Running for my Disney - Finally a TR!

[WanderlustNZ]

Oh my, that is garish! I think I would have had a headache after a meal in that restaurant.

 

[zanzibar138]

Oh my, that is garish! I think I would have had a headache after a meal in that restaurant.

Usually I would steer well clear of places like that too. But usually they are places trying to look fancy. This place actually intends to be gaudy and really plays on it, so that makes it ok for me For one night only though

 

[PrincessInOz]

Oh my, that is garish! I think I would have had a headache after a meal in that restaurant.

Oh ye of good taste!!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Oh ye of good taste!!

I am far from high class and have picked many a location due to it's quirky nature. But all those fake flower arrangements and pink booths would have been an assault on my senses worse than Small World ride.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I am far from high class and have picked many a location due to it's quirky nature. But all those fake flower arrangements and pink booths would have been an assault on my senses worse than Small World ride.

Say it isn't so.





Nothing is worse.!!!!

 

[zanzibar138]

Santa Margarita - Long Beach

We set off relatively early, knowing that we had a number of activities to get through before dropping DH off at the airport in time for his flight. As we got closer to the coast, we hit the usual morning fog.



It actually got quite heavy at times and we really didn't see much scenery for the first part of the drive.

Our first stop was the town of Solvang. It was here that my camera finally gave up the ghost, and I realised I was not going to be able to rely on it for the rest of my trip. We scheduled a stop at an electronics place into our busy schedule for the day. Fortunately, it was still working well enough to capture some images of the day.





We had a yummy, but expensive breakfast, then wandered around the town for a while. We didn't have anything specific we wanted to see, just checked out the little shops and stuff.

Next we headed to Santa Barbara. Again, we didn't really have anything specific we wanted to see, just drove around a bit. We decided to head to the beach and check that out. We ended up slightly north of the main beach area.



We found some stairs and headed down to check out the beach.









After a few minutes checking out that beach, we headed back up to the path and continued on to a point where we had a view of the main beach area. We watched the action below us for a while.



We hit the road again, and just followed the coast south. As it was a Sunday, it was quite busy around the main beach area. As we got closer to LA, driving past places like Ventura and Oxnard we started hitting lots of traffic. We decided to stick to the plan of taking a detour through Malibu on the way into the city. Bad idea on a hot Sunday afternoon!



There were cars parked EVERYWHERE along the side of the road, pedestrians to dodge, and plenty of slow traffic looking for parking. We weren't that thrilled with the scenery, and we didn't think the mansions were any more impressive than the Gold Coast ones.

We stopped at a Subway on the way back to the highway, and then made our way into the city to the shooting place in Northridge. Mum and I were going to try to find somewhere to buy a camera while the boys were shooting, but it didn't look like there was much around the area. We went into the shooting place with the boys to make sure they would be ok before we drove off, and found out that they weren't able to buy any ammunition because they didn't have Californian drivers licences. The shooting place recommended one of their other franchises in a different county, where the boys would be able to buy ammunition.

We all piled back into the car and headed towards Burbank. We found the shooting place, and set the boys up before heading to a nearby shopping centre that we'd seen on the way past. There was a K-Mart there where I had a look at cameras. I decided not to bother trying to replace my good camera since it was still under warranty, but looked at the little waterproof ones instead since my waterproof one had died a few months back. I couldn't decide though! We decided to bring Dad back with us and get his opinion.

Dad said they'd had fun at the shooting place, although DH didn't seem so sure We went back to the K-Mart and chose a camera, which Dad said they would get me for my birthday. Dad was starting to get anxious about getting to the airport before dark for some reason, so we didn't waste too much time.

Unfortunately because Dad was anxious we didn't stop for dinner or anything. It was a bit weird just dropping DH off without having a chance to say goodbye properly or anything. And it was getting pretty dark anyway.

Nonetheless, we kept driving and eventually got to the Super 8 in Long Beach. It was an older style motel out of the main city area, but it got pretty good reviews, was great value, and well maintained, so it wasn't bad. None of us could be bothered going out for dinner, so we just ate some of our leftover snacks in our room. We were all pretty exhausted, so we all had a pretty early night.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Well.....shame about Malibu being so packed. I was thinking of heading there on my last morning. Looking at your pictures, I'm glad I didn't.

