My AP-ALOOZA Continues (WE RENEWED!!) ~ NEW TR link posted!

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[JulieODC]

Yay!! So glad you had a great trip!! And, that it started with a really smooth travel day!!

 

[Dugette]

So, did you like the HoJo on your past trips? I've heard it's a good option, so I've had it in mind for whenever we get out there.

That is an early start to your day, but I'm glad Aria went along with it okay.

Only 1 checked bag for all of you? Wow, you are way better at packing than I am!

I love how you rigged the carseat up to the stroller. I am going to have to pull ours out tonight and see if it will do that.

I am so glad your flight went so well and Aria did so great! We don't have any headphones for Izzy...do you have any recommendations? Not sure we'll be able to pick some up before this trip anyway, but can't hurt to ask.

Wow, I'm glad you hadn't gotten too far and were able to get your iPad. That's impressive that they knew who to call about it.

Bummer on the grocery delivery snafu!

Hope Aria gets a good nap in!

 

[Imagineer5]

I'm glad you had such a great travel day, despite the Von's snafu and forgetting your iPad on the plane. At least you hadn't left the airport yet! That could have been a mess! What a relief it must have been that Aria did so well on the plane, especially on such a looooooong flight (well, for a toddler, anyway). I remember all those worries about the long flights and time changes with a toddler! It can be rough having so many changes happen all at once. I hope once you got to the hotel, she was able to get that good nap.

Haha yes there were definitely silver linings there and thankfully my friend Lynda is optimistic and has a great attitude about things, so it made me feel a lot calmer about the issues we faced.

The flight to LA was longer than a flight to Europe! Crazy! It was a long flight - and I forgot to mention the 1 on board movie (Monument Men) didn't work bc their system was down.

joining in

Thank you!!

Yay!! So glad you had a great trip!! And, that it started with a really smooth travel day!!

Yes!! Thanks it was great! And to boot we arrived at Noon and still had the rest of the day!

So, did you like the HoJo on your past trips? I've heard it's a good option, so I've had it in mind for whenever we get out there.

Yes, I have stayed there 4-5 times. Since my last visit they did a huge refurb to the pool. The only downside is the walk to the parks - it is actually pretty far away in comparison to a number of other "good neighbor" hotels and of course even further than the 3 on-site hotels. After walking all day in the parks, that long walk back to the hotel is the biggest thing I remember - and mid-day breaks would also mean all that extra walking.

That is an early start to your day, but I'm glad Aria went along with it okay.

Only 1 checked bag for all of you? Wow, you are way better at packing than I am!

Well, it was actually Aria's and my stuff in there - Lynda had a rolling carry on with all of her clothing...but it was already at 47lbs when I checked it in in Boston - you don't want to guess what it weighed coming home... (VERY awesome to have Lynda's free bag allowance up to 75 lbs...LOL)

I love how you rigged the carseat up to the stroller. I am going to have to pull ours out tonight and see if it will do that.

I am so glad your flight went so well and Aria did so great! We don't have any headphones for Izzy...do you have any recommendations? Not sure we'll be able to pick some up before this trip anyway, but can't hurt to ask.

Wow, I'm glad you hadn't gotten too far and were able to get your iPad. That's impressive that they knew who to call about it.

Bummer on the grocery delivery snafu!

Hope Aria gets a good nap in!

Yeah the car seat worked perfectly there! Glad you spotted it - def worked out great. The headphones I looked up on Amazon but ended up purchasing on a whim at Walmart. I think they are the Kidz Gear wired headphones though and get great reviews. We practiced with them at home and she was pretty good with them overall.

I know! When the call came through I was actually on hold with Vons, but thankfully answered it and was really confused at first - impressive how quickly they called too!

 

[Imagineer5]

I last left off arriving at the Disneyland Hotel – we were the shuttle’s first stop (YAY!) and it was right about noon. Lynda ran up to check in while I took Aria to the bathroom, then we joined Lynda.

My room request had been 1st floor Adventure Tower (in order to have that extra exit) – now at this point it would have been nice if the CM had told us there were NO 1st floor rooms! But alas, he did not. Instead he said that we would have a 2nd floor room and if we wanted Adventure Tower it would be a few hours before the room is ready – when I asked about the 2nd floor room he said it’s really the first floor, just the way the hotel numbers rooms…okay? So we decided to wait for the room (Adventure Tower is closest to Downtown Disney & the parks). While this was going on, Aria spent some time running off some energy in the lobby –

The giant tea cups are so cute

They had a little TV area for the kids but Aria had certainly watched enough for the day!

