The Yr of the Annual Pass-COMPLETED-Oct '10-Oct '11 **BONUS TRIP 1/5/12

[DisDancerina]

Reading about your Disneyland fun is getting me so excited for our trip; we're leaving on Sunday! Your family is so adorable and your kids always look so happy! It's nice to see a family going through the day so well, taking breaks when you need it and it's nice hearing about the act actually going well! When I have kids, that's definitely how I'll be doing things.
That fried tomato sandwich you mentioned is something you definitely need to try your next trip! It's absolutely delish! I had it when I was going through my Vegitarian phase this March, then again when I headed down for a meet in May! I loved it so much the first time that I just had to have it a second! The sweet potato fries add to it's awesomeness though, those are so good!

Love your TRs and can't wait to see more of them as time goes by! Thanks for sharing!

 

[jforever52]

After lunch we decided to head over to DCA to see the "new" Disney Junior show for DD. She has recently started enjoying "Little Einsteins" and has loved "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" forever. We arrived just as a show was ending, so we had about a 15 minute wait till the next show. We were quickly seated and the CM's started getting the kids prepared for the show with some dancing and hand clapping. DD loved it!!! We sat on the left hand side of the theatre, which did not have the best view of the show from the floor. If the puppets were on the opposite side of the stage you really couldn't see what they were doing. Please note: DD (who the show was meant for) did not care in the least about the obstructed view!

Here are some pictures:

During part of the show gold diblooms (sp?) fell from the ceiling...we ended up with about 10 of these paper treasures, which I still have in my purse.

The show was a lot of fun. My only complaint was that there was one girl about 2ish who was being allowed to run free throughout the audience. Several times a CM had to direct her away from the stage because she was trying to climb up it. I am not sure why her parent's didn't reign her in, but it was quite distracting!

After Disney Junior we went over to Artist's Pallete and DD and DS attempted to draw Goofy. I watched the video montage's whiile they did this. That room is AMAZING!!! If you have not been in this area of DCA you need to go. I had never visited this portion of the park before and I could not believe everything I missed out on. The whole place is so much fun...go, go, GO see it for yourself!

We wrapped up the evening in Disneyland. I wanted to ride the boats...When DS was a baby I had an unrealistic fear that if we went on a cruise he would fall off the boat....and...wait for it...get eaten by a whale! I know this is unrealistic, but it was still a fear. My family has been making fun of me for years about it, thus leading to this picture:

We putted around Disneyland the rest of the evening:

We didn't take anymore pictures that night, but I do know that we had fun before heading back to the hotel to get some shut eye!

 

[jforever52]

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Okay, before I start the next part of my update, I just wanted to give a quick update. I just booked a reservation for me and DH at Napa Rose. We are going to eat at the Chef's Counter on the Friday of our trip in October in honor of our anniversary! I am so excited about it...I've always wanted to eat at Napa Rose, but I didn't want to deal with two kids in a fine dining restaurant. DH and I discussed eating at the Chef's counter as our anniversary present to each other...it was agreed and the reservation has been made!!!

Okay, on to Day 5--------

The next morning we headed to DL right at park opening to try to get in ALL the fantasyland rides before they got too busy. First up, Peter Pan's Flight-

LOVE the vegetation:

Peter Pan was still REALLY dark...none of the attempted pictures turned out.

After Peter Pan we hopped over to Dumbo:

Just a note, DD only wanted to be in the highest position available...I think I have a little daredevil on my hands!

We then went over to Alice in Wonderland. DS and I waited in line and DH (who did not want to ride it) brought DD to me when we got closer. I got scolded by the CM standing by us when DH handed DD to me over the rail. Apparantly that is NOT allowed (regardless of the fact that approximately 6 people jumped the rail right in front of me to join their party...did they get scolded? Of course not). At the end of the ride, the same CM scolded me for not keeping DD facing forward the whole ride...she had gotten a little scared in the dark rooms and I was cuddling her as we exited. Needless to say, I felt like such a rule breaker by the time we left the ride.

After Alice, it was time to visit Toad, then it was on to visit the Snow White and her mignon:

Love the apples:

Hidden squirrel:

Then we headed over to Its a Small World for DD:

Scary clown:

After sufficiently satisfying DD with the "kiddie" rides we spent of the rest of the day putting around both parks. We ate dinner that evening at Cocina Cucamonga in DCA (which has turned into one of our favorite places to eat). Sorry no more pictures for the rest of this day, I think we just got busy hanging out and neglected our photo taking responsibilities.

