Our Magical Mother Daughter Trip - Complete!

[Crazy4Disney72]

I'm loving your TR! I just took a mother/daughter trip to WDW with my 8yr old DD in September and I'm looking forward to many more in years to come! Thanks for all the great pictures!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Jennifer, I am really enjoying your trip report and pictures! We also love the Paradise Pier Hotel and have had that same view before. You and your mom look like sisters!

Oh and you may know this already, but Walt Disney's wife Lillian decorated the Plaza Inn, which isn't hard to believe since it is so beautiful in there. Its our favorite restaurant at Disneyland.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Jennifer03]

Thank you for the suggestions.

I have been on and off Weight Watchers for 23 years. I need to get back to the program

I'm old. I know my body and it hates me. lol

There was another "older" cast member over at DCA that really made DDC's day. She was wearing a Happy Birthday sticker... no problem, they were out of buttons. He commented on it and was off and running (we figured he was on a break? ) we were playing in the ..what's it called... Redwood playground... and he came back about a full 5 minutes later (no people around so we kept swinging on the zipline) and presented both DD's with buttons. DDC was especially happy because he had asked her name and she said, "Cassy" so that's what the button said. I had made her get "Cassidy" on her sticker. So she was pleased.

What a sweet ole guy! He made her day, for sure.

How sweet of that cast member to get the buttons! What a great moment for your daughter.

That is yet another thing I love about DLR - there is no discrimination in who they hire based on age, race, weight, gender, sexual orientation, none of it! You can literally see someone who looks like they are 17 working a ride, and then see a kindly 75-year-old taking tickets at the turnstiles a few feet away. There are all colors, shapes and sizes working in DLR, and I think that is fantastic! Sad to say, but it is not always like that in the 'real world,' even here in open-minded, laid back California!

It's so great how Disney hires everyone and does not discriminate. Just another reason why I too love Disney.

I'm loving your TR! I just took a mother/daughter trip to WDW with my 8yr old DD in September and I'm looking forward to many more in years to come! Thanks for all the great pictures!

I'm sure you had a great time with your daughter! I'd love to take a trip to Disney World with my mom someday.

Jennifer, I am really enjoying your trip report and pictures! We also love the Paradise Pier Hotel and have had that same view before. You and your mom look like sisters!

Oh and you may know this already, but Walt Disney's wife Lillian decorated the Plaza Inn, which isn't hard to believe since it is so beautiful in there. Its our favorite restaurant at Disneyland.

Thanks for sharing!

I'm glad you're enjoying my trip report. I had no idea that Lillian decorated the Plaza Inn, thanks for sharing that info! I think the Plaza Inn became my favorite restaurant as well. It's SO gorgeous in there.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I'm glad you're enjoying my trip report. I had no idea that Lillian decorated the Plaza Inn, thanks for sharing that info! I think the Plaza Inn became my favorite restaurant as well. It's SO gorgeous in there.

Jennifer, I read that in the Birnbaums Guide back in 2003 before my first trip and so I had to try it. I think its the prettiest Disney restaurant in either DL or WDW. Its those neat touches that make Disneyland so special. Another little Walt and Lillian trivia/restaurant thing is that just before DL officially opened in 1955, they had their anniversary party for family and friends inside the Golden Horshoe. I guess Walt was clowning around up on one of the circular balconies. I always enjoy that place too, knowing its been around and enjoyed by Walt. Oh, and he used to enjoy having his coffee at the Riverbelle Terrace in the mornings so he could enjoy the Rivers of America. A castmember told me that a few trips ago. Okay, hopefully that wasn't o.d. on the Walt trivia!

 

[Jennifer03]

Jennifer, I read that in the Birnbaums Guide back in 2003 before my first trip and so I had to try it. I think its the prettiest Disney restaurant in either DL or WDW. Its those neat touches that make Disneyland so special. Another little Walt and Lillian trivia/restaurant thing is that just before DL officially opened in 1955, they had their anniversary party for family and friends inside the Golden Horshoe. I guess Walt was clowning around up on one of the circular balconies. I always enjoy that place too, knowing its been around and enjoyed by Walt. Oh, and he used to enjoy having his coffee at the Riverbelle Terrace in the mornings so he could enjoy the Rivers of America. A castmember told me that a few trips ago. Okay, hopefully that wasn't o.d. on the Walt trivia!

I love hearing Walt Disney trivia, thank you for coming back to share more! I don't think I've even been in the Golden Horshoe, I'll try to remember to go on my next trip.

 

[Jennifer03]

Here are our photopass pictures from Disneyland. We didn’t see too many photographers out in Disneyland for some reason.

Side note: I just realized that I said we watched Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday night. That was actually on Monday night. On Tuesday we watched the election coverage while eating our pretzel rods. Now back to my trip report.

