We had a GRAND trip to Disneyland! March 2014 TR NEW 7/29 p.12

[Mndisneygirl]

Glad to know I wasn't losing my mind in regards to both rides. It has been known to happen to me.
You're doing just fine. Me, on the other hand, have been a flake and forgetting stuff all week!

As for the room... I came up with a 4th option and it will be the one I am 99% sure I am going with. Seems to be the best one yet. Do a 4/3 split with a waitlist for the first 4. OKW studio/AKL studio. As much as I would have loved to stay in the one bedroom those first 4 nights, it is point expensive and if I want to not have to borrow much from my 2015 UY for my next trip I have to save a few points.


That sounds like a good plan! I think I will be perpetually borrowing for all the trips I have planned in my head. LOL!

I think the winter was pretty hard on everyone. Finally we are all getting nicer weather. I think it is a perfectly acceptable thing to do - get out and enjoy the beautiful day!!!

We did have a nice day!

You did sneak another one in there on me, didn't you?
Sorry about that, but you didn't miss much during your trip!

I love the "bullseye" that your DD won; too funny that she had to carry it on the plane. Does that count as one carry on?

HA! They didn't seem to think so on the airplane! Apparently stuffies and blankies don't count!

Just got back from our trip Saturday and I'm playing catch-up on the Dis. I was glad to read that Paige conquered her fears and rode the Matterhorn. You aren't the first one that I've heard complain about the beatin' you get when riding it.

Gosh, now what else was it that I wanted to comment on? I can't think right now. I'll blame it on post-Disney blues.

welcome back! I'm glad you found time to stop by! I am guessing you are super busy catching up and hopefully starting a TR! (hint hint!)

So excited to follow along on a DL trip!

You and your girls are so beautiful!

I'm glad you're here!!
And thank you! That's very sweet of you.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Well, I think about a hundred years ago, I left off in California Adventure. We'd just seen the tail end of the Pixar parade (if you want to see more pics of that, go over to Jenseib's TR, she just covered it!)

Next up on our route was A Bug's Land



I thought this place was so well done - super cute! The decor and scenery is just like you are the size of a bug!



The girls checked out a few of the rides and decided to ride the Bumper Buggies


Sorry about the creepy light-up eyes!

Most of the other rides had very long lines (this one was a slow loader, so it took a while) so we decided to head out and come back another time. We headed out of CA and over to Disneyland.
Gotta love the park hopper here!!

cont. in next post...

 

[Mndisneygirl]

cont…
We were able to see the last few floats of the parade come by the train station (where we stood up on top and looked down) in Town Square.


Looking at these - they are kind of odd crappy pictures, I don't know that you can really make out any floats in some of them, but you can see how crowded it was.

We worked our way up Main Street and went through Frontierland to scope out the seating for Fantasmic!. Holy cannoli, it was crazy busy and I was surprised to see a HUGE section set aside for strollers. Hundreds of people could have sat in that space. We ended up finding a spot in front of Cafe Orleans and the French market up on a little patio area across the street from the dessert party seating.
We had a while before the show was to start so I went in search of the famous Mint Julep Bar and beignets. It took me a while - I had no sense of where it was and walked completely the wrong direction before I asked someone and turned around. It's sort of hidden! I skipped the Mint Julep, but got the beignets.
They were good, but not quite what I expected. I thought I'd be more in love with them than I was.
So after our treat - still have to wait an hour and a half. WHY do people need to set up a spot SO early? Because there's a gazillion people in an itty bitty space!
Dave went and got Dole Whips next. One was a float so we all shared. He said that people were lined up along the outside of the "booth" but no one went around to the other side that was also open. He felt like he was cutting in line, but the CMs just took his order. I don't think the CM on the one side can see the other side. No one tells people to go to both sides, but you can.

