My Disney Diaries.....pt 1.

[tinksdreamwishes]

Alrighty folks! The dining reservations have been made!
Friday - Minnie and Friends Breakfast- 8:40 am
Friday- Lunch- Counter Service- maybe Whitewater for Nachos- after we ride LM!
Friday- Dinner- Ralph Brennan's Jazz kitchen- 7:30pm

Sat- Breakfast- bagels w/ cc, or a power bar, etc from our room
Sat- Lunch- Carnation Cafe- 11:50 am
Sat- Dinner- Tangaroa Terrace- no resi- counter service

Sun-Breakfast- snacks from the room
Sun- Lunch- New Orleans Cafe- 11:30 am
Sun- Dinner- Rancho Del Zocalo- No resi- CS

Mon- Counter service- maybe Hungry Bear & BBQ Bengal
I forgot to add Thursday!
Thursday- Lunch- Fire and Ice- Garden- walk 1pm
Thursday- Dinner- Rainforest Cafe- 9:30 pm.

I am so excited!

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

Now I am off to the gym and to find me a tanning salon!

 

[6Smiles]

Just got caught up with your PTR. I must be out of it from studying for finals when I read your dining ressies I was thinking isn't it too soon? Time sure flies when your having fun and forget what day it is.

 

[kaoden39]

I have a question for you. Where is Tangaroa Terrace? I have never heard of it.

 

[6Smiles]

I have a question for you. Where is Tangaroa Terrace? I have never heard of it.

Michelle I believe that is the new restaurant opening in the Disneyland Hotel. I remember reading that it used to be there and there putting it back in.

 

[kaoden39]

Michelle I believe that is the new restaurant opening in the Disneyland Hotel. I remember reading that it used to be there and there putting it back in.

Oh that's right I read about that. I think that it is probably Croc Bits N Bites renamed. That is what the counter service pace was in the DLH, one of my favorite places to go when we were staying there a few years ago. Easy access and easy to carry back to your room.

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

Yes it is located in DLH area! I just read that there will be a media event on Thursday June 2nd- at 7:30 pm.... The media parade at 6:30 pm and Little Mermaid Grand Opening at 3:30 pm!!!!! All this time I thought Little Mermaid was opening on June 3rd! Do you think people will be in line waiting for this well before 3? Makes me slightly nervous now. Maybe we should leave at 5 am instead of 6 am. I promised myself I would not stress out about getting on this ride!
Well on another note- I booked our car rental and saved 10%! I rented the car from Wed June 1st- till Tues June 7th. I also picked compact instead of economy- hoping that a slightly bigger car will fit our new stroller!
I had wanted a new stroller for DS3 even though he had one. We first started off with the Chicco carseat/stroller combo when he was born. After a year- I got annoyed with how big that stroller was so we sold it. Then bought a small compact stroller from Trendsport. Pretty crappy. Now we have a 3-wheel stroller from Jeep Liberty. It is so awesome! He can fit much better in it- plus a real foot rest for him! My favorite part is the extra storage! Also it can maneuver in and out of crowds super easy!
I also went tanning last night! I got a pretty good deal at Perfect Tan. I paid $69 for unlimited tanning for the whole month. so that was cheaper then Planet Beach. I feel darker already! And this place is so cool- I don't even have to make an appointment- which is perfect for my crazy life! My tummy is red and itchy- but I have Aloe Vera!
So today I will go tan in the evening and then head off to a Zumba class with my daughter at the gym. But in order to have energy for this I need a nap! Daughter says she has no problem watching DS# as long as I take her tonight! See ya later!

 

[kaoden39]

Cool, I can hardly wait to see the new Little Mermaid ride.

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

I know, right? I wish I could win a contest that lets you ride the new ride 10 times in a row without ever getting off!

A girl can dream!
Well - I ordered my Avon foot goodies! Dangit I forgot the blister balm! but I did get the cooling spray in watermelon, a foot spa thats portable for my room, a soaking treatment that has epsom salt in it and some sort of pariffian mask cream, and a new foot scruber combo. Gosh I almost just spelled every word wrong- LOL Please forgive me.