Next up-Our visit to Dodger Stadium and our last day in the park

 

[jforever52]

Friday was going to be our last day at Disneyland because Saturday was a blockout day for our annual passes and Sunday was a travel day.

After eating cereal in the room we headed to Tom Sawyer's Island (oops, I mean Pirates Lair...just so you know DL, it is kind of hoakie to just screw a new sign on over Tom's Saywer's...DS was even able to point it out!). On the way over, the CM was kind enough to let us know that there were several baby geese on the island with their mothers and the mother's would not hesitate to chase you away from the babies if you got to close. With that in mind, it was time to explore the island:

We found the treasure!!!!

I was looking forward to showing DS the bottomless cave I remembered from my childhood..apparantly that was taken out and replaced with pirate skeleton's. Booo!

I love the island and I REALLY loved watching DH (who is 6'5") trying to navigate the tunnels. He looked like a pretzel. Both kids had a blast, we probably spent about 45 minutes exploring and then headed back to the mainland.

DS had worn his sandals and his feet were getting sore because of the dirt he kicked up on the island. So we headed off to critter county to buy him some socks and to buy me a t-shirt. While we were gone DH struck up a conversation with the DVC guide by the Haunted Mansion...both were bragging about the joys of DVC membership...when I came into the conversation it sounded like an infomercial. The CM gave the kids some fans and then we headed to the Haunted Mansion for a final ride!

We were getting hungry by that time so we started walking towards Rancho Del Zuccolo....however we got distracted by this ride:

Rancho Del Zuccolo was a nice lunch...exactly like Rancho Cucamonga at DVC so no complaints. DS took a picture of a cool light fixture:

After lunch we FINALLY went to toon town. We always seem to forget about this part of the park. The first thing we did was grab fast passes for Roger Rabbit. Then we walked around a bit and let the kids explore the area:

Then I took DS to ride Roger Rabbit:

DH and DD headed over to goofy's house to play. DH and I switched places and these pictures were taken:

After toon town we rushed over to Autotopia and DH and DS rode. I explored the Carosel of Progress area and watched the tail end of Jedi Training Academy. DD had fallen asleep by this time so I sat in the back, which was fun because the storm troopers would pace in the back occassionally and give you menacing glares!!!

Before leaving the park we decided to have one last treat...Dole Whips! We entered the tiki room area, bought our whips and ate them while we watched the tiki gods do their thing. Then sadly, it was time to leave DL to get ready for the game.

Up Next: Dodger Stadium

 

[skiingfast]

How sad, last day in DL. At least it was lots of running around for the kids, which is just as fun as anything for them.

 

[jforever52]

How sad, last day in DL. At least it was lots of running around for the kids, which is just as fun as anything for them.

The last day at DL is always bittersweet for me. This time around was especially hard since it was so close on Saturday, but our passes were blocked!!! It was a good thing the Grand Californian is so much fun.

 

[jforever52]

I pulled up the park time and entertainment schedule last Friday to get an idea of what would be going on at DL during our October trip (did I mention its grown-up's only?). On Friday, October 7th the House of Blues has the following band performing in their amphatheater:

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime



My DH LOVES Sublime. We went to Chico State in the 90's and Sublime was the soundtrack to just about every social event either of us attended. So, with this knowledge in mind I immediately purchased two tickets to the event from Ticketmaster ($66). We'll eat and House of Blues before the event. Our Napa Rose reservation has been moved to Saturday night.

In terms of food I only need to figure out Thursday night. I am leaning towards Carnation Cafe because I love sitting outside in the evening to people watch while you eat. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[skiingfast]

Great timing to be there when there is a show you want to see.

Will you be checking for a restaurant.com coupon for your visit?

 

[jforever52]

Great timing to be there when there is a show you want to see.

Will you be checking for a restaurant.com coupon for your visit?

I've never heard of restaurant.com! Thanks for the tip...a $25 gift card for $10 is a steal!

 

[jforever52]

After saying goodbye to the park, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our trip to Dodger Stadium. I have been a Giant's fan my entire life, so going to Dodger Stadium was like entering the gates of hell for me!!!! Okay, so maybe I'm being a BIT dramatic, but since technically it is one of the stadiums we needed to visit in our quest to see them all I was willing to take one for the team.

The park was approximately 40 minutes away, so we headed out. When we arrived I could not believe the massive size of the parking lots around Chavez Ravine. We parked at one end of the park and then had to walk, and walk, and walk, all the way to the other side (which included walking up a series of ramps to the top of the ravine and then down a series of stairs to the other side). We finally made it and we stopped to get our tickets:

and DH popped into a shop to get his hat:

See how he politely covered up the Dodger insignia for me?

