We're Sailing to....Disneyland? Lots of Pics! GANGSTA KINGDOM 8/31

[Bloodhound]

Sorry It's taking so long to finish - you will be writing yours by the time I'm done!

Lets hope not.....besides everyone is so busy this time of the year...you really have a great family....they should always come first

 

[karajeboo]

So funny about the "swimming moms." Why do people do that? It's like the people that come into a nearly empty theater and sit right in front of you!!! I think people are so self absorbed that they can't think of others. So sad. I may not have been so nice though - I do NOT like to have my naps interrupted!

So sad the trips almost over!!!!

 

[punkin413]

no, not the birds!!!!!!!!! even those little sparrows are evil.

loved the pic of the sleepy peeps. i can't believe that woman sat on your stuff!!!

 

[heatherleigh]

That is so rude for that mother to sit on top of your things too! I really don't get it. It kind of reminds me of when I park my truck in a parking space FAR away from the entrance or any other vehicles (in an empty lot) and I come back to find a vehicle parked right next to mine!! Weird!! I would never seek out another car or whatever, just so I can be right next to them. That happens all the time around here, and it's my personal pet peeve lol.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

So funny about the "swimming moms." Why do people do that? It's like the people that come into a nearly empty theater and sit right in front of you!!! I think people are so self absorbed that they can't think of others. So sad. I may not have been so nice though - I do NOT like to have my naps interrupted!

So sad the trips almost over!!!!

I know - it seems like some people just like to seek out other people somehow. I would just love to hear your little southern self give them the what for! And why do they think everyone else at the pool cares what their little swimmers are up to

no, not the birds!!!!!!!!! even those little sparrows are evil.

loved the pic of the sleepy peeps. i can't believe that woman sat on your stuff!!!

You're right! Look what I found!

Those peeps were just too cute not to take a pic of. We pretended to be really interested in the building behind them while Tink snapped the picture!

I don't know why that woman would just plop herself down like that. Apparently she thought I was taking up two chairs by myself and wanted to teach me a lesson.

That is so rude for that mother to sit on top of your things too! I really don't get it. It kind of reminds me of when I park my truck in a parking space FAR away from the entrance or any other vehicles (in an empty lot) and I come back to find a vehicle parked right next to mine!! Weird!! I would never seek out another car or whatever, just so I can be right next to them. That happens all the time around here, and it's my personal pet peeve lol.

I know - it seems like some people have no sense of personal space, or seek to violate the space of others!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Today was our check out day. We decided to sleep in and wait until morning traffic was done before heading out. If you have never driven in the LA area and are planning to, here's a tip.... if you are driving out on a work day and want to leave early, you HAVE to be on the road by 5am sharp! Do not wait until 5:05 - I'm not kidding. If you do, I promise you will wait in stand still traffic somewhere along the way out of town. In reverse, evening rush hour starts about 3:30 or 4 and lasts until 7pm. If you can't leave by 5, then wait until 9am. You really have to decide what you are doing by traffic there.

So, again, we decided to wait until 9 to leave. About 8:45, we were all packed up and I called the bell desk - they were very prompt. I waited with the bellman and Jiminy and Donald went for a walk while Goofy brought up the car. I asked how busy they had been, and he said the number of visitors this year was way down compared to other years.

He helped us load the car and after tipping we were off. Sadly we waved good bye to our friend the mouse

We stopped for gas and snacks, and we headed toward six flags!

Next: When you get to the bay, you've gone too far!

 

[Bloodhound]

always sad on the departure day....this is a great TR Ive enjoyed very much

 

[MAGICFOR2]

always sad on the departure day....this is a great TR Ive enjoyed very much

Thanks! I'll post a few pics of Six Flags later.

 

[Debbie6221]

Hi Buddy!
I finally got to check out all your pix! I love them! Great TR! You guys all look so happy and cute in your awesome shirts!

Terrific trip!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Buddy!
I finally got to check out all your pix! I love them! Great TR! You guys all look so happy and cute in your awesome shirts!

Terrific trip!

Hey! I sure have missed you! Thanks for the compliments - we really had fun with those shirts - and fun together!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

We were headed out of LA when I left off...sad to leave the mouse, yet our vacation wasn't over, as we still had a day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to look forward to.....cue scarey soap opera music here....

Now Six Flags in Vallejo is close to the San Francisco area, so our drive up was pretty as we got nearer. We passed near the bay, and got stuck in traffic at 3:30 pm on a bridge near San Jose, but we made it to Vallejo - now to find our hotel, Courtyard by Marriott at Six Flags.

