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View Full Version : The Miller Fam’s Magical June Trip – June 11-20, 2010 – The Desert Inn and Suites



WaltDisneyFanatic
06-25-2010, 09:38 PM
The Miller Fam’s Magical June Trip – June 11-20, 2010 – The Desert Inn and Suites

Travel dates: June 11-20, 2010

Travel Method: Mini van

Resort: Desert Inn and Suites (across the street from the Disneyland entrance) We were originally going to stay at the Tropicana, but after reading reviews on hotels in the 2010 Unofficial Guide and doing some research on the internet, I was able to get us a room at the Desert Inn and save us $150. The ratings for this hotel were much higher than the Tropicana, and we have stayed here before and liked the hotel.

Accommodations: Deluxe Room

Tickets: Deluxe Annual Passes (Saturdays were blocked out)

Cast of Characters: Ashley – age 19 - me Rusty – age 49 – my dad
Sue – age 48 – my mom

Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group:
Me – Disneyland – May 1997, Nov/Dec 2002, Oct 2005, Nov 2006, July 2007, Nov 2007, March 2008, Oct/Nov 2008 – Disney World – Dec 2009
Rusty & Sue – all listed above except July 2007 but with a few more before 1997.

Disney Tips:

•We buy rain ponchos from the dollar store and take them to the parks with us. We like the water rides but don’t like getting soaked, and Disney ponchos are expensive. The dollar store ponchos are lightweight and easy to carry around the park in a backpack, small purse, or fanny pack. After the ride we simply throw them away. This also creates a little more room in the suitcase for souvenirs on the trip home.

•Rusty wears a backpack and I wear a drawstring knapsack to carry around things like water, wallets, tickets, ibuprofen, snacks, hand sanitizer, and small Disney store purchases. It’s a convenient and comfortable way to have what we need in the parks. On rides that I want my hands free, I simply stick my foot through the straps and tuck bag against the seat with my feet, thus keeping the bag secure while on a ride. I may look like a goob, but at least I keep my belongings intact!

•Footwear! We wear tennis shoes, Crocs, and Tevas. I think a combination of tennis shoes and Tevas is the best. (Tevas are a kind of hiking sandal that is really like a tennis shoe with a lot of holes and very lightweight – they can also get wet - check them out at zappos.com) I have worn flip flops once for a couple hours and they were okay but not the best.

•Call to make advanced dining reservations as soon possible. I believe they went back to 180 days prior to our stay.

•NAPS. I am 19 years old and I am a firm believer in having a break during a Disney day. Our family really likes to get up early and be at the parks by opening, and we also like to stay till park closing. During the off seasons when the parks aren’t open very early or late we tend to skip the break, but during busy seasons that have long park hours, we definitely take breaks. It’s nice to go back to the privacy of your room and take a nap or just relax and read a book. This allows you to rest and have more energy for the second half of your day. Also, the crowds are usually the heaviest in the middle of the day as opposed to early morning and late evening.


Day 1: Friday, June 11, 2010

Plan: Unfortunately I had to work part of the day on Friday. Rusty and Sue drove me to work so they could pick me up after I got off and we could hit the road. I was planning on getting off at 3:00pm. Our plan was driving to Sacramento and spending the night at a Super 8.

What Actually Happened:

After an uneventful morning at work, we hit the road at 1:30pm. We drove from Roseburg, OR to Sacramento, CA in less than 7.5 hours with a few stops. We stayed at a Super 8 Motel and will hit the road early tomorrow morning. Rusty and Sue had In N Out for the first time and loved it.


Day 2: Saturday, June 12, 2010

Plan: continue driving to Disneyland. Saturday is a block out day for us, so we cannot go into the parks. We will probably go through Downtown Disney.

What Actually Happened:

We made it from Sacramento to our hotel in 7 hours with a few stops. We got everything settled in our room. Unfortunately we forgot to call to see if we could get a room close to the lobby…..our room is the farthest away from the lobby!!! Oh well, we like this hotel because it’s clean and close to the parks. (We didn’t realize that the continental breakfast doesn’t start until 7:30, which is when we would already be in line at Disneyland….so we had pop tarts for breakfast!)

We headed to Downtown Disney around 3:30 for dinner. We went to Rainforest Café. They said they could seat us immediately if we wanted to sit up on the upstairs patio in the shade, so we said okay! It turned out that we enjoyed that better than we would have if we had eaten inside the restaurant because it was quiet. (Although the young guest in the table behind us was rather loud) I had the Pita Chicken Quesadilla without peppers, Rusty had the BBQ Chicken Wrap, and Sue had the Chimi Cha Cha. Sue and I liked our appetizers a lot and Rusty thought his wrap was okay. The total with tax and tip came to $41.49.

After dinner we walked around the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, and the Grand Californian. Oh to be rich. Then we went to Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen to see if we could eat there just for dessert. They said yes! We felt a little funny, but I really wanted to try Bananas Foster. Sue and I shared one and it was soooo delicious!!! It was a might spendy though with the total coming to $ 23.99, but this splurge was worth it.

