Quickie Trip Report...July 28-August 1

[dawnrose]

I just thought I would share some highlights from our recent trip.

I came up with the plan for this trip a few months ago, just as summer was about to begin and we already had several other trips planned. But my 11 year old daughter and I really wanted to go, even tho we just went in December on a BIG family trip...She got the flu on that trip and forgot her pins to trade so we just needed a do-over....Right? ...I knew you'd agree.

Since we were about tapped out, budget wise, I needed to find a cheap way to go so when I read about the 5 for 3 deal, I started to come up with a plan...

I enlisted my sister and 8 year old niece (it wasn't too hard to do...) and a girls road trip was on! We reserved HOJO and ended up getting 3 of our 5 nights for the entertainment rate! Since we split the cost of the room, it was very affordable.

July 28th, 2009
We headed out bright and early from Berkeley with Peet's coffee in hand and made it down to Anaheim by around 1:30...stopped at the Disney outlet and the girls got some jewelry, had lunch at Ruby's across the street, then checked into Hojo around 3:00 and our room was ready. Unpacked, called Daddy(s)...and then were off to CA Adventure for an evening of fun!

When we arrived, we got a FP for TOT, and went to Bug's Life. Afterward, we found a spot and sat down to watch the Pixar Play Parade, which we all loved. Then we rode TOT...one of the best rides I've had on that one...and it was time for our reservtion at Wine Country Trattoria...so we checked in and got a glass of wine, while the girls did some pin trading around the area and opened their new 'Urban Vinyl Mickeys' Have you seen these yet? They are Japanese inspired (at least they look that way to me) Mickey figures...each one designed by a different artist...super cool...You buy from a group, but don't know which one you got until you open them....We had a lot of fun with these over the course of our trip.

Anyway, we didn't have to wait too long before our name was called and we sat at our requested table by the wall...(for later parade viewing)...We did have a tree partially blocking the view, but didn't mind, as our fabulous waiter said we could move around to see the parade. So we enjoyed a long, leisurely, and surprisingly good dinner that ended with yummy dessert and a nice view of the parade (we moved down to the open area below the dining patio) What a fabulous first afternoon/evening!

Stay tuned for more....

 

[dawnrose]

July 29th, 2009 (Day 2)

Got to the gates about 10 minutes before opening and headed straight to Space, got fps and rode with no wait. Next we rode Buzz twice and then Star Tours before getting Buzz fps and riding Big Thunder, Splash (about a 10 min. wait) and Pooh. Then went for fps for Big Thunder and had just enough time to ride Haunted Mansion and Pirates before our 11:30 reservation at Blue Bayou. We got seated right away at a waterside table right in the middle! What a lovely relaxing lunch after our busy morning. We found the prices unusually high, the food okay, and the atmosphere exquisite!

After lunch, DD11 was super tired and thus grumpy, so we took the train, but ended up getting off at Toontown to ride Small World, which we LOVED. I thought they did a wonderful job adding Disney characters without taking away from (actually adding to...) the style of the ride. Next we got some fps for Autopia, since we were so close and then took the monorail to DTD for some browsing on the way out.

Back at Hojo, we swam for a couple of hours. Then had a nice wine and cheese dinner at the table in our big room. Hojo really has some space in those rooms. While we ate, we watched niece's movie of the electric parade from the previous night. She had fun filming lots of our trip on her flip video camera. It was fun to watch.

After dinner, we walked back to Disneyland and rode Buzz, Space, Autopia and Big Thunder with our fps and got another fp for BTR on the way to the fireworks. We were actually able to squeeze in to watch the show right in front of the castle. Loved the show...seeing Dumbo fly was great and Tinkerbell is always magical!

Next we used our fps and rode BTR and found a spot for the 10:30 Fantasmic show...but dd was really too tired by this time and not feeling well, so she and I headed back to Hojo, while ds and niece watched the show. Dd was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Ds and niece got back about an hour later. And we all slept well. We decided to do Ca Adventure in the a.m. so we could sleep in a bit (esp. dd). Next up...Day 3...

 

[eargal]

Keep them coming...I'm along for the ride.

 

[dawnrose]

Okay...lunch break...time to write about day 3...

July 30th, 2009
We all woke up around 8:30, feeling much more rested...especially dd. (thank goodness!) We got dressed quickly and headed right out to Ca Adventure, thinking we would stop for a coffee along the way, until I remembered that we could get in at 9:30 and ride Soarin' so we did that (& picked up some fps too) with no line and got row 1 without even having to ask!

