Trip of a lifetime.....Disney Christmas, Birthday, Food * BIG & final update!

[CandyMouse]

Sue, Thanks so much for the info on the Build a Bear! My 8 yr. old son saw the picture of the Mickey Bear that I really liked and can't wait to make one of his own! That's so Great you got all those pics with Minnie! How Exciting!!

 

[WA Kay]

What an amazing first day. I cried when I read about your Minnie encounter. Talk about a special memory. Looking forward to more.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Hi!!!

So glad you found me................after all, it was your wonderful TR that inspired me to do mine!!!
You will just love San Francisco. I could just live there!!! As for Vegas, that was our second visit and I would not hurry back whilst the DD is at this age. She was not too keen on it, but did have some special moments. That's not to say when I am old and grey I won't go back to take on the slot machines and retire nicely!!!

More DL pics to come and my very favourite photo of all time is coming in the next post!

Take care

Sue

Awwww ... thank you so much for the kind words! I reallly can't wait to go back to Cali and to see San Fran!

I really love your pics with Minnie! So very special for you! Definitely Disney magic!

Looking forward to the rest!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Oh I almost cried at your Minnie encounter! We had a couple really special character moments while we were there (as you know from my TR) but nothing like that Lucky You! So glad your daughter is now a DISney tragic like the rest of us! It is so fun to convert a new generation to the magic!

 

[zanzibar138]

What a very special first day at Disneyland! Just loving your TR!

 

[Disneydreamsdancer]

I am LOVING your trip report! Disneyland at Christmas is just the most amazing special place and it sounds like you have some wonderful memories to treasure
Just a quick question, how did you find it getting annual passports without a US address, I live over the ditch in NZ and am visiting CA for a long holiday like you, so an annual passport would be the most cost effective way of getting a good long trip to the parks, but always wondered whether you have any trouble or extra forms or ID necessary if you are not a US citizen?
Thanks and look forward to reading about the rest of your holiday!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

I am LOVING your trip report! Disneyland at Christmas is just the most amazing special place and it sounds like you have some wonderful memories to treasure
Just a quick question, how did you find it getting annual passports without a US address, I live over the ditch in NZ and am visiting CA for a long holiday like you, so an annual passport would be the most cost effective way of getting a good long trip to the parks, but always wondered whether you have any trouble or extra forms or ID necessary if you are not a US citizen?
Thanks and look forward to reading about the rest of your holiday!

Hi there Disneydreamsdancer and welcome!!

You know what, one of the best things we did was buy annual passes! And boy is it easy to do!!!

I simply went to the Disneyland site, went into the tickets area and selected premium passports and bought 3 I just used my credit card to pay for them and then they send you an e-ticket straight to your in box! I was so excited when the email came through and ran around waving the bits of paper like a mad woman "we have tickets to Disneyland, we have tickets to Disneyland"!!!!!!

So, then you just need to give your e-tickets to the CM at the turnstile who will swap it for a real ticket. You then take that ticket to the AP building where they take your picture and issue you with an annual pass. It is plastic and looks just like a credit card. We took our passports along for identification, but they did not ask to see them! Honestly, it was so simple and took us about half an hour from going from the gate to having the pass in our hot little hands.

We purchased the premium passes as the deluxe one had too many block out dates and most of the Christmas period was blocked and that's the time we would be there! Some may think that $459.00 is a lot to pay for a ticket to Disneyland, but we took these things into consideration..........

We were in the park at some stage most days we were in Anaheim and we were there for 3 weeks!!!

There was a 20% discount of all merchandise and food ( in the restaurants ) in the parks and Downtown Disney. I can tell you now that we saved literally hundreds of dollars on pins alone!!!! We also did 6 character meals while we were there and got 20% off those too!!! We got the photopass CD and all the souvenier pics from the character meals too and 20% discount came off all those too! I do believe that the discount is running until the end of this year! I think the deluxe passport has a 10% discount!

One of the other things I found convenient, is they are much easier and more durable when using the fast pass machines!

Oh, and not to mention this conversation..........

