San Diego to Disneyland
The drive from Coronado to Disney was about an hour and a half so we decided to try and head up the coast road rather than take the interstate all the way up as it might be more interesting and we had plenty of time to spare as we couldn't check in before 3pm. I think we'd all enjoyed our stay in overcast San Diego and typically the sun decided to shine. Navigating our way through the city was very easy and the traffic was reasonably light. It wasn't long before we turned off onto the pacific coast highway for the first time and headed towards Laguna Beach. The views were stunning and I don't think this is supposed to be the picturesque part (that's much further up between LA and San Francisco). We had the Pacific on our left and the mountains on our right. It was easy to see why Laguna Beach is popular and some of the homes looked amazing. We passed a Ferrari dealership on our way through and a lot of the cars were expensive ones so I guess people who live here have money. The main beach area looked particularly inviting and on reflection we would have preferred to have stopped here rather than Huntington Beach.
One of the things that stood out was the number of volleyball nets on every beach we passed. I think I counted 12 on one of them. It's obviously a big part of beach life here and I bet its fun turning up and joining in for a game. I wonder if it works like that.
Huntington Beach was where we were supposed to turn right and head up towards Anaheim so we decided to stop here and have a look around. It cost $5 to park the car and the walk to ocean was a long one... a couple hundred meters at least and although that doesn't sound much, we weren't wearing swimming costumes, we were wearing trainers, our towels were packed in one of the eight bags somewhere in the van, so what were we going to do when we got there? Undeterred, we walked towards the water until we reached the soft sand and then thought better of it and turned back. Huntington is where they held the surf championships the weekend before but the waves didn't look high enough today. It also wasn't as clean as Venice Beach and I've heard there are other beaches that are even cleaner so I don't think we need to go back, although it would have been interesting to watch real surfers do their thing.
So 15 minutes after parking up and $5 lighter we were back in the van and heading for Disney. On the way up we passed through an area where everything is written in Korean. I think that Deb said it was called Little Hanoi or Little Saigon. I guess there is safety in numbers and like attracts like but I do wonder how it happens. Was it a gradual thing or did a bunch of them turn up at the same time? Most of the shop signs are in Korean which to me implies that they are only interested in serving people who know what they mean. "These are Korean shops for Korean people", to paraphrase the League of Gentlemen. The only exception was the dentists (of which there is a disproportionate amount in LA) who are obviously happy to fix anybodys teeth.
I have nothing against Koreans or any other nationality for that matter but when you decide to live in another country and become a citizen of that country, why is it important for you to retain the culture of the country you left behind? Why leave home in the first place? I know some people don't have a choice but a lot of people do, probably the majority of them in fact. I am all for living in a multi-cultural society but surely a real multi-cultural society would not have clearly defined boundaries like this, it would be culture-less so to speak (but in a positive way). Perhaps I feel like that as I'm not patriotic and I have no religious leanings to speak of.
We stopped at a CVC Pharmacy to get a drink and a snack to eat before arriving at Disney. We knew we were getting close when Lucy spotted a roller coaster. Other than that I didn't see any signs telling us that Disney was up ahead until we were right on top of it, if you know what I mean? It just felt odd but I guess that is because we are veterans of Disneyworld and it is a lot more compact here. A turn right, a few hundred yards down the road before a left turn into the entrance of the Grand Californian hotel, our home for the next 3 nights. We stopped at the barrier and the security lady asked our names and then asked if we had felt the earthquake. EARTHQUAKE? I am still not sure how I felt about that. I think a part of me is disappointed to have been in California and missed the experience while the other part is relieved as I may have pooped myself. It was 5.7 on the Richter scale and lasted around 20 seconds so it wasn't particularly powerful or long but we were told that many of the rides were closed while they checked them for damage. Luckily we hadn't planned on visiting either park today.
It took awhile to find someone to help us with the luggage, as there were a lot of arrivals out front. I told Deb to start queuing while I sorted it out. Luckily Deb wasn't queuing for long but unfortunately the rooms weren't ready again so we sit in the Lobby for half an hour. The decor reminds me of the Wilderness Lodge or Sequoia Lodge at Disneyland Paris. It's nice enough but it is Disney's flagship hotel on the West Coast so I am a little under-whelmed to be honest and if memory serves me the Wilderness Lodge was a lot more spectacular.
I know that I am impatient at the best of times but it does bother me when they say that you can't check in before 3pm and when you turn up at 3pm or after the rooms aren't ready. It's a relatively short walk from the Lobby, past the pool area, to our building and we are up on the second floor (1 floor up from ground), which is a shame as we don't quite get to see the pools from our balcony. We can hear them though. First thought on entering the rooms was 'how small'. Seriously, they must have been half the size of the ones we'd left behind in San Diego. I know when you go to Disney the idea is you spend your time in the park and only use the room to sleep so who cares how small it is but I did expect it to be a bit bigger. And don't get me started on the toilets. Seriously, why are they so low to the ground? Contemplating our plans for the day with my knees up around my ears is not comfortable and there is no way I can enjoy my Sporting News seated in that position. I do my business and get out of there, which is maybe the point, but I am not happy about it. We head off to have a look around the hotel and stop to look at the restaurant that we passed on our way from the Lobby. It looks very nice and is also empty. As we are all hungry now we decide to go in and take advantage of the relative quiet. The waiter is a nice chap who gives all of us a badge each which says it is our first time at Disneyland. Only Alexandra wears hers! I decide to order the ribs as a starter just to see what they are like and give us all a little taste. The portion is small but the meat is moist and tender which meets the approval of our little carnivore. It turns out to be the best part of the meal by some distance. I think myself and Deb had California flatbreads, which were glorified pizzas really and not that good, and Nicholas had a quesadilla, which he chomped his way through rapidly. Lucy's two kids cheeseburgers were a good size for her and she looked to be enjoying them but Alexandra's pasta was a disaster. I felt guilty as I convinced her she would like it and that went a long way to her ordering it but when it turned up she couldn't eat it. I can't remember why exactly.
