It’s Always Sunny in California!..Eh?...L’il Bit!

[KelleyK75]

Yay, I am glad you found your friend and got to see World of Color. It looks really neat!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Oh crazy about the room and the ticket! I'm glad you were able to get it all straightened out and then get a look at CA and find your friend!
Our first park was CA too, but it was still daylight. There's a lot of cool stuff, but it doesn't scream DISNEY MAGIC as you walk in - at least to me. But we grew to really love a lot of it! I barely learned my way around it before we left though. For some reason it wasn't intuitive.

We loved that GC entrance - used it a lot since we stayed there. I'll be sharing some pics from our room and you won't believe how close we were.

As usual - great pictures - I love the night time shots at the parks!

 

[Timon]

Great photos, Jen!

 

[podsnel]

I had a lot to catch up on! Your friend really took you on a great tour, OMG, you saw so much in a day- the building she lives in (and the fountain in the courtyard) are really pretty! So happy you tried the carpaccio at the restaurant- that is one of Pods' favorite plates, too- he loves it!

Really too bad for Cass waiting for that bus for so long- GRRRRRR. Nothing is worse than getting to your destination and STILL not getting there!

The room at the DLH looks adorable! My first DL park was CA too this past summer- then I went over to DL afterwards- crying down Main ST. Awesome you were able to hook up with that DISpal!

Looking forward to more!

 

[jenseib]

How lucky that you got to see World of Color on the first day even if you did not get to see all of this and your viewing point was not ideal. I love World of Color. I am hoping to see it every day in November either from the park or from the hotel.

Corinna

It really is a great show. The colors are just so beautiful and stunning!

Yay, I am glad you found your friend and got to see World of Color. It looks really neat!

It was a nice evening and great to finally meet her in person!

Oh crazy about the room and the ticket! I'm glad you were able to get it all straightened out and then get a look at CA and find your friend!
Our first park was CA too, but it was still daylight. There's a lot of cool stuff, but it doesn't scream DISNEY MAGIC as you walk in - at least to me. But we grew to really love a lot of it! I barely learned my way around it before we left though. For some reason it wasn't intuitive.

We loved that GC entrance - used it a lot since we stayed there. I'll be sharing some pics from our room and you won't believe how close we were.

As usual - great pictures - I love the night time shots at the parks!

It does not scream Disney to me either. It's a very different feeling there and it did grow on me, but I had to keep telling myself this was really Disney. LOL.
I got used to CA better than DL. That park was just not set up right. I kept thinking I was in the MK and would get mixed up.

 

[jenseib]

Great photos, Jen!

I had a lot to catch up on! Your friend really took you on a great tour, OMG, you saw so much in a day- the building she lives in (and the fountain in the courtyard) are really pretty! So happy you tried the carpaccio at the restaurant- that is one of Pods' favorite plates, too- he loves it!

Really too bad for Cass waiting for that bus for so long- GRRRRRR. Nothing is worse than getting to your destination and STILL not getting there!

The room at the DLH looks adorable! My first DL park was CA too this past summer- then I went over to DL afterwards- crying down Main ST. Awesome you were able to hook up with that DISpal!

Looking forward to more!

I had issues getting past the raw meet, which is weird because I order steak medium rare.

I swear Cass was taking one step forward and 2 back when it came to getting there. I think once I got there I took her bad luck over....not to say I had bad luck, but I just relieved her of hers!
It was a whirlwind of a day...and as exhausting as it was...I would do it over in a second!

 

[jenseib]

I made my decision quickly…yes I needed to go over to Disneyland and at least see the Castle. I would be a fool not to, right?



I was amazed at how many people were doing the exact same thing too.
When I entered they asked for my hand stamp, but I told them that I was told I didn’t need one and they let me in with no issues.



I took a look down Main Street and got a glimpse of the castle.



I was pleasantly surprised. So many people warned me at how small this castle is, and though it is smaller, it was actually much bigger than I expected it to be.



I walked down Main Street to get a closer look and stopped and tried to do an artsy picture that really didn’t turn out the way I wanted it too, but hey, I had been up for almost 23 hours straight at this point.









