Summertime and Disneyland .Oo-De-Lally!!

[luulu1999]

I really would like to see Hollywood but my kiddos are....very loudly opinionated and ask ALL kinds of questions and I don't think any of us are ready for any of that lol

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

"Glad to see I am not alone on this one Rob! Annoying memories....you made me snort laugh when I read this. I think you need to do a trip report and tell us about these annoying memories! I would love to hear it from your point of view and what happened"

Well, I did include a bunch of photos from my West Coast adventure in my first TR here http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=48113438&postcount=153 There were 5 or 6 posts, but mostly just pictures. The very last picture is the Walt star. But as for the "memories' of Hollywood... Suffice it to say I just don't appreciate being hounded for money ALL DAY LONG!! "Here's a free cd... now I would appreciate a donation." Just non stop. I did a walking tour where they give you a headset to hear the guide. I did enjoy the tour, but I was more happy to have the headset since no one bothered you. I just can't imagine being there at night. Hollywood is a one and done.

I've only eaten at Chllis once, and yes, in Florida. I actually made a point of it since I've always wanted to try it. Yes, I did like it.

 

[thornton0511]

Glad y'all finally made it back to the hotel. That traffic....YIKES!!

And Chili's is always a good option, IMO. I really like those new electronic things @ the table, especially just for being able to pay your ticket when ready.

That box of lemon cookies looks sooooo delicious!!

Ugh the traffic never ever got used to that! Lol yes being able to pay at the table is the #1 compliment we get about the table top media.....#1 complaint we didn't know the games cost 99 cents lol. Oh my goodness the lemon cookies are amazing! I wish I had some right now

 

[thornton0511]

LOL yes there are quite a few areas of LA that are sketchy I agree. Staying on the Queen Mary was actually really cool. Would you not like it because it is a boat or because of it being "haunted" LOL. We had actually gone down on a multi day trip that included San Diego and Disney and we had decided to stay at the Queen Mary and ended up getting upgraded into a suite. It was GIGANTIC and after doing the "haunted" tour I was kind of keyed up. Then that night we were sleeping and I started hearing dragging noises above me. Between the anticipation and the noises I thought I was going to have a heart attack but then found out the next day we were under the kitchen LOL. But I love old kind of creepy stuff as long as I don't actually get spooked by ghosts LOL. It is really beautiful and it was very cool to stay there.

Anywho loving your report and anxious for your next installment

Oh 100% would not want to stay overnight because of the "ghosts" lol. I get spooked very very easily and my mind gets to wandering and well.....
I remember when I was little my family took a trip to San Antonio and we stayed at the Emily Morgan hotel which is right across the street from the Alamo and is said to be haunted and also used to be a hospital too before they converted it into a very nice hotel. I got myself so worked up that I got zero sleep while we were there thinking that someone might have died in the room that I was in or that Davy Crockett's ghost was going to walk through the wall
Oh my goodness I almost fell out of my chair laughing while reading you story about the dragging noise and finding out that you were in a room below the kitchen that's is so something I would do too.
If we ever find ourselves back in CA I we would definitely get a LA Go Card and do more stuff in that area including the Queen Mary tour

 

[thornton0511]

I really would like to see Hollywood but my kiddos are....very loudly opinionated and ask ALL kinds of questions and I don't think any of us are ready for any of that lol

Ha! I can definitely see where that might pose as a situation with your kids then I would not want to answer some of those questions either. My kids are very standoffish (is that even a word? lol auto correct left it so okay) and will usually stand behind either me or DH and not make eye contact with anyone.

 

[thornton0511]

"Glad to see I am not alone on this one Rob! Annoying memories....you made me snort laugh when I read this. I think you need to do a trip report and tell us about these annoying memories! I would love to hear it from your point of view and what happened"

Well, I did include a bunch of photos from my West Coast adventure in my first TR here http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=48113438&postcount=153 There were 5 or 6 posts, but mostly just pictures. The very last picture is the Walt star. But as for the "memories' of Hollywood... Suffice it to say I just don't appreciate being hounded for money ALL DAY LONG!! "Here's a free cd... now I would appreciate a donation." Just non stop. I did a walking tour where they give you a headset to hear the guide. I did enjoy the tour, but I was more happy to have the headset since no one bothered you. I just can't imagine being there at night. Hollywood is a one and done.

