Our nine day trip to the Left Coast, with five of them at DL, a first for WDW Vets

[RweTHEREyet]

I first posted this trip report elsewhere, so if you read other Disney discussion boards, you may have come across this already. Since not all DL fans visit that other site, I thought I would also post this here. I have made a few changes and am adding lots more pics, but a lot of it will be the same. However, if you are like me, you could read half way through and then figure out you have read it before.

To bring you up to speed as to who the players are:

Me~~Disney World visitor since 1972 who has always dreamed of visiting the original Park and home to the Mouse that started it all.

DH~~became a Disney lover when I took him on his first trip not along after we married in 1980.

DS and DIL~~married here at home in April of this year and then they hopped in a car and drove cross country to their new home, Orange County, CA, about 30 minutes from Disneyland. They are the reason, well, excuse, for this trip.

Disclaimer~~We went to Orange County, Ca, in January for 4 days, but it was during the deluge, and then I got really sick, so we don't even count that trip. Most things were closed the day we spent in DL and we didn't get a true feeling for DL, CA or the VGC. This trip would be a lot different.

So, in true Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Jiminy Cricket fashion (three of my favorite characters), let's 'Wish upon a star" and take that 'second star to the right, and straight on till morning...'



We left Raleigh the afternoon of Friday, May 21 on Southwest. The trip would be 5 days at Disneyland and two weekends with our newly married son and his new bride. The flight out was delayed as we waited on some connecting LAX passengers to board as this was their last chance for a flight out that night. This then caused us to have a grand total of about 15 minutes total in our connecting airport, Phoenix. We ran thru the airport to arrive at our gate just in time board our next flight, no potty breaks, and nothing to eat or drink. We lucked out and had a window and aisle seat on both flights with no one in the middle :highfive: It still made for a long, long day from the East Coast to the West, especially after working half the day. I have to say that during these long flights from the East Coast, it is the first time that this Pooh sized person has wished for additional padding on my seat to make the flights more comfortable

View out the window as we approached Phoenix:

We arrived at LAX, collected our bags (what a surprise that they made it considering we were only on the ground in Phoenix for a total of 15-20 minutes, thank you Southwest) and then headed out to catch the DL Express--the instructions said to head out to the median and stand under the green sign. Man was it chilly, the sun had gone down and it was breezy, more like Fall back home in North Carolina. Our son was driving home from San Diego that day and would not be able to make it to LAX in time to pick us up, so we decided to catch the DL Express to the DL hotel and they would pick us up there. And, truth be told, I believe he is a bit intimidated with the LAX airport and didn't really wish to have to negotiate it to pick us up.

We kept an eye out for the DL Express, had the $5.00 off pp coupon that would give us a great one-way rate. While waiting, I spotted the Super Shuttle and walked over and asked what their fare was, and it was actually $1.00 less than the discounted DL Express one-way fare would have been. So, we chose to go with Super Shuttle since it was getting ready to leave. Only 5 of us total on the ride and the driver said the DL Hotel would be the first stop, sounded good to us. What we didn't know is that there would be several stops at the various terminals of this huge LAX airport before we headed out, but that would have been the case with the DL Express, too. We actually followed the DL Express for a few stops, so it appears we had just missed it at our stop, and while I was sorry we were not on the very attractive blue DL Express, I think we made the right decision on transportation for this particular trip.

Uneventful drive, considering California traffic and all, which is not for the timid and faint of heart. We arrived at the DL hotel and paid our driver, which seemed to take some time, could be I was just ready to get on with it and make our connection with the kids who were picking us up at the hotel. We went into the DL Hotel and sort of expected to find them waiting for us, but they were no where to be found, so we called and found out they were walking thru DTD and almost to the hotel.

DL Hotel lobby shots:

Hugs all around and then we figured out we were really hungry as our last meal was around noon our time and it was now about 2:00 a.m. our time. We thought it would be better to get something here rather than making another stop once we got on the road. See, we aren't quite ready to check in to our hotel as we will be spending the weekend with "the kids." We checked with Bell Services was very happy to hang on to our bags for us, even though we were not staying there, which I thought was a nice touch of magic for us. DS said that DTD was pretty busy, so we decided that Crocs Bits n Bites would be about the fastest option, so chicken strips for us it was, and then we were off to Rancho Santa Margarita to see our Grandpuppy and to get some much needed sleep.