I glanced over towards Tomorrowland.



And a look back towards the entrance.



At this point I was fading fast. Being up for 23 hours was really taking its toll on me.









Before I left though, I had to check if Walt was in the park….and of course he was.





As I was heading out, the big Cheese himself was walking by. I tried for a couple of pictures, but it was so dark there and I wasn’t quick enough to switch on the flash.





I headed back towards the DL hotel and this time the walk seemed a little longer.



As I walked back I thought about my first park experiences and I had mixed feelings. CA did not give me much of a Disney feeling at all. DL gave me only a slight one. Of course it was late, I was rushed, and I had been up for many hours. It did get better throughout the week, but I never had the same feelings that I get at WDW. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, I just feel differently about WDW, most likely because that was my first and only Disney park experience for many years.

So after my trek back through DTD, I arrived at the DLH and made my way back into our building, which by the way was the Fantasy Tower, which also was the main building with the lobby.



I headed back to the room and tried to be very quiet as I entered as to not bother Cass. I sure didn’t want to annoy the heck out of her on our first day together. But I barely got in the room and she asked me how the night went, so she wasn’t asleep yet, or only just falling asleep. We talked a bit and I told her what I did and then she told me her sandwich from EoS was awful and she ended up throwing most of it away. That was such a bummer. I love EoS too and I hope it was just a fluke. It would be sad to see them going downhill, or this branch just not producing the quality we’ve all come to love at WDW.

After chatting a bit, I went out like a light. It had been such a long day and the bed was comfy (and it was ALL mine…no husband to share with) and I just sank right into it and let the dreams take me away….a L’il bit!

 

[dizneeat]

OMG ...... what a beautiful photo!

I am happy to hear that you did go in to see the castle. It is tiny compared to WDW's or Paris's but it is still so neat. Our experience was the other way around I was used to the DL castle, then when we went to Paris I was like - "Man, that thing is HUGE". So I think it's what you are used to.

I am glad you enjoyed that first night though.

Hearing about Cass' not so desireable EoS sandwich is not nice. We really like their sandwiches in Paris (and DTD) and I would hate to see the quality go downhill.

Can I relate to you being tired after 23 hours on your feet? YES, definitely - that is exactly how we feel when we arrive in the US.

 

[Timon]

If I remember correctly, I kept you up chatting for quite a long time...I just remember giggling a lot

Now after reading about how long and full your day way, I feel so bad

And we were up at the crack of stupid the next day...like every day after that

I normally LOVE Earl's so I was sooooo disappointed in my sandwich, it wasn't even edible

I wish I had walked over to WWS and got those nachos

 

[jenseib]

OMG ...... what a beautiful photo!

I am happy to hear that you did go in to see the castle. It is tiny compared to WDW's or Paris's but it is still so neat. Our experience was the other way around I was used to the DL castle, then when we went to Paris I was like - "Man, that thing is HUGE". So I think it's what you are used to.

I am glad you enjoyed that first night though.

Hearing about Cass' not so desireable EoS sandwich is not nice. We really like their sandwiches in Paris (and DTD) and I would hate to see the quality go downhill.

Can I relate to you being tired after 23 hours on your feet? YES, definitely - that is exactly how we feel when we arrive in the US.

Thanks. I was really impressed with the castle. I guess I was expecting it to be even smaller.
I never did get an EOS at DL or WDW this year...I guess I need another trip!
It was a long day but it was so much fun!

If I remember correctly, I kept you up chatting for quite a long time...I just remember giggling a lot

Now after reading about how long and full your day way, I feel so bad

And we were up at the crack of stupid the next day...like every day after that

I normally LOVE Earl's so I was sooooo disappointed in my sandwich, it wasn't even edible

I wish I had walked over to WWS and got those nachos

I was fine talking. It was so much fun! You know I have sleep issues anyways, so I probably would've laid there awake.
If only we knew about the nachos then!

