QuirkySue
09-17-2008, 02:26 PM
Let me just say this first : WOW!
Travel dates: September 9-12 at the park
originally planned for sept 16-20
Travel method: drove from southern B.C.
Resort: Disneyland
Accommodations: Park Vue
Cast of Characters: Husband (38), Me (33), Daughters (15 & 12)
Reason for trip: Wedding anniversary / first family trip to see Mickey
First visit for everyone but myself - I visited once as a teenager with my sister and father back in 1990.
Comments: I'm not going to give a play by play because I don't remember all the trivial details of which rides we went on and in what order unless I go through my hundreds of photos. I will give the highlights and any comments I think others might enjoy. Note that I tend to be longwinded - consider yourself warned!
Day 1 - Left our place about 4 hrs later than planned but at least we were well prepared. No problems or delays at the Sumas border crossing at 11:30am which I was thankful for. We had all gotten passports even though they were not technically required yet for Canadians travelling by car but I think they must have helped speed it up.
We drove until about 11:00 when we stopped for Dinner and then got a room shortly after midnight in a Best Western hotel in Redding, CA. We crashed quickly and enjoyed a fantastic hot buffet breakfast in the morning.
Day 2 - Redding to Anaheim took far less time than we anticipated, so we were settled in to the ParkVue by dinner time. Let me just mention that at no time did we see a directional sign on the I-5 saying "Anaheim" which DH found frustrating and confusing since we did not have a detailed map of the area or GPS. A couple times we nearly turned around thinking we must have missed our turnoff. In any case, we found harbor Blvd after a couple trips around the area (lol) and arrived safely.
We decided to postpone dinner so we could go see the Ocean at Huntingdon Beach. I took a few really great pictures and the kids got to wade in the water and get splashed by the crashing waves. Absolutely gorgeous sky with all the lights on the pier at sunset! We're used to freshwater lakes and rivers so that was pretty neat for us, and the surfers riding the waves isn't something we've seen before other than on TV.
Day 3 Tuesday. First day in DL.
We picked up T-shirts for the kids at the little store in our hotel building so they'd have something Mickey-ish to wear into the park. Last year's designs I'm sure, but they were affordable and did the trick.
We decided not to use our early entry even though we were in the line well before 9 and the park didn't open til 10. We watched several people enter early and waste the entire hour taking pictures infront of the mickey garden and bumble around looking confused with maps in their hands so we chose to wait until Thursday.
First thing was off to City Hall to get anniversary buttons for DH and I, and we tried to get 1st time buttons for the girls. They were out, so they got Honorary Citizens buttons instead. Then we rode the train all the way around the park to see what we could. Got off and headed to Tomorrow Land. First ride was Space Mountain - which we walked on two or three times before checking out other things. Once we figured out when the photo was snapped we started posing with thumbsups or screaming faces (LOL) I suppose everyone does that. We ended up riding that multiple times through the next few days. Spent that first morning in Tomorrowland seeing things like Innoventions and an Asimo demonstration, Honey I shrunk the Audience etc. Neat to see once but we didn't see any need whatsoever to repeat them.
Of note: Tried churros - not bad but I don't see what the fuss is about to be honest lol. A very small doughy, sugary cinnamony thing that barely stops the stomach from grumbling. (Sorry to the people who love those things.)
Also tried a Dole Whip. That I liked very much, although noone else wanted another one on the trip because youngest DD threw up shortly afterwards. That could have been a coincedence since she had a raging headache and was dehydrated by that point. Our first day saw us making a visit to the First Aid station for tylenol and a few glasses of the yummy filtered water available there. It serves as a reminder to make sure you drink enough water through the day, especially if you are unaccustomed to the heat and that much walking! The rides are WAY over the top loud too imo.
Watched the Parade of Dreams for the first time. The park closed right after at 8:00 but we meandered slowly out the park through the many stores which were open later "for our shopping convenience". Youngest DD got a set of Minnie ears to wear that night. Ate at IHOP around 9pm and crashed.
