kelmac284
Lover of all things Disney since 1975
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2005
- Messages
- 5,287
Well we just returned and thought I would share some of our observations. We left on Thursday evening and we usually drive and when we do fly we fly Orange County but me always trying to save a buck flew into LAX. NEVER AGAIN. It was late at night and I forgot the rental agencies are off site. We had to lug our stuff to the curb and then stand in a long line to get our car. Then we got turned around and everyone was cranky and a little lost but we FINALLY got in the right direction and made it to our hotel. We have tried several of the hotels on Harbor and decided on the Del Sol this time. I had heard reviews on here and other places but was NOT impressed. The room was small and not in good repair and although they knew we had 5 we did not have enough towels and only 1 roll of TP. Of course we ran out and they never brought replacement towels. They gave us a rollaway but really the room is not big enough. It was VERY cramped. I would not recommend this.
It IS just a bed but there are definitely better places along that strip. Anyway then my daughter had an earache and my dh had to drive around at 1 a.m. and we learned there are very few 24 hour drug stores anywhere near the resort. But he did find some meds and needless to say none of us got much sleep.
We didn't get up quite as early as we had wanted and weren't first in line by any means next morning. We did our normal routine or fast passes and rides and tried to do things we don't normally do. We had lunch at the stage door and finally saw the Billy Hill show which we very much enjoyed. We encountered many broke down rides including Indy this trip. With the park as crowded as it was it made it even worse with so many things on rehab and broke. We left the park around 4:30 after also doing the flag retreat which my dh who was in the military had wanted to attend. We had dinner at Denny's and got the kids dressed and then attended the party. We got tons of candy and lots of great pics with characters. We didn't take the time to ride rides as the girls costumes made it difficult and we were too busy getting pics and doing other things. It was nice that they offered healthy treats and had the crafts. We were all quite tired and sat for almost an hour waiting for the parade but then it was very dissapointing. Only one small float and a few characters. Disney World's version is much better but we did enjoy ourselves and met some nice cast members.
On Saturday we spent all day at DCA and got lots of Great Villian photos and even though the Golden Screams got awful reviews I wanted to judge for myself and yes it was corney but the kids enjoyed it and the best part was my daughter shelby won the trophy which is VERY nice I must say!
This is her with the host and Hades, who the audience had voted to win, and of course her trophy.
Anyway we also did the totem ceremony which we had never done and then had dinner at Storytellers which is our fav place.
Then Sunday it was back to Disneyland all day and we met up with our buddy Phillip at the Canoes who again set us up with some passes and between those and our fast passes we were set. This night we got stuck on Buzz and had to walk out of the ride and space also broke down. We encountered this a lot. We also saw Pam Anderson and her new hubby that day as well. So it was an exciting day all the way round. That night we at at Rancho Zocal and rode Thunder Mountain in the dark which is always fun and listened to the Mariachi band. It was very festive. We also enjoyed Woody's roundup and let the girls decorate cookies which they enjoy. I love this part of the park and it is very festive!
Monday we packed our things and Shane had to park the car at the garage which I think is lame that the Del Sol won't let you leave it there but whatever. Then we went in to DCA and did Soarin and Tower and then hopped back over to DL to try the Jedi show but were unable to do it because of the rain so then went back to DCA and rode Screamin, Tower and Monsters Inc before we had to head to the airport.
All in all despite the rain and the dissapointment of the hotel it was a nice trip!
Oh and I finally rode Nemo and it was definitely worth it and for those with claustrophobia I say go for it. I have terrible claustrophobia and I handled it!
Now I can start getting excited about our Christmas trip!
It IS just a bed but there are definitely better places along that strip. Anyway then my daughter had an earache and my dh had to drive around at 1 a.m. and we learned there are very few 24 hour drug stores anywhere near the resort. But he did find some meds and needless to say none of us got much sleep.
We didn't get up quite as early as we had wanted and weren't first in line by any means next morning. We did our normal routine or fast passes and rides and tried to do things we don't normally do. We had lunch at the stage door and finally saw the Billy Hill show which we very much enjoyed. We encountered many broke down rides including Indy this trip. With the park as crowded as it was it made it even worse with so many things on rehab and broke. We left the park around 4:30 after also doing the flag retreat which my dh who was in the military had wanted to attend. We had dinner at Denny's and got the kids dressed and then attended the party. We got tons of candy and lots of great pics with characters. We didn't take the time to ride rides as the girls costumes made it difficult and we were too busy getting pics and doing other things. It was nice that they offered healthy treats and had the crafts. We were all quite tired and sat for almost an hour waiting for the parade but then it was very dissapointing. Only one small float and a few characters. Disney World's version is much better but we did enjoy ourselves and met some nice cast members.
On Saturday we spent all day at DCA and got lots of Great Villian photos and even though the Golden Screams got awful reviews I wanted to judge for myself and yes it was corney but the kids enjoyed it and the best part was my daughter shelby won the trophy which is VERY nice I must say!
This is her with the host and Hades, who the audience had voted to win, and of course her trophy.
Anyway we also did the totem ceremony which we had never done and then had dinner at Storytellers which is our fav place.
Then Sunday it was back to Disneyland all day and we met up with our buddy Phillip at the Canoes who again set us up with some passes and between those and our fast passes we were set. This night we got stuck on Buzz and had to walk out of the ride and space also broke down. We encountered this a lot. We also saw Pam Anderson and her new hubby that day as well. So it was an exciting day all the way round. That night we at at Rancho Zocal and rode Thunder Mountain in the dark which is always fun and listened to the Mariachi band. It was very festive. We also enjoyed Woody's roundup and let the girls decorate cookies which they enjoy. I love this part of the park and it is very festive!
Monday we packed our things and Shane had to park the car at the garage which I think is lame that the Del Sol won't let you leave it there but whatever. Then we went in to DCA and did Soarin and Tower and then hopped back over to DL to try the Jedi show but were unable to do it because of the rain so then went back to DCA and rode Screamin, Tower and Monsters Inc before we had to head to the airport.
All in all despite the rain and the dissapointment of the hotel it was a nice trip!
Oh and I finally rode Nemo and it was definitely worth it and for those with claustrophobia I say go for it. I have terrible claustrophobia and I handled it!
Now I can start getting excited about our Christmas trip!
)
And there was a used washcloth in the basket. (me thinks someone had the room for a few minutes then switched, and no one checked it out before renting it to us) 
)
