"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair" (DL/So.California TR) LOTS of pics!

After breakfast, January and Maddie took off walking to California Adventure while we went to our van to move it over to the Mickey and Friends parking structure, and we planned to meet up again once we made it into the park.

When we entered the park, they were giving everyone hand stamps which they usually don't do for AP holders. So I was curious and asked why everyone had to have one, and they told me it was because they were thinking the park might reach capacity that day!! :eek: Yikes. That's not good news.

Right off the bat, the two older kids and Ruben took off for Tower of Terror since the line was still low, while I headed over to Bug's Land with the twins to meet up with January.

Now let me just say that I do not do "hot" well. Funny I know coming from someone who lives in Vegas. I checked the temps daily leading up to this trip and it was forecasted to be in the mid to upper 70's. NOT! It was quite warm. (almost 90 I found out later that evening when we watched the news). But nothing I could do about it so I just tried not to think about the temp and just have some fun!

First up was the ladybug ride:
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After that was the train:
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I let the girls run through the water to cool off for a bit, and then we headed off to the carousel.
At that point I called Ruben to see where he and the kids were, and they were over by the Mission tortilla building so we all headed over there to meet up with them. January said she was going to head back to her hotel to give Maddie a rest from the heat and maybe take a nap, so we said good-bye and that we'd meet up later.

Then I took the kids into the tortilla factory so the twins could get their free b-day packs of tortillas. Warm and yummy, especially with butter. Not that any of us was really hungry yet! LOL

I was feeling kind of tired and debated about taking a cue from January and heading to our hotel for a break but decided against it. Instead we headed over to Screamin for Ruben and the kids to ride. I stayed off with the twins and took a few pics while we were waiting:
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After Screamin, they went on the Maliboomer, the Orange Stinger, and they played in that boat area.
I was passing by one of the vending carts and saw that they sold the Tinkerbell Twist. I'd never heard of it before but January said they were good so I thought I'd give it a try. It's like a slushie, and it's a mix of sour apple and sour watermelon. OMG, it is so good. Definitely my new favorite drink! :thumbsup2
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After the kids played in the boat area, I was ready for a break. We decided to go and see Golden Dreams which I'd never seen before. I'd heard less then favorable reviews for it so I'd always shyed away before. But I was ready for some A/C and some shut eye, LOL, so off we went.

As we were heading in to see the show, the High School Musical 2 parade went by and my kids were cringing and grumbling while I was singing along....:cool1: :rotfl:

(What time is it?
Summertime
It's our vacation
What time is it?
Party time
That's right, say it loud)


Such an addicting song. :rotfl2: Anyway, I did not get my much needed nap because come to find out, I actually liked Golden Dreams! Maybe because it was my first time seeing it, but I was awake and interested the whole time. I'm glad we decided to go and see it for ourselves. I will say that not everyone was impressed....the lady behind us was still asleep with her mouth hanging open when the lights came on and people started to file out. :rotfl:

From there we went over to Mulholland Madness. After that it was snack time. And when you are in that area what else can that mean but a corn dog! :banana: These are so good. And huge as you can see:
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After our snack, we made our way to Soarin. Always a favorite of mine and then we went back to Bug's Land so the kids could play in the water and mom and dad could park their butts in the shade for a little bit.

On the way over there, we stopped and got a shake at Sam Andreas Shakes, but I didn't get a pic of that. Darn. Those are really good and you can get different flavors. I am boring and prefer vanilla, but Ruben likes the Date shake.

The kids had fun cooling off in the water on a hot day.
From there we tried to rush over to catch the Aladdin show but we didn't make it in time. Actually Adam and I were in line but they wouldn't let Ruben and the girls through to join us. They said it was full and when I told the CM I still had members of my party waiting to get in line, she said I could leave if I wanted.

I thought that was pretty rude, but since I wasn't about to watch the show without them, Adam and I left the line. No sooner did we do that then a different CM started letting more people in. So much for being full. Oh well, we've seen it many times and while it's another favorite of mine, I knew we could see it another time.

We walked over to Monsters Inc which was closed. That ride seems to close A LOT. Not sure why. :confused3 So instead we went to see Turtle Talk with Crush. The kids love that and Noelle got to ask Crush if he can speak whale like Dory can.

From there it was over to the Drawn to Animation where they were teaching how to draw Donald. Noelle loves art and this is always one of her favorite things to do.

Coming up.....Pixar Play parade, Disneyland and Fantasmic.
 
Whew! Long day. Either that, or I talk too much. LOL :rolleyes1 In any case, I decided to break it up into another post.