Day 2 of Trip (Saturday)

I won't bore you with the details, but the next day (Saturday) was spent at Ikea, having our first In 'n Out Burger and catching up with the the kids. In 'n Out was as good a burger as every one says, but fries were not crispy, probably because we got everything to go, but crispy is a big thing with me. Will definitely go for In 'n Out again. Dinner for 4, not including drinks, was less than $15.50.

Tomorrow: buying annual passes, DL, Sweet Sundays and California Adventure.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Day 3 of Trip, Day 1 at DL (Sunday)


Sunday morning found us packing up (you will find this to be a recurring theme) and heading to DL. I had purchased four tickets for us to attend the last Sweet Sundays event at Food and Wine. The session was being put on by two ladies that own a bakery in San Diego called Sweet Cheeks, that specializes in using healthy ingredients in their baked goods, and it sounded like something I would enjoy learning more about.

All 5 of us started out early, yep 5 of us, because the grandpuppy was going to the DL kennel for the day so that we could all stay at the Parks as long as we wanted without worrying about her being home alone for so long. We left Rancho Santa Margarita early because we had lots to do before getting to the Sweet Sundays session at 10:30, and we weren't too sure just how long the drive would take. Remember, son hasn't lived out here that long and isn't totally sure about the traffic here yet. Being a Saturday, traffic ended up not being too bad and we made it in about 20-25 minutes.

Our first stop was the Grand Californian so that DH and I could get checked in to the Villas. We stopped at the Front Desk, got our keys, room was not ready, as we had expected, and then we headed on to the kennel to get Gizzie checked into her villa for the day. We had been told we could bring Gizzie into the lobby of the Grand Californian as long as we were just passing thru, so we did just that and then on thru DTD, and stopped at the entrance of DL for a quick photo.

Then we went on to the kennel and got her all checked in.

Then we proceeded to the ticket booths, where we had no wait to get to an available window. We had two Get a Day vouchers to trade in and also knew we would get the $20 DVC discount on two of the passes. At the first window, we were able to get the GAD vouchers traded in for a one-day ticket, and then for "privacy purposes" we had to move to the next window to get our AP vouchers. I didn't really understand the privacy bit, but we did what we were told and stepped over to the next window. At the second window we traded in the two one-day tickets for two Premium Annual Pass vouchers and purchased two additional PAP voucher's for my son and new DIL. We were given the $20 DVC discount on all four tickets and were not asked about addresses. Mind you, I never asked for the DVC discount on all four, she just rang it up and put it on all four and told me how much I owed. I am not even sure she asked to see our DVC membership cards. I have to say I have wondered on more than one occasion why the DVC discount is not the same $100 for an AP at DL that it is in WDW. After all, the cost of a DL AP is about the same as at WDW, and with only two Parks, you would think discount would be just as good, if not better. Doesn't seem right.

Once we got the AP paper tickets, we had to take them into DL to the AP processing center at the end of Main Street for pictures and final processing. Even though we were fairly early, we waited in line about a 20 minute line before we could have our pictures taken and receive our new PAP's, which are a plastic credit card style, unlike the paper ones at WDW. However, we have also learned that if you lose your DL AP, you will pay $20 to have a new one re-issued, instead of free like at WDW. The difference must be having a plastic card with your picture on it rather than the paper ticket that WDW gives you.

For those of you more familiar with WDW, rather than insert your ticket into the slot and scanning your finger to go thru the entrance turnstiles, at DL they simply scan your ticket with a hand-held scanner. And every time they scan your ticket, it makes a sound like Tinkerbell's pixie dust , which is so cool. They do have the slots to put your tickets in like WDW does, they just don't use them. You would think that WDW and DL would use the same technology for ticket processing, but they don't.

Once we were done at the AP processing center, we took a quick ride on Indiana Jones, which is just around the corner from the AP processing center, took a few pictures along the way and then made our way over to California Adventure for our Sweet Sundays session.

My crew stopping to take in all the sites new to them. This is in the esplanade between DL and California Adventure. How to cool to "walk" from one Disney park to another--sure can't experience that at WDW without the help of a bus or monorail. Well, I guess you could walk from DHS to EPCOT, but it isn't something I would choose to do.

