kitkat1
10-11-2008, 11:35 AM
Travel dates: October 5-10 2008
Travel method: Car from NorCal
Resort: Howard Johnson's
Accommodations: Room with 2 queen beds at rear of Howard Johnson's
Ages Represented in Group: 4 for daughter, 40's for me and dad
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: both parks (not sure how to answer this one! )
Cast of characters: daughter and husband and me
I probably cannot add much to the wealth of info posted here, but I thought I'd add my bit as a thank you for all the info I've gleaned here.
We drove down from Northern California on Sunday October 5th, arriving mid-afternoon and found that the Howard Johnson's is right against the freeway, a bit further walk than where we've stayed prior, but supposedly had the ESPN channel my hubby wanted so that's where we booked. The lobby with the sun beating into it's huge window walls was flaming hot, so I waited outside with my DD while hubby grabbed our room keys. Our room was waaaaay in the back, which didn't turn out to be as long a walk as it appeared upon checking in. Psychologically we felt a mile away though. The room overlooked the rear garden pool which was nice. From the hallway window outside our room you could practically touch the cars on the freeway, it seemed so close.
First hotel stuff:
The room experience was fairly good. The room was large enough for all our stuff, cases of water we brought, daughter's stroller wheeled in every time, my work stuff I had to bring, and extra shoes, toys, etc, and never tripped over anything. But the first morning I had to log into my Outlook and do about an hour of work (vacation didn't mean I got to stop entirely), and I the connection speed wouldn't allow Outlook to load. Uhggg, after an hour of trying I finally called the front desk and they tell me sorry, the connection should work fine, and since I had mandatory work for my job to come down and use their conference room. I thought, OK, this will be fine because where they have the internet modem in the room was on the little nightstand between the beds and I couldn't sit at a table or desk for comfort and faster work, but had to sit on the bed with my laptop. Now I could sit at a table in a conference room, so that would be better for now since I had hubby to watch the kid. I could type faster and get my hour's work done.
So I go downstairs to the lobby, ask where is the conference room that I've been just directed to go use, and the guy says no, I could just sit here in the lobby and use the wireless connection there. But there's no table near a plug! I have to sit on the little modern low-lying sofa with my laptop off to the side....OK, I'm nitpicking, but it was uncomfortable. I did get a connection, connected fine to my company's network and got into my Outlook, but it was uncomfortable leaning over to the side like that. And the rest of the trip, as they had changed the modem in the room to work, it was uncomfortable to work on the bed. Why can't they have the modem connection reach a table with a plug also available for laptop use? Do they think no one really needs a hard surface for work? Or that no one has work to do staying near the parks?
And hubby was not pleased because ESPN channel had no sound! Just moving faces. We called the front desk on that and they said it would be fixed sometime in the next week or two -- beyond our stay. We almost switched hotels.
Other than these big issues the hotel was clean, big enough, had a frig and microwave, and was decent. It had an in-room safe big enough for my laptop -- loved that!! But next time we'll stay closer to allow for afternoon breaks and clean-ups, and I'll make sure there's a table at the modem! We'll probably stay at a park hotel next time and spring the extra money.
On to park stuff:
Sunday after arrival we went to downtown Disney (not into the parks yet), and as I reported in the Camera's Allowed thread....with my Canon 40d was held up at bag check because of the Miley event, finally after pleading our case and lots of "grilling," got past bag check and went shopping and to ESPN for dinner (of course!). Dinner was fine, no complaints. Temperature was fine contrary to an August experience I read here (and I hate cold rooms, prefer it warmer). Service was superb. Shopped the rest of the night away, and relaxed listening to the great music played by those setting up in the Downtown area for the night. My daughter loved the guy with the smoking piano....that lifted up and down....I'd not seen him before and it was very entertaining.