Tuesday, November 5, 2008

I woke up at 6 feeling sad since I knew we were going home that day. When I walked over to the bathroom I saw the check-out envelope had been slipped under the door. What a depressing sight.

While packing our bags I decided to put my dream ears on since I hadn’t before.

Once we were done packing, we dropped some stuff off at the car and headed for Downtown Disney.

I saw this banner on the way:

We took some pictures with the Christmas themed California letters. I’m really glad that were able to see the fall letters as well as the holiday ones.

Year of a Million Dreams banners located in the esplanade:

While walking back towards Downtown Disney, I noticed little Mickey heads on the green part (the part with the lights) around those tall trees.

I saw this little guy in the corner window display of Department 56 and just had to take a picture.

We walked to Compass Books and Café to buy a sandwich to eat for lunch on the way home. They sold sandwiches, but they didn’t take my Disney rewards card. So we tried the Coffee House at the Disneyland hotel, but they didn’t sell sandwiches. Our last try was Whitewater Snacks at the Grand Californian. Luckily, they sold pre-made sandwiches. We bought a turkey sandwich to share later on (which ended up being extremely good).

We walked back to the room to pick up our luggage and then packed it in the car. We made one quick stop at a gas station and then got on I-5 north and headed home.

Now that my trip report is over, I just wanted to say thank you to anyone who was reading along. I had a lot of fun reliving my trip and sharing my pictures with everyone.

 

[Sherry E]

1. That turkey sandwich from Whitewater Snakcs looks great. I have to get one.
2. Did you look further in Dept. 56? First of all, they had an awesome Halloween display in October, but there were more little gumdrop people like the one in the window inside the shop. Some of them were gumdrop birds or fish, too! So cute! I love that store, and I think it is a perfect addition to the DLR.
3. I applaud you for getting all of the California letters in one shot, and it looks like there are no other people in the picture, which is great That is a hard feat to accomplish without getting up in the wee hours or staying around the DCA entrance after midnight.
4. I love those hidden Mickeys that you found in DTD, on the green thing! Finding hidden Mickeys is always a great feeling!
5. Seeing that final bill/check-out notice slipped under one's door at any of the DLR hotels is always very sad, isn't it? Sometimes, in the off-peak season, they will offer an additional night's stay at a REALLY low price in that notice, so it is not always a 'goodbye' letter! Sometimes it is a 'stay one more night' letter. But, more often than not, it is a 'thanks for coming, now get out' letter! And sometimes they don't even slip it under the door, but instead leave it in the hallway outside the door! My friend wondered why I was opening the door at 5:00 a.m. when she was still sleeping, and it was because I was getting the final bill from outside in the hall!!
6. I also noticed very few Photopass people in DL - they were much easier to find in DCA.
7. GREAT Trip Report, Jennifer! Lots of good, detailed pictures of everything anyone could want to see, and lots of info for us. That will be very helpful for people planning their own trips! Yours is one of the best TR's I have read and followed in a while! I can't wait until your next trip so I can follow along on that journey too!!!

 

[travelmel]

Hey that's so cool that you got to see both kinds of letters at DCA! I think that would make a good collage photo frame thing.... maybe a gift for your mom? I love pictures and I give them as gifts all the time to my DDs grandma. Sometimes I do those photo frame things that go on the refridgerator and I decorate them with stickers. It's a whole lot easier than scrapbooking and they're up all year round!

Great TR! What a nice way to spend time with your mom.

 

[wendylady36]

As always, great photos!

What a great trip report. Thank you so much for sharing it. I've really enjoyed the pictures and the details!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Wonderful trip report!! So glad you and your mom had a wonderful trip.

Next trip, try the Golden Horshoe, they have a fun show in there called Bill and the Hillbillies. Its a live show with music and lots of corny humor. The food is all fried for the most part but you don't have to order anything to see the show.

 

[Jennifer03]

1. That turkey sandwich from Whitewater Snakcs looks great. I have to get one.
2. Did you look further in Dept. 56? First of all, they had an awesome Halloween display in October, but there were more little gumdrop people like the one in the window inside the shop. Some of them were gumdrop birds or fish, too! So cute! I love that store, and I think it is a perfect addition to the DLR.
3. I applaud you for getting all of the California letters in one shot, and it looks like there are no other people in the picture, which is great That is a hard feat to accomplish without getting up in the wee hours or staying around the DCA entrance after midnight.
4. I love those hidden Mickeys that you found in DTD, on the green thing! Finding hidden Mickeys is always a great feeling!
5. Seeing that final bill/check-out notice slipped under one's door at any of the DLR hotels is always very sad, isn't it? Sometimes, in the off-peak season, they will offer an additional night's stay at a REALLY low price in that notice, so it is not always a 'goodbye' letter! Sometimes it is a 'stay one more night' letter. But, more often than not, it is a 'thanks for coming, now get out' letter! And sometimes they don't even slip it under the door, but instead leave it in the hallway outside the door! My friend wondered why I was opening the door at 5:00 a.m. when she was still sleeping, and it was because I was getting the final bill from outside in the hall!!
6. I also noticed very few Photopass people in DL - they were much easier to find in DCA.
7. GREAT Trip Report, Jennifer! Lots of good, detailed pictures of everything anyone could want to see, and lots of info for us. That will be very helpful for people planning their own trips! Yours is one of the best TR's I have read and followed in a while! I can't wait until your next trip so I can follow along on that journey too!!!