Did I mention I got an email this morning from Disney Online store? The warehouse was having a 50% off sale... So I just had to look at what was on sale. I should not have since I have no control on my spending. I bought my first ever designer purse! Yep! I splurged and bought the Dooney and Burke bag. I told DH that he bought it for me- and it will be my birthday and Christmas presents for the next year! I am too excited about this purse! I also bought DS3 a few toys- I won't give them to him until we are there- so it will feel like I spent alot of money and I really didn't !!! hehe. Ok off to make dinner!

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

I did Zumba class night with DD11 and it kicked my butt! I can not dance at all! My DD11 however, loves this class and I look and feel like a fool! LOL! not too mention- about 5 min into the class- DD11 is dancing so hard she bumps into the machine behind us that holds peoples water- well needless to say- somebodys cup of water went crashing to the ground! Water was everywhere! I spent the next 15 min running back and forth from the bathroom to grab towels- no teowles- run to the front desk- ask for a mop or a janitor and grab some paper towels. Then run back to the dance room and try not too slip on the water while dancing. UGH! What a nightmare!
Went to tan today! Its coming along nicely! I also found cherries- my fav fruit at the grocery store!
Other then that- today has been slow and boring and tiring. In 3 Thursdays from now- I will be in Disneyland!!! Have a great night- thanks for reading!

 

[6Smiles]

You had a very adventuresome day. Your DD just wanted you to get some exercise besides your zoomba class LOL.

Kris

 

[kaoden39]

Those three Thursdays will pass before you know it!!

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

LOL Kris! I hope so Michelle!
Today I am not going to the tanning salon. My tummy is too burnt- I couldn't even sleep good. I guess thats what I get for trying to look cool!
Tonight is another Zumba class- not sure if we will go or not. I of course do not want to. But if DD reads the calander on the fridge- she will bug me all day. Which will prompt me into bribing her into extra chores and babysitting so I can get a nap!
I am soo bad!
On another note- my motel choice is bothering me. I spent all day researching other walkable motels across the street. None of them interested me. I guess I am bothered because of the Tropicana Rant post. They still have not emailed me to let me know of the change. Alot of people posted they would never stay there due to the bad customer service. I suppose you can't please everyone! If only I had about a billion dollars- I would buy out all those motels on Harbor and rebuild really cool hotels!

 

[DizNee Luver]

LOL Kris! I hope so Michelle!
Today I am not going to the tanning salon. My tummy is too burnt- I couldn't even sleep good. I guess thats what I get for trying to look cool!
Tonight is another Zumba class- not sure if we will go or not. I of course do not want to. But if DD reads the calander on the fridge- she will bug me all day. Which will prompt me into bribing her into extra chores and babysitting so I can get a nap!
I am soo bad!
On another note- my motel choice is bothering me. I spent all day researching other walkable motels across the street. None of them interested me. I guess I am bothered because of the Tropicana Rant post. They still have not emailed me to let me know of the change. Alot of people posted they would never stay there due to the bad customer service. I suppose you can't please everyone! If only I had about a billion dollars- I would buy out all those motels on Harbor and rebuild really cool hotels!

We've stayed at the Trop it was alright......I read that thread too & was disappointed in the lack of customer service!! I know they own the Camelot Hotel as well.......reviews are all over the place for that one.

We stayed at the Carousel Inn & it was nice, but the rooms are small with large furniture in them....hard to move around.....but mgmt is nice!!!

Still love the HoJo......I know it's been getting a bad rap of late, but I've been in communication with the mgr there & he's been bending over backwards to accomidate us.

We've also stayed at the Desert Inn & Suites....lots of rave reviews on the DIS, but other than having the space & walking distance.......ewwww don't have an interest in going back.

Park Vue gets good reviews on the DIS, but one or two off comments are keeping me from trying them (cockroaches!!)
BW Park Place gets ok reviews but haven't tried them yet.

I like trying new places if it's only for a couple nights, but since our trips are usually 6-8 nights.....I want to go where I know what to expect. I was planning on trying out the Residence Inn-Maingate, but after discussing it with hubby...we're concerned about the length of walk. The ART is available (gack!!!) but we'd have 2 strollers to deal with....so that's out. We're gonna book with HoJo's again.....love the big rooms, comfy beds, great little shop, friendly staff, Castaway Cove & the beautiful grounds.

