I Love Disneyland *Trip Report* I'm ready to share!!!!!!

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Ok, so I've taken a little break from the Disboards and am now ready to share my July trip. Thanks to all who followed my PTR With everyone's great advice, we had a wonderful trip. I want to discuss the highs and lows, but overall, ya'll know that no matter what, I love Disney and that will never change. I will add lots of pics too because you know I love pics As Peter Pan would say... "Here we go...."

Day 1 (July 20th arrival day)

We flew into Burbank bc our arrival day was our tour LA day and the coast and it seemed logical to fly into the northern part of LA and make our way down to Disneyland. We arrived on time, which was 9:40 in the am. I was surprised how small the airport was. I was also very surprised when I founs out we collect our luggage outside What do people do when it rains??? I mean, they were kinda covered but not really. If the wind would blow at all, everything would get wet. Luckily, weather was great and we picked up our luggage and went to get our rent-a-car. No problems there, able to upgrade to a SUV for only $10 bucks so that worked out perfect. Oddly, I was stressing driving a car, I'm used to a SUV. I was much happier now. We got in the car and I was scared to death when the planes taking off were literally right over our heads! I have been to many airports in my life but Mike and I could not stop laughing bc the planes wheels almost hit our car! It was crazy!. So went get in the car and thanks to our wonderful iPhones, google maps took us around town. First stop was Disney Studios of course..

After Disney Studios, we drove up to Griffith Park. This was a first for the both of us. The views were awesome of the city and the Hollywood sign. Took a couple of pics there..

After that, we drove to Hollywood. We parked in a garage and walked around a bit. I had eaten at In&Out before but Mike had not. I had bragged for the past 5 years about how great they are and he never really believed me. So we went to the one in Hollywood, and guess what, he loved it!!!!!

After we are, we walked to the infamous Disney's soda shop. It just wasn't what I expected. I thought it was missing the Disney feel to it but we ate some ice cream and took pics anyway

From here, we drove to the Greystone Mansion, per Mike's request. He had read about it and it sounded pretty neat. It was a really cool place, but not much to do other that take a peek. We were going to drive around Beverly Hills as well but I was pretty anxious to get to the coast line. Mike and I both decided to go ahead and leave and make our way to Santa Monica. Traffic wasn't too bad so that was nice. We got to Santa Monica, found an awesome parking spot right next to the boardwalk and we walking. On our 2008 trip, we drove to Santa Monica but didn't get out of the car bc we had to get back for dinner reservations. I couldn't get over how big the waves are! I'm a Texas girl so we are used to the Gulf of Mexico which if we get a 6 foot wave bc there's a hurricane we're excited, but ya'lls waves are huge!!!!!!

I remember how cold the water was too from my 2005 trip but there were so many people in the water so I thought maybe it wasn't so bad. Mike and I both walked into the water and holy hannah that's ice cold!!! The gulf is around 82 degrees so much different than the Pacific. I have no idea how so any people were swimming. To say the least we didn't get in any further. From here, we drove down the coast.... Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. We only got out at Manhattan Beach bc it was getting late and I really want to visit Palos Verdes Penninsula. I'm not sure if I had mentioned before but I'm actually a photographer and the 2008 trip didn't quite work out when we went to take photos at Laguna Beach. Our plane arrived really late so by the time we got to Laguna, the light was gone. I got a few pics though so it wasn't horrible, but I had read about Palos Verdes being great ocean vies and really wanted some great pics. We finally arrived there around 4:30 and yes, they're were great views! The coastline is so amazing. We carefully walked down to the rocky beach and I set up the camera. You take a million shots to get a handful of great ones and I was happy with them. Especially considering I have to set up the tripod and run like the wind to get to Mike bc I only had 10 seconds! Oh and my hair, what can I say. I spent an hour blowing drying it and straightening it before our flight (it's curly) and managed to arive at the airport with straight hair since it was so early in the morning. San Antonio has 100% humidity during the summer. But when we got our of the car in Santa Monica, ti didn't want to stay straight.