I've only eaten at Chllis once, and yes, in Florida. I actually made a point of it since I've always wanted to try it. Yes, I did like it.

I will 100% be checking out your earlier TR then lol. Yeah the begging and asking for stuff is super duper annoying! They do this crap at Six Flags which one of the many many many reasons we will never ever go back to one of those again...well that and the whole people keep falling off the rollercoasters to their death thing. They have vendors everywhere in the park and they constantly hound you into signing up for sweepstakes this and listen to my time share that. I was like ugh people just let me walk and enjoy the stupid park lol. That's why when we were walking down hollywood blvd we were fast and we kept our heads down. No pictures and no eye contact lol. I don't know a foreign language but I sure will pretend to if you try to engage in a conversation lol. The tour with the headset thing sounds pretty cool though! I probably would have been scared that my lack of hearing stuff would allow someone to catch me off guard though...ha! Oh my goodness Hollywood after dark is when people get stabbed lol!!! I am so happy that you have eaten at Chili's yay! Honestly I am surprised that they do not have some in Canada because they ARE EVERYWHERE!!!

 

[thornton0511]

A Moring Drive on the PCH

I woke up this morning again super early due to my internal Texas alarm clock. Today we were checking out of Long Beach but not going to Disney yet. Hold on to your horses guys. This day we were going another beach resort. This was the one I wanted to book for our entire beach time but unfortunately due to popularity and my late timing with this vacation it was only available for the one night. Whomp whomp whomp. But no matter today was the day and I wanted to spend as much time at the new place as possible. So with that being said I got everyone up and we headed down the hall for breakfast. It was pretty much the same as the day before but there were a few changes with the pastries and such.

We sat in our usual spot and quickly ate our breakfast. On the way out I grabbed two cereal boxes and two juice bottles to take with us. Not sure if the is technically the okay thing to do but I knew that tomorrows breakfast would be the only day on this trip when breakfast was not included so I improvised. Don’t judge me lol. We headed down to the lobby to check out. Our total bill for our stay here came to $375. I would say that's not too bad for 2 nights club level plus valet parking.

They had our car ready for us and we loaded our stuff in and headed out. We stopped to fill up on gas and also grabbed a few things we needed from here including bottle water since we were no longer going to be getting it for free for the rest of our trip. And water is a necessity people.

Today's journey was going to take us further south a bit on the PCH. It's funny when I pictured what this drive would be like in my head and how it really was. I come from a family who every year took a summer vacation to Destin FL. Every single year almost growing up. This was our thing. And we always took the scenic route down old hwy 98 to get to our beach house or condo depending on where we were staying that year. And it was a beautiful drive and you could see the white sugar beach and the emerald waters of the gulf along the way. And it was amazing. So I kind of pictured it would be the same on the PCH.

Not so much. Not for the portion that we were on it anyways. Kind of a bummer. No worries though because within a few minutes we would be at our destination, and I was so freaking excited!!

​

 

[thornton0511]

Checking in to Hyatt Huntington Beach


It was 9:30am when we arrived at our new home for the day. The entrance was in the back of the resort away from the beach and the PCH. This resort had amazing reviews everywhere I looked and I was so happy to finally be here in person.

We pulled up to the entrance and got out and gathered our things. Once again they took the car and we went on our merry little way into the lobby.

We were greeted at the entrance by the friendly staff and it almost had a Disney feeling to it. Funny how we compare everything to Disney huh?

We walked in and just kind of stood there for a minute letting it all soak in. This place was gorgeous.

After standing there gawking for what became an awkward amount of time we proceeded to the check in area. Now again for some reason when I booked this one night the only thing they had available was a handicap accessible room. Odd that it was like that for both resorts but it did not bother us at all. Anyways when the lady was pulling up our reservation she said that she had another room open unless we were needing an accessible room. Which we were not. So we moved. The room was not quite ready yet but they would call when it was. Good deal.

Sydney, Duffy and I decided that we needed a potty break so we headed in that direction. Duffy had to wait for us in the exterior room though because bears are not allowed!