Had my only "un-Disney like" experience with a CM at the turnstiles. I told her we were there for Sweet Sundays and needed to find our way to Stage 19, I think. She just looked at me and I told her I didn't know where it was. Her response, and the only other words she uttered, "I don't either." No suggestion as to who to ask or a point in the best direction to get an answer, just "I don't either." Kind of made me want to ask her if she got her training at Universal Studios.

Once we passed thru the turnstiles and found a more helpful CM, we made our way back to the area where Monsters is and found where the event was being held. They had us sign a model release because they would be filming some promotional footage. And then the first snafu of the trip happened, they could not find us on the list and told us just to get in line and they would seat us. Everyone else was given a table assignment. We got to the front of the line, and the CM wanted to see our confirmation, which I was so glad I had with me, then they turned us over to a Manager type. He took my confirmation and disappeared for what seemed forever.

In the meantime, everyone else had been seated and was helping themselves to the "light" breakfast that was included. We could only stand there and watch everyone filling their plates. The light breakfast included quiche, sausage, bacon, fruit, sweet rolls, coffee, tea, juice, and they served the two Disney sparkling wines, Magicale and the other one, can't remember the name. They continually poured the sparkling wines whenever your glass was empty. Seems there was more food on the buffet, but I can only recall what was on my plate.

Anyway, we waited and waited for the Mgr. to return, and he finally came back and said that yes, we were in the system and could not understand why we were not on the roster. He seemed surprised that my confirmation was valid, which kind of annoyed me. They tried to split up the four of us between two tables and eventually put us all at one table because I think there were some no-shows. We got an apology for the delay, but that was it. I didn't expect anything more, but we really did feel uncomfortable standing off to the side while everyone else was enjoying the event. We also got a few looks from the Guests that were already seated and eating, almost made us feel like we were trying to crash the party.

Shot of the table and our favorite dessert of the three presented, Presidential Pecan Diamonds, a recipe from the White House:

The seminar/demonstration started and we enjoyed the two ladies from Sweet Cheeks Bakery. They prepared three different items, and we were able to sample all three when they were completed. Surprisingly, none of them were really made what I considered healthier ingredients, just the same kind of stuff that I have in my kitchen. The two bakers were very entertaining and we enjoyed their demonstration, their humor and their recipes. The light breakfast was very good, and the setting for the show was delightful, sorry I didn't get many pictures, but with being held to the side, we were rushed to eat and then the demo started right away.

Food and Wine at DL is so very different than at WDW. The main focus, seems to be wine, and California law prohibits them from setting up the food tents like we are used to at WDW. Each counter service location has one special/additional food item, and then they offer about 7-8 food items in the area where we had our Sweet Sundays seminar. But, if you didn't know about the food items back in Stage 19, you might not make the trip back to that area to sample. We never went back to try anything during our wekk-long stay. They also have wine walks, where you can sample various wines in an enclosed area after paying a fee, showing ID and obtaining a wristband. There is no strolling along, eating, drinking, seeing the sights, eating some more and so forth that we enjoy so much at WDW. On the positive side, there were no lines to stand in to get any of the food.

After having done the Sweet Sundays this time, at $70 per person, I can say that I would not pay to do it again. I also would not make a special trip to DL for their Food and Wine festival, as this is one thing that WDW definitely does far superior to DL. If Food and Wine coincided with the time I had a trip planned, that would be an added bonus, but it is nothing to get excited about, imho. Maybe if I had never experienced the one at WDW, I might feel differently, but I have several times and therefore was not impressed with the one at DL. Not sure what they could do differently, but they need to beef it up some. At WDW, you definitely know that Food and Wine is going on, at DL, except for the signs all over the place and the "wine walks" and one large tent for demonstrations at the front of the park, you would never know it was happening. The one Food and Wine merchandise area that I saw is where we attended Sweet Sundays, and it was very small. I may have missed others, but I am usually good at finding any shopping opportunities.

I am not trying to insult the Food and Wine at DL, just to give my comparison since I have attended the event on both coasts now. The one thing I would be interested in doing next year, when we are there in May would be the cooking session at Napa Rose. I do think that would be a lot of fun, but you really have to have some deep pockets to attend that event.

If you are reading, leave me some love so I will know if I need to keep going or if you guys are falling asleep at the computer.