I had the printed reservation from the hotel, with the address on it... should have been simple, right? Well, I was using a GPS program on my laptop, and somehow, I grabbed the wrong street address - as we approached the Six Flags exit, I was sure it was not our hotel down there, because the address didn't match! (in my defense, the web site showed my hotel as being 1.5 miles away from Six Flags, not across the street, as this one was)

"Sorry guys, wish we were staying down there, it's so close..." So we kept driving - hmmm 8 miles - we drove a little more until we reached an inlet from the bay - obviously we are not staying oceanfront So we turned around - drove past the theme park and hotel - back almost to the bridge we crossed just before Vallejo - Nope, it has to be back that way....

WAIT A MINUTE!!!! I read the ressie again....Oh! It IS on the same street as Six Flags! Sorry honey

We were pretty excited to be so close we could walk in to the park! We were already paying $12/day for parking - nice not to pay in the park as well. We were very pleased with our rooms and the entire hotel. It was very nice, and the staff was great! We went down to the pool and hot tub - the pool was outside, and a cool breeze had kicked up - it was only 75 outside - with the breeze to me - not swimming weather - the hot tub was in a covered open room off the pool - nice to be secluded from the wind. I met a nice family in the hot tub from the Reno area - which is a fun playground for us - 4 hrs away.

So with it being about 7pm, we decided to look for a place to eat - well, there was a gas station next door, with an ice cream place, and a Carl's Junior. Jiminy and Goofy decided to run over and get Carl's. They ran over there - everything was closed. Everything. At 7 pm. Remember, this was the eve of July 4th. When we saw the "neighbors" the next day, we know why it was locked up tight. Made us a little scared to sleep there the next night.

So, upon asking the desk clerk for suggestions, we were told to get back on the freeway and head up about 5 miles and take the exit - lots of restaurants there. So, we found a wonderful Red Lobster and had a great dinner! I'm sorry, I don't remember what we all had - I can guess that Goofy had a hamburger, Donald had Mac and Cheese, Tink had some kind of alfredo, and I had some kind of shrimp. Jiminy probably had grilled fish. Pretty good guess huh?

Well, it's getting late, so I'll post our day at the other kind of Kingdom tomorrow.....

 

[Bloodhound]

Hi Tammie, The Hotel is right across the street from our six flags in Louisville Ky. as well...they had our State Fair there last week as well and DonaldTDuck cooked at one of the food vendors setups for the week and made 1000.00 for him...boy it sure was hot that week...this week has been alot nicer....lol

 

[Camster0307]

So sad the Disney part of your trip is over! Departure day is THE WORST!

Ok, so did I miss something? Who were your neighbors at the Marriott and why were you scared of them?

 

[karajeboo]

Cammie, I think her neighbors, were of the seedy sort! Am I right?

Tammie, I don't want it to end!!!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Tammie, The Hotel is right across the street from our six flags in Louisville Ky. as well...they had our State Fair there last week as well and DonaldTDuck cooked at one of the food vendors setups for the week and made 1000.00 for him...boy it sure was hot that week...this week has been alot nicer....lol

Funny - the fairgrounds was next door to the hotel there, too! They charged for parking for Six Flags there. Yeah for DTD making money! He can put it in his Disney fund, maybe!

So sad the Disney part of your trip is over! Departure day is THE WORST!

Ok, so did I miss something? Who were your neighbors at the Marriott and why were you scared of them?

Yes, it was sad, and way too short. The 'neighbors' were the people we saw around that night and the next day.

Cammie, I think her neighbors, were of the seedy sort! Am I right?

Tammie, I don't want it to end!!!!

You're right - seedy in a "gangsta" way. Maybe modern day arrgh!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Our July 4th dawned bright and early, and we decided to head down to breakfast, which Goofy checked out and deemed too expensive and gross looking So we got the little ones a snack and some milk, and decided to eat something in the park.

As soon as we arrived through the front gate, I knew how people must feel when they arrive at Disney without any idea where to go first. We did the classic stand around, look at the map, look at the signs - the dolphins? The whales? The kiddie rides? Food? We must have stood there in that front hub for 10 minutes

We decided to head over to the otter show, which when we followed the signs was closed, but there were some swimming, so we got a peek at them through a window. We saw some manatees, and then headed over to some rides. We found a little train ride - Donald wanted to ride! Goofy and Tink took the kids in, and the worker said Minnie couldn't ride because she couldn't walk yet - she proceeded to give us a lecture about her spine and blah blah blah. So Goofy and Donald rode by themselves.