After the drawing, we watched the parade. It was the kids and my first time seeing it and I thought it was very cute! (Ruben had seen it once before)

A few pics:

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As soon as the parade was over, we headed across the way into Disneyland. I love Fantasmic and one tradition I have is at least once each trip, I'll bring in blankets and we'll find a spot nice and close in front of the Rivers of America to sit and wait for the show. I usually get there around 6:00 for the 9:00 show, which might seem nuts to some, but I like it.

I like to take that break and just sit there and soak up being in the park, I like people watching, and we'll usually eat our dinner then as well. There were already several others waiting but we got a great spot right behind a couple who were up next to the railing.

Ruben went to get some dinner for the kids which was chicken strips and fries from Hungry Bear restaurant, and I had the vegetarian gumbo from Royal Street Veranda. It was good and I especially love the bread! :love:
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At one point I took the girls over to the restroom in New Orleans Square and we ran into January and Maddie in there! Talk about a small world. They were about to go eat dinner and I asked her if she wanted to join us as we had lots of room on the blankets, but she said Maddie was scared of Fantasmic (it can be scary for a small child).

Time always passes quickly for me when I'm waiting for that show and soon it was time to start. :hyper: I love that show!! I don't have any pics of it though as my camera doesn't like to do night shots very well. Too bad. But I know it's on youtube and when I need my Fantasmic fix in between DL visits, I can head over there. :thumbsup2

Just a side note about Fantasmic that bugs me is when people come in 30 minutes before the show starts and try to squeeze into any available space they can, despite the fact that others have been waiting for hours. That happened to us that night.

A man and his two kids came and sat in the itty bitty, teeny, tiny space we'd left between our blanket and that of the couple in front of us. OMG, I could not believe the nerve! It didn't crowd us too much because we had a lot of room on our blankets, but now the couple in front of us, who'd been there even longer then we had, was squished between this family and the railing in front of them. I felt so bad for them, and you could tell they were really angry.

To make matters worse, one of the kids kept getting on their blanket and hitting the lady in the back everytime he moved. She asked him several times to please back up, but he never did and the dad didn't do a darn thing.
Then it got worse! Just before the show started, the mom and another kid showed up! So a spot that was already WAY TOO TINY for one person let alone three, now had FIVE people trying to cram into it. WTH???

I was mad. Not so much for myself, I was fine, but for the poor couple in front of us. They handled it much better then I would have if I were them. :mad: Seriously, you know the drill. You know how crowded Fantasmic is and what the seating/viewing is like. You see people waiting there early. Either get a spot early on, or stand up in the back! Do not come in right before the show and practically sit on someone else. That's so rude. Okay, sorry, rant over. It's just my little pet peeve. :rolleyes1

Once the show was over, I was so tired and ready to go to the hotel, but the kids wanted to ride Matterhorn, so we headed that direction. On the way there we ran into January and Maddie again on Main Street. They were on their way out.

The kids rode Matterhorn and then it was time to go. I was beat! It had been a long day, and the heat and crowds can really drain you. I was ready for bed. :faint:

Up next.....our "usual" hotel.
 
Yay another post! I'm totally missing Disneyland now! I actually went and started checking airfares after I read your update. :rotfl:

All that food looks SO yummy!

You have a beautiful family. It looks like you had a great time so far. I totally feel you on your rant, I'm the same way, some people have no manners. Can't wait to read more! :goodvibes
 
Sounds like you had fun. We have never seen the Pixar Parade I hope it is running in September because I think I would enjoy it. That's awful about what happened during Fantasmic. People amaze me. We have had that happen to us and our kids couldn't see. Thankfully DH is tall so he video taped it all so we were able to watch it again at home without the view being blocked.
 

Yay another post! I'm totally missing Disneyland now! I actually went and started checking airfares after I read your update. :rotfl:

All that food looks SO yummy!

You have a beautiful family. It looks like you had a great time so far. I totally feel you on your rant, I'm the same way, some people have no manners. Can't wait to read more! :goodvibes

Find any good airfare deals?? :yay: I know what you mean about missing it. Heck, we were just there, and I'm missing it already. I'm already looking forward to October when our next trip is.
What is it about that place that is so addicting?!?!?! :rotfl:

Thanks for the compliment on my family. :goodvibes We were having fun.
 
Sounds like you had fun. We have never seen the Pixar Parade I hope it is running in September because I think I would enjoy it. That's awful about what happened during Fantasmic. People amaze me. We have had that happen to us and our kids couldn't see. Thankfully DH is tall so he video taped it all so we were able to watch it again at home without the view being blocked.