We ordered her a replacement quesadilla and she enjoyed that I think. Our waiter told us that his favourite park was the California Adventure and the Aladdin show was a must-see. Duly noted we left the hotel and headed into Downtown Disney which is right outside. It was pretty quiet to be honest so we had a walk around and headed towards the ESPN bar, which was at the far end i.e. away from the entrance to the parks. The shop was upstairs but I couldn't be bothered to look as the chances of them having a t-shirt my size was pretty remote (they've never had one in Florida). We had a quick look in the bookshop opposite and made our way back to the Build-a-Bear store where the girls spent a good 15 minutes but didn't get anything. While we were waiting Nicholas and I checked out the schedule for the House of Blues but there wasn't anyone interesting playing while we were here. Maybe if we had gone back later there would have been more going on in Downtown Disney but I'm not sure. It was interesting to compare it to Universal's City Walk which we visited a week later and had much more of a buzz about it even in the daytime. Although I don't remember I am reliably informed that after Build-a-Bear we headed back to the hotel and went to our rooms for the evening. How exciting are we?
California Adventure
This was our first full, and therefore, proper day at Disneyland. We woke up and decided that the best thing to do was exchange our California Pass tickets for Disney tickets and then breakfast in the park, which would be California Adventure today. One of the reasons we had chosen the Grand Californian was because it had a direct entry into California Adventure, which was a relatively short walk from our rooms. Deb handed the lady our tickets and she told us that she couldn't do anything with them so we would have to exchange them at Guest Services in the Lobby. I think they had asked Deb on checking-in yesterday afternoon whether or not we had passes and when she told them what we had they didn't say anything. So we trudged back to Guest Services who told us that they couldn't help but the front desk could. The front desk then told us they couldn't help either and that we would have to take them to the main park entrance. Clearly the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing and I think it's bad form on Disney's part. By the time we finally got the tickets exchanged I reckon it had cost us an hour in the park at least. The first thing we did was head to the nearest cafe to grab a late breakfast of pastries and coffee, orange juice, chocolate milk, etc. The music playing in the park was typical 70's and 80's FM rock'n'roll and listening to Randy Newman's classic "I Love LA" while drinking a lovely cup of coffee lifted my mood somewhat.
We decided to head left from the park's entrance into what was effectively the Disney Studios area. Four black guys were singing on the street and they had great voices. We listened to a couple of songs and when they finished they asked if anyone wanted a picture with them. Nobody stepped forward so I thought I'd be the first and maybe other people would then follow suit. Alexandra and I stood between them while Deb took the picture. They started harmonising so I joined in. It made Alexandra laugh but from their reaction I don't think I'll be getting a job offer any time soon. The Monsters Inc ride was a disappointment, basically it told the story while we sat in a little vehicle much like the Snow White, Pinocchio and Peter Pan rides. I expected a bit more but it did remind me just how much I enjoyed Monsters Inc which is probably my favourite Pixar film on a par with Finding Nemo. There was a small stage area outside this ride and a show was just starting. We sat down near the back. It was a musical thing with three supposed artists singing, dancing and drawing. Mickey and a few other characters came out at the end to sign autographs and whatnot. I think the girls all enjoyed it but Nicholas and me not so much.
The first Aladdin show was still an hour away and the wait for Tower of Terror was something like 20 minutes so Deb, Nick and Lucy queued up. Alexandra stayed with me and we spent the next 40 minutes or so sitting on a bench outside the Tower of Terror shop/exit just chilling and people watching. We were also next to a character entry/exit point and several of them came and went while we sat there. I wasn't sure how Lucy would react to the ride but she had been determined to go on as someone from her school had done it in Florida or Paris and she wasn't going to be outdone by Eleanor. Sure enough she came out as high as a kite and all smiles. It looks like thrill rides don't bother the Juice.
People had been queuing for the Aladdin show for ages and as we walked towards it I didn't think we had a chance of getting in especially as the doors were just being opened and the crowd was pouring inside. Somehow we ended up in a fast moving queue that went down the side of the building. I think the reason it was moving so rapidly was because it was the entrance to the upper level of the theatre and those in the know didn't fancy a four story climb. If I had been one of them I wouldn't have fancied it either but here I was at the foot of the stairs wondering what I had gotten myself into and also wondering whether I would actually be able to make it all the way up. Even now I don't know how the hell I managed it. I remember having to slow down a couple of times when I thought my lungs were about to explode but I did it and lived to tell the tale. We sat in the very top row of the theatre. The view was ok as was the show. The Genie was as funny as advertised and the flying carpet sequence was worthy of the West End. At that point I was happy that we'd walked all the way up 'cause if we'd been downstairs I'm not sure we'd have seen it all.