Again with the bathrooms I know. But when I see a pretty bathroom I just really want to take a picture of it. I can’t help myself. Plus it's not like I'm snapping pictures of the toilet or anything lol.

So after our break we knew we had some time to kill before our room was ready, and these two kids were dying to go swimming. So it seemed like the most logical thing to do. This resort is huge and we had to have a map to figure out where everything is. We went out the back doors to the lobby (towards the beach) and headed to the main pool area. This is what the back of the lobby area looks like right outside. And then you turn around…..

Yeah. I know. It's okay I cried a little too.

Family picture plug. Deal with it lol.

GAH! This place was amazing!

We walked along the path in line with the beach to the main pool area. You will have to excuse my monkey children. They have a hard time controlling theirselves when it comes to something they can climb on. Seriously it's like a thing with them.

We walked by one pool but it was a smaller quiet pool. Not our pool. Good job Cory on walking right into my picture. Nice.

We then passed the spa grotto with lots of lovely looking hot tubs. Again not our pool but if we ever found ourselves on an adult only trip here this would be heavenly for the DH and myself. Note taken.

Finally we had arrived! The size of the pool was not great but this was like the main hub area for afternoon activities. They also had quite a few lounge chairs and cabanas (for rent) and a bar right across from the pool.

And right beside it a nice size hot tub (that stayed very full throughout the day)

And the biggest draw to this area was behind us and up a set of stairs. Three waterslides, with the beach in the background. My kids were in heaven. Just a note there is no lifeguard on duty anywhere except for the slides where they are more like waterside security officers lol. On the right side was a short kiddie size slide and on the right were two larger slides for bigger kids.

We let the kids goes a quite a few rounds on the slides and then we moved over to the pool area. Before too long we had found a chair spot and settled in while the kids swam. Ahhhhh. A nice staff member approached us and asked if we wanted a drink. Why not? It's only like 10:00 in the morning if you're NOT on vacation right? I was in ultimate vacation mode at this point.

Comfy relaxing lounge chair? Check.

$11 tiny mixed drink? Check.

Kids doing cannon balls into the pool? Check. Yes life is good!



​

 

[scottny]

I am here for the read.
Cute kitty.
Ooh doing both, how lucky.
Jetblue gives you chips, pretzels or nuts too.
That is insane about the rental.
Welcome to L.A.! I lived there for 2 years and I was done.
Nice hotel in Long beach. Only been there twice, once for a Rave and the second was to go to Catalina Island.
The view is gorgeous.
Oh that is where I took the boat to Catalina was by the Queen Mary and then we took a helicopter back.
Beautiful pics from the Pier.
The food looks good and we have one in Manhattan but never have gone. Nice total for the bill.
Nice beach pics.
We were talking yesterday with a friend of driving Route 66 from beginning to end.
Oh how I love the scrambler.
Glad to hear the drops helped his ears.
The food looked good.
LOL, gotta love L.A. streets.
Ooh! Star Wars.
ROTF on the Spidey foot and paying. They are like that here in NYC.
I never went to Hollywood when I lived there (West Hollywood yes) but when I visit I always go and see the sights. It is something to take in.
Looked like a good ending to a great day.
The price for the stay sounds good.
The hotel looked so nice and the pool area is great but that drink does it for me. LOL.
Great report and pics so far.

 

[momof4fans]

I love your trip report! It's so fun to read!

What a beautiful family you have. You are very blessed, as I'm sure you know.

I'm with you on Hollywood. Total heebie jeebies! If I even suggested that to my husband, he would look at me like I had two heads! After the pee elevator, I would need some clorox wipes for the the bottoms of our shoes! The place we really want to visit is Texas! It seems like a place we would like. It's just so far from Nevada.

Well, I'm really looking forward to reading about your Disneyland adventure so don't keep us waiting too long!

 

[amandaw]

That Hyatt is very pretty!

Looks like the kids were having lots of pool fun! And a tiny, expensive drink always helps with getting fully immersed into vacation mode.

Ugh the traffic never ever got used to that! Lol yes being able to pay at the table is the #1 compliment we get about the table top media.....#1 complaint we didn't know the games cost 99 cents lol. Oh my goodness the lemon cookies are amazing! I wish I had some right now

My son always get mad that I won't purchase any of the games for him to play. I tell him if he wants to play a game, he can have my phone with free games already downloaded.

