont always make sure her hair is perfect, she never wears makeup, and only seldomly gets nailpolish on her toes. We dont princess her up at home. But at Disneyland, this is a must for any little girl. The cast members treat her awesome. She couldnt have been more thrilled to have her hair and make up and nails done while wearing her Cinderella dress. This half hour was worth the entire trip. Ill never forget it.
Once done, Princessnuck needed a ride on her horse, so off to the carousel we went for the third or fourth ride on the carousel of the week. Then Dumbo (the cars of which were full of water from the rain) and then we headed through the castle towards the hub to find some dinner. We ended up at the Plaza Inn and were satisfied with the food. The location was perfect as we sat and enjoyed dinner until it was time to start trick or treating during Mickeys Spooktactular.
Maybe we would have found this more fun if it wasnt raining, and we were expecting something different. We ended up in long lines that moved quite quickly to receive candy from cast members. We would received candy in three stations in each line. So there was definitely no shortage of candy and the cast members were generous with the amount of candy they gave us. We went to three different candy stations and avoided the rest as they were spread pretty widely through the park and Mommynuck and Princessnuck were wearing down pretty quickly. The biggest disappointment was that we had hoped to have characters handing out the candy (Princessnuck would have loved this) and we were hoping to do a door to door sort of trick or treating throughout Disneyland. Not that we wanted more candy, not at all. Just for the trick or treating experience. As it was, it felt like trick or treating in a movie theatre lineup. Not exactly magical.
Thankfully, part way through the evening the rain stopped and the clouds broke, turning it into a very nice evening. We walked through the hub and back towards the train station at the end of Main Street to wait for the parade. I figured it would be very fitting to end our days at Disneyland with the parade, so as soon as it was over, we made our way out of the park, not staying for the fireworks. Exhaustion was setting in and knowing that the fireworks would involve more spooky stuff, we decided that Princessnuck may not enjoy it as much as we might. So off we went for our final walk through Downtown Disney.
Day 5 Departure:
We decided to eat at Goofys Kitchen for our last morning in the area and it was great. The food was OK, but again, its not about the food. We had our pictures taken with Pluto and then Goofy, Cinderella, Dale (from Chip and Dale) came by, and then Goofy did the Twist with all the kids from the restaurant, and that was priceless.
Then, it was all done and we were on our way to Palm Springs, which would usually be a good thing, but it was sad to be leaving Disneyland.
Some final thoughts .
wear very comfortable shoes. Forget fashion, choose comfort. Trust me.
DO some character meals. If you have a little girl, then Ariels Grotto (breakfast or lunch only!) is a must. Goofys Kitchen (in the Disneyland Hotel) is great. Storytellers Café in Grand Californian was pretty good.
DO leave yourself enough time to get to where you are going if you have a reservation for a meal. With the amount of people around you dont get anywhere quickly. Plus, you likely have more ground to cover than you expect.
DO plan on visiting California Adventure in 2012(?) to see Carsland. I cant wait to tour Radiator Springs. The development they are doing looks AMAZING!
DO go see Aladdin on stage.
DONT try to save money on a vacation in Disneyland. Enjoy yourself.
DO take the time to relish the joy your children are experiencing. Who knows when youll see those faces and hear those laughs again.
DO forget about the outside world and just enjoy yourself. If you dont do this, its just another theme park. Let yourself get into the world of Disneyland and really enjoy it.
DO stay at the Paradise Pier.
DO stay at the Camelot Inns and Suites.
DO take the time to stay for the fireworks and World of Color
DO experience Soaring
DO Ride the monorail and take the train around the park
if you have a little girl DO go to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and princess her up for the day. You wont regret it.
DONT try to stick to your diet. I know why its the happiest place on earth. Its because of the sugar content on Main Street USA!
DO stop at the firehouse and smile at the light in the window, and say a little thanks to Walt for having a vision and doing what he did.
DO GO TO DISNEYLAND!!!!!! Its a great time.
There are so many little things, like just enjoying it for the magic that it brings to a family, to a little girl; looking up at the Firehouse window and appreciating Walt. 
AWESOME TRIP REPORT!!! I can't wait to experience the same thing with my own Little-Princess Nucks. 