Heading back towards the entrance we ran into the High School Musical 2 float and so stopped and watched the show from behind effectively. Lucy didn't seem to be bothered about fighting her way round the front and there was a barrier of parents that would have made it even more difficult. I thought she might want to join in when they started getting kids up but she didn't seem bothered much to Alexandra's disappointment, probably! It was about this time when I noticed that Nick had his normal 'Disney' face on, that is, his 'I'd rather be anywhere but here' face. I can't blame him, like me the poor sod is Disney'd out but this is a family vacation which means that sometimes you have to do things for others and make the best of it. We check out a food area which has Mexican (where we'll eat later in the day) and a place that sells soup in a bread bowl which also looks interesting. I ask the kids to stand in a mock fishing net so I can take a cheesy holiday snap and Nick gives me 'the look' again. I'd gladly throttle him at this moment or at least wire his nuts to a car battery. Instead I have no choice but to take a deep breath and do my best to ignore the miserable git.
The view from the pier overlooking the boardwalk with the California Screamin' roller coaster is fantastic. I take loads of pictures in the hope of capturing the spectacle of it. We spend a few minutes looking down on the rollercoaster as it prepares to blast it's occupants skyward. It looks like great fun and there's a part of me that would love to have a go if I weren't such a hypochondriac scaredy-cat. Unfortunately it's around midday and the queue is very long so we think about going on the new Toy Story 4D ride that has just opened but sadly it was having technical difficulties and was closed for the time being. To be honest there wasn't much else to do in this area. It looks busy but the majority of buildings are shops or small arcade things that are very un-Disney like. I know it's a boardwalk theme so you expect these kinds of amusements but I also understand why a lot of people have criticised the park for its lack of imagination. It's a long walk from here back towards the hotel. To break up the march we stop at a basketball game where the hoop is so tight that you need to pull off a wonder shot to win a prize. I don't know what possessed me but I decide to pay for the Incredible Sulk and Alexandra to have two shots each. Nick goes first and falls short of the hoop completely. Alexandra also misses on her first attempt. Oh dear, it doesn't look good at this point and I resign myself to more despondence and misery. The pressure is now on the boy to deliver and bugger me if he doesn't drop it straight through without touching the sides. He actually looks happy for the first time today. I knew there was a reason for doing it after all. Unprompted he asks his little sister what she wants from the prizes on display and she chooses a green monkey to go along with Dale the Whale. Good lad. Perhaps he's not so bad after all. Do I need to mention that brothers and sisters are extremely competitive? Amid the celebrations it suddenly dawns on me that this could herald a diplomatic crisis within the Foster family and that my plan to cheer them up may backfire horribly. I am almost afraid to watch Alexandra take her last shot but concentrating fully she sinks her second attempt with ease. Thank you God. We head back to the hotel with the green and pink monkeys hand in hand. Finally everyone is smiling.
The pools are both quite busy but we manage to find a couple of loungers and Deb sunbathes while the rest of us enjoy the water. The main pool has a couple of slides so the kids try them out but it's not long before we head back to the smaller pool and continue playing around with the ball. A bunch of young lads take over the pool and I expect the worst but I am pleasantly surprised to find that they are no trouble at all. Yes they are exuberant but they don't swear and don't get in anyones way. I can't imagine a bunch of lads from the UK being as well behaved. From their short haircuts I assume they are in the military but I later overhear someone asking them what they are doing here and it turns out they are playing in some sort of competition (baseball I think) and have just won a game. They look very fit and 'ripped' which makes me think that Charlotte would have enjoyed the view even though they were probably a little young for her tastes. Thinking about it they were probably closer to Alexandra's age but she doesn't mention them at all. I wonder if she even noticed them. Let's hope not. At this point I notice that Deb is having a conversation with a pretty girl on the lounger next to her. She's reading the bible and I think she tried to engage Deb in conversation about 'you know who' by asking her what she is reading. Deb talks to her but sensibly doesn't take the bait. Deb wonders if she works for Disney as she seems to know some of the lifeguards. Apparently she went on a mission to Manchester (of all places) and loved the UK but didn't like France as they didn't speak English. I'm stumped on how to respond so it's lucky that she decides to follow the sun by moving to a lounger on the opposite side of the pool. Nice bum though.
The sun is definitely on its way down so it's time for a quick change and back into the park for something to eat. Like I said earlier we all had Mexican apart from Lucy who I think had the obligatory chicken strips. The food was ok, nothing more. I think it didn't help that people kept walking past with those crusty soup bowls.
It's almost time for the parade so we head for a spot as cast members are marking out the viewing areas on the route. It's really hot and sunny and I don't fancy standing around sweating in it for half an hour, so Deb picks a place to stand with the girls while Nicholas and I have a wander. We find some shade for a while and then decide to head across the path and up the steps towards a verandah next to the Italian restaurant that overlooks the parade. I'm surprised that it hasn't been sealed off but it wasn't busy and I wasn't complaining as we are able to take advantage of the great view. Camera at the ready I take way too many snaps of the parade, which is Pixar themed and absolutely brilliant. The song is really catchy and I imagine that Alexandra is already wondering if I can download it for her. We actually try to buy it later but it isn't for sale yet although I am sure it will be before too long. I can see Deb filming the parade using our new Sony HD camcorder, which we picked up especially for this trip. I think it's the only time it is used the entire holiday! I would do it but my job is to take the pictures and I don't mind doing it because I love the memories they bring when we get home. I am sure that I would also love watching the movies but I can't do both things at once. I also know first-hand that it can be a pain to record something as you don't feel fully engaged in the moment so to speak and I am sure that is one of the reasons why Deb went back in and watched the same parade the next night. Next year I intend to keep Nicholas busy by giving him the responsibility of recording everything. God help us.
