Travel dates: July 14-20, 2007
Travel method: Personal Car
Resort:
Accommodations: Carousel Inn and Suites - View Suite
Ages Represented in Group: In all the groups, 4yo - older adults
DLR Experience Represented in Group: Novice (friends with us) - Expert (Us)
Comments:
Ever heard the phrase "You don't know someone til you travel with them"? We learned this on this trip.
Cast of characters: Me, MickeyDogMom and Service Puppy, Escape artist and GF, younger daughter, friends from karate (16 of them), my brother, SIL and nephew

Day 1-
We left early on Sat AM. We had planned on 5am, were on the freeway by 7am. Not bad for us. We arrived to check in about 1pm, but room wasn't available, so we walked to Mimi's for lunch. Got back, checked in, went to Disneyland with the girls about 5 while my son went to see his GF in Glendale. Stopped in renewed our APs, and headed out to do a few rides. Noted immediately that the park was what we consider EMPTY! Waits were minimal. We headed back to the hotel and watched fireworks from our room. Sad, but we synced the music up and it was great!

Day 2 -
We had been told that one group from karate had wanted to be at the park by 10am, so we headed over to figure out when to meet them. They had told us that other friends from karate that we met up with over Christmas told them how great it was doing Disney with us, they wanted to experience it with us. Problem we figured out by the end of day 3, while we are Disney geeks, we were doing Disneyland with Six Flags people... More of that later... So, we wandered around waiting for them, and doing a few rides my kids wanted to do. We had seating for Aladdin at 2, and they met up with us just before that. We had time to do TOT before Aladdin. We did Aladdin from the Orchestra seating. I think I like Mezz. seating better. All the kids liked Aladdin. After Aladdin, they raced over to do Screamin and more rides over there, then headed back with us about 4 to check in at the Tropicana and sent their kids to us to go swimming. About 6 we headed back to the park and did various rides. We had Riverside seating for Fantasmic! for my family at 1030pm. The show was great. We loved all the little, subtle changes.

Day 3-
Today, we sprung for VIP tour guides for 1030am. It was a great help. Since we had 15 that day, we had 2 guides. They were FANTASTIC. We met up and they introduced themselves and asked what I was interested in. I explained my thoughts and they said "Great!" They were extremely friendly and polite. They gave on of our party a birthday button and the dog got her "1st Visit" button. We headed to the teacups first as the younger boys wanted to do that. After teacups, we headed to the Matterhorn. While the kids were on the Matterhorn, one of the guides went and secured tables for us for the next Jedi show. After we came off Matterhorn, we headed to our tables and sat down to rest and wait. While we waited, the guides went and handled getting lunch for us, and one took the boys down to line up to be picked for Jedi training. We had 3 boys who wanted to be involved. MDM and Escape Artist were interested, along with another one of the adults in our party, but as they are over 12, they enjoyed watching. We joked we should just say they were a big 12, and we don't like to talk about their size as they were sensitive! While the adults ate, the kids got picked to be Jedis and had a great time. 2 got to fight Darth Maul while one fought Darth Vader. After this, the guides headed us to Nemo. Since we had the dog, and 2 were in ECVs, we lined up in the handicap queue, which was only 90 mins. While one guide waited with us in the Nemo line, the other guide took the younger group to ride Buzz and Star Tours while we waited. After Nemo, we headed to the Tomorrowland Station to what was my son's surprise; a ride on the Lilly Belle. It was great. Biggest problem, the group we were with really didn't understand the reason it was so special. The guides gave us all sorts of trivia. After all this, we took a quick nap at the hotel, then headed to Goofy's for dinner. Another karate family group joins us now. (They are APs also.) Great dinner, character interaction was fair, but not great. After dinner, we did a few more rides, then met up for Fantasmic! VIP viewing. This area is very nice. Everyone had a great view. But we were starting to get weary. And while we had seating for everything, we started doing the "We have seating, and if you are interested, join us." The other AP family always did. The first family, who were the ones who joined us, were nore interested in doing just the roller coaster rides, and no interest in Fantasyland, or any of the "interesting parts" of Disneyland.

More to come...

