So two Floridians decide to go to Disneyland... (3/23-3/26/2014 Trip Report)

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

Greetings!

As the title can tell, this is a trip report for a trip me and my mom did last year. But of course, as with any other trip report I've seen here, I might as well start out with an introduction.

The person in the image above is myself. My name's Ian. I am a former MCMagic staff member and I'm also the owner of the Disney City Projects done on Minecraft. I am a big train fanatic and a Disney nerd! My mom (not pictured) is an ER Nurse over at the Hospital in Daytona Beach. As you can tell we are both from Florida and are WDW regulars.

A long time before this trip ever happened, my grandparents decided that one day they would take me to Disneyland over in California. Originally, it was going to be me, my grandmother, my mom, and an aunt of ours who's a WDW AP. But things changed and it was decided that just me and my mom would go to Disneyland.

The length of this trip would be 4 days, 3 nights, just like how we would tackle WDW normally. However, since there were only two parks, and the fact that I was 18 when this trip happened, we decided to get 2-Day Park Hopper Passes.

The proposed itinerary was as follows:
Sunday March 23, 2014 - Fly into LAX from MCO, Take Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train 582 from LAUPT to Anaheim, Check-in at Hotel, Downtown Disney District
Monday March 24, 2014 - Disneyland Park AM/California Adventure PM with World of Color @ 9:45 PM
Tuesday March 25, 2014 - California Adventure AM/Disneyland Park PM with Soundsational @ 7:00 PM
Wednesday March 26, 2014 - Take Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train 565 from Anaheim to LAUPT, fly back to MCO from LAX

However, as the trip grew closer there some modifications to the itinerary.

• Sunday March 23, 2014 - The plans would be changed to us taking Train 582 all the way down to San Diego for dinner and exploring and then taking the next northbound Amtrak Train from Santa Fe Depot to Anaheim. However, there was an issue - The next train out of San Diego after ours arrived was 595, which would have 9:00 PM departure out of San Diego and would arrive in Anaheim by 11:03 PM! The other problem would be that Downtown Disney District closes at Midnight so we would not have much time there. So we decided to only go from LAUPT to Anaheim on Amtrak.
• Wednesday March 26, 2014 - My mom stated that due to the amount of time it would take to get back to LAX via LAUPT by ways of means of the Northbound Amtrak or Metrolink train, we would take the "SuperShuttle" back to LAX.

Coming up next... First Chapter = Pretrip, Mapping (and planning) it out!

 

[MommyJKM]

I love that you chose to take the Amtrak! It's a hidden gem that no one seems to consider with the traffic in LA.

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

I love that you chose to take the Amtrak! It's a hidden gem that no one seems to consider with the traffic in LA.

Thanks! It was really worth it!

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

Chapter 1

Pretrip, Mapping (and planning) it out!


Okay, so my mom booked the airline tickets and hotel reservations in January 2014. Before then we were searching for good deals all over the airlines, among them were US Airways, Delta, American, Southwest, Virgin, and Frontier. In the end, when we were actually booking the airline tickets, our original intent was to fly into LAX on Virgin America with a layover in SFO. My dad decided to pitch in with this and we booked the flights with Southwest/AirTran from MCO to LAX. The leg up was on AirTran from MCO to ATL and then on Southwest from ATL to LAX. The way home would be a direct flight from LAX to MCO with a stopover in ATL.


In regards to hotel reservations, my mom made reservations for one of the three onsite resort hotels (I never found out which one until February), along with the park tickets on that same night. A few weeks later when she was making her second payment, she told me that the woman on the phone told my mom about the train and that we would go to San Diego on our first day there (March 23). As I was looking up train ticket prices in the weeks to come, I found something out = our train would arrive in San Diego by 7:03 PM and the next northbound train to Anaheim would be at 9:00 PM and we would not arrive at our hotel until 11:30 PM! Or worst case scenario our connecting train would be late and we would not make it 'til close to Midnight!


By the end of the month, Disneyland sent their Personalized Trip Brochure to us, and guess what?! I found out what hotel we would be staying at = The Disneyland Hotel!!!


So then March comes, my mom and myself decided to book the train tickets from Los Angeles to Anaheim as a one-way trip rather than a “multi-city” trip via San Diego. We decided to go in Business Class because of the fact that you get a reserved seat in Business Class rather than in Coach and I was under the assumption that Coach Class would be packed. We decided to get an e-Ticket rather than having the troubles of going to the window or a QuikTrak Machine and picking them up. Later that month, a package comes with our luggage tags, souvenir tickets, and some other stuff to get us ready for the trip to come.


That same month, me and my mom decided to get a “World of Color Dinner Package” on the 24th, so we called and made that ADR for the Wine Country Trattoria. So we also got two pieces of new luggage for the trip, and a few days beforehand me and my mom got our airline tickets printed out and our grandparent’s SunPass because we decided to park in the “A” Garage at MCO.


By March 22, me and my mom were ready to go!!!


Coming soon - Chapter 2: Planes, Trains, & Downtown Disney!