The parade is totally cute. I don't know if they do this on cooler days, but you get wet during that parade! And not just a few drops either. Some people really got it, so be careful if you are taking pics that your camera doesn't get wet.

I'm so sorry that happened to your kids. :mad: I'd have been really ticked off if they'd blocked my kids view. It doesn't happen all the time, but I've seen it happen enough to know it's a problem. I guess there are rude people everywhere, even the Happiest Place on Earth. They need to be knocked over the head with some pixie dust. In a friendly way of course....:rolleyes1 ;)
 
I just thought I'd take a break from the TR to show you where we usually stay when we go to Disneyland. It's NOT next to DL, so if you must be within walking distance of the parks, this isn't a good option for you. (although they do offer a shuttle)

It's the Radisson Suites Buena Park. It's just down the street from Knott's Berry Farm, and literally right next door to Medieval Times. The property is really nice and it's only about a 12 minute drive from DL, and it's freeway close.

They have a nice pool, and all the rooms are suites with 2 beds and a sofa sleeper. When you first walk in the room, there is a living room type area with tv, table, chairs, sofa, wet bar, fridge, micro, etc.
Then you go into a little hallway area, where the bathroom is located. From there the hallway opens into a bedroom with another tv, dresser, and 2 beds.

The nightly rates are reasonable especially if you have AAA. I've always paid between $89 and $125 a night depending on the time of year. The parking is free and there is a hotel shuttle to DL and all the surrounding areas.

I took some pics to share, but I didn't get as many as I wanted so I pulled some from the tripadvisor website as well.

The doors to the room, the tv, and part of the table and chairs in the living room area:
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Some shots of the bedroom area:
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More of the living room area including sofa sleeper:
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Wet bar, fridge, and microwave:
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Pool area:
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They also have a restaurant on-site that serves a free breakfast buffet in the morning. A huge savings for my family of 6. We eat a large breakfast and then aren't as hungry in the parks right away so it saves money there too.
This is some of what they offer. They also have muffins, oatmeal, cereal, and sometimes pancakes or french toast.
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This was our view from our room. You can see Medieval Times, and they have a horse corral out front and my girls are huge horse fans and were thrilled to see a horse out there one morning. Also real close by are the Movieland Wax Museum and right on the other side of the hotel is the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. It's an excellent location for someone who's doing many things and not just Disney.
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Here is the hotel's website with more pics on it, if anyone is interested in learning more: http://www.radisson.com/buenaparkca

I don't work for the hotel, or know anyone who does. It's just really hard to find nice, clean, affordable, friendly places for a family of 6 and when I found this place I was thrilled and thought I'd finally share the info. :)
 
You're killing me with all the food pictures! My tummy always starts growling when I look at them! Make me want to drive to Disneyland just to eat. The breakfast at the Radisson Suites Buena Park looks yummy too! I love breakfast foods. The hotel looks really nice. How exciting that you got to see a horse outside your window!

...I need to go in search of food now!
 
You're killing me with all the food pictures! My tummy always starts growling when I look at them! Make me want to drive to Disneyland just to eat. The breakfast at the Radisson Suites Buena Park looks yummy too! I love breakfast foods. The hotel looks really nice. How exciting that you got to see a horse outside your window!

...I need to go in search of food now!
:rotfl: Just wait, there's more food to come!! This was the first trip I've ever taken pics of my food, and like I said, once I got over the initial awkwardness of taking food photos, I couldn't stop. :rotfl2:
I love looking at pics of food on the DL dining thread so I thought I'd contribute some, even though mine are mainly of snack foods.



Not sure when I'll get started on Day 3. We are surprising our kids and taking them to the circus tonight. :clown: popcorn::
 
Great update, Beth!
The pics from Lilo and Stitch came out great! I really liked the pineapple scones. They tasted even better when I added the pineapple preserves.::yes:: I am looking forward to eating there again. My favorite character meal of the trip.

Your kids are so awesome! They are seriously the best behaved kids I have seen in a looong time (and I work at an elementary school:rolleyes1 )...just sayin, you must be doing something right!:thumbsup2

Maddie is so cute! She saw your kids on the computer screen and was so excited! She was saying "look at my friends mom!" I hope we can arrange a time for our families to go at the same time again. Maddie really liked your family...and so did I!:hug:

You evil, evil woman! That corn dog looks sooooo good!! You're killing me here!:rotfl: I just joined WW on Monday!

The Radisson looks wonderful! The room, the FREE food, and the pool...I may have to look into this place next time we drive down.