Me to DH "Did you realise that our AP's are still valid until the beginning of December this year"?
DH "Oh, are they"?
Me "Yes and we did manage to bring some money home"
DH "mmmmmmm"
Me " So we could go back again before they run out and we would not have to pay for tickets..........and the 20% off is still valid"
DH - "And when would you be planning to use these tickets again now hmmm"
Me "Well, DD would dearly love to back for Halloween and I am sure your ESPN zone will welcome you back with open arms!!!"
DH "Well, I suppose you better ring the travel agent"
Me "YYYYIIIIIIPPPPPPPEEEEEEEE"


RESULT................................

Please check ticker below!!!!

Feel free to ask any more questions as I am happy to help out in any way I can!!!

Take care and thanks for reading!

Sue

 

[zanzibar138]

RESULT................................

Please check ticker below!!!!
Sue

You lucky ducky!

 

[BellaBaby]

Just got caught up again. What a SPECIAL interaction with MINNIE!!!

Wow!! That is just so awesome!!

Sounds like you had a wonderful 1st day and also got to enjoy alot of rides as well--how fun!!

Love the pics!!

 

[Disneydreamsdancer]

Hi there Disneydreamsdancer and welcome!!

You know what, one of the best things we did was buy annual passes! And boy is it easy to do!!!

I simply went to the Disneyland site, went into the tickets area and selected premium passports and bought 3 I just used my credit card to pay for them and then they send you an e-ticket straight to your in box! I was so excited when the email came through and ran around waving the bits of paper like a mad woman "we have tickets to Disneyland, we have tickets to Disneyland"!!!!!!

So, then you just need to give your e-tickets to the CM at the turnstile who will swap it for a real ticket. You then take that ticket to the AP building where they take your picture and issue you with an annual pass. It is plastic and looks just like a credit card. We took our passports along for identification, but they did not ask to see them! Honestly, it was so simple and took us about half an hour from going from the gate to having the pass in our hot little hands.

We purchased the premium passes as the deluxe one had too many block out dates and most of the Christmas period was blocked and that's the time we would be there! Some may think that $459.00 is a lot to pay for a ticket to Disneyland, but we took these things into consideration..........

We were in the park at some stage most days we were in Anaheim and we were there for 3 weeks!!!

There was a 20% discount of all merchandise and food ( in the restaurants ) in the parks and Downtown Disney. I can tell you now that we saved literally hundreds of dollars on pins alone!!!! We also did 6 character meals while we were there and got 20% off those too!!! We got the photopass CD and all the souvenier pics from the character meals too and 20% discount came off all those too! I do believe that the discount is running until the end of this year! I think the deluxe passport has a 10% discount!

One of the other things I found convenient, is they are much easier and more durable when using the fast pass machines!

Oh, and not to mention this conversation..........

Me to DH "Did you realise that our AP's are still valid until the beginning of December this year"?
DH "Oh, are they"?
Me "Yes and we did manage to bring some money home"
DH "mmmmmmm"
Me " So we could go back again before they run out and we would not have to pay for tickets..........and the 20% off is still valid"
DH - "And when would you be planning to use these tickets again now hmmm"
Me "Well, DD would dearly love to back for Halloween and I am sure your ESPN zone will welcome you back with open arms!!!"
DH "Well, I suppose you better ring the travel agent"
Me "YYYYIIIIIIPPPPPPPEEEEEEEE"


RESULT................................

Please check ticker below!!!!

Feel free to ask any more questions as I am happy to help out in any way I can!!!

Take care and thanks for reading!

Sue

WOW! Thats great!!! I'm green with envy, you'll have such an awesome time during halloween
I cant believe how easy it sounds to get an annual passport, definately worth it as I think it is not much more expensive that two 7 day hopper passes! I was so worried that without a US address or US passport there would be difficulty but having heard your story I'll definitely be buying one, not to mention there's something more special about being ap holders even if I only get my one long trip out of it!
Thanks so much for the information and can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!!!