After the parade Deb and the girls join us up on the verandah where there is a wine stall serving it by the glass. The wine is nice and the server is very knowledgeable. Deb wasn't sure what to have so she asked her a few questions and narrowed down the selection to one, which seemed to go down well. I enjoyed my Pinot Grigio and had my first perfect 'moment' of the holiday where I could say that I was truly glad to be alive. I would have a few more of those over the next couple of weeks.
Most of the people were heading in the direction of California Screamin' so we decided to go the other way and stop in the Bugs Life playground area which had a few little rides for Lucy's age and younger. We all went on Heimlich's Choo Choo Train, which was even sillier than it looked on the internet. The bumper cars were even worse. There was no way I would have squeezed into them and the car wouldn't have been able to move had I been able to judging by the snail-like pace. At full speed (which must have been less than one mile per hour) Nicholas claimed he managed two and a half laps but there was some debate as to whether Deb, Lucy and Alexandra even managed one. I don't know whether the cars were like that for safety or age reasons but even a toddler would have more fun watching paint dry. They also tried some teacup-like contraption and all three girls went on a swinging bucket ride. Lucy had a great time in this area so I am glad we did it. We debated going into Bugs Life 3D on our way out as it was empty but as we have all seen it a few times before in Florida we decided to give it a miss this time. The entrance back into the hotel is right next to the raft ride (forget its name) and that also looked like fun but the queues were still long and it was getting dark. We left the park and went straight to our rooms. I don't remember anything else so I expect we fell asleep pretty quickly, but at least we had a reasonable excuse this time as it had been a rather full day.
Disneyland Park
We left the hotel and entered Downtown Disney, which leads to the entrance of both parks. We haven't had breakfast yet so stop at a cafe. My new trainers were rubbing this morning but I still decided to wear them, which was a big mistake as by the time we sat down I could see blood seeping through the heel of my socks. There was no way I could continue like this so Deb kindly went back to our room and got me a pair of sandals to wear while we ate our breakfast. I did panic when it took her quite a while; I had underestimated just how far it was.
My first thought on entering the park was how small everything was, not just the castle (which is tiny) but also even the buildings on Main Street seemed smaller than their Floridian counterparts. We walked down Main Street and I took a picture of the famous statue of Walt and Mickey holding hands in front of the castle. Incidently I read today in the Telegraph that a Saudi Arabian cleric has proclaimed Mickey Mouse as evil and according to Sharia law should be killed. ***?! I really do worry about where the world is headed. There was another article in the same paper that said the last two major recessions were partly responsible for the first and second world wars so watch this space.
Back to happier times, we strolled around the park and looked for rides we hadn't done before. Everyone except me wanted to do the Toboggan ride so queued for that while I sat on a bench nearby and watched the world go by. I really wasn't in the mood today and I don't know why. We spent 30 minutes queuing for the Casey Jnr ride even though there weren't that many people in front of us seemingly. The ride was longer than I expected though but it didn't do a loop like the one in Paris does (insider joke I once bet Alexandra that it did a loop-the-loop and apparently I still owe her a fiver). Deb and the kids had picked up Fast Passes for the cars, which Lucy loves so I sat by myself again while they went off. After 30 minutes I began to worry that they'd forgotten where they left me but it turns out that the Fast Pass system was not very efficient. I fancied doing something that didn't involve queues so we jumped on the railroad and did a loop and a bit of the park. Ho-hum. We got off at New Orleans, which is a different part that they dont have in Florida, and strolled through to get a dole whip float, which we all really enjoyed. Then we took a gentle stroll back down Main Street and through Downtown. Alexandra and Deb stopped at the shop where Alex bought a hoody and Deb got a white canvas bag that went everywhere with us for the rest of the holiday and was dubbed the great big bag of everything. Then we headed back to the hotel for a swim.
We found some loungers easily enough and while I sat and read the kids and Mark went in for a swim. When the waitress came round I ordered some drinks and food which took its time arriving but at least gave everyone else some time in the pool before eating, even though I think it was only Lucy who went back in afterwards. The food was standard fare of burgers and hotdogs but was quite tasty and filled a hole. After a shower and getting dressed me and the girls went back in to California Adventure park to see the afternoon parade again as we enjoyed it so much the day before, we seemed to be targets for all the water squirters today. After seeing it we head back over to Disneyland Park for the rest of the evening. On the way down Main Street we stop and buy Lucy a Tinkerbell jumper and red Mickey headband. We managed to find an elevated spot for the second of the afternoons parades at the end of the route, it was a good view and a pleasant way to spend an hour while the sun started setting. Then we walked into Toontown where the girls went on the rollercoaster while I waited. There really wasnt much else in there. We had a wander around Fantasyland and ended up in a short queue for the Jungle Cruise, we hadnt been on it in the dark before and wondered what it would be like, not much different really but you cant see much. Then we headed for Tomorrowland where we went into an area with 4 different attractions going on. We had a go on the computers that you answered questions and it told you what Disney character you are most like. Alexandra was Tinkerbell, Lucy was Mulan and I was Jane (from Tarzan). When we came out we could hear a rock band playing so we found somewhere to sit and watched them sing their last song, typical. We strolled to find a place for the fireworks and found a small triangle of pathway that had been cordoned off to stand that only 2 other people had found before us. I think Lucy would have preferred to just go back but after waiting around for this long Alexandra and myself were not going to miss them. It was a mixture of Wishes, from Orlando, and the music from various rides and I did enjoy them but they werent Epcot Illuminations Reflections of Earth.
When we got back to the room the boys had had a pleasant evening watching TV and Mark had ordered a burger from room service, which was enormous and very dry so not that good.
