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

[Minnie Sue Oz]

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.

Hi and thanks for the kind words re the trip report. I get so much enjoyment from doing it and am so happy to welcome newcomers along for the ride!

We absolutely loved San Fran and I am in the process of having some of my pictures made into a wall hanging. I got some really magical ones of the Grand Canyon too, but the bridge one in the post is one of my favourites!!!

Loads more photos to come!

Take care

Sue

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

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!

Hello there and thanks so much for joining me on our journey!

The picture with Minnie really is something I will treasure forever and is very much a magical moment! I have lots more to share so welcome and thanks for coming along for the ride!


Take care

Sue

 

[aussieangela]

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

Hiya can you please tell me the name of that book again and website again.

Looks like mum & I will include SAN Fran in on our trip now!!

 

[AussieFan]

Hi Sue

I just found your trip report Can't wait for the rest.

Love your food porn. Keep it coming.

We went to Bubba Gumps in Orlando last year and loved it. We're really looking forward to eating at one again when we go to LA in September, probably at City Walk Universal.

Cathy

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

And now for the next instalment!!!

I had been looking forward to our very first visit to DCA and I am happy to say it did not disappoint! We loved every part of it and DH was to find his favourite ride ever!

We had heard all the stories about how good Soarin' Over California was so we made a bee line for there! Well, we knew it was going to be popular, but there was a line up even for the fast passes too!

Whilst we were there we were lucky enough to catch 2 characters in their aviation gear!!!

So, we grabbed a fast pass and headed over to Paradise Pier to check out things out.

The DD and I had a special lunch date booked for just the 2 of us at Ariels Grotto a little later on so we thought we would just hang out in the general area! We came across a Photopass photographer at the Christmas tree at the entrance to the pier, so stopped to get a picture taken!

Off to the pier we headed and we decided to head for Mickey's wheel. We had quite a wait for this one and this would be the first and only time they would get me on this!!!
I really did not like this one little bit but the other pair thought it was just great. They actually rode again but it didn't matter how hard they tried, I just would not be persuaded. Roller coasters yes, high things that move backwards and forwards whilst moving around..............no!!!

I took some pics around the pier and these were on the construction walls.

We had a few games at the arcade and were lucky enough to win a Bullseye plush on Bullseye stampede! It was lots of fun to watch the little horses move along!

And just what was DH's favourite ride...........???

Toy Story!!!!
I can't remember just how many times we rode this, but I do know we all loved it................especially DH! The only problem is the wait. Every time we waited for at least 45 minutes and at one time it was well and truly over an hour. We didn't mind though because we really did enjoy it!

We then grabbed a fast pass for Screamin' and headed off for our lunch!!!

Dh headed back to the Ho Jo for a bit of a rest and we made our way in for our princess lunch. This was the most expensive meal of all the character meals we did. It was just the 2 of us and we got a 20% AP discount and it still cost $86.00

Laura had her pic taken with Ariel on the way in and Ariel commented on the fact that their hair was the same colour so she must be some kind of princess too!!!

The cover of the folder that the photo came in.

I must say that this is one of my favourite pics of DD throughout the whole trip.

So, on to the food!!!

The starter

It had all sorts of goodies, but unfortunately, not too much we ate. I did not get a pic of the mains, but DD did not eat any of hers............she had the chicken, but I thought mine was ok.

She loved this however!!!

And we just had to get the cup with the light up Tinkerbell!!!

And the desert......................oh boy!!!

This was an edible chocolate Ariel!!!

And the centrpiece.....................a white chocolate shell which was another fave of the DD........................now that I come to think about it, I didn't get any!!!!

A jellyfish lamp inside the restaurant keeping with the undersea theme!

Stay tuned for the next episode with the princess pics and the next character breakfast!!!

Take care..................thanks for reading!

Sue

 

[BellaBaby]

Your picture of Mickey's wheel really helped me understand how it actually works. And so no, I will NOT be going on this ride!! I love rollercoasters etc too, but I agree with you on this one!!