Next up: More of CA and a Room with a View

 

[RweTHEREyet]

DL, Day 1 continued

Once Sweet Sundays was over we did Monsters, Inc., dark ride, done very well, one of the cutest dark rides at the DL resort, in my opinion~~

And Animation, which is so different from from WDW's Animation. DL has WDW beat on this one. I loved the lobby area and the films that are highlighted on the 360 deg screens. Sorcerers' Workshop is really cool with a lot of fabulous special effects and fun interactive things to do.

one of my fav's:

the exit wall:

And then we went on to see Aladdin at the Hyperion.

I was lucky enough to have someone share preferred seating tickets for Aladdin with me, and we got some of the best seats in the house. I really did not know what a treat we were in for. This show is fabulous. My first favorite has always been Hunchback at WDW (now closed), and I put Aladdin right up there with it. The Genie improv was so fun and the surprise effects were just amazing. I would encourage everyone to see this show, and I would definitely get in line early, early, early. Right now it is only showing on on Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun.

We strolled around the rest of California Adventure , Screamin wasn't runnning at that time (not like I would have ridden anyway :holymoly . We then decided to go find out where the room was located--we had received a text message with the room no. earlier that afternoon. The kids went to check on Gizzie and give her a walk. The caretakers there can do nothing but stay with them. They can't walk them, feed them or anything, so you have to go do it yourself--not a bad thing--just the way it is.

DH and I decided to go get settled in the room. The entrance to the Villas at the Grand Californian is not overly impressive. You walk thru the doors, elevators are to the right, and there is a sideboard, pictures, etc. on the left. Very similar to the entryway from the Contemporary to BLT, nice enough but nothing special.

Up the elevator we go to our one-bedroom, #4502, which is just off the elevator, very convenient. We open the door and here is our view~~

The room was beautiful, nothing wrong, nothing needed repair, and the view was spectacular. I was in love. Too bad we don't have villas just like this at WDW. I have stayed in all, but Vero Beach, and I think that VGC is the nicest of all. It follows along the lines of BLT in that you have the huge picture window in the living area and the balcony is off the bedrooms. We never heard our neighbors at all during our two night stay. We did hear noise from the Paradise Pier area, especially when they were testing World of Color, but no footsteps overhead or noise from either side. There is nothing I would do to improve on VGC, with the exception of having a full-sized washer and dryer like we have at OKW. I love the fabrics on the furniture and the mission-style furnishings and wood trim. I just love everything about it.

The World of Color observation deck was over to our right, and I believe the view would be better from this room. Truth be told, I think that you will have to see World of Color from the viewing area in California Adventure to get the total picture :yes:, then when you see it from your villa, at least this villa, you will have a better idea of what is going on.

Down below we could see the barbeque area, and there are what appears to be two really nice stainless steel barbeque grills. Not sure if they are gas or not. Pool area at VGC is lovely, but we didn't spend any time using the pool. The gift shop is a bit lacking, small but adequate. We had a small grocery stop before getting to the hotel, so there wasn't much we needed. Never saw or used the laundry facilities. As others have mentioned, I don't think the Grand is used to DVC people yet. There seem to be a few differences, such as no Equal, sugar or Sweet 'n Low packets in the villas, if you do use the laundry room there is a charge and you have to get tokens from the Front Desk to make it free for DVC owners. If you run out of something, dish detergent, etc., I have read of additional charges,etc. I would think things for DVC would be the same on both Coasts just to be consistent and for people to know just what to expect.

The walk thru the lobby and right into Downtown Disney is just the best thing, as well as the entrance right into California Adventure from the hotel. To be within walking distance of both parks and Downtown Disney makes staying at the Villas special in a way that no WDW DVC has to offer. VGC is the only DVC that is actually physically located inside a park, and you just gotta love that. Sorry WDW, but I have to call it as I see it.

Once we called Bell Services, our bags were delivered so quickly, and then the kids joined us and we chilled for a while while deciding what to do for dinner. I had the birthday coupon from Patina Group that has 3 restaurants at DTD, and I let the kids decide which one, and they went with Tortilla Jo's. I was leaning towards Naples, but we went with their choice. I called from the room and was able to get an ADR for around 6:15 with no problem at all. We walked over, had our meal, and two of the four of us enjoyed it. Nothing wrong with the meal, it just wasn't anything special or extraordinary. Should have gone with Naples.