Day 4 - 2nd day in parks - DCA Went back to the little store in the ParkVue and got some more stuff. DH got a Mickey shirt, DD15 got a Pirates shirt, DD12 got 3 California shirts for $15.00 what a deal. I still hadn't gotten one because they had limited selection of Disneyland stuff in M (2 designs?) and I did NOT want to be pressured into buying something I didn't like "just because" by the woman who hovered over us.
This was our day in DCA - first ride was Soarin which we really enjoyed. 2nd up was the Grizzly rapids. Both of those were ridden again many times through the next couple days. On to some little rollercoaster type ride, can't think of the name, then Maliboomer. That was a mistake. Let me just say that I don't like elevators or swings (I'll tell you about the swings another time). I should have known from the puke shields that it wasn't a good idea HAHA We survived that one okay, but I think it was the start of bad things to come.
Off to Screamin' which we rode twice, back to back. DD12 and DH absolutely loved it. I thought it was pretty cool too, but after the second trip I declined a third run because my head was feeling a little scrambled. So we walked a little and came across the Gondola ride. I didn't notice there were both swinging and non swinging gondolas until we got right up front in the line. We had to wait while a gondola was cleaned since someone had thrown up inside. I wanted to chicken out at the last minute but the ride *looked* ok and I figured it must have been a little kid who'd eaten too much junk food so I got on despite the nagging warnings in my head. Did I mention I don't like swings? Let me just say it's a really good thing a little white bag was provided because I used it. About 5 times on that short little ride.
It took me a good two and half hours to feel better after having some carby french fries, a drink and just sitting out of a few rides watching the rest of the family. From then on DD12 and DH pointed out the kiddie rides saying they might be more my speed. ROFL.
On to TOT. I chickened out the first time and let the other three go. I could hear the screams from outside though. I wandered around outside for a while snapping pictures and watching the photos come up from the rides.
They did talk me into going on it once which was kind of interesting. In the lineup there were two really experienced riders who overheard DH talking about how it was super easy and mellow and a little like a merry-go-round. He was joking of course, but they thought he was seriously trying to fool me into riding and they couldn't help but snicker and laugh to themselves. I survived it, but I gripped the seat with white knuckes and screamed like a little girl through it! :D I didn't ride that one again either.
We spent an absolutely outrageous 14$ for two mediocre beers in DCA. Hey we're canadian and we like our hockey and beer!
DCA closed, we headed over to DL again. Skipped the parade and rode POC/Indiana and the Jungle Cruise. DH made us ride that over and over (and over again) while we were there. By the end of our four days he could have been a tour guide I'm sure since he knew all the corny jokes and was just itching to spoil them. Thankfully he behaved HAHA. We had two mediocre guides, and two really good ones. It's much better IMO riding it at night with the lights. Ate dinner after we exited the park - this time it was Captain Kidd's across from the entrance. They had a decent buffet dinner and the kids got colored pirate drinks with little umbrellas in them. I wasn't overly impressed although they were and wanted to eat there again. (we didn't)
Day 5 of holiday, Day 3 in parks - More of our favorite rides at both parks. By this time we were fully decked out in tacky tourist gear. DH got an Indiana Jones hat which he will wear again fishing, DD15 got the big full on pirate hat complete with fake dreads and beads (oh my!) and DD12 got the pirate bandana goofy ears. My daughters and I took turns switching what headpiece we'd wear and took a bunch of photos. DD15 is a huge POC fan and got to interact with Jack Sparrow on the Pirate's island area, and we watched a singing pirate show where the lead guy interacted with all of us which was really special. I asked every store we shopped in, and every booth we bought drinks or snacks from for 1st time buttons and managed to find two by the end of the day for the girls. All of the buttons will be going into a special scrapbook. :D
We were starting to get sore legs by this point so when the park closed we went right back to the motel and ordered pizza from a card advertised in our room. It came with salads, pop, and spagetti and fed our family for two nights! How's that for being frugal?