1. Yes, that sandwich was so good. I even ripped the lettuce leaf up and put it in the sandwich. The strawberries were very fresh as well.

2. I'm kicking myself for not going into Department 56! I almost went in on Tuesday night. It sounds like they have some great stuff. I would have loved to see more gumdrop animals.

3. I was pretty surprised that nobody else was around when we took those pictures. Downtown Disney was usually empty the mornings that we were there as well.

4. I had never noticed those little Mickey heads before. It's amazing the places Disney thinks of to place a hidden Mickey.

5. Wow, I had no idea that sometimes they invite you to stay for one more night! I would love to receive of those letters sometime!

6. I wonder why Disneyland has so few photographers. I was hoping to see one outside of the Haunted Mansion where they add in the ghosts, but nobody was there.

7. Thank you so much! My next trip is in 2009. I'm looking forward to writing another report.

Hey that's so cool that you got to see both kinds of letters at DCA! I think that would make a good collage photo frame thing.... maybe a gift for your mom? I love pictures and I give them as gifts all the time to my DDs grandma. Sometimes I do those photo frame things that go on the refridgerator and I decorate them with stickers. It's a whole lot easier than scrapbooking and they're up all year round!

Great TR! What a nice way to spend time with your mom.

Thank you! We have a great time together.

I like the idea of a collage, that's very creative!

As always, great photos!

What a great trip report. Thank you so much for sharing it. I've really enjoyed the pictures and the details!

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed all of my pictures.

Wonderful trip report!! So glad you and your mom had a wonderful trip.

Next trip, try the Golden Horshoe, they have a fun show in there called Bill and the Hillbillies. Its a live show with music and lots of corny humor. The food is all fried for the most part but you don't have to order anything to see the show.

That show sounds like fun! Thanks for telling me about it.

 

[goofycathy]

I was there the exact same time as you except we stayed for 5 days in the park...I carefully scanned all of your pics to see if me or my family was in any of them, no luck!

Sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed the crowds, I know we did! I also remember the morning that we got up and it was POURING! It was wierd because I got in the shower and by the time I got out it was sunny and the clouds were almost gone!

We're shooting for trying to go the same time this year, keep your fingers crossed!

 

[Jennifer03]

I was there the exact same time as you except we stayed for 5 days in the park...I carefully scanned all of your pics to see if me or my family was in any of them, no luck!

Sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed the crowds, I know we did! I also remember the morning that we got up and it was POURING! It was wierd because I got in the shower and by the time I got out it was sunny and the clouds were almost gone!

We're shooting for trying to go the same time this year, keep your fingers crossed!

That would have been funny if you had ended up in my pictures!

I hope you're able to go again this year.

 

[DIS~n~JAN]

Hey Jennifer.... I'm so glad this post was moved up. It caught my attention cause my mom & I are going next month for her birthday. We are staying at the PPH also. I know this is repeated so many times, but I loved your trip report. Wonderful pics!!! I'm really looking forward to my trip now even more! Thanks so much for sharing, it was a joy to read!

Happy planning for the next trip!

 

[RachelNinja]

Great TR! I read it in one sitting. I'm very interested in DLR now since I've only been to WDW. Loved your pictures because it was all new to me! I too am glad this got bumped up

 

[Jennifer03]

Hey Jennifer.... I'm so glad this post was moved up. It caught my attention cause my mom & I are going next month for her birthday. We are staying at the PPH also. I know this is repeated so many times, but I loved your trip report. Wonderful pics!!! I'm really looking forward to my trip now even more! Thanks so much for sharing, it was a joy to read!

Happy planning for the next trip!

Thanks! I hope you and your mom have a fabulous trip. I'm sure you'll love Paradise Pier, it's a great hotel.

Great TR! I read it in one sitting. I'm very interested in DLR now since I've only been to WDW. Loved your pictures because it was all new to me! I too am glad this got bumped up

Thank you! I hope you'll be able to go to Disneyland someday. Occasionally I read trip reports on the Disney World boards and they've made me more interested in going there, so I know how you feel!