After dinner the kids decided to pick up Gizzie and head for home. They both had to work the next day and had a little bit of a drive home. We would see them again on Friday when they came to pick us up. (Famous last words)

I knew that night was the only option for DH and I to see DL's Remember fireworks. So, we walked back to the kennel with the kids and said our goodbye's for the week and then DH and I went into DL. We strolled around and checked out the park for a while and then staked out a spot in front of the castle to wait for the show. Speaking of the castle, I am shocked each and every time I look at the castle as to how small it is--major, major surprise and shock, even though I have seen it once before. Looks like the guest house to WDW's castle--actually 125 feet difference in height. Size aside, the castle is beautiful and when the sun shines on it, it is just lovely. With the lights on it at night, the colors are beautiful.

Backtracking just a little, after we went and retrieved Gizzie, the kids headed on home. DH and I went on into DL to wait for the fireworks. After we had been waiting a good 45 minutes, the phone rings and my son says that the kennel has messed up and returned the wrong papers to them when they picked up Gizzie, and they wanted them to return them, even though they explained they were almost home. When you check a pet into the kennel, you have to provide proof of their imunizations, etc. When you check out, they return the papers to you. Since they were folded in half, the kids never noticed that the papers weren't theirs. The kennel made all sorts of promises of passes, etc. if they could see their way to come back. I wouldn't have gone back, possibly would have faxed or e-mailed them back, but would not have driven back to the kennel. Well, they decided to be nicer than I am and return the papers, even though they were almost home. When they got back to the kennel, the lady offered two "head of the line" passes and a one day stay at the kennel, not exactly what DS had in mind, but he didn't say anything since he thought he would make the woman cry. At this point, the kennel has cost them about 1.5 hours in driving time, some gas, and when they did get home, after 10:00, there were no parking spots close to the apartment to be had and they had to park quite some distance away.

I am not one to push for compensation from Disney for a minor issue, but I thought this was a real inconvenience and that the kennel was asking a lot for their mistake. Not sure what else they could have done for the kids, maybe a meal or something, but in this case, I don't think the kennel showed their appreciation for the kids helping them out of their mess. It appears that the owner of the papers could not have boarded their pet the next day without the papers, even though Disney was at fault, and this was consided a big screw up on Disney's behalf.

Back to the fireworks~~we sat on the concrete waiting and waiting for the show. This is something I never do at WDW as we have seen Wishes or whatever is being offered, many, many times and don't feel we have to have the best view to enjoy the show. First time for this show and I wanted no obstructions and didn't want to be in one of the holding pens on Main Street I had heard about, so we staked out a spot right in front of the castle and paid the price for wanting such a good spot.

More waiting and waiting, and then came the announcement that due to winds, it was possible that the fireworks could be cancelled. Unlike WDW, DL has to worry about the wind blowing debris into surrounding neighborhoods and onto the interstate. At WDW, we normally only have to worry about heavy rains. Each Coast has different issues to deal with. Fifteen minutes later, the same announcement, which is met with loud groans from all that were waiting. Ten minutes later, we here the familiar, "ladies and gentlemen, in a few minutes, the lights will be dimming", and then you here the cheers and I grinned from ear to ear as I was going to get to see the show after all.

Everything that everyone had said about Remember was true. It is the best fireworks show I have seen, and I simply love Wishes, but sorry folks, this one is better, and I was so thrilled I got to see it at least once, because Magical was starting the next weekend. Tinkerbell flies all over the place, not just one time from the castle to Main Street like at WDW, and it is spectacular. It was worth the long wait, worth sitting on the concrete and I was glad we had such good positioning.

It was a long, long day, and we slowly headed back to our villa, no waiting for busses to deal with, no transportation involved, except our own two feet, and it was great to be right there.

We stopped in at World of Disney to pick up a set of the special edition Mickey ears in the hatbox. We had stopped in earlier after dinner and on the way to get Gizzie, but didn't want to take the time to make the purchase then. Long story short, asked about shipping home and the lady didn't how much it was. She went to ask and came back and just proceeded to ring it up without saying how much. When she gave me the ticket to sign, I saw they wanted $25.00 to send that small box home. I said no thank you, then she couldn't reverse it out of the register. Took quite a while to get it sorted out, and for the inconvenience they gave me 35% off my purchase.

