Ok - I was going to post a trip report as soon as we came home, but I never did it and I just let it go thinking it was too late to post it - However. . . I have been **Inspired** by Mouse Nerd and have decided to post my trip report . . . better late than never! So thank you MouseNerd for the push in the right direction and here is the first installment of my Disney 07 trip.

Travel dates:March 1, 2007 - March 10, 2007
Travel method: Driving
Resort:Disneyland
Accommodations:Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites
Ages Represented in Group:32, 29, 19, 3, and 6 months
WDL Experience Represented in Group:Everyone (even the baby went "inutero" last year!
Comments: We are Disney freaks and make our annual "Pilgramage" to Disneyland every spring.

Cast of characters:
Me aka Partyoffive aka Anna
Hubby aka Eric
My brother - Krieg
Elise - 6
Tyler - 3
Zach- 6 months


First of all I have to say that a Disney Vacation is something we look forward to all year long! My hubby loves it almost as much as me and is always excited to go, so I count myself very lucky as one who doesn't ever have to hear "Disneyland AGAIN!"

We hail from Utah, so we have about a 15 hour drive to Disneyland - we started out our trip picking up my brother at college so he could go with us. After a couple of days and a visit with some friends in California, we arrived in Anaheim on a Saturday night, Day three of our trip. We checked into the hotel - our second time staying here. The elevator was working . . .which is always a nice surprise that anyone who stays here very often can tell you . . . but seriously, we like the hotel. It's fairly nice - we don't use the pool so we don't care that it doesn't really look very appealling. We got pizza and hit the roof deck for fireworks. We have never seen them from a distance and they were not great after having seen them up close, but they did get everyone VERY excited about being at Disneyland.

Disney day 1: I woke up wanting to jump out of my skin - It's been a year and I can hardly wait to get to the park. I love getting to the park and walking under the bridge - I always get a little teary (i'm crazy, I know . . . my husband tells me all the time :). After we got our three year old his Annual Pass photo we were off for some fun. We started off your "Year of a Million Dreams" by seeing Mickey in his YOAMD garb waiting for us right there on main street. We got in line and only had to let three people go in front of us before the rest of the family came out of the Bank and joined us! It was now that our first DREAM happened. I looked to the left and there standing before me . . . like a mirage in the desert . . . was Donald Duck. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day1and2019.jpg You must understand that in four trips to DL we have yet to see Donald Duck! Man he is a sneaky bugger - but this year we caught him and it was so great! There were tons of characters in the square so we did the autograph thing for a minute. Our three year old is finally over his fear of the characters so it was nice to get photos WITHOUT someone screaming in them for a change! http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day1and2065.jpg

I LOVE The first few moments being back in Disneyland! I love the music and the buzz and excitement in the air!! Listening to the music makes me want to go and watch old Disney movies - luckily I brought some (and I'll give you a preview - WE WATCHED THEM THE WHOLE WAY HOME!) Our first stop . . . as always . . . was the Tiki Room. I have no idea why my kids love this place so much, but we do it SEVERAL times every trip. It seems fitting since it seems to represent some of the "original" Disney for me. Our baby was very attentive and liked the show. It was a busy day - Line for Pirates is AWFUL . . we haven't ridden since the upgrade . . . but not today! Big Thunder mtn., the ranch (don't know why kids from the farm want to see goats but ok), Indy. Ty is to short to ride, so we are stroller passing, which isn't that bad - someone gets to ride twice so no complaints from the family. Lunch at Hungry Bear . . . winnie the pooh, visit with pooh then it's off to the Parade. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day1and2057.jpg And I must tell you . . . I LOVE THIS PARADE! It is so magical . . . I love the music. On the way we stop for a photo of TS Island - good thing since the shack won't be there next time we go! After, we walk to Small World - WAY to long of line . . . off to see a show . . . Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Ty is scared and covers his head. Zach starts screaming 10 seconds into the show. I send DH out with the baby because that was the deal before we went in. Deal or not . . .he is still iritated that he has to go and I find myself hoping he gets over it before the show is over . . .NO FIGHTING at Disneyland is the rule :) . Then a spin on Autopia - Tyler has never been - loves driving cars!! Jungle cruise - a perenial favorite (as you can tell there is no rhyme or reason to our pattern - we just criss cross the park and do what we want . . .when we want.) Then Dinner at Zocalo. Didn't know the sailing ship Columbia was sailing at night until now so we loaded up. Zach is crying again for the MILLIONTH time today . . . that is DEFINATELY not what I was hoping for a million of if you know what I mean! Then it's Buzz Light Year . . . baby is asleep so DH waits with him. The kids love this ride. My brother max's out his point counter at 999,999 - he is pretty excited. Then it's time for fireworks - sat a little too much to the frontierland side of the street and had a partially blocked view by a tree, but we will live. Ellie falls asleep on the street. . . http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day1and2091.jpg tyler plays with all three light spinners and is having a blast. After the parade DH takes the kids to the hotel and my brother and I get an hour or two of adult time in the park. It's the first time I have been in the park without kids in tow and we take FULL advantage - running from ride to ride. Space Mountain and Matterhorn were on the list, and then a whole bunch of small rides . . . just for fun before park closing. We are exhausted when we get back to the hotel . . . everyone is asleep . . . can't wait til tommo . . . . . . zzzzzzzz

