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

[Mndisneygirl]

What a great tour you had!! Lucky to have a personal tour guide and a Universal insider!
I would have liked to have more time to explore things but we only allotted one day for Non-Disney stuff and we just didn't want to drive ALL over the area.

Your dinner (what was left of it in your picture) looked good! I love a good Italian restaurant!

 

[jenseib]

What a great tour you had!! Lucky to have a personal tour guide and a Universal insider!
I would have liked to have more time to explore things but we only allotted one day for Non-Disney stuff and we just didn't want to drive ALL over the area.

Your dinner (what was left of it in your picture) looked good! I love a good Italian restaurant!

I really was happy with what i did, but I know there is so much more to do. And for me, even at DL I never had enough park time...that darn conference getting in the way.

 

[Poolrat]

What a cool day. Catching up with a childhood friend, a personal tour of the city and a great dinner. You were too busy to be tired.

You got some great shots of the Hollywood sign and did good finding Walt's star.

 

[MEK]

[/url]

Super cute picture of you guys! I am sort of skim reading so not a lot of comments, but your tour of Universal studios sounds super fun! Oh, and dinner, YUM!

 

[jenseib]

What a cool day. Catching up with a childhood friend, a personal tour of the city and a great dinner. You were too busy to be tired.

You got some great shots of the Hollywood sign and did good finding Walt's star.

Stacy and I can always just pick up, but usually when I see her we have a group of friends around so I can't always tell her all the personal things. This was nice to have just her and I and we did talk about some things that we normally wouldn't in front of others.

Super cute picture of you guys! I am sort of skim reading so not a lot of comments, but your tour of Universal studios sounds super fun! Oh, and dinner, YUM!

Thanks. We always have such a good time. Stacy is someone fun and good to laugh with.

 

[jenseib]

After we got a little further down the freeway the traffic lessoned up a bit and we made some decent time getting to DLR.
I had been texting Cass off and on throughout the day and she seemed to have a hard time getting to DLR. She was using the Disneyland Express and she had to wait an hour to get on after she landed. It took her forever to get there and her texts were brief, but I could tell she was frustrated. I now let her know that we were on our way.

As we got off the freeway my phone told us to turn one way but the signs pointed the other way. Soon it was shifting us around in a residential area and then out to another road.
It kept telling us to turn on a certain road and we would never see it and then it would recalculate and again the phone would tell us to turn on a street we would never find. I think we were a bit tired and the roads were not marked very well.
We came up to a main road and made a U-turn and headed back, and then all of a sudden it told us we had arrived at our destination. Um????? No we didn’t. There wasn’t a driveway or anything. We just started laughing so hard. Should I just get out and pretend I am there?
We found a driveway a little ways down the road that didn’t appear to be marked but as we went in we found we truly were at the right spot. We told them at the gate who I was and that I was checking in. Stacy said she was just dropping me off, but needed to find a bathroom.
In the meantime Cass had texted to see if we had arrived yet and I responded with “we can’t find the hotel, but we are close”. LOL I swear it was like a sitcom with us trying to find the place.



We pulled up to the hotel and Stacy told the Valet that she had to use the bathroom and they took her keys to hold on to in case her car had to be moved before she came out. We grabbed all my luggage and were just laughing away as we walked up and then I saw Cass standing there out of the corner of my eye.
I walked over to her and said hi and we hugged and I introduced her to Stacy.

We all walked in and Cass started telling me about her day. I had to laugh because she ended all her questions and points with eh? Cass is from Canada and I knew she probably would say it, but it still made me chuckle. She even then said “I say eh a lot”! LOL.
She also said the typical words like “about” in Canadian style.
We walked in and Stacy went to find the restroom and Cass told me how long it took her to get to the resort. She said she had to wait an hour for the bus as they only run on the half hour and she landed at 1:30. Then she was the second stop on the bus, and she was one of the last to get on. They still had several stops to make, but the bus was full already so it had to stop at each stop and tell people that they would have to wait another hour before the next bus came. She said people were not happy, and I agree, I would be pretty darn mad myself.
Then when she finally made it here, she checked in and dragged her luggage to the room only to find it only had 1 king size bed and it was VERY small. Nope, that won’t work.
So back to the lobby she went and they found her a different room and this one had 2 beds and was much nicer….except when she looked at her room key, it had my name on it now. She decided to wait and get that fixed once I arrived.

So we walked to the check in desk and I checked myself in and we each got a new room key with our correct names on them. Good grief! I sure hope this wasn’t a sign of things to come!

Stacy met back up with us and I said my good byes to her. I must say, if I had to leave and go home at this point, the trip was already worth it. She gave me such a fantastic tour of the city (not something she would do for just anyone) and we had such a wonderful day together.
It was really weird saying good bye to her after all that fun, and yet knowing I had a whole bunch more fun in store for me the rest of the week.