After dessert we went into World of Disney and I found a cute little tinkerbell hat for my co-worker’s daughter for her birthday. Then we walked back to the hotel and called it a night by 8:00. I did some work on my trip report.

Best Moments of the Day: Arriving at our hotel and eating Bananas Foster.

Steps Taken: did not record today with so much driving


Day 3: Sunday, June 13, 2010

Plan: First day in the parks!!! Opening of park @ Disneyland, start our trip with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We have a lunch reservation at Café Orleans at 1:00. We will most likely take a nap and then go to California Adventure.

What Actually Happened:

Disneyland opened at 8:00 and we were in line by 7:30. When we got into the park we had to go to the annual pass processing center and get that all squared away. Then we made a plan of attack that we followed almost every morning. First I grabbed fast passes for Indiana Jones and then we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice, basically a walk on. When we got off the second time it was only 8:30. We always start and end our trip with Big Thunder.

Next we rode on the Matterhorn on the right side. The line was always shorter for the right side. After the Matterhorn we grabbed fastpasses for Space Mountain and then waited in line. It had a posted wait time of 25 minutes and it was accurate. Space Mountain is my favorite ride in Disneyland. I have the official Disneyland Album and have the soundtrack to this ride memorized, as Rusty and Sue can attest. We always wait for the front because it’s the best! After each ride, I always exclaim that it’s just the best ride ever!

Next we rode Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters for the only time of the trip. It was a 5 min wait. I scored 83000, Rusty scored 81000, and Sue scored 3000. We may not be awesome, but we’re pretty proud of ourselves! :)

We went to use our Indiana Jones fastpasses but the ride was shut down, so we went on the Jungle Cruise with a 5 min wait. I was very impressed with the assistance we received this time getting in the boat; normally they just kind of touch your arm, but this time they really gripped your arm and hand and made sure you were safely inside the boat. I appreciated it. Our skipper’s name was Matt, he wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

After the Jungle Cruise we rode Pirates of the Caribbean with no wait. I like this ride, but I think we’ve gone on it so many times in the past that we don’t go on it very often anymore. After Pirates, I went to Café Orleans to see if we could get our reservation changed from 1:00 to something sooner. We were starving. The cast member was very nice and rescheduled our time to 11:30.

Next we went on the Winnie the Pooh ride, it’s so cute. We had some time to kill before lunch and could get a fastpass, so we got them for Thunder Mountain. Then we went to our lunch at Café Orleans. Sue and I shared the Pommes Frites, the New Orleans Sandwich, and beignets for dessert. Rusty had the blackened chicken Caesar salad. We liked the atmosphere of the restaurant and the staff was friendly and helpful. Sue and I liked the fries and the dessert more than our sandwich, and Rusty thought his salad was good. We had water to drink. The total after annual pass discount and tax came to 41.06 + tip.

After lunch we rode the Haunted Mansion. I’m confused about the fastpasses for this attraction, because I saw the fastpass station with machines but it was closed. Is this permanent or temporary? After our only ride on the Haunted Mansion we took the train from New Orleans Square Station to Tomorrowland Station and grabbed another set of fastpasses for Space Mountain.

Next we watched Captain EO. Being 19 years old, I did not get to see the show when it was originally played. I have been bored with Honey I Shrunk the Audience for a few trips though, so I was excited to watch a new show. I was also excited because Michael Jackson is in it, and I really like his music. I had read on someone’s trip report that if one hasn’t seen it before, without the nostalgia factor, the show is just cheesy. The show was made in the 80’s, of course it seems cheesy to us now! I, personally, loved the show because it reminds me of 80’s music videos, Michael Jackson sang and danced in it, and for its time it was technologically advanced. I also loved that the seats bounce around to the beat of the music.

After Captain EO we walked to Splash Mountain and used our fastpasses…….what’s weird is looking through my notes I can’t figure out when we got these fastpasses……but I do know that we had them and used them! We decided to forgo the ponchos this time and we had the last three seats in the log. We came out mostly dry. We stopped at Pooh Corner for snacks. I got a milk chocolate covered strawberry, coming to 4.62. Pricey, but super delicious!!! Rusty and Sue got covered pretzel treats. After our snacks we went back to the hotel for naps. We got to the hotel at 3:15 and left at 6:40.

At 6:50 we reached the gates at California Adventure. We went to California Screamin and waited in the standby line. It had a posted wait time of 30 minutes but it took about 24 minutes. We always ask for the front on Screamin because it’s the best! Next we rode Mickey’s Fun Wheel. All three of us have been on this attraction before, but for some reason it really freaked Sue and I out this time. I ended up hanging onto Rusty’s arm and closing my eyes for the majority of the time. This ride is not on my to-do list for our next trip! We tried to exit the pier by going around past the Silly Symphony Swings and Mulholland Madness only to find our path completely blocked off for World of Color seating. This was the first of many disadvantages we came across because of World of Color. We soon found out that all Paradise Pier attractions are closed early because of the show. This made us sad because we lost a lot of time that could have been used to ride rides and because we really like to ride Screamin after dark.