Monday went into DLR, with my 4-year-old (just turned 4 a few days prior) who did not really remember much about last year, so she was screaming with delight at everything she saw. So much fun to go with a little one just discovering everything! Of course, we headed to Fantasyland first and rode one thing after another over and over. Then later headed to Pirates OC, and convinced my little one to go along. She covered up her eyes for most of it, and I had to talk her through the whole thing with "it's all pretend, just dolls, etc" but she ended up wanting to go again! And what a suprise on the ride with the new thing they added since I was there a year ago!!! I'm sure some have posted about it here but I hadn't read of it --- Don't want to spoil for those that haven't seen it, but my DH and I were really suprised and it actually startled us! A great special effect really bringing this ride into the new millenium! That new special effect was the only thing my 4-year old wouldn't watch by the end of the trip. She was finally able to watch the whole ride by the end of the week except that one thing.
We went to lunch that first day at Blue Bayou, and while we were waiting I showed DH where the entrance was to Club 33. I felt curious to lift the pristine brass plate there and look at the buzzer people press to get it, and found it was a red button on black metal background, interesting. And interesting that there are two brass plates, one down low. I also showed DH the "bridge" above where the Club 33 connects to the other building, the one with the balcony overlooking the water. For lunch at Blue Bayou, it was nice to sit somewhere cool, but we were far from the water, just a small table away from the entrance lobby, so it wasn't quite the experience I wanted, but memorable anyway. We adults had the Monte Cristo (sic?), and they were pretty good. I know many love love them, and I thought they were decently good, but I was thinking of one I'd had near UCLA in Westwood years ago and this one is much different with the full sandwhich deep fried. I'd read about it but I guess I just didn't picture it looking like triangle deep-fried dumplings. But it was good. Hubby liked it too, though he didn't "dip" and I did. The salad was fine too, nothing spectacular, but good. But I'd had no breakfast, and that sandwhich kept me full all day, so no complaints! I even skipped dinner that night, just having a glass of wine, with only lots of water in between.
Monday afternoon after the late lunch was spent in Toontown, and more Fantasyland. Hung out in Fantasyland area for the parade. Grabbed a great view spot in the crowd at the last minute. Then Monday evening after the park closed we just hung out in Downtown Disney again. Crowds that day had been moderately light, but heavier than last year when we went two weeks earlier in the calendar (last year it was incredibly light when we went).
Tuesday after a fantastic very filling fluffy-scrambled-eggs-and-huge-french-toast breakfast at that little bistro cafe just on the other side of bag check inside Downtown Disney (on the West or Cal Park side of the downtown walk --- wow -- great place! Very fresh food! ) ...... we went first to California park, and first thing hubby and I grabbed fast passes to Soarin'. Then we headed to all the bug's life rides that my little little 37" girl could ride. Went through those rides with no one ahead of us whatsoever -- could have rode over and over if we wanted as that whole section was empty of people -- and then hubby took her into the bug show while I went to Soarin. I got the front row!! It was great. Then met up with DH and DD again, and apparently my 4-year old can hang with Pirates of Carribean, ..... but had to be taken out of that bug show (!) as she was crying pretty bad and very scared. Go figure! Then while hubby went on Soarin she played in the water spouts near there as it was already hot.
Then we walked around the rest of California, didn't realize we should have done Toy Story -- it looked like just a bunch of carnival games and was one of the very few rides in that park with a line, and it was a long long line, so we didn't even go there. We didn't realize it was a new ride our daughter could have gone on, no size restrictions (?). Guess that's for next time. Then took a few pics with a Photopass person so I would be in a photo, then went through Hollywood section which was fairly empty, tried to see the Crush (Nemo) animated show but it wasn't for a while, then left that park. Total time in California Park for the entire trip: about 4 hours, if that, but we didn't try to swap kid-care to ride the adult rides one at a time, which we could have done. We decided to spend more time as a family together.
I will say I loved what they do with the candycorn "California" sign, and I love the Candycorn Corn Field they have set up. Very cute for this time of year.