Loving the trip report . . . waiting for more. :)

Day 4-
We ended up at the park by 10am. This trip, we were up and in the park earlier than ever before, and we were staying later. My son drove up to Glendale at 5am to pick up his GF and came back to go to the park. We started out by going to Lost and Found to look for the youngest ones cell, with no luck. Then we headed to Billy Hill show. Some poor kid of maybe 12-13 was bored in the front row and was texting during the show. They were all over him. Then as he pretty much pouted, Kirk told him he liked him better texting. From there we headed out for more rides. I think we did pirates Lair then. One thing to note, if you are claustrophobic, use caution in the cave. MDM was quite uncomfortable, even with one of us blocking the back side and one keeping plenty of room in front of her. I was pretty surprised she made it thru. We also showed up to the MP meet and got to meet a few people. Went back and took a nap, and came back to the park to relax. I believe we went to DCA and did a few rides, then went to the Electrical Parade. Everyone showed up and the seating area was good. One of the kids with us was a little girl (forgot about her) of 2. She waved at every character, and they all would wave back or give her some sort of attention. It was so sweet. Then came a princess who didn't see her waving and didn't wave back to her. Jamie looked at us with this very confused look and raised her hands, palm up, as if to say "What the heck?" It was adorable. After the parade, we split up, and we went with the other AP family and headed to Nemo. The HA line was short and we were on in under 30 mins. Then we headed to Autopia and Jamie got to ride for the first time. She was still the social butterfly, waving to everyone she drove past. By now it was 11 and we headed back to the hotel. We grabbed a Mickey balloon on the way. My brother, SIL, and nephew were arriving in the middle of the night, so we decorated the room with the balloon and some other DL stuff we had. Escape Artist drove his GF home after upgrading her 1 day park hopper to a 2 dayer.

Day 5-
Brother has now arrived and is up before us, even though they got in at 2am. Seems the balloon and toys Mickey left for my nephew got him going at 430am and so they were hoping for a nap later (he is 4.) We headed over to the park with them, and informed all the groups we had parade and fireworks seating at the train station. We took them over to Matterhorn, and the 4yo made the height for the ride, and surprisingly loved it. We hit a few more rides, including Space Mountain (which he barely missed.) Then went back for a nap. Came back for the POD, which all the younger kids LOVED. We headed into Fantasyland for a while then to Indy. Now it was time for Fireworks, so we sent a couple of people for dinner while we checked in for seats. I was very surprised at how good the fireworks were from this location. I have always done them from directly in front of the castle. I liked this view also. (But I still like being in the middle of the hub also.) After this, we hung out for about 15 mins, then headed upstream to Nemo. Get to Nemo, they decided that now instead of going thru the HA entrance, they want the dog to go directly to the exit. (I love the daily policy changes.) Everyone loves Nemo. Impressed with the technology involved. Back to the cars again, then head home as it is late.

Day 6- My son goes back to Glendale to get GF (he is going to teach her to use the train...) and we hit the park. More rides in DL, ride the monorail, hit Cafe Orleans for our Monte Cristo (EXCELLENT). We had gone there for breakfast on Sunday and were not impressed with the Monte Cristo French Toast. I call as my son wants something special for GF and get them VIP for fireworks and get Fantasmic! VIP again. No problem, seems no one books the 1030 showing. We take our naps (which for me is computer time) then head back to DCA. This is where it gets funny. My brother and SIL had wanted to ride Screamin, but nephew is too short. So, I take the pup and the kid and sit where the trains go off, figuring we would wave to them. Well, nephew is not happy that mom is riding an dhe isn't. He starts throwing a hissy. Starts with just telling me she needs to come back. If he can't ride, she cant ride. He is angry. (This kid just turned 4.) He is sitting in his stroller telling me how she needs to come back right now. Interestingly, it was ok if dad went, just not mom. Then he sees them pull up in the train and he lets go. He covers his eyes and refuses to look at them. He starts crying. The people around me are thinking he is scared for his mom. I'm actually laughing cause this kid has never acted like this before. They get back and thought he was afraid, til I told the story. He is still crying, and his mom offered to take him back to the room (which she would have done.) He finally cut the crying and we headed to the next ride. Maliboomer. This time, they all went single rider. SIL slipped behind me and went so he didn't see. When he noticed she was gone, I simply said she went to the bathroom to prevent a possible repeat. Then to Jumpin Jelly fish. Interesting that he was tall enough at the outside measure, but a hair short inside (they still let him ride.) Then SIL, brother, and MDM went on Mulholland, and nephew was happy working on the ECV "fixing my charger". He loves working on things. We cut out just as EP was starting and headed to DL. Got ice creams anad headed to Fantasmic! My son was at the fireworks, while we got to NOS and watched from there. We ended up in Fantasmic! seating for Fantasmic! and my nephew was IN LOVE! He is still talking about it. Then off to splash for a late night soaking before heading back to the hotel.