Solvang is such a kitschy town, isn't it? But there's something charming about it...at least for me. LOL.

 

[zanzibar138]

Well.....shame about Malibu being so packed. I was thinking of heading there on my last morning. Looking at your pictures, I'm glad I didn't.

Solvang is such a kitschy town, isn't it? But there's something charming about it...at least for me. LOL.

Yeah I liked Solvang, and would probably go there again if we were in the area. Wouldn't bother with Malibu again though.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I think Malibu is more about the countryside up from the beach. I might be happy to stay in the hills and head to the beach during the week; rather than the weekend.

 

[zanzibar138]

I think Malibu is more about the countryside up from the beach. I might be happy to stay in the hills and head to the beach during the week; rather than the weekend.

I think the hills would be nicer not at the end of summer From my perspective, it just looked hot and dusty up there and wasn't that appealing.

It was unfortunate that we were driving through on a Sunday afternoon, but I wasn't so interested that I was willing to fit it in anywhere else. One day when we might be keen to take a day out from DLR to go hiking in the hills

 

[zanzibar138]

Long Beach

We woke to the sound of rain on our little terrace area. We packed up yet again, feeling a bit better with the knowledge that next time we checked into a hotel, we would be able to settle in a bit more.

We all enjoyed the complimentary breakfast. They had a waffle maker, which Mum was a little too excited about...

We all climbed in the car again, excited for this morning's adventures. We were headed to the Queen Mary. Despite the hotel being in Long Beach, it was still quite the effort to get to the Queen Mary, and took us about 20 minutes. It didn't help that we took a couple of wrong turns, and found ourselves over near the shipping yards on a freeway among about a thousand large trucks!

Of course, we made it in the end. Being a rainy Monday morning, it was pretty quiet and the carpark was practically empty.



We decided to go with the combination ticket that included the submarine and a guided tour of the Queen Mary. The next guided tour didn't leave for about an hour, so we entertained ourselves wandering around for a bit and enjoying the views of Long Beach.





The guided tour was a little disappointing. I was expecting to be shown some of the inner workings of the ship, and maybe an original stateroom or something. What we actually got was more of a history of the ship and a very limited tour of a very small part of the ship that we'd already seen. To his credit, our guide was extremely enthusiastic and obviously knowledgable about the ship. One of his stories moved most of the group to tears.









After the guided tour, we finished our own little tour with a wander along one of the open decks to the rear of the ship.









Before moving on, we decided to have some lunch at their restaurant. Although it was overpriced, we had great service and all enjoyed our meals very much.

After lunch we headed down to the Scorpion submarine. We entered through the gift shop, thinking we would check it out properly on the way out. We crossed the top of the submarine to get to the entry (it's a one way tour since the passages are so narrow).



We had a great time inside crawling through tunnels and interacting with the displays.









I really have no idea how long we were down there, but I'm going to guess about half an hour. I wouldn't be surprised if it was anything up to an hour. There was a lot to see in a small space!

We did indeed check out the gift shop on the way out, but didn't see anything particularly appealing.

Then it was back to the hire car and off to Disneyland again!

To be continued

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hmm. I also went to the Queen Mary and did a tour. Like you, a lot of the tour we were on were through the public areas. But they did take us into the ballroom and also to the floors where the hotel rooms were; which we couldn't have accessed unless on the tour.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I would enjoy visiting the queen Mary one day.

Although, with my claustrophobia I would need to avoid the tunnels down below. I feel a bit panicky just looking at your pics

 

[zanzibar138]

Hmm. I also went to the Queen Mary and did a tour. Like you, a lot of the tour we were on were through the public areas. But they did take us into the ballroom and also to the floors where the hotel rooms were; which we couldn't have accessed unless on the tour.

There was a function in the ballroom that day. We did get to walk past We also visited the floors where the hotel rooms were, but it wasn't that interesting without getting to see any of the rooms or anything.

I would enjoy visiting the queen Mary one day.

Although, with my claustrophobia I would need to avoid the tunnels down below. I feel a bit panicky just looking at your pics

You certainly don't have to visit the submarine. We paid extra to do so.

 

[zanzibar138]

California Adventure

Once we'd made it back to Anaheim, we checked in and unloaded the car at Portofino Inn & Suites. Dad and I left Mum to settle in while we returned the car. The staff at the rental car place were really impressed with the amount of kms we had done lol!