Then we had to grab out our swimming gear and bring the bags to the bell desk to check them until our room was ready. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to put my Canon SLR in the suitcase and grab the water camera – but alas the water camera was dead so I only had my cell phone to take pics until we got to the room.

This is the area we opened up the suitcase and did a little shuffling in:

Yes, she put her sunglasses on upside down

Oh well… Aria posed with the Mickey & Minnie statues outside while we checked the bags (hard to see them but they are bronze statues)

Then we headed straight for the pool! We made a plan to spend about an hour at the pool (or until Aria seemed like she really needed to nap) and then put her to bed in the stroller and head to Trader Sam’s for drinks and a snack for us! First we checked out the two “regular” pools – the water tasted salty? Then headed up to the “splash” area which had three water slides! A small one which was perfect for Aria, a medium one and the large one. Aria was having SO much fun! We took turns going down the big slides as well.

The depth of the water was perfect for a not-yet-swimming toddler to run around, sit in, crawl in, etc! and to boot, the water was a great temperature. It was about 95 degrees outside this day (our hottest day of the trip) so being in the pool was just perfect.

Around 1 I put aria in a diaper and nothing else (it was hot) and laid her down in the stroller with the muslin blanket over the top to block out sights – within about 15 minutes she fell asleep! It was perfect to get her to PST and worked like a charm! We also decided to head to Trader Sam’s.

If you haven’t heard about it – it is an AMAZING’ly decorated tiki bar with a small food menu and a large delicious drink menu! Haha! We sat outside today because it was very loud inside (they do fun things with the drink orders – there’s a volcano that erupts, thunder claps, etc) so that Aria could sleep. (BTW I just read that they are planning to build one at the Polynesian!! EEK!) We decided to split the chicken lettuce wraps and I started with the Piranha Pool while Lynda tried the Kah-blue-ie

Aria's sleep setup!

Pirahna Pool: Strawberry vodka blended with pineapple juice, cream of coconut, strawberry puree and blue curacao

Ka-blue_ie: light rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice and a splash of blue curacao

We both agreed mine was delicious whereas Lynda’s was so-so. The chicken lettuce wraps however were fantastic and the perfect amount to share – we didn’t want to eat too much since we had dinner plans at Downtown Disney at 5!

Anyway we quickly finished our drinks and ordered more! This time, Lynda decided to order the Pirahna Pool while I tried the Mosquito Mojito: Strawberry rum, organic agave syrup, falernum (I just looked this up bc I didn’t know what it was – it is a sweet syrup used in Caribbean drinks – it contains flavors of almond, ginger, cloves and lime), mint, fresh lime juice topped with soda water. I am not a big mojito fan (don’t like mint) BUT this was delicious as well!

Lynda enjoying her pirahna pool

Aria must have been getting warm

continued in next post...

 

[Imagineer5]

To note – we had called a number the front desk gave with a pin # to check on the status of our room two times! Around this time we called again (it was about 3 at this point) and we were told it would be available shortly. About 2 minutes later I got a text saying the room was ready! So we paid the bill and headed over. Only to finally take a look at the towers and notice that not only are there no balconies but there are also no outside patios or doors? Hmm and yes, we had to take an elevator up to the 2nd floor where our room was. I guess the 1st floor of each tower is just conference rooms. Had I known that, I’d have asked for a higher floor! (and, had I known what we’d later find out about Adventure Tower, I’d have asked for a different tower! Eek) Oh well…we made it to the room and took a few pics and also called bell services to bring our bags up!

Boy, bell services was fast!

You can see Aria's travel potty seat, it was nice to have but not that necessary.

just as we were getting inside, Aria woke up. Her first words were “go home” and she didn’t want to get out of the stroller! Haha! BUT I turned on the fireworks headboard (which played in the music) and she immediately was excited to see that so it perked her right up.

We spent the next bit of time unpacking, setting up the pack n play (there wasn't a crib sheet so I had to call housekeeping for that) and getting organized for dinner & the parks tomorrow! Then we were excited to head back outside to Downtown Disney and eventually dinner. Catal dinner coming up!

 

[Imagineer5]

Since this is also sort of a PTR I wanted to update on a couple things for August!! In a little over a month I can make my FP+ selections!!