 

[kelmac284]

Oh 100% would not want to stay overnight because of the "ghosts" lol. I get spooked very very easily and my mind gets to wandering and well.....
I remember when I was little my family took a trip to San Antonio and we stayed at the Emily Morgan hotel which is right across the street from the Alamo and is said to be haunted and also used to be a hospital too before they converted it into a very nice hotel. I got myself so worked up that I got zero sleep while we were there thinking that someone might have died in the room that I was in or that Davy Crockett's ghost was going to walk through the wall
Oh my goodness I almost fell out of my chair laughing while reading you story about the dragging noise and finding out that you were in a room below the kitchen that's is so something I would do too.
If we ever find ourselves back in CA I we would definitely get a LA Go Card and do more stuff in that area including the Queen Mary tour

LOL yup I LOVE ghost stories and creepy places to explore BUT staying in them well that's another story. It is one of those things where I believe in ghosts and love all the creepy stuff but then I try to convince myself that it is not real or at least that nothing would really happen and then when that noise started up I thought my heart would explode. I kept looking around to see if my mom would wake up or my kids but nope. Although in the morning my younger daughter made the older one come sleep with her cuz she was scared LOL.

But for the day it is so neat to explore and see and the tours are really neat. The ghost one was kind of hokey but the history one is really interesting.

 

[kelmac284]

Just read your latest installment. The hotel in Long Beach looked nice and I agree good price for what you got! That Hyatt is gorgeous. Reminds me of our fave spot up in Oxnard of all places. We got a chance to go to the Rose Parade several years ago with a military friend and he lived there. So we googled an embassy suites there and it is beautiful. VERY much like this Hyatt and RIGHT on the beach. We love it and have been back twice since that trip. Looks like my kind of day with the beach chair and the cocktail. Enjoying as always and looking forward to the next installment.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

So... there will be a trip to Disneyland at some point... right? I kid, I kid.

Hey, if they do not explicitly say you can't take food with you when you leave, then I say it's all good. Of course, this is coming from someone who completely cleaned out two boats of snacks on the Illuminations Cruise.

Haha, yeah I tend to even compare things at home to Disney. It's the gold standard after all.

I can't lie Jenn... I also totally like to climb on fences like that. It's instinct. And fun.

And as for the 10am drink? It's always afternoon somewhere.

 

[thornton0511]

I am here for the read.
Cute kitty.
Ooh doing both, how lucky.
Jetblue gives you chips, pretzels or nuts too.
That is insane about the rental.
Welcome to L.A.! I lived there for 2 years and I was done.
Nice hotel in Long beach. Only been there twice, once for a Rave and the second was to go to Catalina Island.
The view is gorgeous.
Oh that is where I took the boat to Catalina was by the Queen Mary and then we took a helicopter back.
Beautiful pics from the Pier.
The food looks good and we have one in Manhattan but never have gone. Nice total for the bill.
Nice beach pics.
We were talking yesterday with a friend of driving Route 66 from beginning to end.
Oh how I love the scrambler.
Glad to hear the drops helped his ears.
The food looked good.
LOL, gotta love L.A. streets.
Ooh! Star Wars.
ROTF on the Spidey foot and paying. They are like that here in NYC.
I never went to Hollywood when I lived there (West Hollywood yes) but when I visit I always go and see the sights. It is something to take in.
Looked like a good ending to a great day.
The price for the stay sounds good.
The hotel looked so nice and the pool area is great but that drink does it for me. LOL.
Great report and pics so far.

Hi Scott!!! So glad that you decided to join in for another crazy adventure with my family lol! That is good to know about jet blue, I will have to remember that. Yeah the rental thing was a mess for sure Gasp you lived in LA and now NY?! You must love chaos just kidding. I could maybe live in NY but never ever in LA. Catalina Island looks dreamy....and a helicopter ride back hello can you say VIP?! Wow that is amazing! Ooh they have a Maggianos in Manhattan? Go now! Seriously...right this minute lol. It really is delicious and I am in love with the theme of anything Italian. Oh wow road trip on Route 66 that sounds fun but goodness I would have to have a lot of stops along the way. I love the scrambler too...anything that makes me dizzy for that matter! They have the characters in NY too? Ugh. What is it with that? Ha yeah that teeny tiny drink was definitely not worth the price tag it came with lol! Again so happy to have you here

 

[thornton0511]

I love your trip report! It's so fun to read!