When we finished Soarin', it was time for rope drop and we thought we might as well hustle down with the crowd to ride Toy Story since we were there and it was probably the shortest the wait would be....Sooo, even tho we hadn't eaten or had coffee yet, on to Toy Story we went. We waited about 15 minutes and enjoyed our ride...Picked up some Screamin' fps...and this time we were all grumpy, so we headed out to get some breakfast.

Ended up at the LaBrea Cafe, as the bakery was already serving lunch. Boy, was that a good breakfast! Both my sister and I had the breakfast sandwich with several cups of delicious coffee. The kids had pancakes, which were good also. We all felt much better after our meal, and were ready to have some more fun.

The girls could wait no longer to go to Build a Bear, as the new peace sign bear was released this morning. So I took them to get started, while ds picked up some fps for GRR and met up with us there. The girls were having a great time picking out outfits and making the bears...always fun.

Next we went straight to Tiki Room (via a fp stop at BTR), got Dole Whip floats (LOVE these!) and watched the show. The Tiki Room is so cool. After the show, we got some fps for Splash and pin traded our way out of Disneyland to go and ride GRR with the fps. Then it was back to HoJo for a much needed rest.

We all lounged on the beds for a couple of hours, then it was back to the parks to use fps and meet an old friend for dinner at Rainforest Cafe. We went to Ca Adventure first and rode TOT, Screamin', and Soarin'...then headed toward the restaurant, with a stop in the Disney Vault...Never been there before, but loved it. Made a few purchases, then met our friend.

We had a fabulous time at dinner, laughing, taking pics, and catching up. The food was good...Talapia and Coconut Shrimp and margaritas. The kids ate popcorn shrimp and icees and we had a yummy appetizer free with our coupon! Good times!

After we said our goodbyes to our friend, we headed back into Disneyland via the monorail just as the fireworks began and as we rolled on toward Tomorrowland, caught a perfect view of Tinkerbell flying all around the Matterhorn...Magic!

Had fun riding Splash and Big Thunder at night with our fps..and were ready to call it a day. Did a bit of shopping on the way out...new plaid shirt for dd from the shop in Adventurland and another Urban Mickey...I bought two plain white Mickeys so that I can be the artist and create my own.

We were all tired and slept great in those comfy HoJo beds...Another fun day!(stay tuned for a very special Disneyland surprise on day 4.)

 

[dawnrose]

Friday, July 31st, 2009
Got to Disneyland just after opening and walked straight to Space Mountain to get fps and ride with no wait. Next we rode Matterhorn, then Big Thunder, then Splash (got a fp)...all the mountains before 10a.m.

I wanted to ride Casey Jr. Train after that, so everyone indulged me...There was about a 15 min wait for this, but I love it...love the song and when the train chugs up the little hill, saying 'I think I can...I think I can...,' not to mention the great views of storybook land. Dd took some great pics from the caboose.

After that we were going to ride Dumbo, but the line was already too long, so we hopped on the carousel instead. While we were enjoying our ride, we noticed Alice, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, along with the Disneyland band waiting at the exit of the carousel. Needless to say, when our ride ended, we turned around and got right back on. We all sat next to the band and took pics of the characters, who looked sooo cute on the carousel. And as soon as the ride started up, the band began to play the William Tell Overture. This was soooo cool! The conducter stood at the edge of the platform, going round and round and looked out toward the audience that had
gathered 'round the carousel. The band sounded awesome. It was a totally Magic moment and we felt so lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. This is why we love Disneyland.

After that bit of magic ended, we took a walk through the castle, which dd had never seen. Love the new scenes...fun to walk through. Then we made our way toward the exit via one side of the Main St. shops...Did the fortune teller machine and some of the penny movies and bought a Mickey apron for brother in law. And the girls purchased some Monster Mickeys (cute stuffies modeled after Ugly Dolls)

We ended up having lunch at Mimis and found the food to be okay(bordering on not so good...), the service less that stellar, and the atmosephere cool and peaceful and a nice break from the parks. After lunch, our room was next to be cleaned, so we hustled and got our suits and some cold drinks and headed down to the pirates play area and the girls splashed around and did the slides for an hour or so before we moved over the the pool and spent another couple of hours swimming, lounging, reading and generally relaxing.

After that nice long restful and refreshing break, we were ready to head back to use those fps from the a.m. So we walked back and rode Buzz, Space, Big Thunder and Splash...Dd finally got up enough courage to ride in the very front of the log. She got drenched, of course, and loved it.

