"I want my soup!" An October 2010 Trip Report UPDATED 7/9 2012 PTR STARTED!

[jenny105]

I awoke with a mixture of excitement and disappoint this day. I was disappointed it was our last day and I would have to say goodbye to all my new friends. But excited that after 4 pm I would be free to explore the parks on my own because the fam would be over!

First things first: packing. They had given us so much stuff, my suitcase was bulging. I need a new suitcase. One with lots of compartments and extra space. That will be a purchase before our next Disney World trip. Anyway, I managed to cram everything in there and Teresa & I made our may to the Redondo Room for breakfast and a wrap-up seminar.

It was too early for a seminar. I remember talking about the Disneyland Dining Plan (which stinks in comparison to WDW IMO) forever and I was just ready for it to be over. But we got a special treat! A graduation ceremony. With this guy!

Photo Pass was on hand to take a group photo of all of us. I have that in a frame in my room I have group shots from all my fams!

After breakfast was over, a lot of people left to catch their flights. I was tempted to skip out on the tour of the Wonder because I had sailed on it in 2009. But I sucked it up and went. They bussed us over and we have a very chatty driver. He pointed out where the Angels play and the Hollywood sign FAR off in the distance. It took about an hour to get to the Port of Los Angeles. Checking into the ship and getting through security was a hassle. I felt that it took longer than necessary and we spent about an hour just standing and waiting around. Finally, we were on the ship. We were split up into groups to tour and unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any pictures of staterooms because they asked for no pictures. They were still cleaning the rooms. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

They offered us drinks in here, thinking we were guests. I wanted to take them up on the offer!

Yes, we got to tour the Walt Disney suite, as well as the Roy Disney suite. They are BEAUTIFUL and I wish I had the $$ to stay in one someday!

This dog was just chillin!

View from the ship

Another ship in port

After the ship tour, we had lunch in Parrot Cay. Yum! I've never had so much shrimp cocktail in my life. We stuffed ourselves and before we knew it (and after some more standing around & waiting ), it was time to get back on the bus. I said goodbye to Sheila & Teresa as they were dropped off at LAX.

Not too long after that, we arrived back at Paradise Pier. I collected my belongings, said goodbye to my guides, and trekked over to the Alpine Inn to check-in. From that moment on, I was on my own in Disneyland!

Stay tuned...

 

[Rora]

The new Royal rooms at POR look amazing!! So glad you're staying there!!

Okay, the graduation picture with Mickey is waaayyy too cute.

Ahh.. my ship. I love that picture of Walt by the theater.

What did the Disney suites look like??

What a cute pup!!

Great pictures! Can't wait to read more!

 

[jenny105]

The new Royal rooms at POR look amazing!! So glad you're staying there!!

Okay, the graduation picture with Mickey is waaayyy too cute.

Ahh.. my ship. I love that picture of Walt by the theater.

What did the Disney suites look like??

What a cute pup!!

Great pictures! Can't wait to read more!

I love the decor in the Royal Rooms! So cute! The only thing that concerns me is the bussing horror stories I've read about POR. I think the new rooms are going to be in Oak Manor and Parterre Place which are near the East Depot and apparently that's the last station stop so the buses are always full. Worse comes to worse, I guess we can always walk over to POFQ and use their stop.

The Disney Suites are HUGE. They all have doorbells which I played around with. They can have them play Happy Birthday if you're celebrating. There's a full living room, two bathrooms which have jacuzzi tubs and are about the size of a inside stateroom, lots of closet space, giant bedrooms. The decor in the Disney suites have personal pictures of the Disney family. Plus the balconies are about 3 times the size as a normal one. I would love to stay there!

 

[jenny105]

The walk from Paradise Pier to the Alpine Inn was longer than I thought it would be! California blocks are looooooong. It was about a 10-15 minute walk. It wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't lugging an overstuffed suitcase but my arm was killing me by the time I got to the front desk. The guy at the desk was very friendly and he gave me a room on the first floor so I didn't have to lug my stuff up the steps. My room was very close to the lobby. The Alpine Inn is a small, independently owned motel and is around the corner from the main entrance to Disneyland. You couldn't beat the price, $75 for the night! Disney used to have an entrance right next door to the motel but because of the expansion of California Adventure, it was closed to the public. I got into my room, freshened up a bit, changed, called Kris & my mom to let them know I made it over to the motel ok, and put some of my stuff away. I snapped a couple of quick pictures too.