Donald had fun, and we were on a roll, so we headed over to Thomas the Train - yeah! He wanted to ride that one, too! This time we saw an infant in line, so all four got in line, and nothing was said about the baby. This was true the rest of the day. Not sure what miss bossy pants was referring to, but I think she wanted to make room for more kids. They had a great time on Thomas!

There was a helicopter ride:

We headed over to a fun little dolphin show - Donald was very nervous - had to pee - so Papa took him to the bathroom, and then got him to come into the stands with us. At first, he was sure the "golphins" were coming up in the stands with us - he felt a little better seeing the vendors selling "golhpins" just like the one I bought him in the Bahamas. Once the show started, he loved it!

continued next post:

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Continued dolphin show:

We enjoyed the "golphins" and the only thing that was bad, was being stuck way in the back at the top of the theatre - it took us a really long time to get out of there, and the people coming up the hill to come in to the next show were crammed up against those of us coming down the hill - really stupid layout!

We decided to get some lunch - we found a food court with a huge round tent with tables inside - good plan to avoid the heat. It took about half an hour for Goofy and Jiminy to get our food ordered. It was delicious chain food - we got China Wok, I believe, and pizza hut, and some kids meals of some kind, but I can't remember who.

After lunch, which took way too long, and after a bathroom break which took me all the way to the front of the park before I found a restroom we were back on our way.
In search of animals, Tink and I spied a Gorilla ride where you sit in a seat and spin around on a platform really fast to rock music - I said that reminded me of a ride I loved in Jr. High, so Tink said we should ride it together! The line was short, but they had one worker operating the ride, loading and unloading, so it took forever. It was really fun and crazy fast - we got bruises on our hips, and we laughed until we cried. Just like I remember, only with a smaller butt! I didn't take my camera on with me, but this topiary was outside:

We headed up and around, and found this poor guy:

These giraffes used to be in a huge natural enclosure when our boys were little, now there is a dirty, small field with a run so they just about have to walk up to this platform most of the day - they were letting the guests feed them - it really was sad

Next time: Gangsta Kingdom

 

[reyasmommy]

I LOVE Courtyard Marriotts. I think they're one of my favorite hotel chains. Really reasonable in price and the beds are ohhh so comfortable.

I'm glad your doing a TR on Discovery Kingdom. We always pass by when driving into San Francisco from my Dad's in Sacramento. I've thought about stopping a few times, but never have. I'm anxious to hear more.

 

[punkin413]

After lunch, which took way too long, and after a bathroom break which took me all the way to the front of the park before I found a restroom we were back on our way.

i read somewhere that when walt disney was designing disneyland he would go to other parks and count how many steps it took people to find a trash can or a bathroom. he didn't want his park to make people walk more than 30 steps for anything! (or something like that!) i thought that was really cool.

We headed up and around, and found this poor guy:

These giraffes used to be in a huge natural enclosure when our boys were little, now there is a dirty, small field with a run so they just about have to walk up to this platform most of the day - they were letting the guests feed them - it really was sad

that is so sad! i don't really enjoy most zoos for this very reason. AK doesn't bother me at all because they animals have SO MUCH space to roam in.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I LOVE Courtyard Marriotts. I think they're one of my favorite hotel chains. Really reasonable in price and the beds are ohhh so comfortable.

I'm glad your doing a TR on Discovery Kingdom. We always pass by when driving into San Francisco from my Dad's in Sacramento. I've thought about stopping a few times, but never have. I'm anxious to hear more.

Thanks for reading! We were disappointed because we used to take our boys there when it was Marine World, Africa USA. Now it is roller coasters with a few animals here and there. Not the same at all.

We were encouraged by someone who used to live there to change our plans to Great America in Santa Clara. I'm sorry my report will probably disappoint, too.

I love Courtyard, too! You can always count on a good room at a good price - we liked the Springhill Suites this trip, too -good price, nice breakfast, really cool lobby - except the beds were like cement!

i read somewhere that when walt disney was designing disneyland he would go to other parks and count how many steps it took people to find a trash can or a bathroom. he didn't want his park to make people walk more than 30 steps for anything! (or something like that!) i thought that was really cool.



that is so sad! i don't really enjoy most zoos for this very reason. AK doesn't bother me at all because they animals have SO MUCH space to roam in.

Yes, Walt was definately a genius! I did find the restroom I needed later - they just aren't marked well, and I didn't have a feel for where they might be, like I do at Disney.

I know - I really didn't like things for the animals here - DH says he thinks they probably let the camels and elephants out in the field at night - I hope so - otherwise, we should report them.