The drive from Coronado to Disney was about an hour and a half so we decided to try and head up the coast road rather than take the interstate all the way up as it might be more interesting and we had plenty of time to spare as we couldn't check in before 3pm. I think we'd all enjoyed our stay in overcast San Diego and typically the sun decided to shine. Navigating our way through the city was very easy and the traffic was reasonably light. It wasn't long before we turned off onto the pacific coast highway for the first time and headed towards Laguna Beach. The views were stunning and I don't think this is supposed to be the picturesque part (that's much further up between LA and San Francisco). We had the Pacific on our left and the mountains on our right. It was easy to see why Laguna Beach is popular and some of the homes looked amazing. We passed a Ferrari dealership on our way through and a lot of the cars were expensive ones so I guess people who live here have money. The main beach area looked particularly inviting and on reflection we would have preferred to have stopped here rather than Huntington Beach.
One of the things that stood out was the number of volleyball nets on every beach we passed. I think I counted 12 on one of them. It's obviously a big part of beach life here and I bet its fun turning up and joining in for a game. I wonder if it works like that.
Huntington Beach was where we were supposed to turn right and head up towards Anaheim so we decided to stop here and have a look around. It cost $5 to park the car and the walk to ocean was a long one... a couple hundred meters at least and although that doesn't sound much, we weren't wearing swimming costumes, we were wearing trainers, our towels were packed in one of the eight bags somewhere in the van, so what were we going to do when we got there? Undeterred, we walked towards the water until we reached the soft sand and then thought better of it and turned back. Huntington is where they held the surf championships the weekend before but the waves didn't look high enough today. It also wasn't as clean as Venice Beach and I've heard there are other beaches that are even cleaner so I don't think we need to go back, although it would have been interesting to watch real surfers do their thing.
So 15 minutes after parking up and $5 lighter we were back in the van and heading for Disney. On the way up we passed through an area where everything is written in Korean. I think that Deb said it was called Little Hanoi or Little Saigon. I guess there is safety in numbers and like attracts like but I do wonder how it happens. Was it a gradual thing or did a bunch of them turn up at the same time? Most of the shop signs are in Korean which to me implies that they are only interested in serving people who know what they mean. "These are Korean shops for Korean people", to paraphrase the League of Gentlemen. The only exception was the dentists (of which there is a disproportionate amount in LA) who are obviously happy to fix anybodys teeth.
I have nothing against Koreans or any other nationality for that matter but when you decide to live in another country and become a citizen of that country, why is it important for you to retain the culture of the country you left behind? Why leave home in the first place? I know some people don't have a choice but a lot of people do, probably the majority of them in fact. I am all for living in a multi-cultural society but surely a real multi-cultural society would not have clearly defined boundaries like this, it would be culture-less so to speak (but in a positive way). Perhaps I feel like that as I'm not patriotic and I have no religious leanings to speak of.
We stopped at a CVC Pharmacy to get a drink and a snack to eat before arriving at Disney. We knew we were getting close when Lucy spotted a roller coaster. Other than that I didn't see any signs telling us that Disney was up ahead until we were right on top of it, if you know what I mean? It just felt odd but I guess that is because we are veterans of Disneyworld and it is a lot more compact here. A turn right, a few hundred yards down the road before a left turn into the entrance of the Grand Californian hotel, our home for the next 3 nights. We stopped at the barrier and the security lady asked our names and then asked if we had felt the earthquake. EARTHQUAKE? I am still not sure how I felt about that. I think a part of me is disappointed to have been in California and missed the experience while the other part is relieved as I may have pooped myself. It was 5.7 on the Richter scale and lasted around 20 seconds so it wasn't particularly powerful or long but we were told that many of the rides were closed while they checked them for damage. Luckily we hadn't planned on visiting either park today.
It took awhile to find someone to help us with the luggage, as there were a lot of arrivals out front. I told Deb to start queuing while I sorted it out. Luckily Deb wasn't queuing for long but unfortunately the rooms weren't ready again so we sit in the Lobby for half an hour. The decor reminds me of the Wilderness Lodge or Sequoia Lodge at Disneyland Paris. It's nice enough but it is Disney's flagship hotel on the West Coast so I am a little under-whelmed to be honest and if memory serves me the Wilderness Lodge was a lot more spectacular.
I know that I am impatient at the best of times but it does bother me when they say that you can't check in before 3pm and when you turn up at 3pm or after the rooms aren't ready. It's a relatively short walk from the Lobby, past the pool area, to our building and we are up on the second floor (1 floor up from ground), which is a shame as we don't quite get to see the pools from our balcony. We can hear them though. First thought on entering the rooms was 'how small'. Seriously, they must have been half the size of the ones we'd left behind in San Diego. I know when you go to Disney the idea is you spend your time in the park and only use the room to sleep so who cares how small it is but I did expect it to be a bit bigger. And don't get me started on the toilets. Seriously, why are they so low to the ground? Contemplating our plans for the day with my knees up around my ears is not comfortable and there is no way I can enjoy my Sporting News seated in that position. I do my business and get out of there, which is maybe the point, but I am not happy about it. We head off to have a look around the hotel and stop to look at the restaurant that we passed on our way from the Lobby. It looks very nice and is also empty. As we are all hungry now we decide to go in and take advantage of the relative quiet. The waiter is a nice chap who gives all of us a badge each which says it is our first time at Disneyland. Only Alexandra wears hers! I decide to order the ribs as a starter just to see what they are like and give us all a little taste. The portion is small but the meat is moist and tender which meets the approval of our little carnivore. It turns out to be the best part of the meal by some distance. I think myself and Deb had California flatbreads, which were glorified pizzas really and not that good, and Nicholas had a quesadilla, which he chomped his way through rapidly. Lucy's two kids cheeseburgers were a good size for her and she looked to be enjoying them but Alexandra's pasta was a disaster. I felt guilty as I convinced her she would like it and that went a long way to her ordering it but when it turned up she couldn't eat it. I can't remember why exactly.