I made two dining reservations/changes yesterday! 1 - I added in a breakfast at Chef Mickeys. We are staying at BLT the first 4 nights so IDK why I skipped over that - Aria can now get up and meet the characters by herself which means I can do a character buffet when it's just the two of us! YAY! Her favorites are Mickey, Minnie and Goofy (and Donald & Daisy are creeping up there!) so I'm glad I was able to snag a ressie for it (I tried for dinner but no luck).

Also on our DHS day, I had Mama Melrose planned. I don't remember why I chose it, but I switched that out to Hollywood & Vine.

I have both H&V and CM planned for October as well, so might change those depending on how great they are this trip.

Also I can't remember if I have updated regarding a possible meet up with The Max Rebo & family? They are going the same time as me and we have a tentative plan to meet at the TotWL for fireworks viewing! Also will try to get our Anna & Elsa FP+ at the same time, but I have doubts about that since I'm sure we will just be happy to get any time!

AND a "closet friend" (i.e. from my silly clothing world) lives a few hours away from WDW and will be joining us on Thursday at AK! That is our move day to AKV-Kidani, so we only plan to be at AK for the morning, then lunch at Sanaa and nap in the room then evening at the pool, so I haven't ironed out plans with her and her DD about it.

Ok that's all for now! Hope you enjoyed the last DL update

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like traveling went as well as it could! Glad Aria handle the long plane ride well. Super glad that the van was able to stop and let you go back for your iPad - that must have been a nervous bit before you located it.

Sorry about the issues with the room (those you have stated and those you have foreshadowed ) must say that those headboards really do look cool!

Oh, and the area with the water slides looks super fun! I couldn't quite make it out but were the top slides made to look like monorails? If so that is awesome!

Trader Sam's sounds so great and, like you, I am excited they will have one at the updated Polynesian. They are saying it will be a "Grog grotto" - so will be kinda neat that it is similar, but not the exact same.

Can't believe how close we are getting to our August trips - very excited for the meet-up. Definitely will have to have a back-up if we can't get the same time for Anna & Elsa. Assuming it is hot out (I mean, August in Florida can get a little warm, right?) maybe Casey Jrs or something? I know my kids loved that last time and they cna run around a bit there.

 

[Imagineer5]

sounds like traveling went as well as it could! Glad Aria handle the long plane ride well. Super glad that the van was able to stop and let you go back for your iPad - that must have been a nervous bit before you located it. Sorry about the issues with the room (those you have stated and those you have foreshadowed ) must say that those headboards really do look cool! Oh, and the area with the water slides looks super fun! I couldn't quite make it out but were the top slides made to look like monorails? If so that is awesome! Trader Sam's sounds so great and, like you, I am excited they will have one at the updated Polynesian. They are saying it will be a "Grog grotto" - so will be kinda neat that it is similar, but not the exact same. Can't believe how close we are getting to our August trips - very excited for the meet-up. Definitely will have to have a back-up if we can't get the same time for Anna & Elsa. Assuming it is hot out (I mean, August in Florida can get a little warm, right?) maybe Casey Jrs or something? I know my kids loved that last time and they cna run around a bit there.

Yeah the iPad thing was really nerve wracking. I wished they had just said they could mail it (I offered my cc # lol).

We played the headboards every morning and night. They are similar to the royal rooms...but looks like you will have to go to DL now

Yes! I'm sorry I didn't show the pool area clearly! They are modeled like monorails. The pool area and all the rooms finished a long renovation recently so it all seems brand new.

I haven't done Casey jr (I don't eat meat) but I bet aria would enjoy it! We will figure it out when the fp+ comes closer too

 

[MarbleBob]

Joining in. We stayed at the DLH for the first time last October. It was simply amazing. I'm having fun reading through your TR and seeing it through another perspective.

And Oh. My. Goodness... Trader Sam's is AMAZING! We went twice on our stay and I wish we could have stopped in everyday. DW started with the Piranha Pool and loved it. She never even tried anything else. I tried the HippopotoMai-Tai and a couple Krakatoa Punches. So good! So excited that they'll have a version at the Poly soon

Here's something that you might get a kick out of... I made some 360 panoramic photos from the DLH during our stay. They turned out pretty cool (if I do say so myself).