Back to Disneyland, basically skipping lunch because breakfast was soooo big, back on Pirates, then to the Jungle Cruise with a short 10-min or so wait (daughter was slightly scared), the Riverboat (or whatever it's called -- the big white Steamboat -- no wait time --), the Tiki Room (not many there), to Tomorrowland and about a 30-minute wait for Nemo, I ran onto Star Tours with no wait while DD slept for once in her stroller, relaxed a bit, back to Fantasyland for more kiddy rides and some short waits, and then with foot traffic and crowds starting to pick up for some reason, we skipped the parade and headed out of the park just before the parade to head to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner.
But since we were so far from the hotel, I first wanted to change my filthy daughter and clean her up for photos and dinner. Took her into the upstairs restroom near the restaurant and transformed her in the bathroom sink with supplies I had packed into the stoller, went back to Goofy's, and they were calling us already, 15 minutes early. The place was 1/3 empty. First to the photo, and DD is screaming because Pluto is scary to her. I finally get her to be fine if I'm holding her, we get a GREAT family photo somehow, and head to dinner. She's terrified of all the huge characters and won't go near them, but loved the fairy god mother and Jasmine, the only princesses around. Dinner was fine, not bad but not spectacular, had the sole which was moist and good, the salad offerings were pretty good, sweets after dinner were not impressive - more like cafeteria stuff, all in all just paying for the experience, not the food. I don't know how big families come here! $100 for the 3 of us and with the $30 photo really $130, it was fun, added to the experience, but I just wish the food were a bit better. It was slightly better than the last time I remember however. Somehow we keep coming....I guess to see if our daughter's fear-meter has changed! It hasn't....
The next morning (Wednesday) we head into DLR for breakfast on main street, and we spent an hour or so on main street shopping and relaxing. Then we head to the back of Fantasyland to see the Princess Walk and the Princess Show (whatever that's called - sorry! The Royal Court something?). The line to see the princesses took about 45 minutes, but the show played during the wait, so I held the place in line while hubby let DD watch the show. I had a great time talking with the family ahead of us, seeing their very nice and sweet 16-year-old gorgeous daughter-who-looks-like-Snow-White and who wants nothing more than to work at DLR and be a princess there, so funny thing that's one of my favorite memories of the trip outside of my daughter's reactions to things! Speaking with other nice people really adds to the experience. And we got some GREAT photos of my daughter with all the princesses, and it just so happened we were there for a "changing of the princesses" so she got more princesses than the normal three! She was thrilled.
Then to Toontown again to see if she'd ride the rollercoaster there, and she did and loved it so much I took her many times in a row. Then back to Pirates, then to the circle-round-the-park train ride (cool to peak inside the work being done on Small World!), then the Monorail roundtrip for a full train experience, then back to Main Street to see the 50-year-history movie. Then back to Fantasyland for more kiddy rides. Somewhere in there we grabbed an ok lunch at one of the Fantasyland cafes, and I'm thankful for the fresh fruit carts they have around. Back to Pirates, and I don't even remember what else we squeezed in that day. This was our last day in the park so we just kept running around not stopping, going on ride after ride that our daughter could make too. We caught the parade that night from the front-side of the castle, then left it early to go on Pirates one last time with no wait. The crowds were really getting thick and we'd heard that Thursday the 9th would be packed in the park, so we used up every last minute of that Wednesday.
I will say we saw quite a few families with Dream Fast Passes, and then we spoke with one couple on a year's holiday from Australia, going round the world, who had one a special invitation I believe on Tuesday night for staying in the park late past closing, to take special tours and see special things late that night. Wish I could have spoken with them the next day to see how it was. They said they were tipped off by another couple to go around this one quiet corner where these special passes were being handed out. And the Dream Fast Passes we saw were all in the possession of normal looking families, normally dressed in shorts and things. Looked like they were giving to all demographics, thankfully, just no one too 'rough' looking, no one in super-revealing clothing with a Dream Pass that we saw, just regular looking families.
Thursday we went to the San Diego Zoo and the beach, and we heard from others in the hotel that it was shoulder-to-shoulder in DLR, so we were thankful we'd planned the way we had. It was a great trip.