What cute kids you have!! Can't wait for the rest of the report.

P.S. I grew up in Salt Lake--is it really a 15 hour drive??!! Yikes. As a kid, I guess I slept through most of it.

Thank you RC - and yes it's really that long of a drive - I wish I could sleep through it :)

Day 2 - got up early. Ty is up with the sun! He asks "is it morning time?" I groggily answer yes and he tells me in his 3 year old speak . . . "stand up .. . let's go to Disneyland!" So we are up and off again. Straight to CA today we have a princess lunch scheduled so we start our day here. We ride Soarin' DH and I love this ride so we ride SEVERAL times! Then kids rides in Bugs Land. Ty couldn't ride bumper cars last year . . .he was too short by an inch so he's been dying for this and he gets to go with DH. He loves it so we ride three times! Flicks Flyers, lady bug spin and a trip on Heimlichs train which the baby loves! http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day1and2115.jpg Then off to the pier to check in for lunch. We haven't been this way before. We always figured our kids were to small and DH isn't much for "thrill" rides. We had a GREAT time at Ariel's lunch. So much easier than fighting for princess time in the park. Ellie loves it - Ty doesn't care, Baby sleeps (thank goodness!) El is happy so it was worth the money! http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day1and2156.jpg Even the bathrooms were beautiful in this place! After we stop to see Mater and McQueen - Tyler has looked forward to this since I read on MousePlanet that they were in the park - He LOVES Mater - Everything he owns now is Mater themed and even his goat is named Mater. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day1and2176.jpg He was in awe of the vehicles - I thought they were very impressive! We saw the golden dreams movie - very nicely done - only four people besides us in the theater - sad really - I thought that if I was from California I would be very proud of the movie, wished we had one like it for Utah! Then it's another trip on soarin' and Grizzly River. Ty was to short of course - Ellie did the Rapids twice and got soaked! Then it was coaster time! I have never doen the Screamin because like I said DH won't ride - and I don't want to ride alone - but since my brother is with me, I go. It was AWESOME!!! We still couldn't convince DH to ride so they stand on the bridge and watch us take off as we go a second time! Then we rode jelly fish and the rocket ride and tritons carosel. Krieg and I ride screamin' again right before we leave in the front car - we ate some SERIOUS bugs but had a blast! Then it was back to Disneyland and another take of the parade. This is the first time I have seen it in the dark and I loved it. When it was over, we sprinted against the crowd to get to Pirates to close out hte day. We did this everyday the last two years and it's becoming sort of a tradition with us. We got right on and went twice before closing. It was really great after the refurb. LOVED the addition of Davey Jones and Sparrow.

Day 3: Up early and back to the park. We had just come under the bridge when who should appear but Cruella DeVil! http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day3008.jpg I was so excited . . . she was on my list of people to see this year after reading on MousePlanet about how great she was. She did not disappoint! She was terrific. I was laughing so hard people probably thought I was nuts (but we have already established that haven't we). She told my daughter she was sorry about her mother making her wear that "awful pink princess dress" and promptly covered it up for the photo.