Tangaroa Terrace
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/tangaroa-terrace/tangaroa-terrace.html

The Pool
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/pool/pool.html

Room
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/room/room.html

Bridge over the Pools
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/bridge/bridge.html

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your DL TR

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yeah the iPad thing was really nerve wracking. I wished they had just said they could mail it (I offered my cc # lol).

We played the headboards every morning and night. They are similar to the royal rooms...but looks like you will have to go to DL now

Yes! I'm sorry I didn't show the pool area clearly! They are modeled like monorails. The pool area and all the rooms finished a long renovation recently so it all seems brand new.

I haven't done Casey jr (I don't eat meat) but I bet aria would enjoy it! We will figure it out when the fp+ comes closer too

Haha - finally the ammunition I need to get a trip out to DL booked

I actually read this a little while ago and was confused by the "I don't eat meat" comment in regards to Casey Jr and I finally realized that you though I meant Casey's the Hot Dog Place, but I actually meant Casey Jr's Splash area near Dumbo

Anyway, we shall figure it out. Can't wait!

 

[Imagineer5]

Joining in. We stayed at the DLH for the first time last October. It was simply amazing. I'm having fun reading through your TR and seeing it through another perspective. And Oh. My. Goodness... Trader Sam's is AMAZING! We went twice on our stay and I wish we could have stopped in everyday. DW started with the Piranha Pool and loved it. She never even tried anything else. I tried the HippopotoMai-Tai and a couple Krakatoa Punches. So good! So excited that they'll have a version at the Poly soon Here's something that you might get a kick out of... I made some 360 panoramic photos from the DLH during our stay. They turned out pretty cool (if I do say so myself). Tangaroa Terrace http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/tangaroa-terrace/tangaroa-terrace.html The Pool http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/pool/pool.html Room http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/room/room.html Bridge over the Pools http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/bridge/bridge.html Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your DL TR

Those 360-degree photos are amazing!!! How cool! Thank you so much for sharing! we absolutely loved the DLH. Before the trip I mentioned wanting to get a 1st floor room so that 1-no elevators and 2- extra exit for aria nap times (though actually she never napped in the room anyway). Other than the little 1/2 floor snafu and later some noise issues we thought it was wonderful. Yes I can't wait for trader SAMs. I just need to talk dh into a contract at the poly villas bc the over water bungalows paired with trader SAMs makes me so excited!! Thanks so much for reading along!

 

[Imagineer5]

Haha - finally the ammunition I need to get a trip out to DL booked I actually read this a little while ago and was confused by the "I don't eat meat" comment in regards to Casey Jr and I finally realized that you though I meant Casey's the Hot Dog Place, but I actually meant Casey Jr's Splash area near Dumbo Anyway, we shall figure it out. Can't wait!

Omg! Too funny!! Too many Casey's in my head right now! There is a Casey jr train at Disneyland (which we waited I think the most time for lol), and caseys is actually on my to do list for wdw because aria loves hot dogs. BUT yes, the splash pad area would be a definite! Sorry about that! Lol

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Joining in. We stayed at the DLH for the first time last October. It was simply amazing. I'm having fun reading through your TR and seeing it through another perspective.

And Oh. My. Goodness... Trader Sam's is AMAZING! We went twice on our stay and I wish we could have stopped in everyday. DW started with the Piranha Pool and loved it. She never even tried anything else. I tried the HippopotoMai-Tai and a couple Krakatoa Punches. So good! So excited that they'll have a version at the Poly soon

Here's something that you might get a kick out of... I made some 360 panoramic photos from the DLH during our stay. They turned out pretty cool (if I do say so myself).

Tangaroa Terrace
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/tangaroa-terrace/tangaroa-terrace.html

The Pool
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/pool/pool.html

Room
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/room/room.html

Bridge over the Pools
http://www.bowlinjar.com/panorama/disneyland-hotel/bridge/bridge.html

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your DL TR

not to hijack the thread (I know, too late) but those panoramas are really, really cool! that slide tower with the monorail slides and the classic Disneyland sign on top is amazing!

 

[MarbleBob]

I just need to talk dh into a contract at the poly villas bc the over water bungalows paired with trader SAMs makes me so excited!!

If you come up with a good argument for convincing your dh, let me know because I'd love to figure out how I can convince dw into it too.

 

[Imagineer5]

If you come up with a good argument for convincing your dh, let me know because I'd love to figure out how I can convince dw into it too.

hahaha yeah! for me it means DH finally getting his darn boat. After that we're golden!

