Just returned

[Shannon D]

Hi there

My family of four (self, hubby and 2 boys ages 9 and 7)
were at the DLR from May 29-June 2.

We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and had a blast. Checked in around 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon...room wasn't ready so after our long flight (from FL) we had to get some lunch. We went to Catal in DD.
I had been so excited to eat here (from my online research) but it was a bit disppointing. Food was OK, nothing outstanding. We spent the afternoon at DL. It was very crowded, but we had a ball.

Went back to get settled into our room. Couldn't have been more pleased. We were in the Sierra tower, 3rd floor, wonderful pool view room. Our room was spotless. Beds are so comfy and I just loved the decor. Bathroom setup is great for families, with the closed off commode.

We had breakfast the next morning in Hook's Pointe restaurant. Very good. So enjoyable, we returned for dinner that night! It was excellent. I had the tuna, and all 3 of my boys had steak.
Friday night we went to Granville's Steakhouse in the hotel...much more upscale fine dining experience....it was wonderful. Filet was melt in your mouth and chocolate dipped strawberries accompanied the bill.
Service was outstanding at both eateries.

We very much enjoyed the parks and the Neverland pool, we also had lunch at Naples in DD on our last day...it was good. Excellent service here as well, my gnocchi were only so-so, but hubby's fettucine was excellent (and he generously shared) and the kids proclaimed they had the 'best pizza ever!'

I loved the animation studio at Caifornia Adventure...it is very well done and hours could be spent just enjoying all the lil details of this attraction.
I also loved the Sun (ferris) Wheel...what a hoot. And of course, Soarin' is not to be missed.
My kids fave attraction was Indy at DL...we rode that countless times over the 4 day visit!

Hubby and I both agreed that the castmembers at DLR were exceptionally friendly, helpful and just plain wonderful. We are very frequent vistors to WDW and we think (overall) the castmembers in FL have really gone downhill over the past few years. Yes, that is a generalization, but it has definitely been our experience. It was so refreshing to have that Disney magic at DLR.

I hated to leave come Sunday, but it was on to Las Vegas for us!

 

[Michelle]

Glad you had a great trip, Shannon! Thanks for the details, and I hope you had fun in Vegas too!

 

[Planogirl]

Thanks for the report. I was particularly interested to read about the restaurants since I'm currently planning that part of our upcoming trip. Did you ever eat in the parks themselves?

I'm glad that you all had a nice trip.

 

[KarenT]

Hey Shannon,
Sounds like a great trip. I'm curious to know whether it was crowded throughout your whole visit. DD and I will be heading up next week for 3 days for her 12th b-day. I usually avoid this time of year, but this is what she wanted for her b-day. Anyone else have any opinions about the crowds lately?






KarenT

 

[Party Teacher]

Hey Shannon,

So glad you liked the West Coast parks knowing you frequent the East Coast parks so often. We loved our breakfast at Hook's Pointe too...it's definately worth a repeat. Thanks for letting us know what you thought.

Party Teacher

 

[Shannon D]

Hi Planogirl
Yes, we ate in the parks...but we actually let our blue bayou PS slip away (were scheduled for lunch on Friday) ...we were too busy at Cali Adventure to head back to DL.

Basically, we only had a few quick meals in the parks...
Wed. eve, our arrival day, we had 'dinner' at the Gibson girl ice cream shoppe on Main Street...lol.

Thursday we had lunch at Taste Pilots Grill at Cali Adv ...good burgers and the kids enjoyed their unique chicken poppers and fries.
Friday we ended up having lunch at Pizza Oom Mow Wow (the kids) and hubby and I had fish tacos at the Wharf section. All good.
Sat. eve we had a quick McD's burger at burger invasion at Calif Adv.

Hi KarenT
Yes, it was fairly crowded. Much more than I had expected, but we lined up for Fantasyland rides at park opening and did FastPass when we could and really didn't spend much time in any lines.

Have fun!!

