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Thread: Family Trip Disneyland Resort May 16th-23rd 2015

  1. #1

    Family Trip Disneyland Resort May 16th-23rd 2015

    Hotel: Worldmark Anaheim

    Cast: Me (40, 40+ trips), DH (43, 2nd real trip), DD (11 Bday girl!, 3rd trip), DS (7, 2nd trip)
    And gremlins, LOTS of gremlins.

    Saturday:
    Dropped off pooch at kennel, 1.5 hr drive to PDX. Haven't flown for a long time, and this was first time flying for kids. Showed up 3 hrs early. First take-off for kiddos was exciting!

    Arrived at LGB around 3:30, rental car, should have been right on time to check into hotel, but they had a really great DL-facing room still in the works. Went grocery shopping. Room still not ready, so kiddos went to rec room while I and DH shared a beer and sriracha kettle chips out of trunk in parking garage. Felt like college! Room finally ready. Quiet dinner at hotel, checked out roof-top hot tubs, then watched fireworks from teeny-tiny veranda. Great view though - could see backside of RSR, HTH, Space Mountain, and Matterhorn.

    Sunday:
    Early hot-tubbing, then Natural History Museum and Hollywood. Was relieved to discover that Americans are NOT the most obnoxious travelers, thanks to the drunk Aussie ladies on the tour bus. Back to hotel, kiddos swam for a while, dinner in room. Fireworks, bed time.

    Monday:
    DD's 11th Bday! Made sandwiches to snack on since our reservations for BB weren't until 1:30. Forgot them on kitchen counter. Oops. In line at DL park at 8:30 for 9:00 opening. City Hall for bday/celebrating badges. Indiana Jones (DS still not a fan, but at least this time he didn't cry!) Splash Mountain FP, Big Thunder 3x. Pirates. Jungle Cruise down until noon . Headed over to TL, Space Mountain broken down . Rode Buzz Lightyear. Rode Splash Mountain. Then lunch at Blue Bayou, FINALLY got a water-front table, and the kids finally appreciate the Monte Cristo! Hopped over to DCA. Fast passes for RSR already all gone . Rode Screamin 2x (first time for the rest of my family, and the biggest roller coaster any of them had been on!), HTH (1st time for DH and DS), GRR, let the kiddos hang out in Bug Land while we had a couple of drinks at the Trattoria. First time ever I spent a whole day at DL and didn't ride Space Mountain.

    Tuesday:
    Knott's Berry Farm. No lines and we got to ride everything we wanted as much as we wanted. The Xcelerator was the family favorite! Back to hotel pretty early, swimming/hot tub, dinner in room.

    Wednesday:
    Half day/DH's day off. He slept in, then went to La Mirada for a day of disc golf while I and the kiddos went to DL and DCA.

    Magic Morning; was planning to ride all the little FL rides, but TL was open, so we got on Star Tours right away. DS was the rebel spy. At the end of the ride, cast member came over speaker saying we could stay in our seats and ride again if we wanted - no one was in line! Rode it again, then got on Space Mountain, no waiting. Indiana Jones (DS kept eyes closed again), Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion (broke down while we were on it). Finally tried the Dole Whip. YUMMMM! Hopped over to DCA. Fast passes for RSR, but wasn't until 3. So we rode Screamin and I let DD ride HTH solo (DS wanted nothing to do with it again!). Went back to hotel for lunch and swimming. Headed back to DCA for RSR. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree (fun little ride!). Did Screamin again and wanted to do TSM, but line was too long. DH was done disc golfing, so we headed back to hotel, then on to Bubba Gump's for a fun and excellent dinner.

    Thursday:
    Whole family in line at 7:30 for entry at 8. Hopped back and forth quite a bit. Star Tours - DS was rebel spy AGAIN!. Had 3 different fast passes at one time. Screamin and TSM were both broken down . Kiddos did Carousel. Had to rush from Mickey's Fun Wheel in DCA to Splash Mountain to use FP in 15 mins. Took the DLRR to save on running, but it had to stop for some unknown reason! The nice cast member at Splash Mountain let us on even though we were 5 mins late. Hopped back to DCA for RSR FP, then GRR and Screamin. Checked out Grand Californian. Beautiful! Sooooo want to stay there someday! Did Soarin (DH favorite!). Left a bit early, knowing we would be getting up really early the next morning. Had dinner at House of Blues in DD. DH's steak was amazing; my french dip was so-so.