Day 6 of holiday, Day 4 in parks - Friday. The crowds were a little heavier this day and we actually had to use fastpasses for Indiana Jones. DH thought there were a scam until we actually had to use them to avoid a 35 minute wait. But I got some anyways and made a believer out of him!
We were sad that morning, knowing we had only one more magical day. We made a mental note of all the things we absolutely had to do on our last day and did them. We rode Indiana Jones many times,(my favorite) POC, Jungle Cruise of course, Space Mountain - and I rode Splash Mountain sitting in the front and got absolutely SOAKED! People were pointing and saying they did NOT want to ride it if they ended up getting that wet LOL. What the heck though, it was our last day there and we were going to make the most of it.
We watched half of the parade, just enough for me to get some pictures and movies of Tinkerbell on her float for my mom who just loves Tink.
We skipped dinner that night and instead ate these massive sundaes from the shop on mainstreet. Nothing like icecream for dinner HAHA It's a good thing we only do that sort of thing on holidays.
We staked out what we thought was a good spot right next to the statue infront of the castle about an hour and a half before the fireworks started and ate what we could of our sundaes. The fireworks show was amazing and I video recorded all of it so we could watch it again at home. We stayed until the last possible minute, and on our way out noticed there was ONE LAST TRAIN that was going to go around the park and thought that would be a lovely way to end our last day. So on the train we went - seeing the dinosaurs and stuff we hadn't seen on our first day.
I admit, I welled up a few times during the fireworks and on that train ride. Both for memories I have from my trip with my dad (recently passed) and memories we were making with our girls on this trip. A very, very special place Disneyland is.
Saturday morning we headed back on our way home, making it all the way to another Best Western in Eugene. Border crossing went smoothly again and we arrived home exhausted but happy around dinner time again.
All in all, an absolutely FANTASTIC family trip.
Travel dates: September 9-12 at the park
originally planned for sept 16-20
Travel method: drove from southern B.C.
Resort: Disneyland
Accommodations: Park Vue
Cast of Characters: Husband (38), Me (33), Daughters (15 & 12)
Reason for trip: Wedding anniversary / first family trip to see Mickey
First visit for everyone but myself - I visited once as a teenager with my sister and father back in 1990.
Comments: I'm not going to give a play by play because I don't remember all the trivial details of which rides we went on and in what order unless I go through my hundreds of photos. I will give the highlights and any comments I think others might enjoy. Note that I tend to be longwinded - consider yourself warned!
Day 1 - Left our place about 4 hrs later than planned but at least we were well prepared. No problems or delays at the Sumas border crossing at 11:30am which I was thankful for. We had all gotten passports even though they were not technically required yet for Canadians travelling by car but I think they must have helped speed it up.
We drove until about 11:00 when we stopped for Dinner and then got a room shortly after midnight in a Best Western hotel in Redding, CA. We crashed quickly and enjoyed a fantastic hot buffet breakfast in the morning.
Day 2 - Redding to Anaheim took far less time than we anticipated, so we were settled in to the ParkVue by dinner time. Let me just mention that at no time did we see a directional sign on the I-5 saying "Anaheim" which DH found frustrating and confusing since we did not have a detailed map of the area or GPS. A couple times we nearly turned around thinking we must have missed our turnoff. In any case, we found harbor Blvd after a couple trips around the area (lol) and arrived safely.
We decided to postpone dinner so we could go see the Ocean at Huntingdon Beach. I took a few really great pictures and the kids got to wade in the water and get splashed by the crashing waves. Absolutely gorgeous sky with all the lights on the pier at sunset! We're used to freshwater lakes and rivers so that was pretty neat for us, and the surfers riding the waves isn't something we've seen before other than on TV.