It's funny, you've probably read this on the DIS before, but for those of us familiar w/ WDW, a 45 min wait for TSM seems like a walk in the park!! For all the times we've been there, we've only rode it once. Of course we loved it, but if you don't get there early and get fast passes, be prepared to wait well over an hour and so we decided we didn't want to wait that long. So I'm looking forward to DLR because I think we'll be able to get fastpasses and also wait 45 min, so we'll get to ride it more than once!!

Yes, the Ariels Grotto lunch does not look like something our family would enjoy, so we will try the breakfast. My DH loves the Disney breakfasts and my DD7 LOVES Ariel!!

 

[Bungle]

And now for the next instalment!!!

I had been looking forward to our very first visit to DCA and I am happy to say it did not disappoint! We loved every part of it and DH was to find his favourite ride ever!

Isn't DCA great?

And holy cow for the price of Ariels But everyone needs a princess lunch at least once.

 

[heidispidi]

OK Minnie Sue, I finally stumbled over your trip report - now here's my thoughts (I took notes while at work yesterday ).

Wow, doesn't San Fran look beautiful - without the FOG that we experienced! Make sure you check out our pic of the Golden Gate Bridge in the trip report we are finally putting pics into. We saw 1 seal at Fishermans Whatf, and did you know we also stayed at the Sheraton? We arrived late int he evening though, so didn't experience the fire pits.

The Grand Canyon looks stunning in your pics! I wish we had just one more day to have been able to fly to Vegas and the GC - but there's always a next time!

Looking at your pics of DL brought back some memories for me! Even the pic of the DL Resort sign with the traffic light reminded me of how I got in trouble from a CM for jay-walking I haven't had breakfast yet this morning, so remembering the bucket of meat at Big Thunder Ranch is making me SO hungry! Like your hubby, I enjoyed the ribs the most.

Your Minnie mirror portrait is as special as you described. I love it. You had a different dessert platter than we did at Ariels, also the starters were different (what WAS that jelly-looking stuff?!). I love the look of the white choc conch shell, and don't blame DD at all for eating the whole thing!

As for the Simpsons ride at Universal, I also felt extremely sick watching it. I spent half the ride with my eyes closed, I just couldn't do it. What I loved about US was how accessible the characters were - and the high number of them too.

Thanks for sharing thus far, I'm loving readin this!

 

[Aust]

Bad memory Heidi, we stayed at the Raddison in SF, not the Sheraton - we weren't that up market, no fire pits for us!

 

[CandyMouse]

Looking forward to reading more of your TR! We just got back from our trip and I got the Mickey Bear with the Mickey Ears that you showed us from Build a Bear! My son also got a camo. bear, but no outfit. That was the first time we ever went to that store. We had a Great Trip!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Well hello again everyone. Have been unable to post for a while due to health reasons, but am all back to nearly normal so back to the trip report!!!

Ok, we last were having a leisurely lunch the DD and I at Ariels Grotto! And what would a princess lunch be without some princesses!!!

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Mulan

Belle

The one princess that DD was looking forward o getting her pic taken with was Cinderella, but to she was a no show. We even lined up for what seemed like forever at the princess Fantasy Faire, but to no avail! She ended up with the nickname "snoberella" because we just could not find her!!! Needless to say, she is first on the list for the next trip!

So, off to do some other fun stuff at DCA. As this was our first time in the park, we took our time just taking it all in!

Here are a couple of friends we met on our travels!

And what's a trip to DCA without a ride on the Tower of Terror!!!

We all loved this ride and has quite a few trips on the elevator! I never could get a real clear pic, but this one was the best of the lot!

I think I was too busy looking at all the cool stuff that day and didn't take as many pics but I do have more later on.

So, the next day we were up bright and early to head on over to the Disneyland Hotel for breakfast with Goofy and friends. This was the least character interaction we had out of all the breakfasts we did. But we did manage a few meet and greets!

Pluto

Aladdin

Goofy

And some things that we though were just well, a little different!

Peanut butter and jelly pizza!

Worms and dirt!!!

And my favourite............Mickey pancake!!!

There were lots of pics of Goofy and his friends around the place!!!

We actually have the real one of the picture above. It is called Boulevard of Broken Dreams and actually has Elvis Presley behind the counter with Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Humphrey Boghart in the diner. I think the Disney version is just great!!!