After our photo session, it was around 6:00 so we thought we should go ahead and make our way to Disneyland. We had not yet decided if we were going to go to the park or not when we got there, but we hadn't eaten dinner yet, it was about 9:00 when we checked into the HOJO so we went ahead and just ate at Mimi's and went back to HOJO to get ready for the morning. We also had the time change working against us so it was for the best. We woke up bright and early on Wednesday morning and make our way to the gates. We were middle of the line but were there before it opened. We went to, I think it was gate 13, whichever one splits into two lines and sure enough it did. That was great! Learned that on the boards. Oh and have I mentioned about the weather, it was cold! Now I say cold, but remember I'm a Texas girl so 60's are pretty chilly for me. I had brought a Disneyland sweatshirt that I bough in 2001 with me so I ended up wearing that the first day over my cute Old Navy shirt. It was fine, I took my sweatshirt off for a few of the pics. When we walked in, there were some characters in town's square but Mike and I had already agreed that we were going to get fastpasses for Space Mountain and rush to Nemo's sub ride. It killed me to walk past the characters but I was strong, lol. Now I'm fanatic about the characters, I think I have mentioned that before. The one character that I had never met was the Queen of Hearts. Every year we have missed her at WDW but I had read on the boards that here were many spottings of her at DL. That was the mission this trip. If I don't get anyone else's pic or autograph, I have to get the Queen of Hearts. She wasn't in town's square so that's why we moved on. We grabbed the fast passes and got in line for Nemo. We waited about 10 minutes or so and hopped in the sub. It's a nice ride. I had 2 little kids next to me that were so adorable bc they really thought we had gone down really far. I love Disney After that, we got in line for the Matterhorn. It was about a 20 minute wait so no biggie. I love the Matterhorn.

After we rode that, it was time for us to get another past pass so we went ahead and walked over to Indiana and grabbed one. Now you know that its killing me not to have stopped and got the characters autographs so Mike said why don't we go back up the front and wee who's there. he loves me so. We got up there and we saw Pluto and Goofy. Mickey and minnie were out too but there lines were really long so we decided we would just visit them at their houses on our early entry day. Goofy was really funny bc he dropped my pen and then went to pick it up and kicked it, lol.

Since I had a little character fix, we walked over and rode Haunted Mansion. Both Mike and I love it so.

We when got finished there, Tiana was outside in New Orleans Square so we got photos with her.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

We made our way to Splash Mountain, Mike had picked up fastpasses for us earlier so we went ahead and rode that. We made out way to the lines to meet Pooh and his friends. Pooh, Eyeore and Tigger were there.

We made it through the line pretty quickly so that was nice. After that we were pretty hungry so we grabbed some lunch at Village Haus. Ironically, I really like their pizza. I have to say though, it sucks not having the dining plan. We are so used to WDW that shelling out the $30 for pizza, salad and drink just makes my tummy drop. But what can you do right?

From here, we went ahead and walked over to Princess Fantasy Faire. When we got there, the cast member said it was about a 30 minute wait. Mike said let's go ahead and wait since it was only 30 minutes and he knew it was important to me. Last time, we ate at Ariel's Grotto so we didn't have to wait. This time we weren't eating there so this was my only chance to meet the Princesses. Of course you can't see who's around the corner, but I assumed it would be Cinderella, Belle, maybe Pocahontas or Snow White. We didn't know that the princesses were actually on break when we got in line. After about 5 min, they came back from break so we got to see them walking in and I almost died! It was Ariel!!!!!!! She is my favorite character of all and I couldn't believe she was one of the 3!!!!!! The other 2 were Belle and Tiana. I had already got a pic with Tiana but I took another anyway.

Now I'm on cloud nine! We thought it would be a good idea to use our fast passes so we rode Indiana and then Space Mountain and made our way out of the park. When we were leaving though, Chip and Dale were at the front so we of course had to stop.

We then walked back to the HOJO to rest and relax at the pool. We had dinner reservations that night for WCT for the WOC dining package. That experience will be in my next post as we're getting hungry so we are going to go eat some lunch =) I hope ya'll are excited!!!!!

 

[Bell<3Disney]

Sounds like fun so far! Bummer not getting to show off that cute ON shirt all day Cant wait to hear more!

 

[CMHusband]

Looks like fun Ya'll! thanks for posting your story and nice pics too!

 

[disneydreamer74]

Wow...you all saw lots of characters!! Way to go! What did you think of HOJO's? I am with you on the Dining plan..come on DLR ..get with the program!!

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Wow...you all saw lots of characters!! Way to go! What did you think of HOJO's? I am with you on the Dining plan..come on DLR ..get with the program!!