One thing we noticed is that DL is quick to offer discounts on food, purchases, etc. When parking they asked if we had eaten at a restaurant, etc. At WDW, you have to work hard to get the discounts that are due you. DL was refreshing in this respect.

Finally, off to the villa for us, what a spectacular day it had been, even with the couple of hiccups that we experienced, and a marvelous start to our stay DL adventure. I am really liking the convenience of having everything right there together and so convenient, Parks, hotel, dining, shopping.

Next: Walking in Walt's Footsteps

 

[RweTHEREyet]

First some fireworks pics~~

 

[kikiq]

Trying to reply here, but my computer keeps deleting my post.

I love your report...that's in case the reply really did go through, let me say again. I like to read WDW vets reaction to DLR. I'm a DL vet who just happens to live near your son off the toll road in Foothill Ranch.

Glad you enjoyed Remember. It is my favorite too but Wishes from the Poly beach is right there in second place.

I would give DLR F/W some time to develop. It's still young and I think they have to work out the food part some how with California's food laws. The Napa Rose cooking school is very popular and usually sells out the first day, I know, some folks have the bucks or save the backs.

We loved VGC so much that even though we live only 25 minutes away, we bought points there to have a "staycation" with relatives. Didn't want to trust the 7 month reservation at certain times of the year.

Can't wait for the rest of your trip report. I've been busy with family and school ending, we missed a couple of our weekly trips to DL for the Big Band concert so I'll get my dose from you.

 

[Sherry E]

Just wanted to pop in for a quick second to say that I'm here, following along, and I've read the whole thing! I'm waiting for more!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

As a WDW Veteran about to make the trip to DLR for the first time, I am loving your report!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Trying to reply here, but my computer keeps deleting my post.

I love your report...that's in case the reply really did go through, let me say again. I like to read WDW vets reaction to DLR. I'm a DL vet who just happens to live near your son off the toll road in Foothill Ranch.

Glad you enjoyed Remember. It is my favorite too but Wishes from the Poly beach is right there in second place.

I would give DLR F/W some time to develop. It's still young and I think they have to work out the food part some how with California's food laws. The Napa Rose cooking school is very popular and usually sells out the first day, I know, some folks have the bucks or save the backs.

We loved VGC so much that even though we live only 25 minutes away, we bought points there to have a "staycation" with relatives. Didn't want to trust the 7 month reservation at certain times of the year.

Can't wait for the rest of your trip report. I've been busy with family and school ending, we missed a couple of our weekly trips to DL for the Big Band concert so I'll get my dose from you.

I know where Foothill Ranch is, actually been there. The job that took my son to the West Coast is with Oakley, and you probably know that their corporate offices are located at Foothill Ranch. Gotta love that tank they have in the front yard of the building.

You are going to be very happy that you have the 11-month window at VGC. I have already had two wait-lists this year that never came thru, and I have one for this coming October that I don't expect to work out either. We also figured that holidays and special event times of the year would become increasingly difficult to get.

Thanks for following along with my report.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Just wanted to pop in for a quick second to say that I'm here, following along, and I've read the whole thing! I'm waiting for more!!

Glad to see you here.

As a WDW Veteran about to make the trip to DLR for the first time, I am loving your report!

Oh cool, as WDW vets, I was very overwhelmed in planning this trip. I can do WDW in my sleep, but DL was a totally new animal. Have fun with your planning.

 

[kikiq]

I know where Foothill Ranch is, actually been there. The job that took my son to the West Coast is with Oakley, and you probably know that their corporate offices are located at Foothill Ranch. Gotta love that tank they have in the front yard of the building.

You are going to be very happy that you have the 11-month window at VGC. I have already had two wait-lists this year that never came thru, and I have one for this coming October that I don't expect to work out either. We also figured that holidays and special event times of the year would become increasingly difficult to get.

Thanks for following along with my report.

Oakley, nice place to work. The local school used to have fund raisers there when they first moved to Foothill Ranch. It's a remarkable corporate building, not to mention the pirate flag.

Yes, going to love that 11 month window shortly. I scored one night this last Memorial Day weekend and the relatives loved it so much that we are already planning next year and reserving a pool cabana.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Following along! I agree with most of what you've said so far. WDW's Food and Wine is a totally different experience,, I prefer it to DL's- and yes DL's fireworks are better . Your park view was awesome!

That is pretty crazy about the dog kennel paperwork. That was so nice of them to drive back.