 

[Disney845]

Welcome to the Disboards Ian! I am planning my first DL trip and am enjoying reading your TR. Keep it going.

Your mention of being a train fanatic reminded me of Sheldon from BBT. Hope you didn't forget your flash drive on this trip.

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

Chapter 2: Planes, Trains, and Downtown Disney


Let’s start things off.


So me and my mom got up at around 5:00 AM on the morning of March 23 (which at the time was early for me since I was a 12th Grader). Me and my mom decided to grab a bagel before leaving the house for the airport. And after getting dressed and loading the car, we were off to the Orlando International Airport! We arrived close around 6:56 AM that morning and parked on level 1 of the “A” Garage. So we go down the tunnel and into the terminal and took the tram to Airside 2 and waited for our flight to Atlanta.

Now, at the time we took this trip AirTran was merging with Southwest to become one airline, so as you can probably tell we booked this on Southwest, but the leg up to Atlanta was operated by AirTran Airways. The day before, we printed out our boarding passes and AirTran put me in Zone 6 and my mom in Zone 7! :? But hey, we were fine with this. At least Southwest put us in the same boarding group for the leg up from Atlanta to Los Angeles.

So then we had a layover in Atlanta, grabbed lunch at The Varsity, which was pretty good! Anyways, close to noon we boarded our connecting flight to LAX!

And a beautiful view of The Rockies!

I even got to take advantage of Southwest’s Free Dish Network Streaming Service (watched some Food Network)! That was pretty nice


Landed in LAX close to 2:37 PM! And after arriving at our gate in Terminal 1, we bolted for the taxi stand to get to Union Station! We were going to take the FlyAway, but due to possible traffic issues and time, we decided to take a cab. Traffic down the interstate heading to Union Station was not bad at all, especially when heading into downtown LA! Me and my mom thought that LA was “sorta like New York City”. So we made it to LA Union Station by 3:28 PM! Phew!


Then, after paying the driver, we walked into the gorgeous building of Los Angeles Union Station, which was going through renovations at the time. Me and my mom were wondering where to board, so we found an Amtrak employee, and we ask her where to board our train. She replied: “I don’t know where just yet. Go and sit down over there in those chairs and I’ll come get you as soon as I find out.”


So we go to the waiting room, which was HUGE, and we waited. Then a short while later (around 3:45 or so), we hear an announcement sayings that this was the “first call for Amtrak Train 582, now receiving passengers on Track 11B.” So we grab our bags and make our way to the platform and immediately after the announcement was made, as we were entering the lobby, we saw the same employee who we asked earlier, and she was walking out to the waiting room, shouting “Amtrak passengers going Southbound to San Diego! You need to go to Track 11B!” (or something like that).

Now, before continuing on, let me mention that I’ve been on Amtrak before. Specifically, the Silver Star, Silver Meteor, and the Auto Train. But never had been on the Pacific Surfliner, until then! This train used very different rolling stock, Surfliner coaches! Typically, I’ve been in Amfleet IIs and Superliners before, but this would be a brand new experience for me! I never been in one of those before!


Here’s what they look like on the outside, if you look closely you’ll see a bit of our locomotive too (an EMD F59PHI)!

We waited for a little bit on the platform, and close to 4:00 PM, they open the doors and we get ready to hop aboard. And so we hopped on board, and guess what? First thing we noticed was......


This train was clean!

Compared to the interiors of the Silver Star, Silver Meteor, and Auto Train, which often times had sticky floors, dirty tables, (in the Auto Train Lounge) foul cigarette smells, and dull cleanliness, the interior of our Business Class coach was clean!


The inside of our coach, you can also see the attendant getting the snack packs into the basket.

So we departed on-time at 4:10 PM, and as we depart, our Business Class attendant starting passing out the snack-packs, and our train got under way! Later on, we got free drinks (I got Sierra Mist, my mom just got water). Along the way, we passed through a ton of “industrial areas” with some buildings have graffitti (YUCK) on them! I could also hear the locomotive bell and horn as we approached several crossings (minus the quiet zones between Fullerton and Anaheim). Approximately 30 minutes after pulling out of Los Angeles, we arrive at the train’s first stop, Fullerton.

My mom even got a photo of these old school cabooses that were on display there!


Then we departed on-time, again at 4:39 PM! And then we begin the 6-minute highball to Anaheim, as we began to get closer to the magic. Soon enough we heard our station stop being announced, and we grabbed our stuff and began to make our way downstairs, as we moved from our seats to the stairs, the train hit a crossover HARD. So I went WHAM right into another passenger’s seat, I was okay. Man, hitting a crossover hard, especially if the train is going 80 MPH, is not that good.


So we arrived in Anaheim, and by now me and my mom had to use the bathroom, so we go into the waiting room, use the courtesy phone to call a cab and use the restroom. A couple minutes later our cab comes and we’re off to the Disneyland Hotel.