We had dinner at Taste Pilot’s. Sue and I shared Full Throttle Fries and the grilled chicken sandwich. We were very disappointed to find out that the fries are no longer criss cross. The chicken sandwich was disappointing as well. The onion rings, however, were delicious. Rusty really enjoyed his cheeseburger too. After dinner we passed on the 45 min wait for Soarin Over California and instead went to Tower of Terror. It was only a 10 min wait. Right now the fastpasses are not accessible for this attraction because of construction.

While walking to Tower we discovered Glow Fest. I personally think that the excessively loud volume the music is played at as well as the two giant alcohol venders in the middle of the street is very un-Disney. If it was just the music and dancing, I think it would be fun, but it has the atmosphere of a rave. Sue said that “Walt Disney is probably rolling over in his grave” and I agree.

After Tower we went back over to Disneyland and used our fastpasses for Indiana Jones and Thunder Mountain. We also went on the Finding Nemo Submarines. By the time the ride was coming to an end, I began to get claustrophobic. Once was enough for me this trip. Next we used both sets of fastpasses to ride Space Mountain twice. Then we headed back to the hotel for bed.

Best Moments of the Day:

Walking under the bridge under the “here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy” sign and knowing I am in DISNEYLAND!!!

Steps Taken: Wow, totally forgot all about the pedometer until about Wednesday, and then I kept forgetting to actually wear it! I never once wore it the whole trip!


Day 4: Monday, June 14, 2010

Plan: We have a breakfast reservation at Carnation Café at 10:30am.

What Actually Happened:

At the park for opening. I grabbed fastpasses for Indiana Jones and then we rode Thunder Mountain twice. We were actually able to simply stay on the train for the second ride. Next we rode the Matterhorn, this time on the left side. It is definitely bumpier, but the line is longer. I wonder if people don’t know about the right side line being open, or if they know the left side is bumpier so they choose that side??

After Matterhorn we rode It’s a Small World. We walked right on. I hate this ride. It’s a never ending slow and torturous repetitive ride. This trip, however, I promised Sue I would ride it with her. I discovered that maybe this ride isn’t so bad after all. I will never go on it more than once per trip, and definitely wouldn’t wait in line to ride it, but I don’t hate it anymore.
Next we grabbed fastpasses for Space Mountain. The listed wait time was a little bit too long than we wanted to wait, so we didn’t ride it then. We did head over to Star Tours and basically walked right on. We decided we had to ride this once this trip since it will soon be closed for a while for updating. I’m looking forward to it being updated.

After Star Tours we had brunch at River Belle Terrace. Rusty has wanted to eat at River Belle for breakfast for quite a while and we never manage to squeeze it in. We decided kind of last minute to cancel our reservation for Carnation Café and eat there instead. Rusty and I had the Mark Twain and Sue had the Steamboat. It was yummy.

After breakfast we grabbed fastpasses for Splash Mountain and stopped at Pooh Corner and got snacks for later. Then we rode on the Mark Twain Riverboat. Then we actually sat on a bench for a little while before going to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. In the past I have refused to go into this attraction because I find it annoying, but once again, I had promised Sue I would go in with her. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the Tiki Room! It’s really very neat! (On the tour I will mention later, Rusty and I found out that the Tiki Room is actually owned by the Disney family, separate from the Disneyland Park, hence the “Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room”)

After reading so many trip reports lately, I decided that I HAD to try a dole whip. I like pineapple in things, but I don’t like to eat plain pineapple, therefore I vetoed the dole whip float. The dole whip was okay, but I don’t think I will get one again. I wish that I liked them more though, but I’m a picky eater. :(

Next I looked in the shops along Frontierland. Then we went to the Blue Ribbon Bakery and had coffee. When I say coffee, I really mean mochas. All three of us are mocha lovers, and we usually get hazelnut mochas. On our trip to Disney World we were completely shocked and appalled by the fact that nowhere on Disney World property can one find a MOCHA. One sure can find lattes and cappuccinos, but no mochas. It was so disappointing to us, because we love Disneyland mochas. Needless to say, we were rather excited to be going back to Disneyland and being able to enjoy its mochas! (Are mochas a west coast thing?!) Then we went back to the hotel for a nap.

We headed back into the parks at 5:00 and it seemed extra warm. (I’m a wimp, I like 65) We went into California Adventure and had dinner. Rusty and Sue ate at the Lucky Fortune Cookery. Rusty had Mandarin Orange Chicken with rice and Sue had the Thai Coconut Curry Chicken with rice. Sue thought it was okay and Rusty thought it was pretty good. I had the Burrito Sonora from Cocina Cucamonga. I didn’t like the spice on the beef and ended up pulling out all the beef and vegetables leaving only beans and cheese (remember, I’m a picky eater).