People kept coming and trying to edge into the area to watch the show, but I held firm to my spot. I let one lady's little granddaughter stand in front of me, but made her stay back of me.
Finally the show started. It was really good, despite our partially obstructed view. I liked it quite a lot - I think I agree with those who prefer it to WDW's DHS version.
Nope, I took no pictures. I doubt anything I could have captured would have been worth it. Plus, my new thing is just to enjoy the show. And I did.
After Fantasmic, the fireworks were going to start. We watched a bit from that area, then went over to Pirates which was closed during the fireworks. So we waited and they opened up right away. A lot of people were kind of hovering in the area. Instantly there was a line! It moved fairly quickly though. We hopped in and got to ride! After that we headed back to our villa! A lovely walk and we were back in our room by 10:30 pm.

We have to turn our clocks ahead an hour (Boo we lost an hour of vacation time!).

Tomorrow is Sarah's 13th birthday!!!
She wants to go Hollywood!

 

[annmarieda]

Bugs life area is so cute. I like it but I do feel like it is far too geared toward wee ones.

Fantasmic is crazy there. I have never been able to be patient enough to tolerate the crowd and see it there. So I can't say I like it more of less than that of the one at WDW. What I can say though is that is is such a tiny space it about gives me a panic attack to see everyone packed in..

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oooh, pictures of the Bug's Life area. I love love love that movie!

What the heck? People getting spots an hour and a half early? That seems like a long time to wait but what do I know? I've never been to Disneyland to know how it works over there.

 

[DisneytheKid]

Great updates!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Bugs life area is so cute. I like it but I do feel like it is far too geared toward wee ones.

Fantasmic is crazy there. I have never been able to be patient enough to tolerate the crowd and see it there. So I can't say I like it more of less than that of the one at WDW. What I can say though is that is is such a tiny space it about gives me a panic attack to see everyone packed in..

My kids were really too old to ride most of them, but they managed a few things. It is very cute!!
Fantasmic - that whole seating idea is nuts. I guess it would pay to do the dessert package, but I researched and it sounded like too much $$ for me.

Oooh, pictures of the Bug's Life area. I love love love that movie!

What the heck? People getting spots an hour and a half early? That seems like a long time to wait but what do I know? I've never been to Disneyland to know how it works over there.

I will have more pictures of the Bug's Land later - daylight shots even!!

It was a ridiculously long time to wait around - snacks are a necessity. But it was crazy how you couldn't get a spot later. The CMs were pretty strict on blocking walkways too. And I don't think they show it every night that time of year, so that might be part of the problem.

Great updates!

Why thank you! I'm going to work on being more frequent with them!! We'll see!

 

[MEK]

That's a cool perspective in the town square. It reminds of Soarin right before you fly down Main Street.

Wow - fantasmic sounds like a zoo. I'm glad you were able to hold your ground and really enjoy the view!

Fun update!

 

[KatMark]

Sheree, slowly playing catch up (that's getting to be a theme with me).

I didn't know they had a Bugs Land. How cool is that? I love that movie. One more thing to add to our list if we get to DL next year.

I wasn't a fan of the beignets at POFQ...I guess they just aren't my thing.

On the Dole Whips, we saw that a lot at Disney World. Don't people look to see if there are two lines?

That was nice to let the little girl stand in front of you (we often do the same thing).

Losing an hour on vacation? That is unacceptable!!!

Can't wait to hear about Sarah's birthday.

 

[jenseib]

When I was there there was only the one line for dole whips...the long one. At the both, they had one taking orders and the other making it. But I have heard that they now made it 2. Maybe they were trying it out when you were there.

 

[petals]

We have to turn our clocks ahead an hour (Boo we lost an hour of vacation time!).

I hate moving clocks and time differences always get so confused lol! Anaheim is 8 hours ahead of Ireland as well so with the time difference makes a long long day lol! Going home we leave on a Thursday but with the time difference don't get home until Friday!

 

[Poolrat]

You made good use of the evening hopping to both parks.

Fantasmic was nuts when I went. 2 shows and they had to hold us while the first show was trying to get out. For Disney I felt is was not an ideal way to "move people"

Not a fan of the benches at DHS but it sure beats the concrete or standing.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Jeez, I'm so behind on my own TR! I really did mean to update last week, but time just disappears! I should be able to get an update in tonight or this weekend. Paige is having oral surgery tomorrow (which was scheduled just today), so I'll be home. At least I can reply some tonight!!