And by 5:13 PM, guess what? We made it! We check in, and we also got our “First Visit” Pins and an autographed character photo of Chip and Dale! (If anybody wants to see this, let me know, I am more than happy to post it! And for the record, they are my two favorite Disney twins; and my favorite Disney Characters two!)


And we got the PREMIUM View Room in the Adventure Tower (room 2653)! Here’s some photos of the room:

After settling in, we go to Downtown Disney District for dinner. Our original intent was to have dinner at Earl of Sandwich. But guess what, it was super busy there that evening (heck, Downtown Disney District was busy that evening too)! So we headed for Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria. LOVED IT! But then when we paid our check, they wouldn’t accept my mom’s Key to the Magic card! As you can see, just like at WDW, you room key could be used for payment as well. So she went back to the room and grabbed her wallet. So I stood there and waited and waited, until I decided to give up on waiting and left, my mom did eventually go back and pay, but by the time she did, I made it back to the room. After that little “snafu” was resolved and she got back to the room, we decided to settle in and watch some TV. Oh, and by the way, did I mention we saw the FIREWORKS from our hotel room (wish I knew what channel they played the fireworks music on!)?!

So that’s what I call a great ending to a great first day!


Coming soon - Chapter 3: The first day in the parks!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

joining in! We are taking our first trip to Disneyland this coming fall and looking for all the tips, etc. - especially from people for whom Disneyland also was new.

I love your passion for trains. My dad was really into trains and my young son has a love for them - and obviously Walt did as well - so trains and Disney definitely go together. Have you ever done the Steam Train Tour at WDW?

Your room looks really cool - and how great you could see the fireworks from there!

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

joining in! We are taking our first trip to Disneyland this coming fall and looking for all the tips, etc. - especially from people for whom Disneyland also was new.

I love your passion for trains. My dad was really into trains and my young son has a love for them - and obviously Walt did as well - so trains and Disney definitely go together. Have you ever done the Steam Train Tour at WDW?

Your room looks really cool - and how great you could see the fireworks from there!

Thanks! No I have not done the Steam Train Tour at WDW, but that is on my bucket list!

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

Chapter 3 (Part 1) - The first day in the parks


Me and my mom got up around 6:00 AM to get ready to start our first full day in the Disneyland Resort. Now our game plan for this day, in case you didn’t read the first part, was for us to do Disneyland Park in the Morning and Disney California Adventure in the Afternoon/Evening with our ADR at Wine Country Trattoria at 7:30 PM and World of Color at 9:45 PM. We left for breakfast at the Coffee House at around 8:00 AM. Unfortunately, for most WDW regulars like us, there was no huge quick service food court at the Disneyland Hotel, unlike all of the hotels at WDW.

After this, we make a beeline for the monorail station, and we are the first ones in line! Lucky us. However, I have to admit, unlike WDW who opens their monorails starting at 7:00 AM, Disneyland opens their monorails at park opening (and no early)! #Awkward

So 9:00 AM comes, and we were the first to go through the turnstiles and board the monorail.

Side-note: Unlike WDW where you touch your band or card onto the Mickey Reader and scan your finger, they swipe your ticket first through an iPod (and the first time you use it they take your photo). Then at the turnstile itself they scan your ticket using a barcode reader! This was a little different.

Back on track, we arrived at the Tomorrowland Station by 9:15 AM Pacific Time (which is 12:15 PM Eastern) and we make a hustle for the BTMRR FP Machines.

Oh, and on the way, I managed to snap a photo of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

So we got our FPs for BTMRR and walked over to Jungle Cruise, only a 10-15 minute wait (actually felt like a walk-on ). The thing I noticed that was different about their Jungle Cruise than ours was that (unfortunately) there was no temple, and it was a teeny bit different than ours.

After that, we did Haunted Mansion and (immediately after) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (both were walk-ons!!). We were told that Haunted Mansion over here in California was a little different than Florida’s because it was built underground. We both found that TMAOWTP was a bit different here than back at WDW (e.g. a scene we never saw in our version, no bouncing).

So then we both get a movin to Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Snow White’s Scary Adventure (the later of which used to be at WDW till 2011, the former of which was never at WDW). We waited like 15-20/25 Minutes for each. Why? Because Fantasyland was MOBBED with parents and their children!

So after clearing Snow White’s Scary Adventure, our time for our BTMRR FP comes and we make a mad dash for it.

Side-note: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad over at DLR is somewhat different than ours back at WDW. I have to admit, with all the AWESOME special EFX the DLR version got following an AMAZING REFURB, it totally beats the one at WDW.

After doing that we decided to go grab lunch at Village Haus (which was rather quiet when we got there, i.e. only me my mom, and about 2-3 other people sans Cast Members who were there anyways). And guess who we see walking through? Anna and Elsa from FROZEN! Even some girl in there mentioned this to one of her parents (coincidentally, I watched the movie on the way up)!

Then me and my mom head to the Toontown Depot and rode the train to the Main St Station and made our way to California Adventure!

Side-note: They still do “hand stamps” here. Me and my mom had to get one.


End of Part 1. Stay tuned for part 2 (featuring Disney California Adventure!)