What a beautiful family you have. You are very blessed, as I'm sure you know.

I'm with you on Hollywood. Total heebie jeebies! If I even suggested that to my husband, he would look at me like I had two heads! After the pee elevator, I would need some clorox wipes for the the bottoms of our shoes! The place we really want to visit is Texas! It seems like a place we would like. It's just so far from Nevada.

Well, I'm really looking forward to reading about your Disneyland adventure so don't keep us waiting too long!

Aww thank you so much and welcome aboard the crazy train lol! Yeah it took a lot to finally get us to Hollywood and honestly it was kind of a last minute time filler that I have no desire to do again. Well parts of it anyways. Ugh the bottoms of shoes I try not to think of stuff like that. This is why I don't wear shoes in my house. Ha you want to come to Texas? That's funny because we want to leave Texas as much as possible but maybe it's because we are from here. The only thing I can recommend is San Antonio and the Hill Country area. It is really beautiful and there is a bit of things to do there.

That Hyatt is very pretty!

Looks like the kids were having lots of pool fun! And a tiny, expensive drink always helps with getting fully immersed into vacation mode.



My son always get mad that I won't purchase any of the games for him to play. I tell him if he wants to play a game, he can have my phone with free games already downloaded.

Yes we do like the Hyatt brand hotels. Yes the price on the drink was a bit shocking but well when in Rome....lol. Ha! Yes the charge on those games for the tabletop media is a pain in the rear. We are the same way when we go out to eat it's family time and we actually talk with each other. Electronics, texting, and social media are not allowed.

LOL yup I LOVE ghost stories and creepy places to explore BUT staying in them well that's another story. It is one of those things where I believe in ghosts and love all the creepy stuff but then I try to convince myself that it is not real or at least that nothing would really happen and then when that noise started up I thought my heart would explode. I kept looking around to see if my mom would wake up or my kids but nope. Although in the morning my younger daughter made the older one come sleep with her cuz she was scared LOL.

But for the day it is so neat to explore and see and the tours are really neat. The ghost one was kind of hokey but the history one is really interesting.

Yeah I think the history of the ship would be more interesting too the haunted one maybe just for fun. I still cannot believe you survived a night there lol!

Just read your latest installment. The hotel in Long Beach looked nice and I agree good price for what you got! That Hyatt is gorgeous. Reminds me of our fave spot up in Oxnard of all places. We got a chance to go to the Rose Parade several years ago with a military friend and he lived there. So we googled an embassy suites there and it is beautiful. VERY much like this Hyatt and RIGHT on the beach. We love it and have been back twice since that trip. Looks like my kind of day with the beach chair and the cocktail. Enjoying as always and looking forward to the next installment.

Oh that sounds nice and like a lot of fun! Thank you!! Glad you are enjoying my attempt at this

So... there will be a trip to Disneyland at some point... right? I kid, I kid.
Ha Ha always a comedian....lol yes Rob I promise Disney will come. How awful would it be if I ended the beach part and said well that's a wrap, hope you all enjoyed my report lol.
Hey, if they do not explicitly say you can't take food with you when you leave, then I say it's all good. Of course, this is coming from someone who completely cleaned out two boats of snacks on the Illuminations Cruise.
makes sense to me oh my goodness Rob seriously? Ha I probably would have done the same thing....on the other hand we pretty much did. Did you see the pics of the desserts we kept bringing back to our room? Lol and obviously it was always way more than we could ever eat
Haha, yeah I tend to even compare things at home to Disney. It's the gold standard after all.
we truly do compare EVERYTHING to Disney! It's just a way of life after you have been I think. Even the in laws do it now after the Dec trip!
I can't lie Jenn... I also totally like to climb on fences like that. It's instinct. And fun.
I read this and got a mental image of you doing what my children do and me having to get on to you like I do with them...it was quite funny in my head too "Get down Rob....Stop climbing on the Matterhorn mountain, don't sit on the queue chains...." it's seriously a thing with these two. We finally just had to compromise with them because it seemed liked we were ALWAYS telling them to get down or get off something. So now our rule of thumb is climb or sit but if it physically moves when you touch it get off! Especially the chain ropes in the queue lines, that drives me bananas!!!
And as for the 10am drink? It's always afternoon somewhere.