 

[BobbiKK]

Shannon--thanks so much for your park report. We will be going out to DL/CA in August and I'm busy reading about everyone's trip. Hope you had fun in Las Vegas. I just came back from there in late April, early May and had an incredible time. So much to see and do there! It was my first visit and I was amazed at how much there is to do there besides gambling!

 

[Planogirl]

too busy at Cali Adventure to head back to DL

Now that sounds very promising!

We have to go to Pizza Oom Mow Wow while we're there, just for the name if nothing else.

Thanks for the info!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your room at DL Hotel also....we booked a suite there for a family trip in Nov....can't wait!!!

 

[tinagirl]

Pizza Oom has a great surf theme (ahh, Frankie and Annette)...and a few hidden mickeys...have a CM spot them for you if you don't see them.


~Tina

 

[Planogirl]

Thank you Tinagirl! My son will be delighted with this news and I love hunting for them myself.

 

[DW mouser]

Shannon, sounds like you enjoyed DL just as much as DW. I was wondering about that as we have been to DW 3 times and would like to plan a vac. to DL sometime. This year we are going to Las Vegas though. I was wondering if there are any web sites like this one for Vegas? Anyone know of any? Thanks!

 

[BobbiKK]

To DW MOUSER: We just came back from Las Vegas in May and had an incredible time! Never realized how much there was to do there besides gambling. We were given a great "TO DO" list from my daughter, whose in-laws live in Las Vegas, so she has gone there often. Here is the list we had:

Bellagio-- every 15 minutes at night, the lights and music "show" in front of the fountain. FREE. (Also goes on every hour in daytime starting at 2 p.m. but its much nicer at night!) They play music (all kinds) and set the water fountains to "dance" to the music. Just great! Also, make sure you go inside to see the ceiling of the lobby and the conservatory. We had lunch in the restaurant right off the conservatory. Food was delicious and atmosphere elegant. Slightly expensive, but what a treat.
We were hoping to run into George Clooney or Julia Roberts, but no such luck!

Caesars- Forum shops-- Animatronic show goes on every hour I think, and there is a really neat circular fish tank (FREE); Motion simulator ride--cinema ride (mild) opened 11a-12mn (not sure of price); Race for Atlantis (Imax and simulator) 10a to 11/12 - $9.50adults/8.50seniors (OK to do once, but too expensive and not that great to do again)

Circus Circus--not a must, but fun. Adventure dome--indoor theme park-- pay for rides only. Flume inside there. Great if you are traveling with small children. Grandkids love it there!

Excalibur-- (FREE) Medieval troupe like Renaissance Faire. Also late at night they have a Merlin and dragon show near the moat, on the hour beginning after dark, but check for exact times; Magic motion machine-- simulator ride (near the arcade), $3.

Flamingo- wildlife habitat (open 9:30 am to 9:30 pm)

Imperial Palace – Car museum FREE with AAA card (we never made it there on this trip)

Luxor—Check out inside and out -- its amazing! Motion Simulator ride: "In Search of the Obelisk" - open 9a-11p $7; IMAX-- $9 - check out what film is showing; Walk through copy of king Tuts tomb- $5 All these were fun, but not absolutely necessary. The lobby alone is worth the trip in to visit.

Mandelay Bay -- Shark reef (cost $13); Supposedly best selection of 5 cent machines and other slots. (I had no luck at the nickel slots here though!)

MGM--lion exhibit (FREE) open 11a-11p

Mirage - Secret gardens of Sigfreid and Roy /dolphin habitat (white tigers are free, garden/dolphins cost $10) See "erupting volcano" outside at night, every 15 min, starting after dark. FREE

NY NY-- Midway games (ski ball, etc) Rides. Great for kids. Check out casino and lobby- great decor! 10a-11p Outside of hotel is amazing. There is also a roller coaster on the top. Didn't go on this one though.

Orleans- Oldies performer nightly.

Paris-- Beautiful inside and out! Ride to top of Eiffel tower- $9ad/7srs. Open 10am-1 am We had a delicious lunch at a crepe cafe.