 

[Poolrat]

I had a friend who had that issue in 2012 as well. Their family of 3 went into a room with a king sized bed and she was like...Nope! And then those who want to get just a king room seem to have to hope and pray to get one.

A lot of my trip I kept thinking of your report. you had a lot of details that stuck in my mind and I would recognize areas.....in otherwards you did a good job to help a newbie visualize!

I am glad I could help someone even if I did a pictures mostly report. Those parks are really different yet similar to WDW. Having most of the rides in 2 instead of 4 parks leads to some disorientation.

I am so looking forward to going back. I am hoping to having my jetlag out of the way early so it does not hit me during the DL portion like last time.

So many beautiful pictures and great the at you hopped to both parks at the end of your looooong day.

 

[jenseib]

I am glad I could help someone even if I did a pictures mostly report. Those parks are really different yet similar to WDW. Having most of the rides in 2 instead of 4 parks leads to some disorientation.

I am so looking forward to going back. I am hoping to having my jetlag out of the way early so it does not hit me during the DL portion like last time.

So many beautiful pictures and great the at you hopped to both parks at the end of your looooong day.

I am glad I was paying attention to your posts!
It really is weird how it is so similar yet so different. And Star Tours in Disneyland just was so strange to me.

I had issues with the time change the whole week. I could stay up late, but my body knew what time it was every morning and I would wake up so early. I probably should have taken a nap one day....but there was no time for that!

 

[jenseib]

Feb. 24, 2014, Monday

I believe it was this morning…..around 3:30 AM….that I heard my phone pinging. I quickly grabbed it and turned the sound off and went back to sleep.
But that didn’t last too much longer. Around 5:45 or so I gave up on sleep. I slept well till then, but then I woke and my body knew what time it was at home (8:45) and this was sleeping in for me on that time.
I grabbed my phone and went under the covers to see who had been messaging me in the middle of the night. I was 2 of my co-workers, who I message back and forth with daily and they were just chatting, so I replied and looked at facebook a bit and my emails as well. Cass then asked after a bit who was messaging me at some God Awful hour in the morning and I told her. Cass went back to sleep for a bit I believe, but I knew it was useless for me so I got up and showered. When I got out, Cass was checking her email and I told her I was going to take a walk and possibly get a quick bite to eat.

So I headed towards the elevator and took this picture while I waited. One was out of order the whole time, but there are 3 of them and most times they came in a timely fashion.



I headed out the front entrance and took some pictures.



I noticed this resort had a convention center too and I saw many people going in.



I just want to note that the area I was standing in was a smoking area…it was out of the way, but I noticed a lot of the other smoking areas were in highly populated areas, and many at the Grand Californian were actually right next to doors.

This is a view of the entrance you drive in from.



And this beautiful fountain surrounded by flowers.



Another look at the entrance.



Palm trees! It was so nice to see Palm trees and flowers after looking at snow for 2 months solid.



A further back view of the entrance of the hotel.



This is looking at the conference center from the same spot.





The fountain.



Ahhhhh! Flowers!







One thing to take note is that parking at the Disneyland resorts is not free like it is at WDW. I believe it is $15 a day if you have a car onsite.

That little booth in this next picture is Bell Services.







I walked in on the conference center side. I loved this carpet.



The carpets actually reminded me of Disney Cruise lines as they always seem so bright on the ships too.

This was the hall that connected the resort to the conference center.



There was this huge shadow box with all sorts of old Disney memorabilia.



I spotted my sons name.



This is looking at Steakhouse 55.




A look at the pretty staircase to the next level.

 

[MEK]

I am probably posting right in the middle of an update, but I got far behind this week. Sheesh!

You better believe that palm trees and hydrangeas look beautiful after the winter we had.

So glad that you got to see World of Color. It looks like such an amazing show. And I don't blame you a bit for waiting for the crowds to clear so you can take some more lovely night time shots! What a cool park. I'm glad that you grew to love both parks more as your trip continued.

And, seriously, who would or could pass up an opportunity to take one quick look at the castle before calling it a night?

I am sure I will stay on East coast time forever when I finally go out to DL. I'll probably finally adjust and it will be time to go home.