Day 7-
Packed up and ready to leave. Then off to Disneyland. Went to ToonTown for pics. Got a Minnie who was afraid of dogs. Mickey loved the pup though. Rode RR, then off to IASW, Peter Pan, Dumbo, and other Fantasyland rides. While they are on Dumbo, I hit Village Haus for a chicken nugget kids meal as MDM hadn't eaten. Then we headed to DTD for shoppping and a late lunch at Rain Forest. After lunch, more shopping. (We save shopping til last day.) About 530p we loaded into the car and started what should have been a 5.5 hour trip home. I'm tired, so I am asleep not long after getting on 5. I wake up an hour later and we are still in LA, hmmm, 5pm traffic?? Yes, some, but we get up 30 mins further and find out I-5 is closed somewhere around Lake Hughes. We got home at 130am. Only 8 hours. Today, we slept in!!!

It was a great trip. We learned a lot about people. And we were spotted by a lot of people, but only once did someone say "Are you MickeyDogMom??" (On Space Mountain!!!!! Hi to whoever it was!!) It was nice and relaxing, but we noticed trying to get everyone everywhere, we didn't do a lot of "our stuff" such as we never rode the Mark Twain this trip!

Sounds like a great trip! You mentioned having seats by the train station for the parade and fireworks. Is there a way to get reserved or VIP seats there? I hadn't heard of this before. My mother will be using a wheelchair on our October trip and it would be so much more convenient to be able to reserve something in advance to see the POD if possible.

Sounds like a great trip! You mentioned having seats by the train station for the parade and fireworks. Is there a way to get reserved or VIP seats there? I hadn't heard of this before. My mother will be using a wheelchair on our October trip and it would be so much more convenient to be able to reserve something in advance to see the POD if possible.We used VIP services throughout the trip. But, I would not recommend the seating for POD (it was great for fireworks though.) I would use the wheelchair area for POD viewing instead. You can call VIP services (714-781-4400, then ask to be transfered to VIP services) to schedule a tour and they provide assistance while you are at the park. For us, it was well worth the money spent (except for POD.) Remember, the train station is up the stairs. She wouldn't be able to stay in the wheelchair.

Great report- thank you for sharing it with us! :-)

You forgot to mention:

I nearly started ANOTHER fight at the HM. Stupid boys....

BIL told nephew that Mickey was going to die.

It's not easy to move through a pre-fireworks crowds with a fast melting Gibson.

That pink poodle is a joke.

We almost sunk the first SB Land boat.

Quite a few (not all) Tommorrowland CM's have no idea what they're doing. And staying in line to protest the treatment is just as good.

The karate boys discovered every piece of climb-able (sp?) Disney architecture/greenery/decor and used it.

And that even though she's a yellow lab people still don't see her. And while I don't let her wear her mouse ears people still photograph her and instead of hearing look at the dog with the ears, I hear look at the dog with the shoes. Or just plain "It's a DOG!!!" .... My turn "WHERE??"

You forgot to mention:

I nearly started ANOTHER fight at the HM. Stupid boys....I mentioned it in another thread. In the "Do you confront rowdy kids" thread. But to add it here, we got on HM. MDM and dog were in the first buggie, younger daughter and I were behind her. 2 teen boys (about 16 and 14) get on behind us. The older one starts this weird, loud laugh. Then as we enter the first hallway, he reaches over and grabs the bar on our buggie and shakes it with that weird laugh again. A few seconds later, he asks in a weird voice "Did I SCARE you?" I just ignored him, but MDM noticed what was going on. She leans forward and yells "Hey, turn around and shut up!" Not surprisingly, they did. Since we stay on the ride at the end, I was expecting to have them say something nasty as they exited, but instead, they did not even look at us.