After dinner we grabbed fastpasses for California Screamin. At 6:04 we got in line for Toy Story Mania. We were told it would be a 55 minute wait but it ended up being 60 minutes. I so wish that Disneyland had fastpassed for this ride like Disney World does! At Disney World we could ride this attraction twice a day, while at Disneyland, we maybe ride it once a day. Why, why, why did they not make fastpasses?

After our long wait for Toy Story Mania (which I beat Rusty and Sue at, by the way. I had a personal best score of 174 thousand and something. I know I’m not awesome compared to others, but I was proud of myself) we used our fastpasses for Screamin. We got the green coaster, which does not have music right now. This makes me very, very sad. The roller coaster is just not as fun without the music. I’m also very puzzled as to why Disney doesn’t have this fixed…..from what I’ve read on trip reports, it sounds like this has been a problem for a while.....it seems very odd to me that Disney isn’t on top of this. Obviously I don’t know all the details, but it just seems out of the ordinary to me. Later on we discovered that the yellow coaster doesn’t always have music either.

Next we watched the Aladdin show. We watch this show every trip because it is so well done, and the genie is hilarious. One weird thing was that Aladdin and Jasmine didn’t fly over the audience on the magic carpet like usual. I could see that they had started getting the carpet ready, but then they covered it up again. It was during this time that Sue felt the theatre kind of shake. After we got home, we found out that there had been an earthquake in San Diego and the aftershock reached Anaheim the time we were in Aladdin. Now we think that may be the reason Aladdin and Jasmine did not get to fly on the magic carpet.

After Aladdin we rode Monster’s Inc which was a walk on. Next we decided to try and get a standing only side view of World of Color. We didn’t want to pay for the expensive dinner option, and we didn’t want to go the fastpass route. There were people in line at California Adventure three hours before the park opened, waiting to get inside so that they could get in the World of Color fastpass line and wait there for two to three hours, only to once again wait in line for a couple hours in the fastpass line to get the best of the fastpass viewing spots. We also vetoed the picnic lunch fastpass option because we didn’t want a picnic lunch and still have to wait in a fastpass viewing area line. I think they should have handled World of Color a little differently. I don’t really know how, I just now it didn’t seem to be effective. One thing we really liked about Disney World is that they have separate stadiums for each of the shows in each park, which makes it very easy to watch shows and not interrupt the rest of the park. I fully understand that Disneyland has nowhere near the amount of space that Disney World has, but I think something different should have been done.

We were actually quite lucky and found a spot inside the non-fastpass viewing area taped off for World of Color. It was kind of above where Screamin comes out over the water before it launches. We had a sort of side angle (better than a view from the back) that was slightly obstructed by Ariel’s Grotto. We weren’t able to make out what was on the water screen, but we could see most of the water and lights. Wow, what a show! It’s really neat. Next time we are considering paying for the dinner option. After that we went back to the hotel.

Best Moments of the Day:

Finding out the Tiki Room is fun, Toy Story Mania, Aladdin, and World of Color.


Day 5: Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Plan: We have a lunch reservation at Big Thunder Ranch at 1:00pm.

What Actually Happened:

This morning we had a rope drop, and as usual, I headed towards Indiana Jones. I was puzzled to find that guests weren’t being allowed into Adventureland yet. I got in the line full of people and within a few minutes we were allowed in. I was almost to the fastpass queue when I heard the collected sigh of dismay from the crowd – Indiana Jones was down. Darn. I met up with Rusty and Sue and we grabbed fastpasses for Thunder Mountain instead and rode it once. Then we went on the Matterhorn, the right side again. Next we grabbed fastpasses for Space Mountain. Then we took a roundtrip ride on the Monorail. I like riding on the Monorail because you get to see little snippets of backstage areas.

After the Monorail, we hopped on the train and rode it to Main Street. By 9:30 we were in line at the Blue Ribbon Bakery. We had our hazelnut mochas and Sue and I shared a cinnamon roll and Rusty had a cinnamon twist. This is one of my favorite things to do at Disneyland.

After our snack, we crossed over to California Adventure and grabbed fastpasses for Soarin’ over California. Next we headed back to Toy Story Mania and waited in line for 50 minutes. After Toy Story we grabbed fastpasses for Screamin and then did some shopping. Sue and I went on the Golden Zephyr. That ride is so peaceful. After that we did some more shopping.

We crossed back over to Disneyland for our lunch reservation at Big Thunder Ranch. We chose lunch because it was less expensive than dinner, and the only things you miss out on are corn on the cob and sausage. The food at Big Thunder Ranch is served family style. They have beef ribs and chicken, corn muffins, bbq baked beans, and coleslaw. Please keep in mind that I am a picky eater. The meat grossed me out, but I LOVED the bbq baked beans! The corn muffins were pretty good, but I didn’t try the coleslaw. We also had iced tea and it was very good. Rusty really liked the ribs and Sue really liked the fried chicken. They both liked everything else too. Overall it was a good meal, and we would eat there again in the future.