That's a cool perspective in the town square. It reminds of Soarin right before you fly down Main Street.

Wow - fantasmic sounds like a zoo. I'm glad you were able to hold your ground and really enjoy the view!

Fun update!

Thanks - it kind of does look like that view in Soarin. They really could use a better set up for Fantasmic viewing, but it was a great show!

Sheree, slowly playing catch up (that's getting to be a theme with me).
You and me both Kathy!
I didn't know they had a Bugs Land. How cool is that? I love that movie. One more thing to add to our list if we get to DL next year.
It was really cute!

I wasn't a fan of the beignets at POFQ...I guess they just aren't my thing.

On the Dole Whips, we saw that a lot at Disney World. Don't people look to see if there are two lines?
I guess it's not really obvious from the pathway side and I've heard it's not always available.

That was nice to let the little girl stand in front of you (we often do the same thing).
If I can see over their heads, I am willing to let kids go in front, but not if it means giving up my spot or my view.
Losing an hour on vacation? That is unacceptable!!!
It was a bummer. When we were in Paris a couple years ago, on her birthday, we went from Paris to London so she gained an hour and had a 25 hour birthday!

Can't wait to hear about Sarah's birthday.

Hopefully I'll do the update before her 14th birthday rolls around for real!! HA!

When I was there there was only the one line for dole whips...the long one. At the both, they had one taking orders and the other making it. But I have heard that they now made it 2. Maybe they were trying it out when you were there.

I'm guessing it was a time of changing things up. Dave said the "inside" line moved quickly.

I hate moving clocks and time differences always get so confused lol! Anaheim is 8 hours ahead of Ireland as well so with the time difference makes a long long day lol! Going home we leave on a Thursday but with the time difference don't get home until Friday!

Whoa! My kids really get confused with time changes and then the daylight savings thing too. We don't often have to travel more than one or two hours difference in time zones. But I'd love to get back to Europe and have that problem!!

You made good use of the evening hopping to both parks.

Fantasmic was nuts when I went. 2 shows and they had to hold us while the first show was trying to get out. For Disney I felt is was not an ideal way to "move people"

Not a fan of the benches at DHS but it sure beats the concrete or standing.

That's what I love about DL - park hopping takes hardly any time at all! At WDW, it seems to suck up over an hour every time!
Yeah, I would suggest they modify the seating/viewing situation for Fantasmic at DL. It's just unnecessarily chaotic.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Sarah’s Birthday! She’s officially a teenager!

Not the best shot with the lighting, but there will be plenty more today!

We had to turn the clocks ahead an hour and as a result, we slept until 7:30! We had breakfast reservations for Storyteller’s Café and had to hustle to get ready. I think our reservation was for 8:30. Good thing it was located in our hotel!!




It’s a really nice restaurant and a decent buffet. I thought the food was good, (except for the bacon!). They had a chef making made to order omelets, and they had a very yummy French toast with caramel sauce!


The characters were roaming around (I didn’t notice a lot of handlers). We met some “woodland” friends – Chip and Dale, Kenai and Koda from Brother Bear and Meeko from Pocohantas. Now these aren’t my favorite characters, but we don’t get to see them much, and since it was Sarah’s birthday and she LOVES all animals, I thought this was a good choice. She seemed pretty happy!




BEAR HUG!!




The bill came to about $108 with our DVC discount, and before the tip.

After breakfast we went over to Carsland to ride Radiator Springs Racers – about a 40 minute standby line. It was SO AWESOME!!! We declared it the BEST. RIDE. EVER!!!

Pictures from the queue - which, by the way, is also AWESOME!





Nice people in line offered to take a family pic



The wall was made with old oil bottles.




Almost our turn…



Redneck ride photo!

Jeez, I look angry!


Then we got FPs to come back later that night. We hoped to ride when Carsland was all lit up.

Sarah had one big request for this trip – she wanted to see the HOLLYWOOD sign. So we planned to go into “the city” on the weekend so to avoid some traffic issues. Fortunately her birthday fell on Sunday, so that worked out nice so she could say she went there on her birthday.