Thanks for sharing, Beth! I am looking forward to your next update!popcorn::
 
Not sure when I'll get started on Day 3. We are surprising our kids and taking them to the circus tonight. :clown: popcorn::

That's so exciting! I don't know if I ever went to the circus growing up either. I don't think I did. I do remember the train coming through our town every year though. I live down the street from the train tracks and we would always get stopped by it. I always thought of Dumbo when I saw it.

Hope you all have fun!
 
Movieland Wax Museum went out of business years ago.

Actually, that picture isn't old. It's one of the pics I took. That is literally the exact view from our sliding doorway in the bedroom. I never even paid attention to see if the museum was still open, so I'm sure you're right on that, but the signage is all still there.

I took that pic, the one below it with the horse walking in the parking lot, the one with the sofa sleeper opened up, and the wet bar one, all on our last day there, (June 10) in the morning before we checked out.

Oh, and the one of the breakfast plate is my pic too. LOL

ETA: I just called the hotel and they confirmed that the museum has been closed for 2 years, but the sign is still there. :)
 
Great update, Beth!
The pics from Lilo and Stitch came out great! I really liked the pineapple scones. They tasted even better when I added the pineapple preserves.::yes:: I am looking forward to eating there again. My favorite character meal of the trip.

Your kids are so awesome! They are seriously the best behaved kids I have seen in a looong time (and I work at an elementary school:rolleyes1 )...just sayin, you must be doing something right!:thumbsup2

Maddie is so cute! She saw your kids on the computer screen and was so excited! She was saying "look at my friends mom!" I hope we can arrange a time for our families to go at the same time again. Maddie really liked your family...and so did I!:hug:

You evil, evil woman! That corn dog looks sooooo good!! You're killing me here!:rotfl: I just joined WW on Monday!

The Radisson looks wonderful! The room, the FREE food, and the pool...I may have to look into this place next time we drive down.

Thanks for sharing, Beth! I am looking forward to your next update!popcorn::
Thanks! And that's so cute about Maddie! She's such a sweetie and I really hope at some point we can all meet up again. I'll tellin ya, you gotta get there in October. LOL And as for my kids being well behaved, clearly you need to spend more time with us. :rotfl2:

Good luck with WW. I know how hard it is to lose weight. I'm working on that myself right now. This trip we splurged, but now that we are back home it's fruit and vege time again. :rolleyes:
 
That's so exciting! I don't know if I ever went to the circus growing up either. I don't think I did. I do remember the train coming through our town every year though. I live down the street from the train tracks and we would always get stopped by it. I always thought of Dumbo when I saw it.

Hope you all have fun!

Have fun at the circus.

Thanks guys! :goodvibes We are just starting to get ready now and I was killing some time so I thought I'd check in here. If we take any pics tonight, maybe I'll post some here.

See ya later!
 
I'm caught up on your TR now and ready for more! Enjoy the circus, but don't let the clowns get you:clown: So scarey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I'm really enjoying your TR Beth. :yay:

Your kids are too cute :goodvibes I cant wait for the rest. popcorn::
 
Beth, I am loving the trip report and all of the pictures!!!:yay:

I love the pics of the parade with the Incredibles, Bugs Life, etc. I have always thought Jonathan would love DL just for that.

We did the character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at Ohana (seems a lot like the one you did at DL) and that is our favorite!!

January, I cannot belive how big Maddie is!!!! She is a beautiful girl. :goodvibes

I had to add I have to try that Tinkerbell Twist, it sounds yummy!!!
 
I'm caught up on your TR now and ready for more! Enjoy the circus, but don't let the clowns get you:clown: So scarey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading! The clowns were fun, cute clowns so no worries there. ;)



I'm really enjoying your TR Beth. :yay:

Your kids are too cute :goodvibes I cant wait for the rest. popcorn::
Hey Bridget! Good to see you here. Thanks for reading, and for the compliment on the kids. :)



Beth, I am loving the trip report and all of the pictures!!!:yay:

I love the pics of the parade with the Incredibles, Bugs Life, etc. I have always thought Jonathan would love DL just for that.

We did the character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at Ohana (seems a lot like the one you did at DL) and that is our favorite!!

January, I cannot belive how big Maddie is!!!! She is a beautiful girl. :goodvibes

I had to add I have to try that Tinkerbell Twist, it sounds yummy!!!
Hey Jenna. I'm glad you're still reading. I was wondering if I was boring people! LOL

The parade was super cute, and if Jonathon is a Pixar movie fan, he'd love it. Maybe one day you guys will make it out here. If you do, Tinkerbell Twists are on me. :thumbsup2
 





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