    Friday:
    24 hr day! DD and I up at 5. DH and DS slept in. We girls entered park at 6:09. Got fast passes for Space Mountain, rode Buzz (5 minute line, broke down while we were on it). Waited over an hour to get on the Matterhorn. DD was disappointed: the big coasters ruined her taste for the smaller rides! Jungle cruise line was only 15 mins, so we got on that. Got fast passes for Indiana Jones. The lines for food were ridiculous! Tried to get a beignet, but the line was 1/2 hr long at least! Rode Space Mountain. Churro cart in Fantasy Land just opened up, so we were able to get those with only a 10 minute wait. Got extras for the boys, was afraid we'd get mugged for them, all the food lines were so darn long! We met them at the gate. Jungle Cruise was still a short line, so we all rode that again, DD got a great bday song from the skipper, then DH and DD rode Indiana Jones while DS and I walked through Tarzan. Star Tours FP and BTRR FP. Just managed to catch the beginning of the Jedi Training... told DH to hold DS on shoulders... worked! He got to fight Darth Maul. Autopia. It broke down (yes, the whole thing, due to a broken water pipe) stranding DH in a car near the end of the ride for about 10 minutes. They finally gathered up all the drivers stuck on the track and escorted everyone off the ride. Rode BTRR, stood in line for chimichangas and managed to find a little dock across from BTRR that had tables and empty chairs to eat! Then Snow White and Small World, which stopped for a few minutes as soon as we got in line (gremlins!) Rode Star Tours. Thousands of people were sacked out all along the parade routes, complete with sleeping bags and pillows. Weird. DH was done, so he left just before 6. Kiddos and I wandered around for a bit longer, mostly looking for the 60th anniversary squished pennies. Rode the DLRR around, then rode Pooh for our last ride. Both parks were at capacity, so we knew if we left, we wouldn't be able to get back in, but I could not stand the crowds or lines anymore. We exited DL just after 8. What I wasn't anticipating was that we wouldn't be able to go out to World of Disney in DD, so I didn't get any of the souvenirs I was looking forward to. The line to get in to the vestibule between parks stretched through the bus terminal, out onto Harbor, down to Disney Way, around the corner and out of sight. I'm sure thousands of people waited in line for hours and never got in. In my younger days, I would have stayed longer, but I was in DL 10 years ago for the 50th anniversary, and there was a point when the parade ended where we literally could not move an inch for a half hour, stuck right at the AL entrance. People were screaming and pleading just to get to the bathrooms, but no one could move. I did NOT want to experience that again, especially with my kids. Plus we had to catch a flight the next morning. Had sandwiches in room, then enjoyed the new fireworks show from the comfort of our roof-top hot tub with a cup of red wine.

    Saturday:
    Big breakfast to use up our groceries, then on to LGB. Plane ride not nearly as exciting for kiddos now that they'd been on Screamin and Xcelerator! Arrived at PDX just after noon. 1.5 hr drive home, picked up pooch, in our home at 3:00pm for a very relaxed evening!

    All-in-all, a wonderful trip. Already planning for December 2017, for DS's 10th Bday. However, there were three times when we had been waiting patiently in an entrance line that was not moving, while the lines around us were cruising. Only technically-savvy cast members should be able to work the gate! Very frustrating to get up early and wait in line just to see slug-a-bed latecomers get in before you! Also have never seen so many rides break down. Think they need to get Toy Story Mania on the fast pass system. Never saw the line shorter than 45 minutes!

    Now that my family (even my Dramamine-imbibing husband) likes roller coasters, we'll probably do Six Flags next time, but only after we are all done with Disney. As I told my son, Disney doesn't make "rides," they make "stories!" I want everyone to enjoy the Disney coasters for the story and ambience, and not be disappointed by the lack of brain-crushing acceleration or loop-de-loops!


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  3. #2
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    Sounds like a great family trip. I think it's cool you got to experience the 24 hour day. Not sure I could handle crowds that big


  4. #3

    Thanks, for the fun report.


  5. #4

    I totally forgot! RSR broke down while we were in the fast pass line. Gremlins, I tell ya! Been in a funk since getting back. Anyone else feel like that after a great trip? Knowing I won't get back there for at least another 2.5 years...


  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Maleficent2B View Post
    Been in a funk since getting back. Anyone else feel like that after a great trip? Knowing I won't get back there for at least another 2.5 years...
    Every single solitary time. I so feel your pain.......

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Maleficent2B View Post
    I totally forgot! RSR broke down while we were in the fast pass line. Gremlins, I tell ya! Been in a funk since getting back. Anyone else feel like that after a great trip? Knowing I won't get back there for at least another 2.5 years...
    Oh that is a bummer
    Living life to the fullest

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