Stacy left and Cass helped me drag my bags to our room. I believe we were on the 7th floor, but the room numbers do not have anything to do with the floor you are on and I found it confusing. I think we were in room 2522 (or it might have been 2225). Whatever the number was I trained myself to remember it by my kids ages. Michael had just turned 25 and Paige would be 22 in June.

We arrived at the room and I dumped my stuff off in a corner. Cass said she didn’t mess up the room so that I could take pictures, so I did that right away and quickly.



The headboard behind the bed is so awesome. There is a switch to turn it on and it lights up and twinkles.

We had a couch in our room and though I didn’t check, I think it converted into a bed.







We had a vanity area outside the bathroom.



Neither of us drinks coffee, so we ended up putting that on the floor and out of the way.

Inside the bathroom there was another vanity and to the right of that is the bathtub/shower.



We found out the next day when we took showers that the head rotates in a circle.



To the left of the vanity there was a door and that is where the toilet was.



We found out later that week that many of the rooms are configured differently and not all have the extra vanity outside the room. Some do not have the enclosed separate toilet room either. This room was actually perfect for us. We had enough space and room for privacy.

I took a quick look at the view too.



Wow! That is beautiful to see.
The old fashion Disneyland sign is near the monorail slide.



I took a picture of my pillow on the bed, but I don’t think I ever got a close up on the one on Cass’, but hers said “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and mine continued on.



Cass told me about her day and that she had gone to the parks and it was insanely crowded. Dapper Days were going on and tons of people were here. Dapper Days is when people dress up in old style clothing. I think they have some events as well.
We had heard a few CM’s say it had never been as busy as it was this weekend for Dapper Days.
Cass said she checked out a few single rider lines and they were all insanely long with waits of an hour or more.
She gave up and went for a walk to an outlet mall.

I now had dilemma. I was tired, but there were so many things yet to do. And it was still fairly early. I believe around 8 PM. Cass wanted to go to the hot tub, which sounded wonderful to me. But I had yet another Cali friend, Keri, who was in the parks tonight. We have been Dis and facebook friends for several years though we haven’t met in person yet. I was lucky enough to meet her daughter in WDW a few years ago after my first Disney Cruise when she was in the college program and she worked at CRT. This was going to be my only chance to meet Keri most likely. Keri and I also had been texting off and on throughout the day too. She wanted me to hurry up and come over and join her at the Mad Tea Party. I must admit, I have never had a desire to go to this. Everything on youtube that I have found shows it to be a dance party with loud music…and not my type of music. I texted Keri and let her know that I was going to jump in the hot tub for a bit and then see how I feel and then I would try to get over to California Adventure before it closed.

With that said, we changed into our suits and I grabbed my point and shoot camera and we headed back down to the pools. I took some crappy/blurry shots on the way.




The entrance to the pool.



The towels.



We set our things on a lounger and I think Cass went into the regular pool first and I took a few pictures and then settled in the hot tub.





One of those windows with a light on is our room.





The hot tub was HOT!!!! I felt like I was being boiled for soup. I noticed a few other people make comments about it as well. Cass joined me after a bit and then she went back to the regular pool for a bit too. I stuck my toe in the regular pool and that was way too cold for my liking.

After we were boiled thoroughly we took a walk around the area.

I now know where Goofy’s Kitchen is.



The monorail slides….as it appears that all the slides at the onsite resorts…. closes at 5 PM. I wasn’t a fan of that. We basically knew we would never have a chance to go on it unless we cut out some of our limited park time.



I sure wish my tiki torch shot came out better. It was really pretty here.

 

[KelleyK75]

Just found your TR and jumping in. It sounds like you've had so much fun so far! The Universal tour sounds really cool! A friend of a friend used to work at Paramount and I was out there a couple of times for work and she took us on a little tour like you had. It's fun to be in those areas you wouldn't normally be able to be in. Can't wait to hear more of your report.

 

[JKSWonder]

My son, who is completely monorail obsessed would LOVE those slides. But closing at 5 pm? Seriously way too early.

 

[luulu1999]

LOVING your report and pics!!! Can't wait to read more

 

[mickeystoontown]

Wow Jen! Those people said that you were probably V.I.P. and you certainly were. The tour that you were given was amazing! How neat to see everything so up close and personal.

Your room looks so pretty and the resort grounds look gorgeous even if the pictures were taken at night. I don't understand why they'd close the slides so early. That's just odd.