The Portofino was a relatively last minute change to our itinerary. We were planning to stay in a condo through VRBO, but with DH not joining us in the end, and being on quite a strict budget, we found that we could save a lot of money by staying at the Portofino. We stayed in a King Suite, which had a separate sitting area with a sofa bed for me. It was a good balance for us. It had a 'nicer' hotel feel for Mum with internal corridors and fairly modern and nicely furnished rooms, offered enough privacy for us three (but wouldn't have been enough if DH was with us), a doable walk to the parks (we timed it, it was about 10 minutes to the bag check area), and very reasonable price (about $120 per night). The main downside was the noise. There were renovations all around, with the Jolly Roger next door being torn down, the new suites hotel (I always forget what brand it is) being finished off on the other side, and preparations for a new Walgreens across the road. We were in the end room closest to the Jolly Roger, so that noise affected us the most. Having said that though, the sound-proofing between rooms was great, and we never heard any sign of neighbours.





Being on the end room, we had a view towards DCA past the Jolly Roger.



It was getting late-ish once we'd settled in, and we decided to go somewhere for some drinks and light refreshments. I suggested the Cove Bar, since we hadn't ever seen it without a long line over the run weekend.

As we entered DCA, we ran straight into the Pixar Play Parade! Dad and I decided to watch the end of it. I found myself being pretty pleased to have my new waterproof camera when I realised that there was water and bubbles involved in this parade.











Mum isn't really into parades and lined up for a photo with Pluto instead.



After the parade, we headed over to the Cove Bar via Aviator Minnie.





We caught the end of the parade again by Ariel's Journey lol! By the time we got to the Cove Bar, there was a line to get in! I had expected it to be pretty quiet on a Monday afternoon, but I guess by then the after work crowd had started arriving

We decided to head to the wine bar at Wine Country Trattoria instead. I hadn't realised that it ONLY served wine and beer (and expensive wine at that), but it was a nice quiet place to sit with a drink for a while.





Eventually we all got a bit hungry, and I suggested Flo's. We stopped for some more PP photos on the way through.





We just caught Mater heading backstage for his break. He said I had a nice smile lol!



At Flo's we ordered ribs and milkshakes.



We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals watching the last of the light fade over RSR.





Dad and I decided to try the single rider line at RSR before we headed back to the hotel. It wasn't too bad a wait.



We stopped for some supplies at the 7-Eleven on the way back to our hotel - cereal, milk, juice etc. By the time we got back, WOC was on and we could just see some of the high fountains from our window! It wasn't worth trying to take photos, but I got a photo of the view we had once it was finished.



It had been a long day, and we all went to bed tired but content

 

[PrincessInOz]

Always nice to be at the parks. Looks like another great day.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

All caught up. I liked your rock explorations but kept thinking what about snakes..not realising there are so few in the desert there (I was thinking rattlesnakes!) Think I will skip Calico if ever that way though I note its a good place to stretch your legs. Kernville and the Sequoias looked very nice. I think I have thought that before planning a trip from San Fran via Yosemite and down that way but it hasn't eventuated yet. Have you ever got over to see the forests in southern WA? Beautiful especially the Tingle trees. Sounds like you had a mix of experiences along the beaches and the submarine looks much more fun than the Queen Mary. We had a few lean cuisine type meals heated in the microwave on our recent hol when we were too tired to be bothered eating out, one I swear was better than several of our restaurant meals (not a brand I have seen here but had won awards, deservedly so!) Your road trip looks like a very interesting add on with a variety of scenery, to the run and Disney and you certainly kept up the exercise!!

 

[zanzibar138]

All caught up. I liked your rock explorations but kept thinking what about snakes..not realising there are so few in the desert there (I was thinking rattlesnakes!) Think I will skip Calico if ever that way though I note its a good place to stretch your legs. Kernville and the Sequoias looked very nice. I think I have thought that before planning a trip from San Fran via Yosemite and down that way but it hasn't eventuated yet. Have you ever got over to see the forests in southern WA? Beautiful especially the Tingle trees. Sounds like you had a mix of experiences along the beaches and the submarine looks much more fun than the Queen Mary. We had a few lean cuisine type meals heated in the microwave on our recent hol when we were too tired to be bothered eating out, one I swear was better than several of our restaurant meals (not a brand I have seen here but had won awards, deservedly so!) Your road trip looks like a very interesting add on with a variety of scenery, to the run and Disney and you certainly kept up the exercise!!