We ordered her a replacement quesadilla and she enjoyed that I think. Our waiter told us that his favourite park was the California Adventure and the Aladdin show was a must-see. Duly noted we left the hotel and headed into Downtown Disney which is right outside. It was pretty quiet to be honest so we had a walk around and headed towards the ESPN bar, which was at the far end i.e. away from the entrance to the parks. The shop was upstairs but I couldn't be bothered to look as the chances of them having a t-shirt my size was pretty remote (they've never had one in Florida). We had a quick look in the bookshop opposite and made our way back to the Build-a-Bear store where the girls spent a good 15 minutes but didn't get anything. While we were waiting Nicholas and I checked out the schedule for the House of Blues but there wasn't anyone interesting playing while we were here. Maybe if we had gone back later there would have been more going on in Downtown Disney but I'm not sure. It was interesting to compare it to Universal's City Walk which we visited a week later and had much more of a buzz about it even in the daytime. Although I don't remember I am reliably informed that after Build-a-Bear we headed back to the hotel and went to our rooms for the evening. How exciting are we?
California Adventure
This was our first full, and therefore, proper day at Disneyland. We woke up and decided that the best thing to do was exchange our California Pass tickets for Disney tickets and then breakfast in the park, which would be California Adventure today. One of the reasons we had chosen the Grand Californian was because it had a direct entry into California Adventure, which was a relatively short walk from our rooms. Deb handed the lady our tickets and she told us that she couldn't do anything with them so we would have to exchange them at Guest Services in the Lobby. I think they had asked Deb on checking-in yesterday afternoon whether or not we had passes and when she told them what we had they didn't say anything. So we trudged back to Guest Services who told us that they couldn't help but the front desk could. The front desk then told us they couldn't help either and that we would have to take them to the main park entrance. Clearly the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing and I think it's bad form on Disney's part. By the time we finally got the tickets exchanged I reckon it had cost us an hour in the park at least. The first thing we did was head to the nearest cafe to grab a late breakfast of pastries and coffee, orange juice, chocolate milk, etc. The music playing in the park was typical 70's and 80's FM rock'n'roll and listening to Randy Newman's classic "I Love LA" while drinking a lovely cup of coffee lifted my mood somewhat.
We decided to head left from the park's entrance into what was effectively the Disney Studios area. Four black guys were singing on the street and they had great voices. We listened to a couple of songs and when they finished they asked if anyone wanted a picture with them. Nobody stepped forward so I thought I'd be the first and maybe other people would then follow suit. Alexandra and I stood between them while Deb took the picture. They started harmonising so I joined in. It made Alexandra laugh but from their reaction I don't think I'll be getting a job offer any time soon. The Monsters Inc ride was a disappointment, basically it told the story while we sat in a little vehicle much like the Snow White, Pinocchio and Peter Pan rides. I expected a bit more but it did remind me just how much I enjoyed Monsters Inc which is probably my favourite Pixar film on a par with Finding Nemo. There was a small stage area outside this ride and a show was just starting. We sat down near the back. It was a musical thing with three supposed artists singing, dancing and drawing. Mickey and a few other characters came out at the end to sign autographs and whatnot. I think the girls all enjoyed it but Nicholas and me not so much.
The first Aladdin show was still an hour away and the wait for Tower of Terror was something like 20 minutes so Deb, Nick and Lucy queued up. Alexandra stayed with me and we spent the next 40 minutes or so sitting on a bench outside the Tower of Terror shop/exit just chilling and people watching. We were also next to a character entry/exit point and several of them came and went while we sat there. I wasn't sure how Lucy would react to the ride but she had been determined to go on as someone from her school had done it in Florida or Paris and she wasn't going to be outdone by Eleanor. Sure enough she came out as high as a kite and all smiles. It looks like thrill rides don't bother the Juice.
People had been queuing for the Aladdin show for ages and as we walked towards it I didn't think we had a chance of getting in especially as the doors were just being opened and the crowd was pouring inside. Somehow we ended up in a fast moving queue that went down the side of the building. I think the reason it was moving so rapidly was because it was the entrance to the upper level of the theatre and those in the know didn't fancy a four story climb. If I had been one of them I wouldn't have fancied it either but here I was at the foot of the stairs wondering what I had gotten myself into and also wondering whether I would actually be able to make it all the way up. Even now I don't know how the hell I managed it. I remember having to slow down a couple of times when I thought my lungs were about to explode but I did it and lived to tell the tale. We sat in the very top row of the theatre. The view was ok as was the show. The Genie was as funny as advertised and the flying carpet sequence was worthy of the West End. At that point I was happy that we'd walked all the way up 'cause if we'd been downstairs I'm not sure we'd have seen it all.