 

[Dizzy4DL]

It's funny, when we went to Hawaii we had a three hour time difference and loved it. We were always up at dawn and out before the locals. But I can see how it wouldn't be good at Disney when you want to close the parks.

I am NOT looking forward to the time difference (3 hours) when we go to WDW next week. I have a feeling rope drop will be impossible for us.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I can definitely understand the issues with the time zone change. Whenever we come to the USA, we are wide awake at 5:00 AM for the first few mornings. This time this should work for us so. I have requested a port view for the hotel in Miami and hopefully should be able to see the Wonder coming in.

Corinna

 

[khaleesi]

What a great report!!! In addition to loving Disney, I am Hollywood and celebrity obsessed, so I am enjoying this immensely. I've always wanted to go to Disneyland AND Hollywood but I really hate traveling. I can barely handle the direct flight from Buffalo to Orlando

I love love love your Hollywood sign pictures!! How awesome that you had your own personal tour guide!!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[jenseib]

I can definitely understand the issues with the time zone change. Whenever we come to the USA, we are wide awake at 5:00 AM for the first few mornings. This time this should work for us so. I have requested a port view for the hotel in Miami and hopefully should be able to see the Wonder coming in.

Corinna

I hope you get that port view. I love seeing the ships come in!

What a great report!!! In addition to loving Disney, I am Hollywood and celebrity obsessed, so I am enjoying this immensely. I've always wanted to go to Disneyland AND Hollywood but I really hate traveling. I can barely handle the direct flight from Buffalo to Orlando

I love love love your Hollywood sign pictures!! How awesome that you had your own personal tour guide!!

Can't wait to read more!

Yeah, I am not a big fan of long flights at all and I think breaking it up really did work well for me. Of course going out is more exciting than coming home too.

I am probably posting right in the middle of an update, but I got far behind this week. Sheesh!

You better believe that palm trees and hydrangeas look beautiful after the winter we had.


So glad that you got to see World of Color. It looks like such an amazing show. And I don't blame you a bit for waiting for the crowds to clear so you can take some more lovely night time shots! What a cool park. I'm glad that you grew to love both parks more as your trip continued.

And, seriously, who would or could pass up an opportunity to take one quick look at the castle before calling it a night?

I am sure I will stay on East coast time forever when I finally go out to DL. I'll probably finally adjust and it will be time to go home.

Nope, I am posting this slowly so I can keep up with myself. I have a couple days written and I want to try to stay ahead of the posting so I don't have to rush each day to pump out an update.
I am so glad I made it over to DL that night. Seeing the castle lit up was such a nice site!
The night didn't bother me at all, but my body did not want to sleep in the mornings at all.

It's funny, when we went to Hawaii we had a three hour time difference and loved it. We were always up at dawn and out before the locals. But I can see how it wouldn't be good at Disney when you want to close the parks.

I am NOT looking forward to the time difference (3 hours) when we go to WDW next week. I have a feeling rope drop will be impossible for us.

Claire would fit in on CA time perfectly. She is a late owl and loves to sleep in, so her body clock would work perfectly in CA.
I had no issues most days of staying up, but I just coudln't sleep in and I think I probably could've used a nap here and there to help me catch up. The bad thing about the DLR is that during the week it closed at 8 PM and that just seemed so early to me. And then the pools closed around 10 each night. It was like they wanted you all in bed early.

 

[petals]

Luvin all the pics. It's interesting you say you didn't get the same feeling at DL that you got at WDW. I felt the same about Paris. I enjoyed it but it just didn't feel as magical as WDW or something.. of course all the rudeness in those parks didn't help the matter but that's besides the point

 

[jenseib]

Luvin all the pics. It's interesting you say you didn't get the same feeling at DL that you got at WDW. I felt the same about Paris. I enjoyed it but it just didn't feel as magical as WDW or something.. of course all the rudeness in those parks didn't help the matter but that's besides the point

I know I wouldn't get the same feeling in Paris. There are too many differences there for me to have anxiety about. But I know it's not owned by Disney either, which makes the service and everything different.