Day 3 Tuesday. First day in DL.
We picked up T-shirts for the kids at the little store in our hotel building so they'd have something Mickey-ish to wear into the park. Last year's designs I'm sure, but they were affordable and did the trick.
We decided not to use our early entry even though we were in the line well before 9 and the park didn't open til 10. We watched several people enter early and waste the entire hour taking pictures infront of the mickey garden and bumble around looking confused with maps in their hands so we chose to wait until Thursday.
First thing was off to City Hall to get anniversary buttons for DH and I, and we tried to get 1st time buttons for the girls. They were out, so they got Honorary Citizens buttons instead. Then we rode the train all the way around the park to see what we could. Got off and headed to Tomorrow Land. First ride was Space Mountain - which we walked on two or three times before checking out other things. Once we figured out when the photo was snapped we started posing with thumbsups or screaming faces (LOL) I suppose everyone does that. We ended up riding that multiple times through the next few days. Spent that first morning in Tomorrowland seeing things like Innoventions and an Asimo demonstration, Honey I shrunk the Audience etc. Neat to see once but we didn't see any need whatsoever to repeat them.
Of note: Tried churros - not bad but I don't see what the fuss is about to be honest lol. A very small doughy, sugary cinnamony thing that barely stops the stomach from grumbling. (Sorry to the people who love those things.)
Also tried a Dole Whip. That I liked very much, although noone else wanted another one on the trip because youngest DD threw up shortly afterwards. That could have been a coincedence since she had a raging headache and was dehydrated by that point. Our first day saw us making a visit to the First Aid station for tylenol and a few glasses of the yummy filtered water available there. It serves as a reminder to make sure you drink enough water through the day, especially if you are unaccustomed to the heat and that much walking! The rides are WAY over the top loud too imo.
Watched the Parade of Dreams for the first time. The park closed right after at 8:00 but we meandered slowly out the park through the many stores which were open later "for our shopping convenience". Youngest DD got a set of Minnie ears to wear that night. Ate at IHOP around 9pm and crashed.
Day 4 - 2nd day in parks - DCA Went back to the little store in the ParkVue and got some more stuff. DH got a Mickey shirt, DD15 got a Pirates shirt, DD12 got 3 California shirts for $15.00 what a deal. I still hadn't gotten one because they had limited selection of Disneyland stuff in M (2 designs?) and I did NOT want to be pressured into buying something I didn't like "just because" by the woman who hovered over us.
This was our day in DCA - first ride was Soarin which we really enjoyed. 2nd up was the Grizzly rapids. Both of those were ridden again many times through the next couple days. On to some little rollercoaster type ride, can't think of the name, then Maliboomer. That was a mistake. Let me just say that I don't like elevators or swings (I'll tell you about the swings another time). I should have known from the puke shields that it wasn't a good idea HAHA We survived that one okay, but I think it was the start of bad things to come.
Off to Screamin' which we rode twice, back to back. DD12 and DH absolutely loved it. I thought it was pretty cool too, but after the second trip I declined a third run because my head was feeling a little scrambled. So we walked a little and came across the Gondola ride. I didn't notice there were both swinging and non swinging gondolas until we got right up front in the line. We had to wait while a gondola was cleaned since someone had thrown up inside. I wanted to chicken out at the last minute but the ride *looked* ok and I figured it must have been a little kid who'd eaten too much junk food so I got on despite the nagging warnings in my head. Did I mention I don't like swings? Let me just say it's a really good thing a little white bag was provided because I used it. About 5 times on that short little ride.
It took me a good two and half hours to feel better after having some carby french fries, a drink and just sitting out of a few rides watching the rest of the family. From then on DD12 and DH pointed out the kiddie rides saying they might be more my speed. ROFL.
On to TOT. I chickened out the first time and let the other three go. I could hear the screams from outside though. I wandered around outside for a while snapping pictures and watching the photos come up from the rides.