Can't wait to read more, it sounds like you had a good trip!

 

[wdwfanatic316]

Just wanted to say that I"m really enjoying your report! It's helping me get even more excited for our first trip ever to DL in one week! Your review is also making me wish that the regular DL fireworks were going to be showing while we're there instead of the special 4th of July fireworks They must be AMAZING if you think they're better than Wishes!

Looking forward to more reviews!

 

[Vexorg]

Looks like you were there the same weekend I was. They actually had to cancel the fireworks on Saturday evening, and I was fully expecting a cancellation on Sunday as well since it had been fairly windy all day, but it looks like they got a window in at the last minute. What type of camera are you using for the fireworks? Mine doesn't do nearly that well in low light.

I've gone to Disneyland twice now (well, three times, but the first one was 1 day in 1987 and barely counts) and WDW once, and they both have their charms, but DLR is a lot easier to get to from here. I really need to get back to WDW for more than 4 days at some point though...

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm enjoying your report! I'm also a WDW vet and just now trying to dig up info about DL. It's amazing (and frustrating) how little is out there compared to WDW. Like you, I can plan a WDW trip in my sleep but DL does seem like it's a completely different animal!

Keep it coming! I can't wait for more!

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

Cant wait to read more! this is a great report- thanks for sharing!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Oh cool, as WDW vets, I was very overwhelmed in planning this trip. I can do WDW in my sleep, but DL was a totally new animal. Have fun with your planning.

Me, too! I know everyone says DLR is so much easier but I have been super stressed with the planning. I even used Dreams Unlimited so I could have the help of a wonderful travel planner! I wouldn't even consider not having full control of the planning for a WDW trip.

So, was it more relaxing/laid back once you go there? I can imagine that being able to walk back & forth to the Parks & hotels must be heavenly!

 

[nunzia]

Great trip report! Thank you for all the hard work. I second the camera question. I can never get decent low light shots...

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Well, regarding the pictures. Some of these are mine, and some are my DH's. Mine is a Fuji, point and shoot, his is a Nikon D300, I believe, and he usually carries a couple of lenses with him. Some of these are done with a fish eye that I gave him for his birthday a while back. He has really enjoyed that lens. The low-light shots are mostly his. He posts on the photography board also, under the screen name of YesDear, very smart man.

Taking the time to set up descent photos really makes you see a lot of the details in the Parks, both WDW and DL, and I truly enjoy taking a slow pace. I love point out fascinating photo ops, and then he makes it happen. Some days at WDW we go in the Parks, stroll around, take pictures, get something to eat and don't ride anything at all. I just enjoy being there. Our commando days are pretty much over.

 

[GrandBob]

I was lucky enough to have someone share preferred seating tickets for Aladdin with me, and we got some of the best seats in the house. I really did not know what a treat we were in for. This show is fabulous. My first favorite has always been Hunchback at WDW (now closed), and I put Aladdin right up there with it. The Genie improv was so fun and the surprise effects were just amazing. I would encourage everyone to see this show, and I would definitely get in line early, early, early. Right now it is only showing on on Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun.

It's a shame that Hunchback is closed -- we enjoyed that one.

But IMHO Aladdin blows it away - no comparison! I'm so glad they changed their mind and are continuing it. Hope it plays forever!

Enjoying your TR. Thanks much, and keep it coming!

-Bob

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Day Two of DL (Monday)

This morning started out with breakfast in the room. I had planned on ordering from Von's, but when I tried to place my order, it said there was a $50 minimum for delivery, and I only needed cereal, milk, some water etc., not enough to bring it up to $50, so I had my son drop us by the Vons in his area on Saturday night, and I got everything we would need there instead. I would have preferred not spending part of my vacation time at the grocery store, but that is the way it worked out.

After breakfast we headed out of the villa and into DTD. We needed to be at the Guided Tour kiosk by 9:30 for our Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour this morning.

We got to the kiosk and I presented the paper that was in the little envelope given to me at hotel check-in. It showed what I had purchased, amount paid and date, etc. The CM asked me where my tickets were, and I said that was my ticket, and they said no, it was my receipt. :tsktsk:

Well, I said, it seems like there isn't much going right with anything special we had booked on this trip so far, since they couldn't find us for the Sweet Sundays event and then the kennel snafu, and now missing tickets., and I was starting to feel a little unspecial. A CM in the kiosk said we would always be special to him, and turned out he was our Tour Guide, Stephen.