After lunch we got fastpasses for Splash Mountain and then went back to the hotel for our nap. After our nap, we went to California Adventure and used our fastpasses for Soarin. We had a 15 min wait using the fastpasses. As we got into our assigned line corresponding with our seat row, I saw the person in the row in front of ours and said to Sue, “wow, that guy really looks like Sawyer”. Then I kept looking at him (probably rudely stared is more accurate) because he looked so much like Sawyer from Lost. He was with a small group that was accompanied by a VIP tour guide. I was about 95% convinced when we were getting to our seats. The man next to me was separated from his family because they didn’t all fit into the first row. I was talking to him about this, and he mentioned that his wife was telling him through secret sign messages that the person in the front row was someone famous. By this time I was 99% positive it was Sawyer (whose real name is Josh Holloway, which I had to look up when we got home). He was sitting directly in front of me on the ride, and I must confess, I didn’t pay too much attention to the ride because I kept thinking, “I’m riding Soarin with Sawyer!!!”. After we got off the ride and walked out into the daylight, I was definitely 100% positive it was him. WOW! I road Soarin with Sawyer! How cool is that?!

After that exciting event, we used our fastpasses for Screamin. We had a six minute wait. As we were getting off, we saw Sawyer getting on. Somehow that day we got two extra fastpasses for Screamin, so Sue and I rode again with the extra fastpasses. In line for our second ride, we saw Sawyer getting off. By now he had put on sunglasses in addition to his hat and was walking with his head down.

After Screamin twice we went over to Disneyland at 8:00 and found a bench to sit on for the firework show Magical. I ran over to Bengal BBQ for dinner and later we got hazelnut mochas from a coffee kiosk in the hub. I also got a chocolate chocolate chip muffin and Sue got a chocolate croissant. The fireworks were scheduled for 9:30 but an announcement came over the loudspeaker that there would be a slight delay. Not too much longer the fireworks were under way. I think that is the best fireworks I have ever seen, but I like the Wishes soundtrack much better. The fireworks themselves were just amazing though.

After the fireworks, Rusty sat on a bench while Sue and I used our fastpasses for Space Mountain. The posted standby wait time was 75 minutes, but with our fastpasses we only waited 20-25 minutes. Then we went over to Thunder Mountain to use our fastpasses, but there was practically no line due to Fantasmic, so the cast member let us keep our fastpasses. After we got off, Fantasmic had just finished and a line had already formed, so we used our fastpasses to ride a second time. Then we used our fastpasses for Splash Mountain. Sue and I like to ride Splash at least one time at night because right before the drop you can look out across the park and see all the lights. It’s very beautiful. Then we found Rusty and took the train from New Orleans Square to Main Street and walked back to the hotel.

Best Moments of the Day:

Riding Soarin with Sawyer, Magical, and Splash Mountain at night.


Day 6: Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Plan: Today is a Grad Night, so the park closes early at 9:00pm. Rusty and I have a “A Walk in Walt’s Footstep’s” tour reservation for 2:00pm.

What Actually Happened:

Today is the last day of the park opening at 8:00 for our stay. The mornings after Grad Nights the park opens at 9:00. First I grabbed fastpasses for Indian Jones, then we rode Thunder Mountain. Next was the right side of the Matterhorn and then we grabbed fastpasses for Space Mountain. We also rode Space twice and waited 10 minutes the first time and 20 minutes the second time. Not bad for the stand by line!

By this time we were able to get another set of fastpasses so we got them for Thunder Mountain. Next we crossed over to California Adventure. I had decided I didn’t want to wait in another 50-60 minute line for Toy Story Mania, and the line that morning looked especially long, so we all decided to pass. Instead we got fastpasses for Screamin and rode it once. Then we went on Mulholland Madness. I’m still a big chicken and won’t ride in the front.

After Mulholland we went back to Screamin to use our fastpasses. Being day four in the parks, we had only gone on Tower of Terror once. This was completely unacceptable! We headed over that direction, but the line was already up to 45 minutes, and most of the queue is in the sun, so we passed.
We headed back over to Disneyland and got some photopass pictures taken. To our dismay, the first three days of our trip we didn’t see any photopass photographers, which is very weird. On this day there was no World of Color, and we found photopass photographers galore…….coincidence?!

We rode on the horse-drawn carriage down to the hub and then went to the Golden Horseshoe for lunch. We split chili-cheese fries, mozzarella sticks, and the mile high chocolate cake. When we got to the counter we were horrified to see that mozzarella sticks were no longer on the menu. We went ahead and asked if they still made them, and to our delight, they do! They really are the best mozzarella sticks ever. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies were not playing this day, but we got to watch the other little show that is sometimes outside of the Golden Horseshoe. It was pretty funny.