 

[dolphingirl47]

What a shame that you both had issues getting to the hotel for different reasons. We always use Super Shuttle from the airport when we are going to Disneyland. The roads around Disneyland are so confusing. I don't know how often we have got lost when we stayed offsite and drove there. Your room looks gorgeous. I am surprised that you still had any energy left after the early start and the the busy day you had.

Corinna

 

[dizneeat]

Love the room, Jen! Oh so pretty and about the room number. Some of the Disney resorts use the first two numbers to determine the floor 25 = 2+5 means floor 7! I feel proud to let the TA in on a little Disney trivia.

Your pictures around the pool are pretty, Cass's day didn't sound too much fun though.

Hope you get to meet your friend!

 

[Dizzy4DL]

We took the Disneyland Resort Express out of LAX one time. One. Time.

We were able to get on one that had just pulled up, but we had to keep stopping to see if there were other riders. All in all, maybe 10 people on the entire bus once we took off. We were on that bus for almost 2 hours!! Never again.

Now we fly into SNA (if possible), and take either Super Shuttle or a taxi.

 

[KatMark]

I had a busy mid-week and weekend and fell behind again.

Stacy's apartment complex is adorable...love the fountain in the courtyard.

I think you got a great shot of the Hollywood sign.

I'm glad you found Walt's "star."

Loved the tour with you of Universal.

Too funny that you couldn't find the hotel. But glad you found it and Cass.

 

[CraftyMommy]

The Disneyland Hotel hot tub sounds like my kind if hot tub. I like showers as hot as the water goes.

Jamie has a coworker friend from Toronto. We like to make fun of the way he says house and about. It sounds like hoose and aboot.

Your book arrived in the mail today. I can't wait to start reading it cover to coved. Unfortunately I'm having finals week. So I must wait until Sunday to dive into it. Thanks so much for the book. I can't wait to take a Disney Cruise.

 

[jenseib]

Just found your TR and jumping in. It sounds like you've had so much fun so far! The Universal tour sounds really cool! A friend of a friend used to work at Paramount and I was out there a couple of times for work and she took us on a little tour like you had. It's fun to be in those areas you wouldn't normally be able to be in. Can't wait to hear more of your report.

Welocme!!!!
That would be neat to see too. I really have forgotten about how many studios there are. We also passed by one that is no longer in business but Stacy said others studios rent the place out to shoot in.

My son, who is completely monorail obsessed would LOVE those slides. But closing at 5 pm? Seriously way too early.

Yeah, the slides closing at 5 was really wierd in my opinion. I am not sure if that is year round or just the winter months, but I thought that seemed really early.

LOVING your report and pics!!! Can't wait to read more

Thanks! I am having such a fun time reliving it too.

Wow Jen! Those people said that you were probably V.I.P. and you certainly were. The tour that you were given was amazing! How neat to see everything so up close and personal.

Your room looks so pretty and the resort grounds look gorgeous even if the pictures were taken at night. I don't understand why they'd close the slides so early. That's just odd.

Well I am always a VIP in my own mind!

I thought it was odd too. Lots of kids still at the pools till it closed too and even when it closed they kind of had to push people out on some nights.

 

[jenseib]

What a shame that you both had issues getting to the hotel for different reasons. We always use Super Shuttle from the airport when we are going to Disneyland. The roads around Disneyland are so confusing. I don't know how often we have got lost when we stayed offsite and drove there. Your room looks gorgeous. I am surprised that you still had any energy left after the early start and the the busy day you had.

Corinna

Yes, I am a fan of the super shuttle too. I used that going back. I have now heard some horror stories about Disneyland Express and I will never recommend it to anyone anymore.
We were so confused. It surely does not have the signage that WDW does. I can't believe I kept going and going and going!!!

Love the room, Jen! Oh so pretty and about the room number. Some of the Disney resorts use the first two numbers to determine the floor 25 = 2+5 means floor 7! I feel proud to let the TA in on a little Disney trivia.

Your pictures around the pool are pretty, Cass's day didn't sound too much fun though.

Hope you get to meet your friend!

Now that's a nice tidbit to know. I had never heard of that, but it makes so much sense.
I think Cass had a good time, just stressful since it wasn't as smooth as it should've been.....and who knew the parks would be that busy. Wow, it was crazy.If our arrival times would've been more closer we could've brought her along with us. I did mention it to her..maybe picking her up later, but I think she felt like she would be intruding, but I think she would've had a good time and Stacy is really nice and would've loved to spend time with her too.

We took the Disneyland Resort Express out of LAX one time. One. Time.

We were able to get on one that had just pulled up, but we had to keep stopping to see if there were other riders. All in all, maybe 10 people on the entire bus once we took off. We were on that bus for almost 2 hours!! Never again.

Now we fly into SNA (if possible), and take either Super Shuttle or a taxi.