Hope you get your motel situation figured out!! Good Luck!

 

[kaoden39]

The only thing I know for sure is the next time I go I am staying at the Ayre's. Careful with that sunburning. You may look cool but pain is never good.

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

Thanks for the encouragement! i spent a few hours looking into other places to stay at yesturday. I got to be very overwhelming! DH and I were leaning on Hotel Menage again. I love that the pool and spa are open 24 hours! we stayed there before and it was pretty clean. The walk was horrible- DH acted like it wasn't that bad. Too me it was the worst ever- walking up and over the freeway! I am not a runner or even a jogger and I am way too out of shape to do that walk in the morn and afternoon and eve. So then it meant the ART again. And the whole stroller thang. Then I say well if I am going to take the shuttle- I might as well stay where I really want to go- The Sheraton Park. Which was actually really pricey! Then my next choice was the other Sheraton. Still it added up to be more money then the Tropicana. UGH!!! They all want parking fees. And then to fork out more fees for the ART. Except for the last Sheraton- free parking and free shuttle- but it still came out to cost more then the Trop. Man trying to find a good deal is hard! Trying to please me is even harder! And now that I blew so much money this month on dumb stuff- on site is no longer an option. So even with Tropicana's ridiculous parking prices- and charging $9 for the day before and the day after check out- it is still the cheaper route. They seemed so nice on the phone. I will just swallow my pride and stay with what I have. After all- why should I be miserable just so they don't get my business? They are still cheaper. I would really be miserable with ART. Yes, I am still rambling. I just imagine leaving the parks would be because of the crabby, cranky DS3 - and waiting another few minutes for ART to show up and the hassel. UGH! I hate Park Vue- don't ever want to go back- even if they have new carpets. And Desert Inn And Suites- was ok- but I wasn't that impressed. Hojo's was ok- actually it was better then just ok- but I don't want to pay that full price- and my dates aren't avail for the ent rate- also the walk is far. I would prolly get mad at myself every time I walked to the room and past the Tropicana. Camelot looks blah- Carousel- maybe- but they have no spa. Del Sol- no way. BW park place- maybe- but was more money then Tropicana plus they are right next to each other! Isn't this all insane? LOL- ok I will stop.

Well I took two days off from tanning- I feel so much better- and no burn! So prolly go back today. I might even get in a hair color!!
All day yesturday our poor suburban was in the shop- $800 for a new fuel pump and something to do with our sensor. Glad its done though- whew- so i had no car- guess what I did? I cleaned out the entire garage and it really looks cool! I set it up so the kids can hang out there and watch xbox and movies and have room to play. Basically its for me to get them out of the house- so I can have peace and quite! LOL.
Have a great day-

 

[DizNee Luver]

Thanks for the encouragement! i spent a few hours looking into other places to stay at yesturday. I got to be very overwhelming! DH and I were leaning on Hotel Menage again. I love that the pool and spa are open 24 hours! we stayed there before and it was pretty clean. The walk was horrible- DH acted like it wasn't that bad. Too me it was the worst ever- walking up and over the freeway! I am not a runner or even a jogger and I am way too out of shape to do that walk in the morn and afternoon and eve. So then it meant the ART again. And the whole stroller thang. Then I say well if I am going to take the shuttle- I might as well stay where I really want to go- The Sheraton Park. Which was actually really pricey! Then my next choice was the other Sheraton. Still it added up to be more money then the Tropicana. UGH!!! They all want parking fees. And then to fork out more fees for the ART. Except for the last Sheraton- free parking and free shuttle- but it still came out to cost more then the Trop. Man trying to find a good deal is hard! Trying to please me is even harder! And now that I blew so much money this month on dumb stuff- on site is no longer an option. So even with Tropicana's ridiculous parking prices- and charging $9 for the day before and the day after check out- it is still the cheaper route. They seemed so nice on the phone. I will just swallow my pride and stay with what I have. After all- why should I be miserable just so they don't get my business? They are still cheaper. I would really be miserable with ART. Yes, I am still rambling. I just imagine leaving the parks would be because of the crabby, cranky DS3 - and waiting another few minutes for ART to show up and the hassel. UGH! I hate Park Vue- don't ever want to go back- even if they have new carpets. And Desert Inn And Suites- was ok- but I wasn't that impressed. Hojo's was ok- actually it was better then just ok- but I don't want to pay that full price- and my dates aren't avail for the ent rate- also the walk is far. I would prolly get mad at myself every time I walked to the room and past the Tropicana. Camelot looks blah- Carousel- maybe- but they have no spa. Del Sol- no way. BW park place- maybe- but was more money then Tropicana plus they are right next to each other! Isn't this all insane? LOL- ok I will stop.