We caught a few other characters then off to Buzzlightyear. Tyler wants to buy a Buzzlightyear gun and throws a FIT:mad::crying: because I tell him he has to wait (I usually make them wait until the last day to buy their toys - that way I don't have to buy something every day when they change their mind about what they want) but he doesn't want to reason about it and screams for at least 20 minutes. Everyone else rides star tours and I take him on Buzz again to calm him down - doesn't work - the fit starts again as soon as the ride ends. It was a Tuesday offseason so it's pretty slow - not many lines. The first group rode Space Mtn. but then a malfunction so I have to wait - Darn - I didn't get to ride last year - (pregnant) :( so I was a little sad - but we'll come back later. We saw part of Jedi Training - Ty is too small to be into that so we didn't see the whole show - just a bit of Vader and they were happy. We had to force Ellie onto the Matterhorn - no idea why - she rode it last year - we have a try everything once rule so she did and she liked it. Tyler took DH when we got off http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day3020.jpg - not really sure why he can ride Matterhorn and not Soarin' but rules are rules right!! :confused:

We hit the princess fair - not too impressed - don't want to stand in the massive line for a princess we've already seen. We watch Jasmine at story time - face painter is gone so we head over to watch people get off of small world and eat ice cream. Brother squeezes about $1 worth of slush on the ground and we get a good laugh. The line for SW gets longer and longer until it reaches the opening of the Canal Boats - NO WAY!!! Then the kids ride teacups with Krieg - DH and I hate them so this is the only way they get to ride! They spin so hard that Ty can't even hold himself up and they are laughing so hard they are crying. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day3047.jpg Alice - Canal BBoats and off to New Orleans square for lunch at Cafe' Orleans. Then another dream come true - Ellie wants to watch the pirates sing so we stop and who should be there but Captain Jack Sparrow - I am so excited - he bears an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp - so hot ;) - Then get pics with Capt. Jack. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day3063.jpg He was great - very personable and funny! Then Haunted Mation and Jungle cruise (again - man the jokes get old on the 6th or 7th trip). We see Alladin outside and get in line and have our very first EVER experience with rude line jumpers :mad: when a mom shoevs her kids in front of everyone else. I smile and tell our kids that it's ok, but they should never do anything so rude to other people and we move on, I refuse to let someone ruin a Disney day for me! Back to Fantasyland for Mr. Toad, Dumbo and Carosel - then we finally go back to ride Small World as the line has died down. They are only running boats from one side so it's a little slow, but oh well, you have to ride it once each trip right? After, we catch the parade . . . again - I know, I know - and I play good Samaritan when I find a hysterical little girl and help her to find her mom. Then we go to Toon Town and guess what we found out . . . Toon Town is DESERTED after dark! :confused: All those times I waited in lines (like two hours for Mickey last year) and it's deserted after dark - glad we found this out now! We hit Roger Rabbit - not a single person in line - but we still have to make our way through that 20 mile line?? Then Mickey's house and again NOT A SINGLE PERSON IN LINE! We got some really good time with Mickey. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/picforwall.jpg Then we let the kids ride Gagets Go Coaster- never done it before becuase we heard it wasn't worth the wait, which it wasn't, but there was not wait so what the heck - we did it SIX times so it was almost a ride!! :) kidding - We rode peter pan last - long line as always - I think that if there were only 1000 people in the park, there would STILL be a line for peter pan! Off to bed . . . see you tomorrow for another adventerous day!! oh and P.S. baby didn't cry ONCE today! So nice!

What a fun report! You children are beautiful! The picture of your beautiful redheaded daughter and Cinderella needs to be blown up and framed - absolutely beautiful!

The picture of your beautiful redheaded daughter and Cinderella needs to be blown up and framed - absolutely beautiful!

I agree completely! A beautiful and very precious photo!

Thank you both very much - I think they are beautiful children, but I am also VERY biased! As for the photo - it is one of several that are going to the printer for poster sized prints - we are doing our whole media room in Disney - so we are blowing up pics to posters and putting them on the wall all around the room!

Disney day 4:

Today was our "Dream Day!" I had been dying to win a prize in the YOAMD - I want the dream ears so bad!! We got off the Buzz Lightyear ride first thing in the morning and there was the dream team passing out the fastpasses. They gave one to every person in our group, including our baby?? (Which ended up being great because it was fun to have a complete one to scrapbook when I got home!) http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day4048.jpg http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day4050.jpg So we spent the rest of the day riding all the fastpass rides. We did see Buzz Lightyear, whom we have never seen before, and Ty was very excited. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day4003.jpg We dropped by the princess fair as well - I was not overly impressed. I actually miss seeing the princesses moving about the park and catching them by the castle. We didn't stand in line for this, but we let Ellie sit and listen to Princess jasmin tell her story. Of course she wanted to pose for pictures - she told me that this was her posing face - no smiles allowed I guess! http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/Dis2007day4004.jpg On our way out of the princess fair, I found my son (3 yrs old) had walked off with a sword he had wanted in the gift shop. I promptly walked him back to the fair and made him return it - kicking and screaming the entire way!! Then we rode small world - long line but my kids love it! Ellie said "Mamma look at that" the ENTIRE ride! Roger Rabbit, Big Thunder, and Indy. Then we found a special assistance pass that had been lost and turned it in and became "honorary citizens". The kids thought this was cool. Then on to CA to use the passess there. Grizzly River, Soarin', Mulholland (I hate this ride - jerks the crap out of me!) Then to Screamin'. El has decided she wants to ride it, but is an inch to short so no go! She crys over it while my brother and I ride - funny my 5 year old crying over NOT riding the scary ride!! Then Tower of Terror - I was a TOT virgin - LOVED IT. Ellie grabbed my arm the whole time and refused to ever go on it again - we'll see. :) Then the Bugs land rides again for the little boys and Monsters inc a couple of (3) times!! Then back to Disney for pirates again before park closing. I know you think something is missing, but it's not - we did see the parade again of course!!! Then space mountain. Ellie rode in the front car and held up her arms and just had a ball the whole time - she is mama's little thrill seeker.

Disney Day 5 - Last day - so sad

I got everyone up early and we made it to our very first rope drop! So fun to hear the little announcement and be there on main street with all those people waiting to get in! I loved it - We rode Buzz AGAIN! and the astro orbitor. They wouldn't let my baby and me ride because he didn't have socks on his feet http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/IMG_4538.jpg - lame - Of course we didn't find this out until we were loading for the ride so it was too late to fix, so we watched while everyone else rode.

Then we did our castle pics http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/wall1.jpg http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/IMG_4557.jpg and off to the minnie and friends breakfast. It was far to chaotic for me - I don't like buffets in general - too many people by the food - YUCK! The characters were a little hurried - there were people who came right up to our table to butt in - and some of the characters we wanted to see never came outside. Needless to say - it's one I WON'T do again. But hey, it was an experience none the less. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/IMG_4610.jpg Then back to CA to see Alladin - I've never seen it before, don't know why - but we all loved it! Then Monsters again, and we saw Sully on the street. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/IMG_4645.jpg Then Mickey and Minnie were there in their Vacation Duds so we stopped to see them again. This is the third time this year we have seen Mickey with no line - uncanny!!! Ellie makes her wish into the fountain - she is hillarious because she thinks about it FOREVER with the penny pressed to her lips http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/IMG_4662.jpg - love those moments! Then bugs life show - my brother screams when the bees "sting" him in the back - Hillarious!! Then we do all the bugs land rides again for the little boys. Back to DL to see Ariel - my brother is in love!! Then of course - you know I had to have one last stop at the parade. I just love the parade! DH isn't that excited about it (can you blame him . . . it is the fifth time!) But I REALLY want to end my trip with it and everyone else votes with me so he looses!! I cry a little when the princesses wave at El. The song makes me cry a little - I am a HUGE DISNEY BABY . . . I admit it. Then back agains the flow of traffic for one last spin on pirates before we go home. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb199/partyoffive_01/IMG_4743.jpg I'm sad that it's over. We stop and shop on main street. We went to the silloete (sp) shop that was suggested here on MousePlante - AMAZING! We will make this an annual stop now - it was so neat! Then we shop till we drop. Actually we were the last people out of the park - it was kind of neat to stand on a deserted Main Street and look at the castle and the lights in the quiet. Then back to the hotel - so sad.

Day 9 of our vacation - Time to get up and go home - We all BEG daddy to let us stay for "just one more day" but he says that "just one more day" could turn into 10 with us Disney freaks and we pack to go home. The kids all cry - I try to be brave :) jk - then two days later we are home and start planning for another year.

We did make the ENTIRE family watch our disney photo slide show and look at our video - at some point I realized that we were those horrible relatives that come home from a trip and make you sit through hours of BORING trip regurgitation - but I decided I don't care . . . I want to relive the trip and they are the poor unfortunate souls who must suffer through it. I beg them to go with us next year, and my cousin agrees to go with her family . . . ahhhhh more converts! HORRAY!!