My room

It was time to set out on my own! I was excited but a little bit sad that I had no one to spend the day with. But excitement overruled. The walk only took about 10 minutes or so. From Harbor Blvd, you walk in the entrance, past the shuttle buses, and come to a courtyard with this sign:

Facing it with Harbor Blvd to your back, Disneyland entrance is on your right and California Adventure to your left. The entrances are only about 100 feet apart. I know! It makes park hopping very easy.

I wanted to check out the Tron party in California Adventure but that wasn't starting until it got dark, so I headed into Disneyland Park first.

I think Tomorrowland's entrance in WDW is more impressive.

I headed straight over to Nemo's Submarine Voyage in Tomorrowland. I had wanted to go on this all weekend but the line was always crazy. Today it was only about 20 minutes so I waited. The Finding Nemo ride at Epcot is cute but this was way better! They used the submarines from the old 20,000 Leagues ride. You look out your porthole and although the sub never fully submerges under the water, you feel like your diving deeper and deeper into the ocean until finally, you see Nemo and friends! It was super cute and much longer than it's Epcot counterpart. I loved it! Score 1 for Disneyland!

After Nemo, I made my way out of the park toward Downtown Disney. I wanted to get some souvenirs for myself as well as Kris. I walked around the World of Disney store, which is much smaller and easier to find your way around than the one at WDW, but with less merchandise to choose from. After browsing awhile, I settled on a Disneyland picture frame for myself (my group photo is currently being housed in it! ) and I also got a night shirt for myself. It's bright pink and has the Fab 5 dressed up in suspenders and glasses and says Nerd 24/7. So adorable! I also got a Sleeping Beauty castle antenna topper for myself. I got Kris a shirt with Grumpy on it and got him a Goofy antenna topper.

After some shopping, I headed over to California Adventure. They are currently working on the entrance, there are a lot of boards up, but the bridge is still intact.

I had time before ElecTRONica started so I went over to one of my favorite rides to experience it again. Tower of Terror! The wait was about 30 minutes and after dropping several stories, ElecTRONica was in full gear. They serve Tron inspired drinks, have people dressed up in the costumes dancing and dj-ing (it's really one big dance party), Flynn's arcade is full of kids playing video games (there was a huge line to play the video game Tron). It was pretty cool!

After I checked out ElecTRONica, I headed back over into Disneyland Park. I told you, park hopping is extremely easy at Disneyland!

Another shot of the Main Street train station

I made a quick stop in the Indiana Jones gift shop and got Kris a Mickey plush dressed as Indy and another antenna topper, Indy's hat this time. Then I took another ride on the Haunted Mansion and guess what happened? This seems to happen everytime on the HM with me. I got stuck! Right in the part with the head chopping bride, directly in front of her. IMO, that's the creepiest part of the whole ride!

After HM, I went over to the French Market restaurant to grab some dinner. It's a counter service place near the Rivers of America with outdoor seating. I got the Chowder & Salad Duet which is bread bowl Clam Chowder and a garden salad. It was so yummy! I talked to Kris a bit on the phone while I was eating and realized Fantasmic was about to start. I'm not a big Fantasmic fan but I decided to watch part of it. There is no theater, it's strictly standing room only on the banks of the Rivers of America. I think this gives it a much better atmosphere and more room for them to work with. I watched most of the show, thought it was better than the version at DHS, and got out of there before the grand finale because I didn't want to get trampled. I made my way over to the hub to watch the fireworks.

OMG you guys. I never thought I'd say it. But Remember Dreams Come True fireworks trumps Wishes. They're themed around the different 'lands' of DLP. Hands down the best part was the Haunted Mansion section. They shoot green fireworks straight into the air in a 360 around you as the stretching room sequence plays and it looks like you're in that part of the ride. They also utilize Tink a LOT more than they do during Wishes. She flies around the castle, up & down, and it adds a bit of extra magic to the show. I loved it! I never thought I'd love a show more than Wishes but Disneyland proved me wrong! Plus the whole show is narrated by Julie Andrews. Who doesn't love Mary Poppins!!?!?

After the fireworks, it was time to say goodbye to Disneyland and make my way back to the Alpine Inn. I had a crazy early flight in the morning and had to catch the shuttle by 5 AM. I went back to my room, got my stuff together for the morning, and turned in. When I awoke, it was still dark out and I was moving at a snail's pace. My shuttle was right on time. I expected it to be empty that early in the morning but I was the last one to be picked up and it was full! I got to SNA, checked in, only to find out my flight was delayed. I ended up sitting around the airport for an extra two hours, alternately texting and complaining to Kris (I am one of the most impatient people you'll ever meet) and reading Sweet Valley Confidential (shout out to Rora!). We finally boarded, which meant I'd be getting into NJ smack in the middle of rush hour, and took off.