We planned on being back early to watch the fireworks from the room, so we stopped at La Brea Bakery and picked up some salads and sandwiches and saved $10 using our coupon (thanx disboards!) We brought our food back to the room, got some sodas from the store downstairs, opened a bottle of wine, and enjoyed a yummy, leisurely meal with a perfect view of the fireworks (well, you had to look around the tree...but still....) It was a lovely day full of fun, and also a lot of relaxing, which we needed, especially since our last day would prove to be a marathon!

Day 5 Marathon coming soon....

 

[dawnrose]

Saturday, August 1st, 2009
Today was our day to use our early entry, as we skipped it on Thursday. So we arrived at the gates just as the countdown for opening began and we were off to Fantasyland in no time. This was the least amount of people I've ever seen at MM. Lucky us. We stopped for some quick pics in front of the castle and then on to Peter Pan.

Peter Pan had about a 5 minute wait (unheard of!) so we rode twice in a row...never done that before! Next we rode Mr. Toad, Dumbo, Matterhorn, Tea Cups, Alice, Snow White with no lines, and then Space Mountain right at opening so we could pick up fps.

Then we headed down to ToonTown at about 10 minutes before opening, so rode Small world while we waited. In Toontown, we visited Minnie, played around with all the cute interactive stuff, had a short visit from Goofy, rode Gadget's Go Coaster and Roger Rabbit, and browsed in the shop, before taking a train ride to New Orleans Square to get Splash fps. (The line was already 60 min.)

We needed some sustenance by this time. The snack bars and bananas had long worn off. So we popped into Riverbelle Terrace for a pancake breakfast. We got a table inside to rest and cool off. I loved sitting here, with my tired, aching feet stretched out over the air conditioning vent and sipping my giant cup of coffee. We sat here for at least 45 min. to an hour, it felt so good. Part of that time, the girls visited Tarzan's Tree House, while my sis and I finished our coffee.

After our rest and refueling, we were ready to go again. I think we rode the Jungle Cruise next and then stopped at the leather stand in Frontierland for leather name bracelets for the girls. These are really cute. They even fasten a little character charm on them if you want. The girls both got Tink. We shopped in the pin shop after that while my sis went for fps for Buzz. The girls did tons of pin trading today...lots of fun.

We decided to go to Ca Adventure to collect some fps there, so off we went. When we got there, I thought it would be fun to do some 'mellow' things...like draw characters and see shows. Everyone agreed so we picked up some fps for TOT and got in line for Aladdin. We waited about 10 min. for the doors to open and sat in the Mezzanine. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show (even tho we've seen it multiple times before). It's always fresh, with new, timely jokes from the genie.

The girls were ready to draw a character after Alladin so we walked over to the Animation Building...While we did, my sister and I decided that since it was getting late and we were having a good time, we would skip the afternoon break today. It WAS our last day...might as well make the most of it. (It helped that we had all gone to sleep by 10 last night!)

Our timing was perfect for the drawing class, and we walked right in and had fun drawing Piglet. Tigger was next, so we got back in line and waited about 15 min. and then drew Tigger, who proved easier to draw than Piglet. After that, we did the Sorcerer's Workshop to see what character we were...Always fun... Then did several of the voice songs and scenes. FUN.
When we came out Turtle Talk was about to start...so in we went. I just love this show...always different and so funny! Wow...we did everything in the Animation Building...first time for that...I think we must've spent at least 3hours in there. It made for a super fun afternoon out of the heat and crowds.

Niece wanted to ride Mullholland Madness next, as that is the only thing on her list that she hadn't done yet so we headed in that direction with a stop at Blue Sky Cellars to see the new exhibits...just great...can't wait for all the CA Adventure updates! We also grabbed a tortilla at the factory and enjoyed looking through it, and made a reservation for Wine Country for dinner later.

When we got to Mullholland Madness, I found a chair to rest my feet (been having feet and ankle problems in the heat, so I needed to put my feet up periodically to rest and cool off), while the rest of the girls got in line. Just as I sat down in a comfy chair, with my feet up on another, the parade started! I had a good view and enjoyed my rest, complete with entertainment! The girls did not fare as well, however, as the ride broke down just as they were almost at the front of the line!

So we all rode Golden Zephyr instead. We really like this ride. The pretty view, the cool look of the silver 'space ships' that you ride in, and the sailing through the air with the cool breeze in your hair...After our lovely ride, we noticed that Mullholland was back up, so the girls got their ride after all...with no line this time. Yay.