Our view from the all you can eat section!!! Let's just say I ate my weight in hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts and diet soda!!!!

The kids obviously had a blast!

The section we sat is was segregated from the rest of the park...we could not physically walk to the other sections of the park from where we were at. On top of that there was a TON of security present and it felt like you were going to get shanked when you went to use the restroom...which was located down a long, dimly lit hallway....There was one brave Diamondback fan sitting in our section. Whenever something happened in favor of the Diamondbacks he would stand up...and promptly get pelted with hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts...while it seemed to be in good fun, the atmosphere felt as if it could have easily gotten out of control quickly.

We left around the 7th inning. DH wasn't feeling too comfortable with our surroundings and did not want to attempt to navigate the crowds when mass exodus started later in the evening. Before we left DH grabbed one more hotdog for the road!!!! (grandtotal=6 for the evening!).

We totally got lost on the way home...even with a GPS. We ended up back at the hotel around 10pm. We carried our exhausted children to the room and sat back to relax ourselves. Later than night, well after midnight, DH and I woke up because we could see lights flickering in DCA. They were testing some sort of new sequence with WOC. Turns out, the very next weekend they added a new pirate sequence to the show and we got to see a sneak peak at it!!!!

UP NEXT: LA ZOO and Final Thoughts

 

[skiingfast]

I've never heard of restaurant.com! Thanks for the tip...a $25 gift card for $10 is a steal!

Keep an eye out, in the offseason they often run a deal. A few times I've seen them at %80 off. Also take a look at what you have to spend to use the coupon and the service charge.


Great time for the kids at the game, but a good idea to duck out late. Who won?

Nothing wrong with eating ballparks at the ballpark.

 

[jforever52]

Great time for the kids at the game, but a good idea to duck out late. Who won?

Nothing wrong with eating ballparks at the ballpark.

I totally forgot....the Dodger's won!!! It was a blowout from the beginning!

 

[jforever52]

Saturday morning started out with an appointment at Sephora for a makeup consultation before the store opened. The Grand Californian offers hotel guests and opportunity to have a consultation at the store on Saturday mornings. You pay $45.00 but get a $45.00 gift card to spend in the store. I decided to go since I knew I needed to buy some mineral powder sun block and I wanted to update my lipstick options. The whole experience took about an hour and a half. I was back at the hotel with my "new" look on before the rest of my family had even gotten out of bed!!!

After I returned we ate a quick breakfast in the room and then started off to the LA Zoo for the day. We did not leave the hotel until after 10:00...and we hit a lot of traffic!!! It took us over an hour to get to the zoo (Mapquest says it is only 35 miles away).

When we arrived we encountered the longest line all week!!

After getting into the park we really took our time looking at the different animal exhibits.

Our favorite by far was the aranatang (sp?) exhibit. These guys were huge!

They also had lots of monkeys:

..and giraffes

As a side note, while we were watching the giraffes, someone wasn't watching their kid closely enough and the little guy slipped under the railing and almost fell into the giraffe pit!!!!

Overall, the Zoo was a good way to spend some time outside of Disney and since it was an annual pass blockout day we needed a good distraction.

After the Zoo we headed back to the hotel. We ate at Napoli for dinner that night. The pizza was amazing! I would recomend you try it. Once dinner was over it was time for DH and DS to get on the road. They were driving to my in-laws house that evening and then picking me and DD up at the airport tomorrow morning.

Here they are walking our stuff to the car:

After they left DD and I snuck down to downtown disney for some last minute shopping. We then called it a night...we got to watch World of Color one last time from the balcony of the hotel room.

The next morning DD and I left arount 6am for the flight home. The return flight was uneventful and we got home afterwards without too much complaint.

We had a WONDERFUL week at Disneyland and a WONDERFUL first stay at our new DVC "home." Since I am a perpetual planner I'm looking forward to DH and my adult only trip which is going to happen in just over a week. I'm also thinking about DisneyWorld in 2013. We'll see how it goes!

 

[jforever52]

This week we decided to cancel our reservation at the chef's counter at Napa Rose!!!! We are trying to refinance our house and came to the conclusion that the money we would spend on an evening there would be better spent going towards an appraisal of our home....sometimes I HATE having to make adult decisions!