Heading back towards the entrance we ran into the High School Musical 2 float and so stopped and watched the show from behind effectively. Lucy didn't seem to be bothered about fighting her way round the front and there was a barrier of parents that would have made it even more difficult. I thought she might want to join in when they started getting kids up but she didn't seem bothered much to Alexandra's disappointment, probably! It was about this time when I noticed that Nick had his normal 'Disney' face on, that is, his 'I'd rather be anywhere but here' face. I can't blame him, like me the poor sod is Disney'd out but this is a family vacation which means that sometimes you have to do things for others and make the best of it. We check out a food area which has Mexican (where we'll eat later in the day) and a place that sells soup in a bread bowl which also looks interesting. I ask the kids to stand in a mock fishing net so I can take a cheesy holiday snap and Nick gives me 'the look' again. I'd gladly throttle him at this moment or at least wire his nuts to a car battery. Instead I have no choice but to take a deep breath and do my best to ignore the miserable git.
The view from the pier overlooking the boardwalk with the California Screamin' roller coaster is fantastic. I take loads of pictures in the hope of capturing the spectacle of it. We spend a few minutes looking down on the rollercoaster as it prepares to blast it's occupants skyward. It looks like great fun and there's a part of me that would love to have a go if I weren't such a hypochondriac scaredy-cat. Unfortunately it's around midday and the queue is very long so we think about going on the new Toy Story 4D ride that has just opened but sadly it was having technical difficulties and was closed for the time being. To be honest there wasn't much else to do in this area. It looks busy but the majority of buildings are shops or small arcade things that are very un-Disney like. I know it's a boardwalk theme so you expect these kinds of amusements but I also understand why a lot of people have criticised the park for its lack of imagination. It's a long walk from here back towards the hotel. To break up the march we stop at a basketball game where the hoop is so tight that you need to pull off a wonder shot to win a prize. I don't know what possessed me but I decide to pay for the Incredible Sulk and Alexandra to have two shots each. Nick goes first and falls short of the hoop completely. Alexandra also misses on her first attempt. Oh dear, it doesn't look good at this point and I resign myself to more despondence and misery. The pressure is now on the boy to deliver and bugger me if he doesn't drop it straight through without touching the sides. He actually looks happy for the first time today. I knew there was a reason for doing it after all. Unprompted he asks his little sister what she wants from the prizes on display and she chooses a green monkey to go along with Dale the Whale. Good lad. Perhaps he's not so bad after all. Do I need to mention that brothers and sisters are extremely competitive? Amid the celebrations it suddenly dawns on me that this could herald a diplomatic crisis within the Foster family and that my plan to cheer them up may backfire horribly. I am almost afraid to watch Alexandra take her last shot but concentrating fully she sinks her second attempt with ease. Thank you God. We head back to the hotel with the green and pink monkeys hand in hand. Finally everyone is smiling.
The pools are both quite busy but we manage to find a couple of loungers and Deb sunbathes while the rest of us enjoy the water. The main pool has a couple of slides so the kids try them out but it's not long before we head back to the smaller pool and continue playing around with the ball. A bunch of young lads take over the pool and I expect the worst but I am pleasantly surprised to find that they are no trouble at all. Yes they are exuberant but they don't swear and don't get in anyones way. I can't imagine a bunch of lads from the UK being as well behaved. From their short haircuts I assume they are in the military but I later overhear someone asking them what they are doing here and it turns out they are playing in some sort of competition (baseball I think) and have just won a game. They look very fit and 'ripped' which makes me think that Charlotte would have enjoyed the view even though they were probably a little young for her tastes. Thinking about it they were probably closer to Alexandra's age but she doesn't mention them at all. I wonder if she even noticed them. Let's hope not. At this point I notice that Deb is having a conversation with a pretty girl on the lounger next to her. She's reading the bible and I think she tried to engage Deb in conversation about 'you know who' by asking her what she is reading. Deb talks to her but sensibly doesn't take the bait. Deb wonders if she works for Disney as she seems to know some of the lifeguards. Apparently she went on a mission to Manchester (of all places) and loved the UK but didn't like France as they didn't speak English. I'm stumped on how to respond so it's lucky that she decides to follow the sun by moving to a lounger on the opposite side of the pool. Nice bum though.
The sun is definitely on its way down so it's time for a quick change and back into the park for something to eat. Like I said earlier we all had Mexican apart from Lucy who I think had the obligatory chicken strips. The food was ok, nothing more. I think it didn't help that people kept walking past with those crusty soup bowls.
It's almost time for the parade so we head for a spot as cast members are marking out the viewing areas on the route. It's really hot and sunny and I don't fancy standing around sweating in it for half an hour, so Deb picks a place to stand with the girls while Nicholas and I have a wander. We find some shade for a while and then decide to head across the path and up the steps towards a verandah next to the Italian restaurant that overlooks the parade. I'm surprised that it hasn't been sealed off but it wasn't busy and I wasn't complaining as we are able to take advantage of the great view. Camera at the ready I take way too many snaps of the parade, which is Pixar themed and absolutely brilliant. The song is really catchy and I imagine that Alexandra is already wondering if I can download it for her. We actually try to buy it later but it isn't for sale yet although I am sure it will be before too long. I can see Deb filming the parade using our new Sony HD camcorder, which we picked up especially for this trip. I think it's the only time it is used the entire holiday! I would do it but my job is to take the pictures and I don't mind doing it because I love the memories they bring when we get home. I am sure that I would also love watching the movies but I can't do both things at once. I also know first-hand that it can be a pain to record something as you don't feel fully engaged in the moment so to speak and I am sure that is one of the reasons why Deb went back in and watched the same parade the next night. Next year I intend to keep Nicholas busy by giving him the responsibility of recording everything. God help us.