 

[Imagineer5]

No replies so what do I do? Pricing out a super last minute trip. Attempting to convince dh. No clue how as he already shot it down. 3 nights mid week early June for under $1k including food, flights, car and hotel. Already found fp+ for seven dwarves mine train too (main reason I want to go; and it is why I need dh along hahahaha). Soooo want to just book it.

 

[dtr_angel]

Welcome back! We were in WDW the same time you were at DL! For less than $1000 I would totally book that trip I hope you are able to convince your DH! Cannot wait to read your DL adventures!

 

[MarbleBob]

No replies so what do I do? Pricing out a super last minute trip. Attempting to convince dh. No clue how as he already shot it down. 3 nights mid week early June for under $1k including food, flights, car and hotel. Already found fp+ for seven dwarves mine train too (main reason I want to go; and it is why I need dh along hahahaha). Soooo want to just book it.

Fingers crossed that you can convince dh for June. You might confer with TheMaxRebo. His current PTR has the best argument that I've seen in a while. He lists his points, and then

So A + B + C + D + E = we would be foolish and irresponsible NOT to go

 

[Imagineer5]

Ok before I get into any more trouble I should just finish up the 1st day! Still haven’t convinced DH to go, and Lynda doesn’t have any leave to go with me. So either I go with just Aria or by myself or not at all. I don’t want to leave Aria home but want to ride Seven Dwarves so prob will just have to give this idea the boot.

So moving on – we last left off heading out to DTD! Looking back at the Adventure Tower you can see how close we are to DTD – Earl of Sandwich on the left.

We first had to head to guest services to see about exchanging the military tickets for real tickets, so we walked through DTD. That was a fruitless endeavor though as we were told we would get printed tickets directly at the turnstiles on our first day entering the parks…so we turned back around and headed through DTD. Stopped at a neat fountain which marks the start of downtown Disney.

Then since it was right there, we had to head into the World of Disney to get a little Disney fix! Aria was having fun with the stuffed animals.

I almost bought her the overpriced spinning light up toy (thought she would enjoy it during Fantasmic & World of Color) but while waiting in line to pay she threw it down and ran off to look at something else so I took that as a sign not to waste my money!

Shortly after that we headed over to dinner! We had reservations for 5 at Catal, a Spanish/Mediterranean restaurant.

Pretty empty but by the time we left it was full!

Sorry for TMI, but Aria hadn’t gone #2 in two days so she was feeling a bit uncomfortable and the meal ended up with me taking her to the potty 3 or 4 separate times (I’ll spare you the details but thankfully she DID end up going…). Anyway…they had one of my ALL TIME favorite dishes – Tortilla Espanola – on the menu as an appetizer. Tortilla Espanola is what I basically lived off of when I lived in Spain bc I didn’t eat meat. It is a potato/egg/onion dish served with mayo. I ate it daily in Spain and learned to make it with my host family’s grandmother, and still make it time to time at home. the appetizer at Catal took a spin on the tortilla and it was served with a delicious Aioli – and was huge! Lynda wasn’t feeling up to an app but she had a couple of the tortilla “sticks” and enjoyed them as well.

No pic but I ordered Aria a children’s meal which had grapes, chicken, and green beans and she was very happy with her meal! For my main dish I had an artichoke and asparagus risotto which was fantastic! Extremely filling so I took back left overs!

Lynda had a vegetarian pasta dish which she enjoyed and finished off!

For drinks we both had some wine I believe, and we were too full for dessert, although Aria’s meal came with a small kid’s sundae (which was the motivation for going to the potty…haha)! Dinner was a pretty long affair and when we finished up we were all ready to head back to the room. First we stopped at the small sundries shop to get milk and snacks for the morning (since our groceries wouldn’t be arriving until the next day) and then headed up. The night had a girls sleep over feel to it and Aria wanted to be a part of it – so for the first time I can remember she slept in my bed with me after watching a little TV. All but one night of the trip she actually slept in bed with me!

Overnight thankfully Aria slept fine through the whole night, but I know Lynda and I both hardly slept. Our proximity to DTD was actually the biggest issue with the room – bands played loudly until late in the night and then the park’s nighttime shows sounded like they were directly outside our window. At least we were still excited enough to plow through our tiredness the next day – it was a Disneyland day after all!