Anyhow, until next year! Hope something in here helps someone as you've all helped us.
Travel method: Car from NorCal
Resort: Howard Johnson's
Accommodations: Room with 2 queen beds at rear of Howard Johnson's
Ages Represented in Group: 4 for daughter, 40's for me and dad
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: both parks (not sure how to answer this one! )
Cast of characters: daughter and husband and me
I probably cannot add much to the wealth of info posted here, but I thought I'd add my bit as a thank you for all the info I've gleaned here.
We drove down from Northern California on Sunday October 5th, arriving mid-afternoon and found that the Howard Johnson's is right against the freeway, a bit further walk than where we've stayed prior, but supposedly had the ESPN channel my hubby wanted so that's where we booked. The lobby with the sun beating into it's huge window walls was flaming hot, so I waited outside with my DD while hubby grabbed our room keys. Our room was waaaaay in the back, which didn't turn out to be as long a walk as it appeared upon checking in. Psychologically we felt a mile away though. The room overlooked the rear garden pool which was nice. From the hallway window outside our room you could practically touch the cars on the freeway, it seemed so close.
First hotel stuff:
The room experience was fairly good. The room was large enough for all our stuff, cases of water we brought, daughter's stroller wheeled in every time, my work stuff I had to bring, and extra shoes, toys, etc, and never tripped over anything. But the first morning I had to log into my Outlook and do about an hour of work (vacation didn't mean I got to stop entirely), and I the connection speed wouldn't allow Outlook to load. Uhggg, after an hour of trying I finally called the front desk and they tell me sorry, the connection should work fine, and since I had mandatory work for my job to come down and use their conference room. I thought, OK, this will be fine because where they have the internet modem in the room was on the little nightstand between the beds and I couldn't sit at a table or desk for comfort and faster work, but had to sit on the bed with my laptop. Now I could sit at a table in a conference room, so that would be better for now since I had hubby to watch the kid. I could type faster and get my hour's work done.
So I go downstairs to the lobby, ask where is the conference room that I've been just directed to go use, and the guy says no, I could just sit here in the lobby and use the wireless connection there. But there's no table near a plug! I have to sit on the little modern low-lying sofa with my laptop off to the side....OK, I'm nitpicking, but it was uncomfortable. I did get a connection, connected fine to my company's network and got into my Outlook, but it was uncomfortable leaning over to the side like that. And the rest of the trip, as they had changed the modem in the room to work, it was uncomfortable to work on the bed. Why can't they have the modem connection reach a table with a plug also available for laptop use? Do they think no one really needs a hard surface for work? Or that no one has work to do staying near the parks?
And hubby was not pleased because ESPN channel had no sound! Just moving faces. We called the front desk on that and they said it would be fixed sometime in the next week or two -- beyond our stay. We almost switched hotels.
Other than these big issues the hotel was clean, big enough, had a frig and microwave, and was decent. It had an in-room safe big enough for my laptop -- loved that!! But next time we'll stay closer to allow for afternoon breaks and clean-ups, and I'll make sure there's a table at the modem! We'll probably stay at a park hotel next time and spring the extra money.
On to park stuff:
Sunday after arrival we went to downtown Disney (not into the parks yet), and as I reported in the Camera's Allowed thread....with my Canon 40d was held up at bag check because of the Miley event, finally after pleading our case and lots of "grilling," got past bag check and went shopping and to ESPN for dinner (of course!). Dinner was fine, no complaints. Temperature was fine contrary to an August experience I read here (and I hate cold rooms, prefer it warmer). Service was superb. Shopped the rest of the night away, and relaxed listening to the great music played by those setting up in the Downtown area for the night. My daughter loved the guy with the smoking piano....that lifted up and down....I'd not seen him before and it was very entertaining.