Coming up - leaving the Disney bubble and hitting the beach!

 

[petals]

Whoa! My kids really get confused with time changes and then the daylight savings thing too. We don't often have to travel more than one or two hours difference in time zones. But I'd love to get back to Europe and have that problem!!

You should come to Ireland next time

HA! They didn't seem to think so on the airplane! Apparently stuffies and blankies don't count!

They definately don't lol. Last time I was going home from Florida I had a pull along case, a backpack, a big shamu with santa hat, my Angel bear and my coat and got on with all that hand luggage


Luvin the pics from Storytellers. I want to do that just for Kenai and Koda

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Ooops, I found more pics from RSR!





Obviously this is the slow part of the ride.


Okay, back on our way to Hollywood!

We were headed to Griffith Park Observatory.


We managed to find it and discovered some bike ride must have just ended – tons of people parked on the side of the road and some of the side roads blocked. We found a place to park and walked a bit to get over to the observatory. We spotted the sign and took some pictures.

Oh yeah, she's a cool teenager!




Look! the ocean is out there!


Our next plan was to head to a beach. We wanted to stick our toes in the Pacific without our shoes on! We’d sort of done that in Alaska with shoes on, but I didn’t really think that counted.
We picked Santa Monica Beach, and told the GPS on the phone to take us there. Dave thought it would be cool because it was where Route 66 ended. Since Route 66 was also in Carsland, it somehow tied into our trip well!

Along the way we drove around, saw some of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and some rather unsavory looking areas. We didn’t stop anywhere really, just looked around.
I got a kick out of finding a sign for Little Armenia! Being that I am 100% Armenian, I knew there were pockets of the LA area where there was a lot of Armenians (including many of my relatives). But I didn’t know there was a Little Armenia! I bet a picture of the sign turns up somewhere. I know I took one, but apparently my pictures are not well organized. (as usual!)
And here it is!


We got down there eventually, to find they had a marathon that morning and it appeared to be just ending! (at least for the slower runners!) The place was PACKED with cars!!! We eventually found a parking lot along the beach and walked down the path toward the Pier.
we walked in the sand too!



It was cute, and there were a lot of people – some playing volleyball, some playing music, some just hanging around, some biking….
We grabbed some kind of fast food – I know we got fries. Lemonade was a must – it was getting really hot! Nothing else looked good to eat – I think I was so hot nothing sounded good.








There was some big memorial set up in the sand.



Hidden "fake" Mickey out on the pier!


cont. in next post

 

[Mndisneygirl]

cont.

Great views











We checked out all the “stuff” for sale at the booths on the Pier, and wouldn’t let the girls play any games or go on any rides (duh, we’re at Disneyland, I’m not paying another penny for junky carnival rides!). We looked out at the ocean, watched some sailboats and jet-skis and then made our way back. We walked along the beach – and put our feet in the ocean!





By the time we got back to the car, we were all a little hot, and a lot hungry. We debated what to do, and in the end we just wanted to go back to DL! It took about forever to get back to the freeway – apparently all the marathon people were trying to leave too. I can’t imagine all the people there on weekdays that have to deal with the traffic all the time. It just stunk trying to get back!! But no one seemed to care – no one was rude, cutting people off or noticeably flipping people off! Maybe they are just used to it.

Next - back in the bubble - Carsland at night?? Very cool!!

 

[Dismamx2]

Great update
Love all your pics It's getting me all excited for our trip; we leave in 2 days for New York and we will get to Disneyland in 6 days

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Great update
Love all your pics It's getting me all excited for our trip; we leave in 2 days for New York and we will get to Disneyland in 6 days

I will try to get more up this weekend! Is there anything special you want to see or know about?

I hope you have an amazing trip!!

 

[annmarieda]

I have never been to storytellers. I am wondering if it might be a good choice for my November trip. That or goofy's kitchen.

Love RSR! Isn't that oil bottle wall cool?

Such a neat trip out to Santa monica! You sure can see that there is a lot of people that go to those beaches though, can't you!