Well I took two days off from tanning- I feel so much better- and no burn! So prolly go back today. I might even get in a hair color!!
All day yesturday our poor suburban was in the shop- $800 for a new fuel pump and something to do with our sensor. Glad its done though- whew- so i had no car- guess what I did? I cleaned out the entire garage and it really looks cool! I set it up so the kids can hang out there and watch xbox and movies and have room to play. Basically its for me to get them out of the house- so I can have peace and quite! LOL.
Have a great day-

We never found the walk to HoJo bad....but we always stayed on the parkside & crossed at Mimi's.......less foot traffic & no timeshare hawkers!! Also if retro rate isn't available....they still offer 15% off for DISers!!

We went back & forth & looked at every motel across the way & all the reviews.....my eyes were crossing by the time I was done & said.....screw it....going back to where I like & will pay higher prices if need be. Like to know I'll be happy with my choice!!

 

[kaoden39]

If you are going to take the shuttle or the ART how about the Ayre's? They have a special right now if you put STAY into the promotion spot you get a percentage off. It is a good price for a very nice place to stay. It is ranked number 1 on tripadvisor.com.

 

[kaoden39]

Do you go on twitter? If you do Ayre's_Hotel is the Ayre's Hotel rep Shanna and she is a sweetie. She will help you in anyway you need it.

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

Aww thanks Michelle and DizNee Lover! I have been really looking at the Ayres website- everytime I log on Trip Advisor I always see Ayres is #1 so I can't help but to read all the reviews! Someday we will stay there! Just not this year. I really don't want to do ART. Not with this stroller and the baggage hehe. But I did make a slight change to our plans! I read about a tip this morning on the main boards that if you stay on-site you can get 2 fast passes for the new rides! So I went online and checked out prices for just Sunday the 5th- Disneyland website has a calendar that shows prices for each day of the week with the new special offer if booked by May 28th. So it was supposed to say $213 plus tax for Sunday- but when I went to book it- it popped up at $250 plus $42 for tax! So I went to Orbitz and they had PPH with tax for $268. So I had DH call the Disney Hotel number- and they indeed confirmed the fastpass info and got us the $213 rate! So with tax it comes out to $249 plus $15 for parking. Not Bad!
I sent back a dress and a shirt that I didn't like today- so that gives me an extra $90. So its kinda a wash price wise once I get my credit from the clothes. I am also trying to convince DH that we should just drive to DL on Wed night after we get the car. That way we can sleep in on Thurs. I think its working...... LOL. At any rate I get to stay onsite for my last night- which means an extra MM for Sunday! I am really excited now! Like I got a pixiedust magic sent my way! And I know I bashed PPH earlier- but I think for 1 night- I will like it!
My tanning is going good! I found the anti blister cream on Amazon- so I ordered it! I also ordered my toner and foundation from Macy's and I get bonus gifts! Let's see what else did I do.... oh I have been watching Huluplus and we are now caught up with The Office and almost caught up with Desperate Housewives! I also sent out daycare notices to the 2 clients I have- telling them about our vacation and days off we need. To our surprise- the 1 client- who we thought was going to be their last week next week- due to school being over- well the mom says the need us next month too! So thats extra money we weren't counting on! I think everything is going to turn out awesome after all! I am knocking on my wooden desk just so I didn't just jinx my trip!
Goodnight! Talk more later! Thanks for reading!!