Anyway, I have firmed up our dining for the long weekend. As follows:

Thursday: Dinner at Cafe Orleans
Friday: Dinner at Tangaroa Terrace before heading over to House of Blues to see Badfish (Sublime cover band)
Saturday: Dinner at Naples

I usually only make one meal plan per day and then we kind of wing it the rest of the time. Also on my list is: Whitewater Snacks for their yummy breakfast burrito, The Hungry Bear to try the fried green tomato sandwich, and Rancho Cucamonga for some mexican food.

On the list of must see attractions are: (1) Little Mermaid; (2) Star Tours; (3) Haunter Holiday; (4) Ghost Galaxy; (6) The Magic, The Memories and You; and (7) the fireworks on Saturday evening. Everything else is just an added bonus!

Let the ONE WEEK HAPPY DANCE commence!

 

[Dizzy4DL]

I'm all caught up with your awesome report. How was your October trip?

 

[jforever52]

I'm all caught up with your awesome report. How was your October trip?

Thanks for reading! The October trip was amazing. Me and DH and a wonderful time. I will start working on an update once I get around to uploading the pictures to photobucket...life has been getting in the way of Disney lately. I hoping that this holiday weekend I'll have time to get to it.

Thanks again for reading along!

 

[skiingfast]

 

[Goofy_Mom]

I'm enjoying your ap trip report. can't wait to hear about your october 2011 trip. are you going to get another ap?

 

[jforever52]

First of all, I am so sorry it took me so long to start my October update. Once we got back life got in the way of uploading photo's to photobucket so that I could get this thing rolling...lame excuse I know but sometimes it is just too much WORK to find the chord so you can plug the camera into the computer!!!!

Okay, let the update begin!!!

As a recap, DH and I had decided to sneak in one last trip to Disneyland before our Annual Passes expired. October 6-9th was literally the weekend before it expired and as hard as I tried DH was resolved to make sure that I didn't renew those puppies while we were down there!

My mother-in-law drove up to our house the night before to stay with DS and DD during the trip. We had given DS the option of skipping school Thursday and Friday but he told me he didn't want to do that because he wants perfect attendance. I'm not sure how our trip to Disney World in 2013 is going to work if he continues that approach to school!!!

Our morning started off at the airport:

A nice couple at the airport saw our DL luggage tags and we started up a conversation about DL. The wife LOVES Disneyland as much as I do...but they were on their way to Vegas. We joked that she should just come along with us!!!! Interestingly we were on the same flight home on Sunday when we left!

After our short 1 1/2 hour flight we arrived at LAX. We jumped into a shuttle and arrived at the Grand Californian by 11:00am. We checked in...the room was not ready...so we checked our luggage with guest services and headed to California Adventure. My plan was to IMMEDIATELY go to the Little Mermaid. We beelined to the ride, which only had a 5 minute wait...

Pretty light fixutre at the entrance:

There Ariel is:

Look at this cute detail work:

And on to the ride we go:

The ride lives up to the hype. It was a lot of fun. My favorite part was Sebastian. They have this great thing they do with his eyes (kind of like Mr. Potato Head on Toy Story Mania), which was really cute.

After our visit under the sea we decided to see what the wait was for Toy Story Mania. It was only 45 minutes so we decided to wait:

DS kicked my booty, as usual...but I LOVE that ride. California Screamin' was down for repairs so we decided to head over to Alladin since a show was about to start. We ended up sitting in the upper level (which was my first time). They had the first row of the upper level roped off because of some OSHA violation. I was also surprised that they didn't have the magic carpet fly out over the crowd during "A Whole New World." The show was amazing and it was the first time I have experienced it without rangling children!!!!

After Alladin we walked over to Monster's Inc. While waiting in line we got a text that our room was ready.

No we didn't take a taxi to our room, just to see Boo and her buddies. After our time in Monstropolis we headed back to the Grand Californian to check out our 1 bedroom Villa!!!!

 

[jforever52]

So we when left off we had just gotten our text from the hotel telling us our room was reading to go. Our 1 bedroom Villa was located on the fifth floor with a view of the Redwood Avdenture area and a partial view of the pool. We booked it back to the hotel to check out our accomodations:

On the way to the room I took a couple pictures of the cute lamps in the check in area:

We got up to our room and were amazed at the amount of room a 1 bedroom has. In May we stayed in a studio with the 4 of us so a 1 bedroom for the 2 of us seamed a bit excessive...not that I'm complaining!!!! Besides when I book this trip there were no more studios available. Note: some of these pictures were taken later in the trip but they made sense to put them in here:

The cute wallpaper in the bathroom:

Love this picture:

...and of course the view:

Up next: To Disneyland and dinner at Cafe Orleans