We then headed back to the restaurant, as our dinner time was approaching. But first we stopped at the carnival games to do a couple. The kids always want to do these...I HATE them! I really wish they didn't have these...or that they were just like rides and you didn't have to waste $$$ on them...but, what do I know? The kids still insist on them everytime...even when they have to spend their own $$$ and they never win a prize! We also picked up some Screamin' fps as we passed by to use after dinner.

Anyway...back at Wine Country, our waitress remembered us from the first night. We had to sit inside this time, as the lovely patio was full. We all had the same dinner...sis and I split an entree salad and the lasagne. YUM. The girls had kids menu pasta. Sis and I had a glass of wine. And it was surprisingly affordable...not bad for Disney.

We felt renewed after our lovely dinner, and were ready to tackle the crowds at Disneyland one more time to use those fps...but not before one more ride on Screamin' and Tower of Terror. So we walked down to the roller coaster, only to find it was down (again), so we went straight to TOT. I waited this one out on one of the purple couches in the Animation Building and enjoyed the songs and movie clips while I lounged.

The girls ended up in line for TOT with a Twighlight Zone trivia buff and had the best time ever! He showed them all kinds of stuff. Has anyone ever heard the little girl's voice in the wall? scarrrry....He told them to ride with their arms crossed in front of them for maximum float time. They did, and said it worked wonderfully!

So now we headed back for one last time into Disneyland. We shopped our way up the other side of Main St. and purchased some stuff for Daddy and yet another Urban Mickey, and I got a crystal Jiminy Cricket. Next, we rode Buzz and Space Mountain and were heading toward Splash, when we got caught in the crowd at the end of the fireworks and were stuck. This was really the only time in all 5 days that we were affected by the crowds.

We had no choice but to be herded with the barely moving hordes of people, our goal being to get into the shop in Fronteirland to wait it out. We finally made it there and I ended up purchasing a 'vintage' tin popcorn bowl set...super cute...couldn't resist!

By this time, I was ready to head back to the hotel and the girls were going to try to do Splash so we separated, only to find I had dds fp! What chaos! I called her several times and finally reached her only to find that they could not get to Splash due to the fantasmic crowds. So I walked back 'home' and my sis stopped at the candy store to get the girls a treat instead of riding Splash and they got back shortly after.

I had picked up some cold drinks in the lobby store and when the girls returned, we all got our bathing suits on and took the drinks down to the hot tub and relaxed for awhile. That felt sooooo good after our long day in the parks! Back at the room, we had treats and were all asleep before midnight. What a fabulous day...the longest I think I've ever spent!

Stay tuned for one more post for conclusion, opinions and impressions...

 

[Hawleys]

Keep it comin'! I'm enjoying reading about your adventures.

 

[dawnrose]

Last Post...Thoughts and Impressions

Food: (You can tell where my priorities lie-lol-) Generally, the food was enjoyable on our trip...

Especially enjoyed the breakfast sandwich at La Brea Cafe...LOVE that they serve organic greens with the breakfast entrees and the coffee is actually pretty good...The cafe salads and sandwiches were yummy for take out, and we saved some $$ using coupons for both the bakery and cafe.

Love the atmosphere at Blue Bayou. Our lunch for 2 adults and 2 kids (who shared a meal) was around $130. But the experience was fun and very special. Did you know you can see shooting stars in the night sky while you eat? Food was only okay to us, especially for the price.

Rainforest Cafe was surprisingly good...The fish was fresh and the coconut shrimp was yummy. The margaritas were sweet with not too much alcohol...not great, but good with the food. Kids popcorn shrimp is a nice alternative to the usual mac and cheese fare available...

We really enjoyed the Wine Country Trattoria this time, which is funny because the last time the service was terrible (a couple of years ago) and the food was not very good...We only made another reservation because the patio is so pretty and it's nice to have a glass of wine and a great view of the parade. This time, however, we were pleasantly surprised by excellent service, good food -lasagne and salad- and great atmosphere...Our waiter even split a glass of wine into two glasses for us when we decided to share one to watch the parade...nice. Even ate here again on the last night, (and the waitress who took over for our previous waiter remembered us and even remembered what wine I wanted). The restaurant is so conveniently located and the prices were not bad...our dinner the last night was around $75 (with tip) for two adults, two kids, and three glasses of wine. If you go there, definitely request a patio table.