I decided to soak up some more Disney magic and have a bit of a wander around the hotel itself.

This is actually part of the floor!

And of course there is quite a bit of memorabilia on the walls too!

There is also a big collection of old and new collectibles made into a collage on the wall. I must say I was just mesmerised by this and could have looked at it for hours! It is just so well put together and some of the things are just amazing!

So, we left Disneyland hotel and went out for a fn day of shopping!!! The next day however, saw us up again early for our very first visit to Knotts Berry farm.
Now let me tell you, we picked the WORST possible day to go!!! Not only was it what was to be the hottest day of our trip, there was also a charity day happening where you could buy a toy to donate and get a free ticket in!!! Needless to say, there were people evrywhere

We didn't really enjoy it that much to tell you the truth. I suppose when you have spent so much time at DL, that everything else just pales in comparison!!!
Still, we had a few rides and took a few pics!!! We really did enjoy the Snoopy on Ice Christmas show! It was quite fun even if we did have to line up for nearly an hour!!!

To be continued...................!!!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Glad you are back! Knott's on a good day is not so good but on a hot day they do not and never have had enough shade for my liking.

 

[aussieangela]

Hi Sue

I would love to hear more about your trip!!
I hope you are ok?

Well I officially flight out on the 19th June!!!

 

[KiwiMouseGirl]

Your trip looks amazing!
Im hoping to go on my trip of a lifetime at the end of this year! Also, im from New Zealand, we're practically neighbours ! haha

 

[cannp123165]

Just caught up with your trip report - looks like you had an amazing time, and I love hearing about all the places you visited.

I hope you are okay.

 

[JH87]

I haven't stopped by in a while, and just got all caught up.
My mom had the Boulevard of Broken Dreams photo in her 'Elvis Room' at home. She loves Elvis and our whole computer room is full of Elvis memorabilia. I need to show her the Disney version! I love it!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Well hello there everyone! Let me tell you, it is an absolute pleasure to be sitting and updating this report.............It has been a very tough few months for this Disney fan, but am happy to say, things are back on track.
You know when you think things just can't get any worse, well that is what 2011 has been like. A very serious health scare was just the tip of the iceberg, but ( fingers crossed )we are pretty much back to normal now!
I have had to postpone the trip we were set for this month, but have reset the ticker and can now concentrate on planning and counting down til next year ( and we all know how quickly that will come around )
It will be something I will look forward too every day and is what is keepin me going most day! A fantastic mother and daughter trip for at least 2 weeks.........just us 2 girls at our favourite place on the planet!
So, with all that out of the road, let's get some pics happening shall we

A full day was had next at San Diego Seaworld. We caught a bus from the Ho Jo and had a great looking out the window at all the scenery as we had not been this way before. It took around an hour and a half to get there.
We met this guy out the front by the huge Christmas tree!

We hand fed some rays.

There were beautiful gardens all over the park.

We also hand fed some sealions.

This guy was very hungry!!!

There were shows on throughout the day, and I must say the show with the dolphins and trapeze artists over the water was quite spectacular!!!

Spot the Hidden Mickey!!!

Oh and of course there were snacks throughout the day!!! This was my cookie and I enjoyed every bit of it..........in fact, you could say I had a "whale" of a time eating it

And of course, what is a trip to Seaworld without seeing the killer wales on show?! we have Seaworld here in Australia, but not a killer whale in sight so we thoroughly enjoyed the show and oooohed and ahhhhhhed along with everyone else!

There were all sorts of species of animals to look at ( and feed!!! ).......

All up, we had a fantastic time as there was only a very small crowd and the weather was perfect!

We were also fortunate enough to meet a wonderful family from New Zealand who we ended up spending time with for the next week and we are still good friends with them still

Back to the land of the mouse tomorrow!!!

So glad to be back and thanks for coming along for the ride!!!

And now for the customary Disney pic!!!

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Welcome back! I've missed your trip report. Hope all your health worries are behind you.

 

[burly]

Welcome back!
I had no idea that there was a Seaworld in Australia!

Looking forward to more...

 

[Aust]

Sorry to hear you haven't been well - hoping you're on the mend and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your TR.