After lunch we went through Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and then did some shopping on Main Street. Rusty and I had a tour at 2:00 so we went to the Guided Tours booth on Main Street to check in. I had booked and paid for the tour via phone about a couple weeks before our trip. We paid with a Disney Visa so we received a 20% discount (which is also given for AAA and annual passholders). I had previously tried to book the tour and get the discount with the annual pass, but since I didn’t have the physical pass the reservationist said she couldn’t give me the discount. I am still slightly confused by this, because I live in Oregon, and we paid for our annual passes online and printed off the paper form that we use to get in the park. I don’t understand why I couldn’t give her the number off of that sheet? Oh well, I called again later and the reservationist asked me if we had a Disney visa, annual pass, or AAA to receive a discount. That was a much easier phone call.

Back to the tour – our tour guide was Peter. We received headphones to listen to music while we travelled to our destinations around the park and so we could hear Peter better when he spoke. Peter took us into Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and got us what he considers to be the best seat in the house. After the show we got to see one of the original hand painted audio-animatronic flowers. Next he took us on the Jungle Cruise and got us on without a wait. Our skipper was Matt and he was very funny. He had me giggling before we even left the dock. We also got to go inside the lobby of Club 33. We rode the train (once again with no wait) from New Orleans Square to the Toon Town Station. The tour was good, but since I’m a freak and watch lots of Disney videos and read Disney books, I knew a lot of the stuff he told us. However, learning things I didn’t know was pretty awesome. We also got a special pin.

After the tour we got a picnic lunch from the Blue Ribbon Bakery that we all ate behind the Guided Tour booth. I was eating the strawberries and realized my hand itched. I looked down and it was covered with bumps. I stopped eating the strawberries, but by that evening the bumps had spread to fingers and the other hand had bumps too. I was very afraid it was the strawberries, but as the days went on, where my arms had been sun burnt, bumps appeared. If my arms were in the sun the bumps got worse and my arms burned and itched. Since we’ve been home and I have been mostly indoors, the bumps have almost disappeared. Our new theory is that it was the sun/sun burn. In a week or two I’m going to eat strawberries just to make sure though. Okay, so enough about me, back to the trip.

We decided to not go back to the hotel because Rusty’s and my tour went from 2:00 to 5:30 and the park was closing at 9:00. We watched the Dapper Dans for a while because Sue and I love them. Then we used our fastpasses for Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Indiana Jones. We ended up deciding to leave early and on our way back to the hotel we stopped at Cold Stone. We were in our hotel room by 8:00 and watched some T.V. before lights out at 10:00.

Best Moments of the Day:

Getting to ride Space so many times in one day, the “Walk in Walt’s Footstep’s Tour”, and the Dapper Dans.


Day 7: Thursday, June 17, 2010

Plan: Today is a Grad Night, park hours 9:00 to 9:00. We hadn’t done any of Fantasyland, so we wanted to try and do that first thing, hoping for less crowds.

What Actually Happened:

Oh man, how we miss the park opening at 8:00 – at 9:00 it is quite crowded already. We went straight to Peter Pan and waited about 15 minutes. Next we went on Dumbo waiting 8 minutes. I seriously love Peter Pan and Dumbo. Next we went on the Storybook Canal Boats because we hadn’t gone on that in a really long time. We waited about 10 to 15 minutes. After that we went on the Alice in Wonderland ride. I like that one too. When we got in line for Alice it was already 10:00. The wait time said 20 minutes but we forgot to look. We wanted to save the Tea Cups until after dark.

After Alice in Wonderland I was in the mood for Snow White and Pinocchio. We walked right on to Snow White, but I was reminded why I don’t like those rides. They really aren’t fun, and they make me glad I’m not five, because I would be terrified. After Snow White I decided I could skip Pinocchio.
After Fantasyland we went to Toon Town to go into Mickey’s house so we could get a picture with him. I was very glad we didn’t have the talking Mickey, because I think that would have freaked me out. Then we took the train from Toon Town Station to New Orleans Square. We got fastpasses for Splash Mountain. It was 11:30 when we got the fastpasses, and already the standby line was 60 minutes.

We had lunch at Rancho del Zocalo. I ordered an adult bean and cheese burrito and they charged me the same price as the Burrito Sonora (that comes with grilled vegetables and meat). Oy. Oh well. After lunch we walked to Main Street and watched the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show and looked around the rooms with Disneyland history stuff. Next we went to the Blue Ribbon Bakery for our hazelnut mochas. I had a cinnamon roll, Rusty had a chocolate chip cookie, and Sue had the seasonal muffin which was carrot.
After our snack Sue and I used our fastpasses for Splash Mountain while Rusty either shopped or sat on a bench. Later we had some photopass pictures taken. (once again, no World of Color and multiple photopass photographers)