Rio-- "Masquerade in the sky" (indoors) is a simulated mardi gras parade with floats that hang from the ceiling. Show is 3 or 4 times nightly. You can see it from the casino floor, but seen better from second floor balcony. FREE

Stratosphere-- take elevator to observatory. There are two rides at the top of the hotel--one is a roller coaster (very mild, and very short and I am not a roller coaster person and I loved it) Great view if you keep your eyes open! There is also a free fall ride (can't remember the name of it) but I chickened out for that one.

Treasure island --pirate battle (outside) 10 min. long, starts at 4 p.m. every 90 min through 10 p.m /Fri. and Sat. till 11:30 p.m. Fun show. Is closed during windy nights. We had to get there 30 minutes early for a good spot, but if there are not a lot of people you can squeeze in somewhere at the last minute.

Venetian-- Grand Canal shops-- gondola rides ($$) but go and look even if you don’t go on ride. There is an inside and outside ride. Lines were too long, so we never got on these. Maybe next time.

Have lunch at Stage deli – Caesars or Bally’s. HUGE sandwiches you can probably share!

Elvis O'Rama museum-- 3401 Industrial road , 1 block off strip near Treasure Island (no Mondays) 10a-6p $10ad/$8 Srs.

Ethel M Chocolates (division of M&M) - self guided factory tour, FREE

Fremont Street-- old downtown casinos, and the whole strip is covered with a ceiling and has lights and a light show. Known as the Freemont Street experience-- every hour on the hour after sunset. FREE. This was a really great show. If you stick around for another show, its different than the first one.

Ghost town-- Goodsprings-- 35 miles SW of Las Vegas. Old pioneer saloon-- I15 S. to Jean, turn W. on state hwy 161 for 7 miles to Goodsprings. Never been there but sounds interesting. next trip.

Hoover Dam -- on the way you will pass through Boulder City—there is a great diner that serves excellent hamburgers with very reasonable prices and regular diner food (Happy Days diner) 512 Nevada Highway (also known as Arizona Street). Other lunch option: restaurant at marina on Lake Meade. Hoover Dam: Check out hours at Hoover dam--changed since 9/11. Free outside, $6/5 for tour. Call for hours. But no bags allowed on the tour, not even pocketbooks, cameras, diaper bags, etc. (1 hour time difference since it is in Arizona, so keep that in mind.)

Liberace Museusm-- 1775 East Tropican Ave. (abt. 1 1/2 m E. of strip) open 10a-5p, Sun 1p. $7adults/ $5 seniors SUPPOSED TO BE A MUST SEE, even if you are not a fan. We totally enjoyed seeing all the great costumes and memorabilia. We got in for free, since they were in the process of moving to a building across the street and some things were missing. We also got a personal guided tour by one of the workers! It was fun.

Madame Toussad’s Wax Musesum-- near Venetian and Harrahs open 10a-11p $13.50 Enjoyed this because you were allowed to touch the figures and take pictures with them! Figures looked much better in person than on the pictures that I took though.

Red Rock Canyon- Abt. 20minutes away, then you drive a circle route of 13 miles to see GORGEOUS scenery . Daylight hours only. $5 per car. Directions: Head west on W. Charleston Blvd , which is located between the N. end of strip and Downtown. Take W. Charleston Blvd. for about 16 miles and follow signs to RRC. A MUST SEE! Breathtaking scenery.

GRAND CANYON: We took a plane ride over the grand canyon. Its a small 12 seater plane that flies you to the grand canyon airport, where a bus picks you up and drives you to the west rim, you have lunch, walk around, then drive to the south rim, take more pics, etc. Then head home. Bus picks you up and drops you off at your hotel. Wonderful, wonderful trip and worth every bit of money. ($250 including all taxes, etc). If you've never seen the Grand Canyon then this is the way to see it!

SHOWS: (reasonably priced)
American superstars: $27; In Stratosphere. Check it out if you want. (impersonators)
Legends in Concert-- another impersonator show--best of them all--$35 including tax/tip and 2 drinks. No sunday (shows at 7:30p and 10:30p) We saw this one and it was wonderful! Lots of fun.

Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo-- magician. (he was off on vacation the week I was there)

Cirque de soleil--has two different shows. "O" is supposed to be the best--done underwater. We couldn't get tickets but my daughter and parents have seen it and said its amazing.

Hope these help you enjoy your trip! Bobbi

 

[bekkiz]

Just got back from vegas too, agree with everything on that very inclusive list! Another GREAT GREAT show, Blue Man Group at Luxor...I liked it better than "O" and I really loved "O"!

 

[BobbiKK]

To Bekkiz-- tell me about the blue man show. My sister and I were thinking of seeing it, but the person selling the tickets at the hotel we were staying at couldn't really tell us what EXACTLY it was and so we ended up getting tickets to see Rita Rudner at NY NY instead. (She was really funny, BTW).

 

[Planogirl]

Wow! I've been toying with going to Las Vegas and it sounds even better than I realized. I also heard about the Star Trek experience and it sounds super too. I don't gamble so I thought that DH could a bit while DS and I play.

BobbiK, you mentioned more reasonably priced shows. Do you know what I presume a more expensive show would cost? For example, Siegfried & Roy? By the way, I am a big Rita Rudner fan.

 

[DW mouser]

Thanks to Bobbikk for all the info!
We were at first staying at the Luxor but I changed it to the Treasurer Island because I am taking my 2 grandchildren ages 14 and 10. I thought they'd like the pool better, and my husband didn't want to do the Blue Man Group. We had seen alot on the travel channel. It covered most of the stuff you talked about last winter. That's what made me decide to go. We went 15 years ago and it looked all together different.
The shows we are going to see are, Siefield and Roy, Cirque du Soleil's Mystere, and the Tournment of Kings. We will be there 41/2 days so that's all that I'm planning. We want to see alot of the things you recommended but don't know if we'll have time to venture away from the strip. We have seen the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon but the kids haven't. At first we were going to do the helicopter thing but decided we didn't want to be that rushed. We want to hang out by the pool some too. We are not gamblers.
Thanbks again!

 

[bekkiz]

Bobbi- I sent you a pm!

 

[BobbiKK]

To Planogirl: I hope I understood your question correctly. I am not sure how much the Siegfied and Roy show costs, since they were on vacation while I was there, but I believe they are at least $70. (I could be totally off on this). The Rita Rudner show cost about $40 a ticket, and they assign seats. The theater is really small, and the seats are just folding chairs set on the floor, so try to get a seat on an aisle so you can stick your head out and see better. I know the CIrque show "O" costs about $100 each, and Mystere was slightly less at about $80. We wanted to see Robin Williams, who was there for one night during our stay, but his tickets were sold out (and cost $100). My sister and I were willing to spend that much on a ticket to see Robin Williams had they been available, but that would have been our ONE splurge during our trip. I would also spend the money for a cirque show, since they are all wonderful. But to me, inexpensive is anything under, say, $60. There are several magician shows which I hear are also around the $50 range. The Legends in Concert show was also very reasonable--I can't remember the price, but I believe it was around $25-ish.

to DW MOUSER: If money is no object, and you haven't bought your Cirque tickets yet, you might want to consider taking the grandkids to see "O" instead of Mystere. My daughter says that may enjoy it more. Just a suggestion, since it does cost more money. And right across the street from NY NY is a huge M&M store the kids might enjoy going through. Many of the hotels have either trams or elevated walkways between the hotels, so check that out before you start walking! It will save a lot of time. The city is in the process of building a monorail type system all up and down Las Vegas Blvd with stops at each hotel! This will be so great! And yes, the helicopter trip is a whole day thing, so you need to save that for a longer trip. The kids will love it at Treasure Island. Have a great trip! When are you going?

 

[PattiPB]

If I can help anybody out with trip planning for Vegas, please let me know! I've gotten so much info off of the boards for WDW and DL (AP holders for both) I'd be THRILLED to give a little back!

Feel free to PM.

Patti