Bye California!

Thankfully, the flight was shorter than expected because of the tailwind so I only got back to NJ only an hour later than I was supposed to. Kris picked me up at the airport and it was back to reality.

Coming up, a post wrapping up my trip to Disneyland and final thoughts.

And then maybe, just maybe, I'll start my 2012 PTR.....stay tuned!

 

[Rora]

The Disney suites sound amazing!!

The Alpine rooms look nice enough- price is nice too!

The Nemo ride sounds cute!

Your souviner swag sounds awesome! Yay!

Okay, I think I need to see a picture of Indy Mickey! Sounds adorable. And, I love how easy it seems to park hop in California. That's awesome.

The fireworks sound amazing!!

I'm so sorry your flight was delayed but hooray for reading the book! Unicorn Club for ever!

Thank goodness for that tailwind. I bet Kris was happy to see you!

Overall, I loved reading your TR! Can't wait for 2012 PTR. 2012 is going to be an awesome year!

 

[jenny105]

The Disney suites sound amazing!!

The Alpine rooms look nice enough- price is nice too!

The Nemo ride sounds cute!

Your souviner swag sounds awesome! Yay!

Okay, I think I need to see a picture of Indy Mickey! Sounds adorable. And, I love how easy it seems to park hop in California. That's awesome.

The fireworks sound amazing!!

I'm so sorry your flight was delayed but hooray for reading the book! Unicorn Club for ever!

Thank goodness for that tailwind. I bet Kris was happy to see you!

Overall, I loved reading your TR! Can't wait for 2012 PTR. 2012 is going to be an awesome year!

The Alpine was good enough for the night.

I think they sell the Indy Mickey's at the little souvenir cart by the Indy stunt show at DHS. It's super cute. If I remember, I'll snap a picture of it.

Have you read SVC?

I can't wait for 2012! It needs to get here ASAP I'll probably do a DCL and WDW PTR all rolled into one. Do you think it's too early to start??

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

its never to early to start it.



i enjoyed the back and forth park hopping...did they have the night time water light show then?

 

[jenny105]

its never to early to start it.



i enjoyed the back and forth park hopping...did they have the night time water light show then?

I'll probably start it sometime soon. I'll post a link on here when I do

Park hopping is so easy at Disneyland! Yes, World of Color is over at the CA Adventure park. We had a group viewing of it during our tour; I posted a few pictures and description a few pages back. It was incredible! I know there are a lot of Illuminations fans out there but if WoC were ever to replace Illuminations, I wouldn't mind at all!

 

[jenny105]

Hi guys! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. I had to work the Saturday but was off Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday. I spent a lot of time at the beach and went to a couple BBQs with Kris. Overall, it was a fun weekend.

So here it is, the trip wrap-up! Nearly 3 months later My final thoughts on Disneyland.

What I Liked
The ease of park hopping. The park entrances are maybe 100 feet apart from each other. You never have to worry about catching a shuttle. If you're in Disneyland Park and decide you want to ride California Screamin in DCA, you'll be there in five, ten minutes tops. A lot less time consuming than buses!

Remember...Dreams Comes True fireworks. I never thought I'd like any Disney fireworks show more than I like Wishes but DL's fireworks topped it. Sure, Sleeping Beauty's castle isn't as impressive as Cinderella's, but the fact that they made Tinkerbell a part of the show rather than limiting her to a high wire at the beginning is what puts it over the top. Plus there's a Haunted Mansion part to the show! I love me some HM!

World of Color was amazing. I guess you would compare it more to Fantasmic but since both coasts are home to that show, I'll compare it to Illuminations. I would not be hearbroken if Illuminations was replaced by WoC. More up to date and you don't have to stare at that globe! Plus, this is the only Disney show where I've seen people moved to tears. That Lion King part is a killer though.

Fantasyland is better than MK's. I don't know how it will compare after the refurb but Disneyland's is bigger and has more attractions. In fact, DL has more attractions period than MK. Which is surprising because DL is the smaller of the two.

You can stay off property and be closer to the parks than if you stayed in a Disney hotel. That is unheard of at WDW. Enough said.

Attractions that are better in DL? Pirates, Space Mountain, Nemo (I know they're not really the same but both resorts have a Nemo ride!), It's a Small World

Attractions I wish Disney World had? INDIANA JONES! I cannot stress this enough. I like Dinosaur but I would rather have Indy!