We went back to hotel around 3:30 for a mini-nap. I actually just relaxed and watched T.V. while Rusty and Sue slept. We went back to the park around 6 and found a table at River Belle Terrace to eat and watch Fantasmic at 9:30. We actually got food from the Stage Door Café. We split mozzarella sticks and chicken nuggets. A little bit later we had Mickey Mouse Premium Ice Cream Bars. Then after dark we had hazelnut mochas again. (My tummy wasn’t too happy with me that day) Close to the start of Fantasmic an English couple joined us at the end of our table. They were on a tour that had taken them to a few different places across the country and were enjoying their time at Disneyland. They had been married for a long time, I can’t remember exactly how long though. They were very nice. We were actually able to see the fireworks from Magical before Fanstasmic. They played the music too, so it was like getting to watch the firework show again. I think they changed Fantasmic a little bit – did they take out the scenes from the Sorcerer’s Apprentice? And someone told me the dragon was different, but I guess I didn’t see how. (It’s been a while since I’ve seen Fantasmic at Disneyland) After Magical and Fantasmic the park was closed, so we headed back to the hotel.

Best Moments of the Day: Peter Pan, Dumbo, Magical again, and Fantasmic.


Day 8: Friday, June 18, 2010

Plan: Last day in the parks :( 9:00 to 12:00

What Actually Happened:

Not caring anymore about Indiana Jones, we went straight to Thunder Mountain and walked on. We got fastpasses for later. Rusty decided not to go on any rides this morning. Next we went to the Matterhorn and waited about 10 minutes in line on the right side. The park seemed crowded this morning. Then we went to Space Mountain and the posted wait time was 45 minutes. Since it was our last day and Space is my favorite ride, Sue waited in line with me. To our happiness, we only waited in line for 25 minutes. We were then able to get fastpasses for later.

After Space we went over to California Adventure. I got fastpasses for Soarin’ Over California and then we went over to Tower of Terror. We still hadn’t been on this ride since our first day! Horrible! Since the wait was pretty accurate at 13 minutes we rode three times in a row. What a blast! Rusty did ride on this. Next we waited 20 minutes to ride Screamin. (Rusty rode this too) We got the green coaster again and I was very upset, as this was either our last or second to last ride, and we wouldn’t have music :(

Next we grabbed fastpasses and then headed to Pizza Oom Mow Mow for lunch. We were a little skeptical about this because last time we had it a couple years ago we weren’t too impressed. Rusty had Awesome Pepperoni pizza, I had Bodacious Sausage pizza, and Sue had Far-Out Chicken Fusilli pasta. Rusty’s pizza had three pieces of pepperoni. I didn’t care for the pizza too much, it was just okay. Sue did like her pasta. I still wouldn’t want to eat there again though.

After lunch we used our fastpasses for Screamin and got a coaster with music, thank goodness! We finally had a good picture with all three of us so we bought two prints. I wanted to go into the Blue Sky Cellar to see if anything new had been added. Rusty and Sue sat on a bench in the shade and waited for me. I’m very excited for the Little Mermaid ride they are working on, as well as Cars Land. I’m hoping we’ll get to come back in 2012 after everything is finished. I am sad though that they are taking out the California letters, I really like them.

After my disappointing pizza, I was craving onion rings from Taste Pilot’s, so we headed that way for my snack. After that Sue and I used our fastpasses for Soarin while Rusty found a bench. Next Sue and I went to Turtle Talk with Crush again. I was disappointed because it was almost exactly the same as the show we watched earlier. I walked around the Sorcerer’s Workshop but it was kind of crowded.

On our way out of the park we did some shopping and then went back to our hotel. Sue and I went back to Disneyland at 7:00 and Rusty stayed behind to sleep some more. First we grabbed fastpasses for Thunder Mountain and then went to Space Mountain and used our fastpasses. The standby line was 60 minutes but with our fastpasses we only waited 10 minutes. I wanted to watch Captain EO again, and Sue obliged me.

After the show we were hungry and it was close to restaurant closing times, so we just stopped at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port. Sue had the Planetary Pizza Salad and I had a side salad with ranch and a fruit and yogurt parfait. We both liked our dinner.

Earlier in the week someone had given us an extra fastpass that could be used on anything and was good for a couple days. (they had listened to the Vacation Club schpeel) We paired that with the fastpass Rusty hadn’t used and were able to go on Space Mountain again. Yay!

Next we went over to the Matterhorn. We wanted to ride this after dark, so we said we’d wait in whatever line we were faced with. At this time of night, the line was only on the left side, but was eventually splitting into either side once we got up to the inside queue area. We chose the left side and forgot to time our wait. It wasn’t too long though. While we were in line, Magical started, so we got to see the fireworks again. They were still going while we were on the ride, so that was really cool.

For our final hoorah, we used our fastpasses to go on Thunder Mountain twice. Rusty had come into the park and met us at the exit of Thunder Mountain. We walked to the Blue Ribbon Bakery and had our last hazelnut mochas. Rusty had a turkey sandwich and Sue and I had chocolate chocolate chip muffins. It was a magical ending to a magical vacation. We headed back to our hotel at 11:30.