 

[oceanrose]

Loving this Trip Report!!! I can't wait to read more of your adventures. The pictures with Minnie are amazing, so sweet, and simply the meaning of Disney Magic.

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Next day!!!!

Ok, now we all know we had the BEST day ever at Disneyland and all we wantedto do was get back there! However, we did have other fun things to do. So the next day, we all hopped on a bus and headed off to Universal Studios. The last time DH and I were there it was 1998, so loads had changed since then. The ET and Back To The Future rides had gone and had been replaced by the Simpsons and Mummy rides. There were also new shows to check out too!

So, our pictorial ride starts here.............

Laura and friend ( I think!!! )

Show times for the day

Crash Bandicoot

An ogre ( and the DD ba ha ha )

A big fish??!! ( maybe now they need a bigger boat!!! )

Spongebob

We managed to score VIP passes to be in the fron of the line for the backlot tour. We thoroughly enjoyed it and the driver actually commented that it was nice to have a family on board who actually appreciated the "movie" aspect of the tour. We are indeed very big movie buffs and have an extensive collection.

Location used in the Da Vinci Code

Jaws

From Steven Spielbergs War of the Worlds

As it was Christmas, they were doing up a special area for the Grinch

Stuck in an underground subway explosion!

Blue screen used for movie special effects

After we had done the tour, we went straight to the special effects sound stage. It was very good and it was quite interesting to learn some movie techniques.

We then decided to do the Simpsons ride. It is a simulator ride and you are on a roller coaster that has been created by Krusty. It really is well done but we all experienced a very bad case of motion sickness!!! Now I tell you, I can go on the fastest roller coasters and still be wanting more. But this was just, well, this is how all 3 of us ended up!!! It really did leave us feeling a bit green, so we all agreed that it would be the only time we went on that!!!

The Mummy ride on the other hand...............oh yeah!!!! This fellow was loitering around outside the ride.

We also went on the Jurassic Park ride a couple of time and enjoyed it! They actually had the water level dropped as it was colder and you don't get nearly as wet as what you do in the summer months. A good idea we thought!


DD had a very amusing chat with Donkey and when she asked him if he was making waffles in the morning he replied " of course I am silly girl!!!

We managed to catch 2 other shows. The first was the animal actors show which was very entertaining. It really is amazing what you can teach an animal!!!

One of the stars of the show!

Then it was on to the Waterworld show. This was just amazing and I could have watched it again! The special effects were simply spectacular and the guys in the show were just great! Super sets too!!!

So with a jam packed day, we wandered around until closing and then had some time in the stores outside the park until the bus came. Now I wonder what time is was???!!!

We came across some stores we don't have here in Australia and one of them as called Popcornopolis. Oh my goodness, I was in heaven!!! Not only did we buy popcorn to eat then, we got some to take back to the motel to! They also had some of those yummy marshmallows on sticks and here is our selection!

I had a snowman one of course!

Time to go but not before we took the pic in front of the iconic Universal globe!

Next up..................breakast somewhere special and "knight" to remember!!!

Take care

Sue

Oh, and a Disney pic is needed to finish up the post!!!

 

[burly]

Totally jumping on board here!
I shed a few tears while reading about your interaction with Minnie.
Mine was the same. First time i saw her i cried.....tears of joy.

KIM

 

[zanzibar138]

Sounds like you had a great time at Universal! We didn't enjoy it that much, but it was a nice day out all the same

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Back to Disneyland the next day for a special breakfast!!! Now the Disboards is an amazing place and I look forward to checking in every day! So, to make a new friend and get the opportunity to meet them at Disneyland for breakfast is a real treat!!! And that's just what happened!!!

Ok, so on to the breakfast.................character interaction as you will see below was fabulous! Lots and lots of chats with them and they seemed to have lots of time to stop by and have pics taken.

We start with Tigger

Followed by the main mouse herself!

Those crazy chipmunks

Max

Captain Hook

The Fairy Godmother

Pooh

So the food was good and there were lots of things to choose from but the only thing I was interested were the Mickey waffles that I had read so much about!!!