Monday went into DLR, with my 4-year-old (just turned 4 a few days prior) who did not really remember much about last year, so she was screaming with delight at everything she saw. So much fun to go with a little one just discovering everything! Of course, we headed to Fantasyland first and rode one thing after another over and over. Then later headed to Pirates OC, and convinced my little one to go along. She covered up her eyes for most of it, and I had to talk her through the whole thing with "it's all pretend, just dolls, etc" but she ended up wanting to go again! And what a suprise on the ride with the new thing they added since I was there a year ago!!! I'm sure some have posted about it here but I hadn't read of it --- Don't want to spoil for those that haven't seen it, but my DH and I were really suprised and it actually startled us! A great special effect really bringing this ride into the new millenium! That new special effect was the only thing my 4-year old wouldn't watch by the end of the trip. She was finally able to watch the whole ride by the end of the week except that one thing.
We went to lunch that first day at Blue Bayou, and while we were waiting I showed DH where the entrance was to Club 33. I felt curious to lift the pristine brass plate there and look at the buzzer people press to get it, and found it was a red button on black metal background, interesting. And interesting that there are two brass plates, one down low. I also showed DH the "bridge" above where the Club 33 connects to the other building, the one with the balcony overlooking the water. For lunch at Blue Bayou, it was nice to sit somewhere cool, but we were far from the water, just a small table away from the entrance lobby, so it wasn't quite the experience I wanted, but memorable anyway. We adults had the Monte Cristo (sic?), and they were pretty good. I know many love love them, and I thought they were decently good, but I was thinking of one I'd had near UCLA in Westwood years ago and this one is much different with the full sandwhich deep fried. I'd read about it but I guess I just didn't picture it looking like triangle deep-fried dumplings. But it was good. Hubby liked it too, though he didn't "dip" and I did. The salad was fine too, nothing spectacular, but good. But I'd had no breakfast, and that sandwhich kept me full all day, so no complaints! I even skipped dinner that night, just having a glass of wine, with only lots of water in between.
Monday afternoon after the late lunch was spent in Toontown, and more Fantasyland. Hung out in Fantasyland area for the parade. Grabbed a great view spot in the crowd at the last minute. Then Monday evening after the park closed we just hung out in Downtown Disney again. Crowds that day had been moderately light, but heavier than last year when we went two weeks earlier in the calendar (last year it was incredibly light when we went).
Tuesday after a fantastic very filling fluffy-scrambled-eggs-and-huge-french-toast breakfast at that little bistro cafe just on the other side of bag check inside Downtown Disney (on the West or Cal Park side of the downtown walk --- wow -- great place! Very fresh food! ) ...... we went first to California park, and first thing hubby and I grabbed fast passes to Soarin'. Then we headed to all the bug's life rides that my little little 37" girl could ride. Went through those rides with no one ahead of us whatsoever -- could have rode over and over if we wanted as that whole section was empty of people -- and then hubby took her into the bug show while I went to Soarin. I got the front row!! It was great. Then met up with DH and DD again, and apparently my 4-year old can hang with Pirates of Carribean, ..... but had to be taken out of that bug show (!) as she was crying pretty bad and very scared. Go figure! Then while hubby went on Soarin she played in the water spouts near there as it was already hot.
Then we walked around the rest of California, didn't realize we should have done Toy Story -- it looked like just a bunch of carnival games and was one of the very few rides in that park with a line, and it was a long long line, so we didn't even go there. We didn't realize it was a new ride our daughter could have gone on, no size restrictions (?). Guess that's for next time. Then took a few pics with a Photopass person so I would be in a photo, then went through Hollywood section which was fairly empty, tried to see the Crush (Nemo) animated show but it wasn't for a while, then left that park. Total time in California Park for the entire trip: about 4 hours, if that, but we didn't try to swap kid-care to ride the adult rides one at a time, which we could have done. We decided to spend more time as a family together.
I will say I loved what they do with the candycorn "California" sign, and I love the Candycorn Corn Field they have set up. Very cute for this time of year.