The CM said that "they were all about the tickets," not sure what that meant, and they would call the hotel to see if they still had them. She then reassured me that they would get us on the tour but needed the ticket issue resolved. We were then handed a menu and asked to choose what we wished for lunch when the tour was over. There was a selection of 4 or 5 sandwiches, chips or fruit and a cookie and choice of beverage.

We were given a tag to put on our clothing somewhere to identify that we were part of the tour and then asked to step around the corner of the kiosk. To my surprise, there was Alice and the Mad Hatter, just for us for a picture opportunity.

Our Tour Guide, Stephen:

Our tour group was small, 7 of us in total. One family of 3 (also WDW vets and new to DL), two young ladies (from California) and DH and myself. We were given headsets and a control unit that hung around your neck. It would be nice if they did it this way in WDW (they didn't the last time I took a tour, which has been a while) because it it so hard to hear the Guides , especially when walking down Main Street, and you can adjust the volume to suit yourself on these headsets.

I won't bore you with the whole tour, but we did walk straight on to Jungle Cruise. First time I had ridden it in a long, long time, some of the same corny jokes as I remembered from WDW, but some new to me also, and our Cruise Guide was a fun young fellow. We also walked straight into Tiki room, saw the show, and then we were asked to remain seated after the show and were given some history on the attraction and a close up look at one of the animated flowers as our Tour Guide held her. Hearing all we did made me appreciate the Tiki Room, which I normally avoid at all costs.

Here is the flower he let us get a close up of, and he was able to control her. Looking at them close up gives you a true appreciation of the detailed work involved and the materials used~~

Those were the only two attractions we went on during the Tour, with the exception of riding the train from New Orleans Square to Fantasyland.

One of the highlights of the trip was going into Club 33. Our Guide excused himself from our presence while we stood at the main entrance, and he entered through a secret entrance and then opened the front door for us to go in.

Sign at the front door, which I had passed before and just never even noticed. This is the only way you would have a clue that this is where Club 33 is located.

Our Guide, told us some history of Club 33 and was continually pointing upstairs and saying here you will find this, and here you will find that, and I thought that he was going to take us upstairs to see the rest, and I got so excited. But, alas, this is as far as we got, standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up and wishing for more--so close and yet so far:

Here is the obligatory shot of the "lift" that we were allowed to stand in, as long as we promised not to touch anything. It is very attractive and would have been interesting to see it in operation.

They did give each of us a writing pen with the Club 33 logo on it, and that was a pleasant surprise, a tour upstairs would have been nicer.

Overall the tour was good, our Guide was very pleasant, nice, informative. We both enjoyed it, and were talking just yesterday that while we would not take the Tour for a while, we would do it again eventually. I had heard that we would get to see Walt's apartment and would get to ride on the Lilly Belle as part of the tour, but neither of those happened and our Guide told us that those stops were removed from the regular tour and were now reserved for VIP's. No Lilly Belle or apartment for us. :tsktsk:

Our tour ended up back at the kiosk where we checked in and our Guide was giving us closing remarks when we got a visit from one of my favorite furry friends:

Our Guide seemed genuinely surprised, so I am not sure if that was normally part of the tour or not.

We then saw that our lunch was ready, covered dishes with a nametag on the top of each one so we would know which was ours. This sign was on top of each table, and it was all I could do not to try and slip one into my bag:

Our Guide stayed with us and told us we could ask any questions we wished. We took our time, visiting with our tour mates and asking occasional questions of our Guide, Stephen and enjoying our lunch in the shade. He did present us with a special Walk in Walt's Footsteps pin, a pretty gold one, and he said he had heard it is 14k gold, but I am not so sure about that part. While Stephen was sitting at our table, I started to pull the nametag off my lunch, a cute Mickey label with our names nicely done on them. He said, oh, here, let me get you a new one, and he printed the tags off again for all of us. It doesn't take much to keep some of us happy and entertained.

I never did find out what the kiosk CM finally worked out about the missing tickets, but we got our Tour and that was all that mattered to me. But there is more to this story coming up later on.

Next up--

Can't remember, gotta check out my video and pictures to refresh the memory, and then a really good dinner and a really rude and disgusting incident.