I hear you! I would've used it had Stacy not picked me up and now I know if I ever do, what to expect.
I liked the super shuttle for my return trip, but our driver was a bit odd.

I had a busy mid-week and weekend and fell behind again.

Stacy's apartment complex is adorable...love the fountain in the courtyard.

I think you got a great shot of the Hollywood sign.

I'm glad you found Walt's "star."

Loved the tour with you of Universal.

Too funny that you couldn't find the hotel. But glad you found it and Cass.

I totally understand. I have to catch up on some stuff today since yesterday I went out and Easter shopped. I don't think Claire would be too impressed to find an empty basket on Sunday.
I really was excited to see the Hollywood sign...and Walt's Star too. That wasn't even something I thought about till we went there and we were so lucky to find it.
At night, the road to DLH is very dark and kind of desserted looking. I thought we would never find it there for a minute or so.

The Disneyland Hotel hot tub sounds like my kind if hot tub. I like showers as hot as the water goes.

Jamie has a coworker friend from Toronto. We like to make fun of the way he says house and about. It sounds like hoose and aboot.

Your book arrived in the mail today. I can't wait to start reading it cover to coved. Unfortunately I'm having finals week. So I must wait until Sunday to dive into it. Thanks so much for the book. I can't wait to take a Disney Cruise.

I like them hot, but not burning hot.
I have a few Canadian friends and I always think it's funny the way they say some things.....though I am sure I say things strangely too. And I think Cass had a chuckle or too at my expense. I had a few people once again tell me I had that Ohio/Michigan accent too. I swear I sound normal...but I guess I don't.

 

[jenseib]

Continuing our quick walk we found Tangaroa Terrace which is the quick serve restaurant here. I didn’t think it had much of a selection and we did eat lunch here one day and I was not all that impressed with the choices or the food I got.





Back to the lobby!



Cass had to show me these cute teacup chairs and of course I made her take a picture of me in them.



I loved the carpet here as well.



We headed back to the room and got dressed again.

I texted Keri and told her I would meet up with her, but I still had to pick up my ticket. She said they were still there, but getting tired and to let her know when I arrived.

Cass set out with me as she was hungry and she was going to stop at Earl if Sandwich. Downtown Disney is connected to the Disneyland Hotel and very easy to get to.



Cass and I separated as she went to get her sandwich.



One look back at the hotel and I went on my way.





I found the Lego Store!









Build a Bear.



It was insanely crowded from Dapper Days.



I made it to bag check and went through there fairly fast.



And my first look at the entrances.





I knew the parks faced each other and were close….but WOW!!! They are really close!
Cass had told me that Guest services were on the other side of California Adventure, so I headed that way. I passed the ticket line, which was extremely long. I have no clue why so many people were in line to get tickets at this hour of the day.

I made it to Guest Services and it was deserted for the most part.



They were closed too! Why do you close Guest Services before the parks close? There was a guy standing outside and he was helping a couple who were complaining about something. I am not sure what it was, but I think it had to do with the crowds that day.
I waited my turn and then told him I was here to pick up my ticket and showed him my voucher. I had a voucher for 2 day hoppers that I got through my job. Cass got the same one and had no issues picking hers up earlier in the day.
This CM told me I could not pick it up today, it had to be picked up on the day it was scheduled for. I told him, yes, I know….today is that day. He looked clueless but said he would check inside. I waited….



He came out and told me the tickets were not in there, and I told him I needed them tonight. He told me that the park was only open for an hour or 2 more, so why don’t I want till tomorrow and I told him no; I am meeting someone inside tonight. He went back in and came out and told me my will call number was not a valid number. I then explained that this number was directly from Disney and this is the exact email they sent me and that’s the only number it had. I basically read it line for line. He went back in again and finally came out with a ticket.
I am not sure what the issue was, except that I don’t think he was familiar with this type of ticket as it wasn’t a normal will call type of ticket.

With my ticket in hand, I went over to the entrance and used my ticket for the first time and entered my first Disneyland Resort park.

My first site inside was Carthay Circle.



I am going to admit it…I wasn’t wowed. I really should’ve gone to DL before CA, but I was on limited time.

I texted Keri to let her know I was in the park and where to find her. As I waited for her response, I hung around the hub there and took some pictures.

 

[CraftyMommy]

That would be odd going into CA first. It doesn't look very Disney to me. Perhaps that would be like a WDW newbie going to Hollywood Studios (which is my least favorite park) as their first park.

 

[dolphingirl47]

What a pain that you had so much trouble getting your ticket. I absolutely love Disney California Adventure and Buena Vista Street is gorgeous. What a shame that it did not grab you.

Corinna