After the parade Deb and the girls join us up on the verandah where there is a wine stall serving it by the glass. The wine is nice and the server is very knowledgeable. Deb wasn't sure what to have so she asked her a few questions and narrowed down the selection to one, which seemed to go down well. I enjoyed my Pinot Grigio and had my first perfect 'moment' of the holiday where I could say that I was truly glad to be alive. I would have a few more of those over the next couple of weeks.
Most of the people were heading in the direction of California Screamin' so we decided to go the other way and stop in the Bugs Life playground area which had a few little rides for Lucy's age and younger. We all went on Heimlich's Choo Choo Train, which was even sillier than it looked on the internet. The bumper cars were even worse. There was no way I would have squeezed into them and the car wouldn't have been able to move had I been able to judging by the snail-like pace. At full speed (which must have been less than one mile per hour) Nicholas claimed he managed two and a half laps but there was some debate as to whether Deb, Lucy and Alexandra even managed one. I don't know whether the cars were like that for safety or age reasons but even a toddler would have more fun watching paint dry. They also tried some teacup-like contraption and all three girls went on a swinging bucket ride. Lucy had a great time in this area so I am glad we did it. We debated going into Bugs Life 3D on our way out as it was empty but as we have all seen it a few times before in Florida we decided to give it a miss this time. The entrance back into the hotel is right next to the raft ride (forget its name) and that also looked like fun but the queues were still long and it was getting dark. We left the park and went straight to our rooms. I don't remember anything else so I expect we fell asleep pretty quickly, but at least we had a reasonable excuse this time as it had been a rather full day.
Disneyland Park
We left the hotel and entered Downtown Disney, which leads to the entrance of both parks. We haven't had breakfast yet so stop at a cafe. My new trainers were rubbing this morning but I still decided to wear them, which was a big mistake as by the time we sat down I could see blood seeping through the heel of my socks. There was no way I could continue like this so Deb kindly went back to our room and got me a pair of sandals to wear while we ate our breakfast. I did panic when it took her quite a while; I had underestimated just how far it was.
My first thought on entering the park was how small everything was, not just the castle (which is tiny) but also even the buildings on Main Street seemed smaller than their Floridian counterparts. We walked down Main Street and I took a picture of the famous statue of Walt and Mickey holding hands in front of the castle. Incidently I read today in the Telegraph that a Saudi Arabian cleric has proclaimed Mickey Mouse as evil and according to Sharia law should be killed. ***?! I really do worry about where the world is headed. There was another article in the same paper that said the last two major recessions were partly responsible for the first and second world wars so watch this space.
Back to happier times, we strolled around the park and looked for rides we hadn't done before. Everyone except me wanted to do the Toboggan ride so queued for that while I sat on a bench nearby and watched the world go by. I really wasn't in the mood today and I don't know why. We spent 30 minutes queuing for the Casey Jnr ride even though there weren't that many people in front of us seemingly. The ride was longer than I expected though but it didn't do a loop like the one in Paris does (insider joke I once bet Alexandra that it did a loop-the-loop and apparently I still owe her a fiver). Deb and the kids had picked up Fast Passes for the cars, which Lucy loves so I sat by myself again while they went off. After 30 minutes I began to worry that they'd forgotten where they left me but it turns out that the Fast Pass system was not very efficient. I fancied doing something that didn't involve queues so we jumped on the railroad and did a loop and a bit of the park. Ho-hum. We got off at New Orleans, which is a different part that they dont have in Florida, and strolled through to get a dole whip float, which we all really enjoyed. Then we took a gentle stroll back down Main Street and through Downtown. Alexandra and Deb stopped at the shop where Alex bought a hoody and Deb got a white canvas bag that went everywhere with us for the rest of the holiday and was dubbed the great big bag of everything. Then we headed back to the hotel for a swim.
We found some loungers easily enough and while I sat and read the kids and Mark went in for a swim. When the waitress came round I ordered some drinks and food which took its time arriving but at least gave everyone else some time in the pool before eating, even though I think it was only Lucy who went back in afterwards. The food was standard fare of burgers and hotdogs but was quite tasty and filled a hole. After a shower and getting dressed me and the girls went back in to California Adventure park to see the afternoon parade again as we enjoyed it so much the day before, we seemed to be targets for all the water squirters today. After seeing it we head back over to Disneyland Park for the rest of the evening. On the way down Main Street we stop and buy Lucy a Tinkerbell jumper and red Mickey headband. We managed to find an elevated spot for the second of the afternoons parades at the end of the route, it was a good view and a pleasant way to spend an hour while the sun started setting. Then we walked into Toontown where the girls went on the rollercoaster while I waited. There really wasnt much else in there. We had a wander around Fantasyland and ended up in a short queue for the Jungle Cruise, we hadnt been on it in the dark before and wondered what it would be like, not much different really but you cant see much. Then we headed for Tomorrowland where we went into an area with 4 different attractions going on. We had a go on the computers that you answered questions and it told you what Disney character you are most like. Alexandra was Tinkerbell, Lucy was Mulan and I was Jane (from Tarzan). When we came out we could hear a rock band playing so we found somewhere to sit and watched them sing their last song, typical. We strolled to find a place for the fireworks and found a small triangle of pathway that had been cordoned off to stand that only 2 other people had found before us. I think Lucy would have preferred to just go back but after waiting around for this long Alexandra and myself were not going to miss them. It was a mixture of Wishes, from Orlando, and the music from various rides and I did enjoy them but they werent Epcot Illuminations Reflections of Earth.
When we got back to the room the boys had had a pleasant evening watching TV and Mark had ordered a burger from room service, which was enormous and very dry so not that good.
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