Back to Disneyland, basically skipping lunch because breakfast was soooo big, back on Pirates, then to the Jungle Cruise with a short 10-min or so wait (daughter was slightly scared), the Riverboat (or whatever it's called -- the big white Steamboat -- no wait time --), the Tiki Room (not many there), to Tomorrowland and about a 30-minute wait for Nemo, I ran onto Star Tours with no wait while DD slept for once in her stroller, relaxed a bit, back to Fantasyland for more kiddy rides and some short waits, and then with foot traffic and crowds starting to pick up for some reason, we skipped the parade and headed out of the park just before the parade to head to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner.
But since we were so far from the hotel, I first wanted to change my filthy daughter and clean her up for photos and dinner. Took her into the upstairs restroom near the restaurant and transformed her in the bathroom sink with supplies I had packed into the stoller, went back to Goofy's, and they were calling us already, 15 minutes early. The place was 1/3 empty. First to the photo, and DD is screaming because Pluto is scary to her. I finally get her to be fine if I'm holding her, we get a GREAT family photo somehow, and head to dinner. She's terrified of all the huge characters and won't go near them, but loved the fairy god mother and Jasmine, the only princesses around. Dinner was fine, not bad but not spectacular, had the sole which was moist and good, the salad offerings were pretty good, sweets after dinner were not impressive - more like cafeteria stuff, all in all just paying for the experience, not the food. I don't know how big families come here! $100 for the 3 of us and with the $30 photo really $130, it was fun, added to the experience, but I just wish the food were a bit better. It was slightly better than the last time I remember however. Somehow we keep coming....I guess to see if our daughter's fear-meter has changed! It hasn't....
The next morning (Wednesday) we head into DLR for breakfast on main street, and we spent an hour or so on main street shopping and relaxing. Then we head to the back of Fantasyland to see the Princess Walk and the Princess Show (whatever that's called - sorry! The Royal Court something?). The line to see the princesses took about 45 minutes, but the show played during the wait, so I held the place in line while hubby let DD watch the show. I had a great time talking with the family ahead of us, seeing their very nice and sweet 16-year-old gorgeous daughter-who-looks-like-Snow-White and who wants nothing more than to work at DLR and be a princess there, so funny thing that's one of my favorite memories of the trip outside of my daughter's reactions to things! Speaking with other nice people really adds to the experience. And we got some GREAT photos of my daughter with all the princesses, and it just so happened we were there for a "changing of the princesses" so she got more princesses than the normal three! She was thrilled.
Then to Toontown again to see if she'd ride the rollercoaster there, and she did and loved it so much I took her many times in a row. Then back to Pirates, then to the circle-round-the-park train ride (cool to peak inside the work being done on Small World!), then the Monorail roundtrip for a full train experience, then back to Main Street to see the 50-year-history movie. Then back to Fantasyland for more kiddy rides. Somewhere in there we grabbed an ok lunch at one of the Fantasyland cafes, and I'm thankful for the fresh fruit carts they have around. Back to Pirates, and I don't even remember what else we squeezed in that day. This was our last day in the park so we just kept running around not stopping, going on ride after ride that our daughter could make too. We caught the parade that night from the front-side of the castle, then left it early to go on Pirates one last time with no wait. The crowds were really getting thick and we'd heard that Thursday the 9th would be packed in the park, so we used up every last minute of that Wednesday.
I will say we saw quite a few families with Dream Fast Passes, and then we spoke with one couple on a year's holiday from Australia, going round the world, who had one a special invitation I believe on Tuesday night for staying in the park late past closing, to take special tours and see special things late that night. Wish I could have spoken with them the next day to see how it was. They said they were tipped off by another couple to go around this one quiet corner where these special passes were being handed out. And the Dream Fast Passes we saw were all in the possession of normal looking families, normally dressed in shorts and things. Looked like they were giving to all demographics, thankfully, just no one too 'rough' looking, no one in super-revealing clothing with a Dream Pass that we saw, just regular looking families.
Thursday we went to the San Diego Zoo and the beach, and we heard from others in the hotel that it was shoulder-to-shoulder in DLR, so we were thankful we'd planned the way we had. It was a great trip.
Anyhow, until next year! Hope something in here helps someone as you've all helped us.