What I Didn't Like
Unlike WDW, you never truly feel you're in Disney when you visit DLR. When you walk out of the gates and see Denny's & IHOP across the street, it kind of takes away from the effect. DL and DCA feel more like local amusement parks than a resort destination. Rather than families, there were tons of unsupervised teenagers running around, similar to the local parks here in NJ & PA. Disney World is more of a vacation destination so you don't see many locals and if you do, you don't know it.

It's so small! I could go to Disney World for a week and not get bored. After three days in DL, I would be itching to go somewhere else. You simply cannot go to California just for Disneyland. You can go to Florida just for Disney World.

Disneyland's dining plan is terrible. Maybe it's because I'm so used to WDW's and I'm biased but I just did not like it. It seemed confusing, especially when you're trying to explain it to a potential client (remember, I'm a TA!). And cash vouchers you can't get change for? What a waste.

That being said, there aren't a lot of restaurant choices either which is probably why their dining system is lacking. You have your DTD dining, which does not accept the Disneyland dining vouchers and plus they're places you can eat at anywhere (Rainforest Cafe and ESPN Club mainly). Each resort has a TS dining place and there are a couple in each park. And why eat at the resort when you can go to Harbour Blvd and get McDonalds, IHOP, Denny's, etc for less money?


And that's all folks! I've enjoyed writing about Disneyland, it was something new for me I'll be starting my PTR for my 2012 trips soon and will post the link when I do! It's never too early right?

 

[Rora]

Awesome wrap up! So glad you had a great trip! Can't wait for the 2012 PTRs!

 

[klacey1]

Um, I have no idea how I missed your last like five posts! Thoughts:
Yay-- you'll LOVE POR! I've heard the nightmare bus stories, but we've never had a bad incident! We're staying there again in August, so I'll update you if we have any situations! I'm soooo upset the royal rooms won't be open when Zach and I go-- I want to stay in one so badly!!
We're excited to do a Disneyland trip, but I think I'll agree with you-- three days is enough for both parks. Also, Zach would want to stay onsite and we couldn't afford to stay there for any longer!
I loved reading about both of your trips-- can't wait for your PTR!

 

[jenny105]

Awesome wrap up! So glad you had a great trip! Can't wait for the 2012 PTRs!

PTR coming soon!

Um, I have no idea how I missed your last like five posts! Thoughts:
Yay-- you'll LOVE POR! I've heard the nightmare bus stories, but we've never had a bad incident! We're staying there again in August, so I'll update you if we have any situations! I'm soooo upset the royal rooms won't be open when Zach and I go-- I want to stay in one so badly!!
We're excited to do a Disneyland trip, but I think I'll agree with you-- three days is enough for both parks. Also, Zach would want to stay onsite and we couldn't afford to stay there for any longer!
I loved reading about both of your trips-- can't wait for your PTR!

I thought you abandoned me!

POR looks beautiful from the pictures I've seen. I've been there to walk around but never stayed. I was supposed to stay there in 2009 but upgraded to WL instead. If you see any refurb stuff happening, take some pictures! I don't think we'll have issues with the bus since we'll be going in October and it's a quiet time but you never know. I think people just overreact.

Three days is more than enough for Disneyland. It's so small! I know I keep saying that but I cannot get over it. Disney World is a monster compared to DL!

PTR will be in the works soon

 

[princess_momma]

Ahhhh I wish I could swing a trip to Disneyland soon. I might be going to Cali in September, but not really in that area. Boo. I want to see all the things you have seen and make the comparisons also!!


And I'm SO insanely jealous you get to stay in a Royal Suite! I'm going to need to do that. AHHH I can't believe I have no trips in the works. I don't know what to do with myself.

 

[jenny105]

Ahhhh I wish I could swing a trip to Disneyland soon. I might be going to Cali in September, but not really in that area. Boo. I want to see all the things you have seen and make the comparisons also!!


And I'm SO insanely jealous you get to stay in a Royal Suite! I'm going to need to do that. AHHH I can't believe I have no trips in the works. I don't know what to do with myself.

You could go see the Space Mountain CM that looks just like you!

I'll take lots of pictures for you! I can't wait until 2012. I can't be in full on planning mode until it gets closer. I'm sure you'll have a trip in the works before you know it!

 

[jenny105]

Told ya the PTR would be coming soon! You can find it here!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=41776281#post41776281

See ya there!