There certainly are rattlesnakes in that part of the world. In fact, around Barker Dam (I think ) there were signs warning that rattlesnakes had been spotted there recently. Probably because of the water.

The sequoia area we visited was the national forest, not the national park, so was a bit different. The Trail of 100 Giants was beautiful and spectacular, but I think the rest of the forest is mainly camping and natural bush tracks. The national park would definitely have more infrastructure and things to see without necessarily spending all your time hiking. I'd still like to go one day and make a comparison And Yosemite is definitely on the list!

I grew up in Perth, so yes went down to the forests in the south west a number of times. They are beautiful and the treetop walk is really cool, but the trees there (while tall) aren't as crazily huge as the sequoias lol!

I was pretty pleased when our trip ended up giving us such a mix of experiences. We may not have seen the best of everything, but we were certainly happy with what we saw, and the constant changes in scenery definitely kept it interesting.

 

[zanzibar138]

Always nice to be at the parks. Looks like another great day.

It certainly was

 

[zanzibar138]

California Adventure

We started the day with a relatively relaxed character breakfast. Our ressie wasn't until 8:30am, and I had chosen Storyteller's Cafe, which seemed to most laid-back of all the character breakfast options. Plus I love all the cute woodsy characters!



We waited about 15 minutes to be seated. First stop was the buffet. For those of you who haven't been to Storyteller's for a while, they no longer offer an a la carte option, which was a bit sad for us. Luckily, the buffet had everything we needed, and we stocked up on Mickey waffles, bacon and eggs, fruit and pastries.

The characters took a while to get to us - it seemed like we were towards the end of the route. Eventually we were visited by Chip.



Koda stopped by too.



The two bears took a time out from their table-visiting schedule to dance with the kids. They did the hokey pokey, then formed a conga line and did a lap around the restaurant. Kenai stopped by our table on the way out.



Chip briefly popped his head in again. Interestingly, we never did see Dale.



I watched Meeko doing the rounds, and we decided that we would head off after seeing him.



It was about 9:30am when we finished, which worked out perfectly for DCA rope drop at 10am. We flashed our breakfast receipt at the GCH entry to DCA and went straight through. I've heard this entry is no good for rope drop, but it worked well for us!



We were first in line at the rope, and found a patch of shade to sit in while we waited. We were advised that we could get WOC FPs while we waited if we wanted them. We had no plans to see it that night, so we didn't bother.

At 10am, the CM told us and the small crowd that had gathered to follow her, and we were escorted to the Paradise Pier area.



We were then 'freed'. Most people headed left in the direction of Carsland. We were headed to Toy Story.



Unfortunately Toy Story was not yet operational (seems to be a recurring theme), so Dad and I headed to Screamin'. We were the first ones there and were escorted through the line.



Hello front row seats!



When we were done we headed back to Toy Story. Still no joy there, so we went back for round 2 on Screamin'.



Toy Story was still down when we had finished, so Mum and I went on the carousel.



If Toy Story was still down after that, we were going to move on. However, it was finally open for business, so we lined up and had a go. Unfortunately I still did very poorly on the games lol!

It was starting to warm up then, and we decided to head for a show where we could sit in some air-con for a while. The Muppets fitted the bill nicely, and we started making our way over there. We had a couple of distractions on the way through. The first was a photo opportunity with Donald.



The second came as we were heading past Buena Vista Street. It looked like there was some sort of cavalcade coming, so we crossed over to the roundabout to get out of the way. We didn't realise that it Five & Dime, and that they would be stopping right there to perform their show. Although it was terribly hot standing there in the direct sun, once the show started we felt like we should stay there and watch.





During the show, I was surprised to see Dad whisked off to the 'stage' for a dance. I thought he might kill me afterwards, as he's really not into audience participation. However, he seemed to really enjoy it and I think it might have been one of the highlights of his trip!



Not long after, Mum was also whisked off.



I was busily trying to find the video function on my new camera, which I did in the end and got a decent amount.

When the show finished I think we did the Muppets and Monsters, Inc. Then we stopped for ice-cream at Clarabelle's on the way back to the hotel for a well earned rest.

To be continued