We love HOJO!!!! We stayed there in 2008 and were very happy. We had a park view that time, but this time we utilized the entertainment rate so it was only $59 a night. I'll pick that over park view any day. The walk is not far at all. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Ok... so let's get on with the day. After resting up at HOJO's pool, we got ready and went to DCA. We did some walking around and then went to WCT. Our ressie wasn't until 7:10 but we were seated at 6:40, very happy about that. We had the set menu for the WOC package and I ended up getting the tenderloin, or whatever they decided to call it that night, and Mike got the chicken. There was no appetizer, which when I booked it there was but read on disboards that there wasn't going to be, so we got our salads first. The dressing was ok, just a regular salad I guess. Our bread was really tough. Our waitress was very nice. She was very personable and knowledgeable about the food and the WOC seating. When our entrees arrived, mine came with a side of asparagus. I'm not a huge fan but thought I would give it a shot. Now when I say there were 3 little strips of asparagus, there really were three!!! I couldn't believe it. It was actually comical. Now my tenderloin, I don't know what that was. It tasted awful. There was hardly any sauce and it was tough and just tasted like dirt to be honest. Mike tasted it and told me not to finish it. His chicken was ok, it was chicken. It certainly didn't taste bad. The deserts were fine, I only liked the chocolate one. The atmosphere was very bland to me. We were seated inside on the first floor. Maybe had we been outside it would have been nicer. When our waitress brought us our tickets, they were for the first show. Now our reservation was for 7:10 but they seated us early. It was probably a little after 8:00 at this time and she was giving us tickets for the first show, uh no. Where would we be??? I had already seen people camped out when we got there much less what it would look like now. I explained to her that the tickets were supposed to be for the later show bc our ressie was at 7:10 and she went away and cam back with the correct tickets. No biggie there. So let's be honest, the only reason we ate here were for those tickets. It would have been nice if the food was good, even ok, but you could have probably served me plain rice and I would have done it just for those tickets. Not standing in line for 2 hours in the morning was worth the $90. We got to our seat about an hour before the show. We stood on the furthest tier in our section bc we didn't want to get wet. Plus I'm a little on the short side so I thought it would be better to be first row on the highest tier so that I could see. Everything was great until the show started and all the kids went up on their parents' shoulders. I totally understand that they can't see but something needs to be done. Maybe a special section for those who are going to do this. I get it, I want the kids to see too but I think everyone should have a fair chance to see. i certainly didn't spend $90 to have a kids body in my way. I found a little nook to see between and moved on. The show is so wide that it was hard to see everything from where we were and we were smack dab in the middle on the furthest tier. I did find a great view though and just moved on from all the kids black silhouettes. The show, IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!! Worth every penny for the horrible meal. Disney really came through here. It was about 25 minutes long too so that was nice. I'm glad it wasn't a 10 minute show. I was very pleased with it and am glad I had the opportunity to see it. After the show, everyone moved very nicely out of the park and it was fine. They were having a 3rd showing so others were lined up ready to go. We had a nice walk back to the hotel and went to bed so we would be ready for the next day.

Day 2 at the parks:

Thursday was our DCA day, but since they didn't open till 10, we showed up at the gate of DL at 7:45 to spend a nice 2 hours at DL. Now you know I was set on finding the Queen of Hearts. I had asked the previous day at town hall and they told me if she was going to come out today, that she would be out around 8:45 am. So I totally had are whole morning planned so that we would be at towns square at 8:40. We were talking about it as we walked through gates, under the railroad tracks and then........ who is there other than the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter!!!!!! I die!!!!!!!! We immediately got in line, there was about 10 people in front of us. I stood there gitty as a school girl. I was just so excited!!! The line was moving very slow since the Hatter is a face character. He was very funny and him and the Queen of Hearts were really playing off of each other. I had about 4 others in front of me when a CM came to the line and said the Queen of Hearts would be leaving shortly. OMG!!!!! I will actually die if she leaves before I get up there. Now I'm really anxious. Finally it's my turn and walk up to both of them =) The Hatter asked "who are you?" and I said "Stephanie" and he said "Stephanie who" and I said "Stephanie nunya" and he looked at me with this grin that was just hilarious! I had a good 2-3 minutes with them. They were fighting over my autograph book and where they were going to sign. It was so much fun. As I was finishing up, the CM came a tok the Queen of Hearts away. The other people in line were so mad. I feel their pain bc that has happened to me more than once, but I'm so happy it didn't happen to me this time.

After our wonderful meet with them, we went over to see Donald. Love him!

We spent the rest of our morning before 10:00 riding BTMMR, POTC, Pinnochio's Daring Journey, Snow White's Scary Adventure and SM. Oh and Mike had to get a churro before we left for DCA. On our way, we had a pleasant surprise when we saw Pinnochio and Gipetto. We got their autographs and took some pics.

Well Mike and I are going to have movie night tonight so I'll write about DCA on my next post =)

 

[SnowWhite09]

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks for sharing your trip report! I am really enjoying reading your trip report and can't wait to read more and see more pictures - keep it coming!!!!!

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

Great pics- glad you got to meet the Queen! Cant wait to read more!

 

[benolathe]

Love your cute, brightly colored sweatshirt with the argyle print.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Great posts so far! Glad you had a nice trip. I am impressed with how much ground you covered on your first day when you were touring LA.

Haha, my husband and I are the opposite, we don't care for the WDW dining plan. I don't understand it because we never spend as much money as they charge per day , so it isn't worth it for us. But I do like the dining in WDW much more... such fun restaurants. DLR dining is far less exciting. We rarely ever plan ahead or make any reservations (although sometimes that is a good thing! Much less stressful).

