We had a Fantastic Time

[UndfinRich]

A heartfelt Thank You to all who assisted me with questions I had regarding my first visit to DisneyLand ...... We arrived home yesterday after spending 4 days in Disney, 1 in California Adventure, 1 in SeaWorld (we swam with the Dolphins .... awesome experience), 1 in Universal Studios and two days at a relatives LakeHouse in Arizona ......... the Fantasmic Dessert Buffet was awesome ........ as well as the Grand Californian Hotel .... again , thank you for your help ......... Rich inkbounc

 

[Peter Pan Fan]

Glad you had a fun trip!

I would love to hear some details...especially about the Grand Californian. We are staying there next month.

Susan

 

[rgoble5972]

Me too! Details, please!

We'll be staying at the Grand Californian in December and would love any information that you could give.

Also, did you call ahead for your Fantasmic Dessert Buffet tickets or wait in line for them? If you called ahead, what telephone number did you use and what time did you call? Was it hard to get through?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm used to planning for WDW, not Disneyland, so this is all new to me. I haven't been to Disneyland in 5 years and a lot has changed since then!

Thanks.

 

[phins_jazy]

Oooh, Oooh....I want details on swimming with the dolphins at Seaworld. I'm thinking about doing that when we go in March. It's been a lifelong dream of mine.

 

[UndfinRich]

In regards to the Grand Californian Hotel ....... I cannot compare it to the other hotels because I don't have first hand knowledge ....... The Grand Californian was magnificent ...... we had a Theme Park View Room ..... our room had a refrigerator that the hotel stocked with water, soda, beer, cookies, candy ..... all for a price ...... all the rooms had balconies ...... we woke up in the morning to the sound of California Adventure starting its pre-opening safety checks such as the activation of all the rides .....it was awesome ..... the room was very spacious with a queen bed, a fold out double size bed and a nice size color TV that was hidden inside a cabinet....... the bathroom was lavishly decorated ...... very nice indeed ..... the accomodations was top of the line ..... the hotel staff couldn't do enough for you ....... one of the most useful amenities for staying at the hotel is the early morning pass to enter disney land .... they allowed entrance at 6:30 am ..... disney opened to the public at 8 am ........... currently there is no early morning pass for California Adventure ...... the hotel is connected to the new Downtown Disney ..... then from there it is about a three minute walk to the front gates of DisneyLand ...... the hotel has it's own private entrance to California Adventure and allows its guests to enter California Advenute a half hour prior to the official opening ....however none of the rides are opened until the official starting time which is 9 am ...... the hotel has two restaurants ..... one that serves lunch and dinner ...... and the other is a character restuarant that features Chip and Dale ...... they serve breakfast. lunch and dinner ...... the service is top notch ..... the pool has a theme slide and features at least two jacuzzi's ...... we chose the Goofy Character Lunch at the Disney Hotel and it was awesome ...... we met with the Mad Hatter, Goofy, Pluto, Alice in Wonderland, Jasmine and Aladdin, and the gorilla from Tarzan ..... the buffet was excellent and I would highly recommend it .......... with the early morning entrance and the fast pass system ..... we never had to stand in line for any ride more than 15 minutes ...... we saw all the major attractions and a lot of them twice ...... Fantasmic was awesome ..... call this number to reserve a seat 714-781-4400 ....... the dessert buffet was expensive but worth it .... what a view ..... we arrived about an hour before the buffet opened ..... they sat us about 20 minutes later ..... we had first row seating ..... right next to the balcony over looking the lake ..... the show is not to be missed ..... and they allowed us to stay for the fireworks proceeding the show ...... the dolphin interaction program at Seaworld is great ...... it is a heartfelt feeling you experience when they allow you to hug, kiss, feed, and interact with a dolphin ...... there is no swimming with the dolphin ...... your group is positioned on a platform in about tree three and half feet of water ........ the platform protrudes outwardly approximately seven feet from the side then it drops off into deep water........ the interaction lasts approximately 20 - 25 minutes ...... they try to break you into groups of about 4 ........ it is something my daughter will remember for a long time ....... they will not allow any cameras or video equipment inside the pool area ..... they have their own photographers and will sell you the pictures later ....... very expensive ....... the cost is about $120 a person ...... they show you a video and discuss dolphin anatomy with you prior to your interaction ...... I could go on forever ...... hope I answered some of your questions ...... let me know if I can help with any others ......... Rich

 

[rgoble5972]

Rich

Thanks for the info. Now if December will just hurry up and get here!

 

[teri]

I am glad to know you had a good time!!!