works for me lol

 

[thornton0511]

Your Room is Ready and an Almost Repeat of our Last Vacation

So after swimming for a good bit we received a call from the lobby telling us that our room was ready. We finished up swim time and headed back toward the lobby.

DD decided that she was much too tired to walk so DH carried her like a sack of potatoes all the way there lol.

Once we had gotten back to the lobby and received our room number we let staff that was holding our luggage know and headed to our building.

The grounds here were amazing and I could not get over it! We noticed as we came closer to our building that there was a chance that we might get a pretty good view depending on which side we were on. Our fingers were crossed.


The anticipation was killing us lol. And now for a room tour!!

When you first walk in you have a little entry way area with a table and mirror.

Right next to that, on the left was a mirrored closet with a safe and all of the other items that you find in a hotel closet lol.

Across from the closet, on the right, was our gorgeous bathroom! It also had a sliding door which I thought was a nice touch.

The shower/tub

And the toilet tucked away on the other end. The bathroom was huge and very open. There was a whole lot of room in there!

Right outside of the bathroom, on the right, was a little nook area with a fridge below and coffee maker that proudly brewed Starbucks coffee…..bonus!!

And then you walked into the main part of the room with two queen sized beds that were amazingly comfortable!

Across from the beds your typical drawer/tv/table combo

And right next to the bed was a very comfortable chair with lamp. As we approached the window to the balcony we wondered what view we would have to go with this incredible room…..

JINGLE BAM! We had pool and ocean people!! Ah this place was perfect. If not for Disneyland in our near future I would have not wanted to leave this place….ever. Seriously I would still be there right now.

This was our view of the resort from our balcony. It really was so perfect. Within a few minutes of letting it all soak in our luggage had arrived and we decided that it was getting close to lunch time and we still had yet to check out the beach. So we changed and got ready to go exploring. When it was my turn to change in the bathroom I closed the sliding door and locked it. Only when I tried to unlock it to open the door I could not get the lock to turn……I'm not kidding you guys. I was locked in a bathroom once again. If you are new here and not seeing the humor in all of this I encourage you to take a peek at my December TR to WDW. On our last day I got locked in the bathroom in our room at AKL for over an hour and Disney had to break the door down to get me out. So I was frantically trying to get the lock to turn and causing such a commotion that it caused DH to ask what the deal was. When I told him that I could not get the lock to turn he said "you have got to be kidding me…..again?" I felt like the entire universe of bathroom doors was against me and I destined to always get locked in bathrooms when suddenly the lock turned and I was able to slide the door open. Holy cow that could have been awful. Can you imagine? I decided right then and there that I am never ever locking a bathroom door on vacation again. Ever. Once we got over the fact that mommy was not going to have to rescued from the bathroom again the family got right to making fun of me. Ha ha very funny guys. We collected our things and headed to the beach.
​

 

[amandaw]

WOW! What a lovely room! And double WOW! What a gorgeous view!!

That is too funny about your bad luck with locking bathroom doors. Glad they didn't have to rescue you this time.

Excited to hear/see about the beach!

 

[catherines_mama]

Oh goodness that is a huge crisis averted. Can't wait to hear more about this place and the beach. Woohoo

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

WOW! What a lovely room! And double WOW! What a gorgeous view!!

That is too funny about your bad luck with locking bathroom doors. Glad they didn't have to rescue you this time.

Excited to hear/see about the beach!

Glad we aren't the only ones with stuck in the bathrooms stories while on vacation. My daughter got stuck in one on Amtrak on our way to Disneyland. I told my son to get one of the employees. He got the engineer! The train was delayed because he had to rescue my daughter from the bathroom. Another trip to Great Wolf, it seemed we all had a chance to get stuck in the bathroom that didn't always choose to unlock.