Best Moments of the Day: riding tower three times in a row, our last rides on Screamin, Space, and Thunder, and riding the Matterhorn at night during the fireworks.


Days 9 & 10: Saturday, June 19, 2010 & Sunday, June 20, 2010

Plan: Drive home

What Actually Happened:

Saturday we drove to Redding and stayed at a Super 8. We’re beginning to think maybe we need to upgrade…..sometimes we get great Super 8’s and other times we really don’t. We made it to Redding in about 10 hours. Sunday we had breakfast at the Black Bear Diner and then drove home to Roseburg. We made it in 4 hours.

Best Moments of the Day: there were no best moments of the day, our vacation was ending! I did enjoy a nap though.


Oh what a great trip. It was nice to go back to Disneyland after going to Disney World in December. I think what makes Disneyland so special to me is that Walt Disney was so involved in Disneyland and he died before he had the chance to become so with Disney World. I love that Disneyland is the original. Also, it had been a year and a half since we had been to Disneyland, so I was missing it. :) I’m very excited that we got annual passes this time, because we will hopefully be going again in January and then in May for Rusty’s 50th birthday. Then we’re hoping to go back to Disney World sometime in 2012, which I am soooo looking forward to, because Disney World was such a blast. It’s sad to me that we have to wait that long to go back! Oh well, I guess all of life can’t be a Disney Vacation. :P

mynameisearl
06-26-2010, 09:43 PM
Thanks for your great trip report! I loved all of the details and descriptions. Also...I am so jealous that you got to ride Soarin' with Sawyer! Yahoo! :)

WaltDisneyFanatic
06-27-2010, 05:40 PM
Thank You! :)

DisneyIndy
06-28-2010, 01:44 PM
Thanks for sharing your trip report! Looks like you guys had fun:)

DLANDLUVR
06-29-2010, 08:30 AM
How fun! :D

Pammer
07-13-2010, 12:41 PM
Nice trip report, Ashley! I like how you call your parents by their first names throughout the report, rather than just 'Mom' and 'Dad'! :D

Regarding the Haunted Mansion FP machines: they only use them now during the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay season...the rest of the time they keep them covered up.

I envy you seeing the sexy Josh Holloway in person...I'm really gonna miss LOST next year!

And I'm a picky eater as well, although my main dislike is vegetables!

WaltDisneyFanatic
07-14-2010, 06:23 AM
Nice trip report, Ashley! I like how you call your parents by their first names throughout the report, rather than just 'Mom' and 'Dad'! :D

Regarding the Haunted Mansion FP machines: they only use them now during the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay season...the rest of the time they keep them covered up.

I envy you seeing the sexy Josh Holloway in person...I'm really gonna miss LOST next year!

And I'm a picky eater as well, although my main dislike is vegetables!

Thanks Pammer! In real life I don't call them by their first names but for some reason I do in trip reports.

Thank you for answering my question about the Haunted Mansion fastpasses. That kind of makes sense.

I dislike veggies too! Picky eaters unite! :)

jsilkey
07-22-2010, 02:24 PM
As an adult, I developed an allergy to sunscreen. It would get worse in the sun. If you were wearing sunscreen, you might want to test that out ;)

Great trip report...thanks!!

Eighty8Keys
09-03-2010, 09:59 AM
I loved, loved, loved your very detailed report. I felt like I was there with you. I’m rethinking our usual touring strategy and plan to hit Big Thunder a couple of times and then the Matterhorn first thing on our next trp. Those are two of my favorites and I never seem to be able to ride them as much as I’d like. We’re very disappointed with the fries at Taste Pilot’s and never thought to try the onion rings until you mentioned them. I was surprised to learn that the TIki Room is owned by the Disney family. Maybe that’s why you can’t get an AP discount on the Dole Whips.

Thanks for taking the time to write this up. You managed to get your report up within days of returning home, while it took me a couple of months.

I’m checking out your Walt Disney World trip report next. We’re just in the early stages of planning a 2012 trip.

Thanks!
Patty

Dizzy4DL
09-26-2010, 07:42 PM
I grew up near Roseburg! Just outside the big city of Myrtle Creek. ;)
Anyhow, I really enjoyed your trip report.
On our next trip we'll follow your lead and hit Big Thunder first thing. The last time we were there it was down half the time and the wait was awful when it was running.

WaltDisneyFanatic
09-27-2010, 07:44 PM
I grew up near Roseburg! Just outside the big city of Myrtle Creek. ;)
Anyhow, I really enjoyed your trip report.
On our next trip we'll follow your lead and hit Big Thunder first thing. The last time we were there it was down half the time and the wait was awful when it was running.

Wow, really close!!

Thank you! :) That is sooo sad, Big Thunder is (obviously) one of our favorites! Good luck on your next trip!

underthesea1987
10-03-2010, 09:56 PM
I love black bear diner!!