BIL told nephew that Mickey was going to die.I can't even remember how that started, I just remember his voice as he almost cried "But I don't want Mickey to die!"

It's not easy to move through a pre-fireworks crowds with a fast melting Gibson. I think we left a trail from Gibson to Fantasmic! seatin.

That pink poodle is a joke.It was a TOY poodle. And she let it loose!

We almost sunk the first SB Land boat.Not so much sunk as flipped. Its what happens when my brother decides he wants to sit on the same side as the other heavy person (me), putting all the lightweights on one side....

Quite a few (not all) Tommorrowland CM's have no idea what they're doing. And staying in line to protest the treatment is just as good. True. Rode Nemo 3 times, loaded 3 different ways. Rode Buzz, encountered rudest CM, ticked off MDM sending us in the wrong line, so when the lead came over and said "No, they go thru here", MDM refused. Autopia, CM comes to say we were in the wrong spot, only to have another Autopia CM run up the stairs to tell other CM "They are in the right spot." Highlight - Space Mountain CM handling HA queue asks how the dog rides....

The karate boys discovered every piece of climb-able (sp?) Disney architecture/greenery/decor and used it. This goes back to my opening, you don't know people til you travel with them. The boys are good kids, but while we knew the parents of one set didn't have the best control, we didn't realize how little control they had.

And that even though she's a yellow lab people still don't see her. And while I don't let her wear her mouse ears people still photograph her and instead of hearing look at the dog with the ears, I hear look at the dog with the shoes. Or just plain "It's a DOG!!!" .... My turn "WHERE??"Well, she needed the shoes, it was hot. There were fewer crowds watching her potty!

I forgot, my brother and SIL arrived Tues night/Wed AM about 2am. Since I had booked the room, the hotel allowed me to check them in. MDM and I had been saving up "kids Disney Stuff" for a while, so we took a few cute items we knew my nephew would love, and included a tee shirt, some suckers, and as we left the park Tues night, bought a big Mickey mylar balloon, then decorated the room before they arrived. My nephew thought Mickey brought all of it just for him. Only problem, he didn't want to go back to sleep after seeing it! They finally got him back down about 3 am, but he was up by 7 ready to go!!

And that even though she's a yellow lab people still don't see her. And while I don't let her wear her mouse ears people still photograph her and instead of hearing look at the dog with the ears, I hear look at the dog with the shoes. Or just plain "It's a DOG!!!" .... My turn "WHERE??"

Yep the walkways at Disneyland sure can get hot and luckly my dogs have never protested the boots. They shadow jump with out them.

In the HM people in line: "It's a DOG!!!"
Me: "Not it's a Ghost"

At night I put a flash light on Oceana's (Dark Chocolate Lab) Collar so the movement of the light ahead of us catches peoples attention before they can step on Oceana.

the three diffrent times on Nemo was all one day? Was one of them the dogs allowed on the sub? Because the 1st Sat. it was open in the morning they let the dog on the sub saying that they had change the rule then at 11:45pm the same day they said the dogs are not allowed on the sub but you can puppy swap.

the three diffrent times on Nemo was all one day? Was one of them the dogs allowed on the sub? Because the 1st Sat. it was open in the morning they let the dog on the sub saying that they had change the rule then at 11:45pm the same day they said the dogs are not allowed on the sub but you can puppy swap.
No, 3 different days. (Mon, Tues, Thurs.) They had told me prior to the subs opening that the dogs would not be allowed. Then about 2 weeks before our trip, I got an email from someone at Disney who updated me that they had just changed the rules, dogs could ride and they are assigned 2 seats on the ride. On Monday, they had us go thru the Handicap line. On Tues, they were going to send us to the regular line, but as we also had an ECV, they allowed us in the handicapped line. On Thurs, they stopped us as we entered the handicap queue, and took us to the exit. All three times our pup slept thru the ride.

Great report! I also have had trouble with TL CM's. There is never anyone paying attention in the Buzz FP line. Three times I have had to wait for someone at the outside part. Once I let myself in. Once there was no-one at the merge point so I was left to try to get in. Luckily someone let us in but I think others were kinda like "Hey!" I go to the parks 3-4 times a year so it is not like I am frequent visitor but we have nothing but trouble with Buzz and FP!