DD stocked up on the bacon as she thought it was way better than ours here in Australia! I don't think I had too much.................too many distractions, after all we were having our first character breakfast!!! We actually did 6 character meals all up and I do have the pics from them all coming up later in the report!

Now I mentioned before that we had arranged to meet up with a fellow Diser for breakfast. So, here is Aussiegirls and I having a great time!!!

We had a wonderful time chatting about all things Disney and my DD got to meet Aussiegirls DD's!!! They are just adorable!!!

And what is a Minnie breakfast without having a Minnie balloon!!! These were readily available and had a little weight on the bottom so they didn't float away!!! We saw lots of people with them tied to their strollers throughout the trip!!!

Normally you have a picture taken out the front and they come around to your table to see if you would like to purchase it. Well, we didn't get a pic on this particular day as DH had lost his reading glasses somewhere between the Ho Jo and arriving in the park. He had gone back to look for them and we did not want to get a pic without him. We also knew we would be back to Minnie's at the end of the trip, so it didn't bother us too much. We searched and searched everywhere, even going into the other motels on the way back to the Ho Jo in case someone had handed them in. No luck. And this was a $400.00 pair of glasses

But, we were off to DCA the following morning and were hoping that someone would have handed them in. So we went to lost property, the lady went and got the box of found glasses, and you would not believe what was sitting on top! A little bit of Disney magic and a very heartfelt thanks went out to the kind sould that handed them in!!!

So, we finished up our breakfast and headed out of the park ( to much groans from DD ) as we wanted to do a spot of shopping and we were off to the Medieval times restaurant for dinner!

So after boarding the bus later on, we were whisked off to enjoy dinner and a tournament at the Medieval times in Buena Park. When we arrived we had a picture taken with the king himself! The photo came in a wonderful hard cover case.

Front cover

Inside cover

Our photo

Now this really was a fantastic evening! The whole thing was just so good. The food was awesome and you had to eat like they did in the medieval days and there was no cutlery.....................you had to use your fingers! It consisted of tomato soup which you drank from a bowl with a handle, then came a large piece of chicken, a rib and half a baked potato. It also came with bread and desert was a like a piece of apple strudel! You also got soda and coffee. You could also get alcoholic beverages in souvenier glasses which we brought all the way back to Australia in one piece. DH even got his beer stein home without damage!


When you first arrive you are issued with a crown and the colour depicts which knight you shall be cheering for. As it turns out, we were cheering for the green knight and he was the baddie of the lot!!! So, let the games begin!!!!

The dinner

More of the show

Our green knight!

After the show you were able to have your pic taken with some of the stars of the show!

Our green knight. He really was very nice and not such a baddie at all!

So, thanks again for coming along..................stay tuned for DCA!!!

Oh, must have the Disney pic to finish!!!

My 2 girls that came home with me all the way from the Disney store!!!

Take care

Sue

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Still loving your report ... hope I get to read more before we leave (only 3 more sleeps to go! ).

 

[aussieangela]

Hi Sue

OMG I love your trip report so far I had tears in my eyes.
After talking last night with Mum I think we might do 7 days at Disneyland!!!

Off to do passport photos today

 

[Aust]

Hi, your trip report is great. I'm sooo jealous of your Golden Gate Bridge photos, the day we were there was so foggy we literally couldn't see a thing from the lookout on the Sausolito side (or from anywhere else). Looking forward to more.

 

[Lotjestar]

Hi Sue!
I'm really loving your TR so far!
Your meeting with Minnie at her place sounds amazing. I really loved the picture of you two looking in the mirror! It's those little moments of magic that make Disney so special.
Looking forward to the rest of your TR!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Hi Sue

OMG I love your trip report so far I had tears in my eyes.
After talking last night with Mum I think we might do 7 days at Disneyland!!!

Off to do passport photos today

YAY for 7 days at Disneyland.........................you won't regret it, I promise!!!!

Had lots of fun the other night and I really am looking forward to the next meet. Hopefully you will be back with all your stories and piccies by then!!!

Don't forget, if you need any tips, advice etc, I am only a click away!!!

Take care

Sue