They did talk me into going on it once which was kind of interesting. In the lineup there were two really experienced riders who overheard DH talking about how it was super easy and mellow and a little like a merry-go-round. He was joking of course, but they thought he was seriously trying to fool me into riding and they couldn't help but snicker and laugh to themselves. I survived it, but I gripped the seat with white knuckes and screamed like a little girl through it! :D I didn't ride that one again either.
We spent an absolutely outrageous 14$ for two mediocre beers in DCA. Hey we're canadian and we like our hockey and beer!
DCA closed, we headed over to DL again. Skipped the parade and rode POC/Indiana and the Jungle Cruise. DH made us ride that over and over (and over again) while we were there. By the end of our four days he could have been a tour guide I'm sure since he knew all the corny jokes and was just itching to spoil them. Thankfully he behaved HAHA. We had two mediocre guides, and two really good ones. It's much better IMO riding it at night with the lights. Ate dinner after we exited the park - this time it was Captain Kidd's across from the entrance. They had a decent buffet dinner and the kids got colored pirate drinks with little umbrellas in them. I wasn't overly impressed although they were and wanted to eat there again. (we didn't)
Day 5 of holiday, Day 3 in parks - More of our favorite rides at both parks. By this time we were fully decked out in tacky tourist gear. DH got an Indiana Jones hat which he will wear again fishing, DD15 got the big full on pirate hat complete with fake dreads and beads (oh my!) and DD12 got the pirate bandana goofy ears. My daughters and I took turns switching what headpiece we'd wear and took a bunch of photos. DD15 is a huge POC fan and got to interact with Jack Sparrow on the Pirate's island area, and we watched a singing pirate show where the lead guy interacted with all of us which was really special. I asked every store we shopped in, and every booth we bought drinks or snacks from for 1st time buttons and managed to find two by the end of the day for the girls. All of the buttons will be going into a special scrapbook. :D
We were starting to get sore legs by this point so when the park closed we went right back to the motel and ordered pizza from a card advertised in our room. It came with salads, pop, and spagetti and fed our family for two nights! How's that for being frugal?
Day 6 of holiday, Day 4 in parks - Friday. The crowds were a little heavier this day and we actually had to use fastpasses for Indiana Jones. DH thought there were a scam until we actually had to use them to avoid a 35 minute wait. But I got some anyways and made a believer out of him!
We were sad that morning, knowing we had only one more magical day. We made a mental note of all the things we absolutely had to do on our last day and did them. We rode Indiana Jones many times,(my favorite) POC, Jungle Cruise of course, Space Mountain - and I rode Splash Mountain sitting in the front and got absolutely SOAKED! People were pointing and saying they did NOT want to ride it if they ended up getting that wet LOL. What the heck though, it was our last day there and we were going to make the most of it.
We watched half of the parade, just enough for me to get some pictures and movies of Tinkerbell on her float for my mom who just loves Tink.
We skipped dinner that night and instead ate these massive sundaes from the shop on mainstreet. Nothing like icecream for dinner HAHA It's a good thing we only do that sort of thing on holidays.
We staked out what we thought was a good spot right next to the statue infront of the castle about an hour and a half before the fireworks started and ate what we could of our sundaes. The fireworks show was amazing and I video recorded all of it so we could watch it again at home. We stayed until the last possible minute, and on our way out noticed there was ONE LAST TRAIN that was going to go around the park and thought that would be a lovely way to end our last day. So on the train we went - seeing the dinosaurs and stuff we hadn't seen on our first day.
I admit, I welled up a few times during the fireworks and on that train ride. Both for memories I have from my trip with my dad (recently passed) and memories we were making with our girls on this trip. A very, very special place Disneyland is.
Saturday morning we headed back on our way home, making it all the way to another Best Western in Eugene. Border crossing went smoothly again and we arrived home exhausted but happy around dinner time again.
All in all, an absolutely FANTASTIC family trip.