Can't wait to read more! Great pictures.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

So after leaving the MK, we got in line for rope drop at DCA. I was in the first row, right in front of the rope, which was exciting! I sent Mike to go grab us some fast passes for Soarin since we were going to run to TSMM. Now, we had collected a couple of fast passes at MK, but bc the two parks machines are not connected, we could still get passes at DCA without waiting. At 10:00, the rope dropped and the people pushed and shoved and ran. My goodness! We did not run, we walked fast but many of the teens that were there literally pushed kids out of the way. What are they thinking????? We finally got to the TSMM line, along with everyone else in the park, lol. We had about a 30 minute wait, no biggie. We rode it and it was as good as I remember. I love this ride!!! Mike of course beat me. I can never win

After TSMM, we grabbed fast passes for California Screamin and went and hopped on Soarin. This has to be the best ride ever. I think it's the music that really does it for me, lol. Now even though it was only about 11:00, I was starving. I'm used to eating breakfast tacos every morning, and there aren't any bfast tacos on vacation so we ate fruit and such. It just didn't cut it for me, so we grabbed some lunch. Now I'm not sure why I don't have any pictures for the rest of the day but I didn't take any. I almost couldn't believe it when I got home and didn't have any more pics. I asked Mike, and he said it was really crowded that day. I don't remember that but there has to be some reason I didn't bust out the camera every 5 seconds like I usually do. We did all of DCA before 3:00 or so. The only thing we didn't do was GRR bc the line was out of control and it was cold! I certainly did not want to get wet and be cold and wet. We went back to the hotel and hung out at the pool for a bit. After that, we got ready and went back to DL and rode all the rides we had got past passes for earlier that morning. We had ressies at Blue Bayou at 7:00 and our timing was perfect. Mike ordered the carb cakes and I ordered the steak. First they brought out that magnificent gumbo!!! OMG!!!!! This was heaven to me. I love this stuff. I could have just ate that the whole night. Our entrees were great too. The ambience is truly special and I would definitely eat there again. After dinner, we decided we were going to go ahead and watch Fantasmic. We have never seen it at DLR before. Now I have to say we are a little spoiled with the Fantasmic at WDW. Especially since there is a huge theater where you get to sit and everyone can see. I saw people staking out their spot at 4:00 so I knew we weren't going to be in front, but I thought we could at least see some. Well, I couldn't see anything.If you aren't in that front row, you have no chance. We were very frustrated by the end and just needed to get our of there. I can't tell you how many times I was pushed as people tried to get in front of me. Really????? We moved on after that. It was sad that we didn't get to see it. Especially after waiting so long for it. We went back to the hotel and went to sleep for our next day, Universal Studios Day!

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

So, I'll go ahead and write a little about our US day. We got there at opening in hopes to be done soon so we could go back to DL =) We rode the Simpson's ride first...... and yeah HATED IT!!!!!!! I love all rides but this one almost kiled me. That simulator screen is way too big. I ended up closing my eyes after the first 5 seconds of the ride. I would peek every few seconds or so and then wished that I hadn't.

After the horrible ride, we went and rode The Mummy ride and Jurassic Park. I love Jurassic Park!!!! It's awesome.

We did the tram ride and then the rest of the park and were done by around 2:00. It was great. Here are some pics from the day.

We went back to Anaheim, and yes the traffic was awful. It took us 3 hours to get from Hollywood to DL. I die!!! I'm not sure how the LA people deal with that everyday. In San Antonio, if we are in traffic for more than 10 minuted we have a fit, lol. We didn't have any ressies that night bc we didn't know how long US would take us so we decided we would try Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. And am I glad we tried it. That was the best popcorn shrimp I have ever ate in my whole life! We did great on the Forrest Gump pop quizzes too. Mike had the coconut shrimp and it was also awesome. We went to DL and played for a bit and then went to the hotel to sleep and be rested for Early Entry the next day.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Should I finish even though it's been a while?

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Should I finish even though it's been a while?

Of course you should!

 

[Mountain Fan]

Yes, it will help me struggle through the next month until I get to go back.

 

[IndayMichelle]

Should I finish even though it's been a while?

Please Steph! I've been lurking through everyone's TRs and waiting for you to finish yours!

I live vicariously through everyone that posts....

 

[*Meagan*]

OoO love this report!

Where did you get the argyle print hoodie.. so dang cute!

 

[wdwfan22]

Yes you should. I get very unhappy when people don't finish their trip reports. I love to hear the whole story and see all the pics. I am really enjoying yours.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

OoO love this report!

Where did you get the argyle print hoodie.. so dang cute!

Thank you!!! We bought it at World of Disney at DTD. I remember seeing it at the Magic Kingdom too though.