Other food...Riverbelle....Food is typical cafeteria food, yucky coffee (but that didn't stop me from adding extra cream and even maple syrup so I could drink the whole thing-lol-) Pancakes were okay...dd liked the Mickey pancake. Loved sitting here and resting and people watching.

And we enjoyed treats here and there...Dole Whip Float-YUM!...churros-so-so...popcorn...Mickey ice cream bars-YUM...

And last (and least favorite) Mimis...I know many people LOVE this restaurant. I have eaten there a few times and it's always been just okay for me. But since it was so close to the hotel and cheaper than other options, we chose to eat there for lunch...had a croissant sandwich that was okay and cranberry walnut salad that was pretty good after we took the fried cheese sticks off..(really? -fried cheese sticks on a salad?) But, since we had coupons for free breakfasts, we did breakfast there on Sunday a.m. before we headed home. I didn't like my omelette, the coffee was pretty good, but the service was awful...I won't go into the LONG story...but they would only let us use two coupons and they couldn't even tell us why...they didn't know...It was frustrating and the manager handled the situation very poorly, I thought...The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth...(both liiterally and figuratively...lol)

Alright, enough about food...

CROWDS: It was crowded, being summer...Especially at night. Early mornings were the best, as always...We didn't really feel too affected by the crowds, except for Saturday night when we got caught in the fireworks/fantasmic crowds. It was insanely crowded that night! It's sooo worth getting up early and resting in the afternoons then going back armed with fast passes at night. We did the night time shows on Wednesday night, which definitely seemed the least crowded. The crowds did seem to grow larger as the weekend got closer...Except for our magic morning on Saturday, which was the least crowded I have ever seen...Maybe it was because it was at 7 a.m.!
But even staying all day on Saturday, we just did more of the low crowd things...like going over to CA Adventure during the afternoon and seeing shows etc...Really didn't feel too crowded...We never waited more than 15 minutes for anything...but we did skip a few things like Nemo and the Fairies. Even tho we really wanted to visit the fairies, we were just never willing to wait in that line! Oh well...maybe next time...

HOTEL: We really liked Hojo...the price $590. for 5 nights in premium view room on the 7th floor in bldg. 1...Split the cost=cheap!...Big room, balcony, nice view of fireworks, 2 fun pool/waterplay areas, not a bad walk to parks, clean rooms, good service...That said, I still like Candy Cane better...maybe because of the shuttle option...and just the 'homey' feel of the place, plus the free breakfast is nice. And if $$ was no object, I would always stay at Grand CA...nothing beats that.

All in all...we had a lovely trip. It's the first time we've done a girls trip and I'm sooo glad we did. It was nice to be just us doing girl stuff together. We missed Dad being there and now will have to go back -lol- so we can be with him too...But once in awhile it's nice to just bond with the girls...I had a great time with dd, as she usually spends most of her time at Disney with Daddy...And the 4 of us just had a great time together. My sister is a great traveler and easy to be with...She even did almost all the driving! And the cousins always have a lot of fun together sharing books, shopping, riding all the rides together, doing Mad Libs in the car, laughing, making fun of their moms, and generally having a great time being kids...and what better place to do that than Disney!?

Well...I guess that's about it for this trip...Thanx for reading!

 

[Ross3half]

Sounds like a great time! Do you have a picture of the leather name bracelets and do you remember how much they cost? I'm thinking my daughter would like those!

 

[dawnrose]

Sorry, I don't have a pic. of the leather bracelet (nor have I taken the time to figure out how to post pics...lol) But the bracelets look like those leather strap bracelets that were popular in the 70s...they wrap around your wrist and snap on...some are braided leather, some are plain with a border stripe stamped onto the edges. They stamp the names/words you want while you wait and attach a charm by snapping it through the leather next to the name. Cost was $10, I believe. Oh, and they also come in lots of colors or brown or black leather. My dd and niece both got a brown leather one, but were tempted by all the colored ones...

 

[Ross3half]

Thanks, we'll have to check it out!

Sorry, I don't have a pic. of the leather bracelet (nor have I taken the time to figure out how to post pics...lol) But the bracelets look like those leather strap bracelets that were popular in the 70s...they wrap around your wrist and snap on...some are braided leather, some are plain with a border stripe stamped onto the edges. They stamp the names/words you want while you wait and attach a charm by snapping it through the leather next to the name. Cost was $10, I believe. Oh, and they also come in lots of colors or brown or black leather. My dd and niece both got a brown leather one, but were tempted by all the colored ones...