Dr_Nigel_C
06-24-2008, 12:08 PM
We went to Disneyland!
June 5th - June 10th, 2008
The hardest part about writing a trip report is this beginning...I never know how to start one of these things!! Fortunately for me, this one is a bit easier to start, as we get to hop in our time-traveling Delorean and go back to 2004. See, that was the first time Jamie and I got to go to Disneyland. As fun and exciting as that was, it was almost a disaster -- we spent the entire trip dealing with Hurricane Ivan. The plan was to drive to New Orleans, fly from there to Houston, then on to Anaheim. Unfortunately, Ivan's initial approach towards New Orleans closed the airport there and had us stuck in evacuating traffic. We drove to Houston and caught our flight from there instead. However, Ivan turned and hit Pensacola, which had us worried about Jamie's home and workplace. It wasn't until the end of the trip that we found out her home, workplace & coworkers were OK. Add to that the fact that Disneyland was prepping for the 50th Anniversary during our visit. Sleeping Beauty Castle was completely covered. Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion and several other rides were closed. So, we've been eager to get back for some time.
Fast-forward to Fall 2007, when we decided to return to Disneyland, this time with Aaron (Little Nigel to some of you...can you believe he'll be starting 5th Grade this fall?!). It was his Christmas present, and he about passed out when we told him! Jamie had put together a little book, and at the very end it read "You're going to Disneyland!" Needless to say, his excitement built during the 5 months between then and the trip.
Day One - Thursday, June 5th
We had an early flight this morning, which was nice, as getting checked-in and through airport security was a breeze. Our flights and connection in Houston were smooth, and we were landing in California around lunchtime. We used Super Shuttle (was part of our AAA package, actually) and had a decent trip.
We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini Suites. We wanted a cheap room (as opposed to staying at one of the Disneyland resorts), but wanted to be close enough to walk to and from the parks -- and we were not disappointed. Yes, the place isn't the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in, but the staff is friendly, the rooms are really a good size, and we were literally a 5-minute walk from our room to Main Street! Can't beat that!
Our room wasn't quite ready when we arrive, but they held our luggage while we walked over to let Aaron get acquainted with Disneyland. There's nothing like being in the middle of the Esplanade, with Disneyland to the right, California Adventure on the left, and Downtown Disney in front of you! We needed some lunch, so we hit Rainforest Cafe. Jamie and I had been to the one at Downtown Disney at WDW and to the one here, but this was Aaron's first visit to any Rainforest Cafe. We had little to no wait, and the food was great. Having a coupon for a free kids meal didn't hurt either (another AAA package goody).
We did some pre-shopping at some of the Downtown Disney stores, then headed back to the room. We wanted to freshen up and relax before our first real treat of the trip: Dinner at Napa Rose in Disney's Grand Californian resort!
If you've never heard of Napa Rose, definitely look it up. It's one of best Disney restaurants of all the Disney restaurants around the world. Jamie and I had the pleasure of dining here last trip, and wanted to experience it again. For dinner, we were meeting a cousin of mine who now lives in the area. I hadn't seen him in almost 10 years, so getting together was definitely a priority. Our reservation was for 6:30, and we showed up on time -- but, unfortunately, my cousin was stuck in that famous LA traffic, and would be a half-hour late. I spoke with the greeter at the Napa Rose podium, and they said they'd wait as long as it took...classy! My cousin finally made it, and after re-introducions, we headed towards our table. Our server was superb. He not only attended to our needs during the meal, he took plenty of time with Aaron as well. Jamie, Doug & I ordered the Vintners Table (a complete 4 course meal with wine pairings). Absolutely the best meal we've ever had. I wish I could remember everything we had, but I know it was good!
We were able to hang out after dinner for a few more hours with my cousin, catching up on old times, which was nice. Aaron had fun roaming around the Grand Californian and snapping pics with his camera. We asked Doug if he'd like to join us at Disneyland Park one day during our stay, as he hadn't had the chance to visit since moving to the area. We made plans on getting together with him on Saturday, and parted ways.
Ya know, the walk through Downtown Disney is just so nice, especially late at night. The weather is beautiful, and it's so peaceful... Unfortunately, the peace and quiet were quickly over as we got closer to the Esplanade -- Grad Nite was getting started, and there were kids everywhere! Luckily, there seemed to be plenty of security and adult-types around, so all was good.
Anywho, we got back to our room and got to sleep as quickly as we could, knowing we had several full days ahead of us.
Celebrity Sighting Counter: 0
Day 2 - Friday, June 6th
Slept in a bit, which was nice, but headed out the door and over to Downtown Disney for breakfast. Got some beignets from Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. Very disappointing -- nothing like what we're used to when we visit New Orleans. Oh well.
On to Disneyland Park! We wanted to visit there first and let Aaron have the full effect of their Magic Kingdom. A quick firetruck ride up Main Street, and we were gazing longingly at Sleeping Beauty Castle. We headed into Fantasyland, which was remotely quiet -- no more than 5 minute waits for Pinocchio, Casey Jr, Mr. Toad's & Alice. Yay! Now, I had this grand plan of maxing out our FastPasses and really taking advantage of everything we could (short lines, etc.) but all that got thrown completely out the window when we got there. Oh well, we were just happy to be there, so that was more important.
We decided to take a break from the heat and the people over at the Lost Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. It's our favorite place to chill (and Aaron loves to walk around, watch the remote-controlled boats, etc.). Then it was back to Disneyland!
We were able to hit Pirates, Indy and a few other attractions before sundown. We caught the 6:30 Parade of Dreams, which is a great parade. We were impressed with the Pinocchio float! We were getting extremely tired around 8pm, and thought we couldn't make it long enough to catch the fireworks (9:20), much less stay till closing (midnight), but a few Main Street hot dogs gave us some extra fuel, so we watched Remember...Dreams Come True -- what an awesome show! How do they make fireworks do those shapes?! It's an excellent show, and we love the tributes to the attractions.
Almost forgot: we were in one of the shops on Main Street, and one of the kids roaming around in there caught Jamie's eye. After a few seconds, she realized it was one of the kids from the Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader DVD game! Cool! Our first celebrity sighting!
Celebrity Sighting Counter: 1
Day 3 - Saturday, June 7th
We were going to make this morning our Early Entry day, but we were just so tired, we decided to sleep in a bit. Doug was coming in to join us, so we decided to just wait for him (as opposed to doing the Early Entry thing, then leaving to meet up with him). After enjoying some pastries from Main Street, and eating them on a bench near the Partners Statue, we knew we needed to get going and stick to some sort of FastPass strategy. I picked up FastPasses for Indy for us all, then we all headed for the Nemo sub ride. I gotta say, we were impressed with this!! We also rode Space Mountain, and again -- impressive! I really hope they update WDW's Space Mountain with this experience.
We were able to catch Indy, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates, Matterhorn, Buzz Lightyear -- and even Space Mountain a 2nd time, all before 5.
We headed back to the room around 5pm or so, to take a break and say goodbye to Doug, he had to head to work that evening. So, after that, we headed over to California Adventure. Dinner reservations for the Vineyard Room were for 6:30. The upstairs terrace dining was really nice, and Jamie and I ordered their 3-course meal with the wine pairing. Although not nearly as nice as Napa Rose, this was another excellent meal. Our server let us know we were more than happy to stick around and watch the Electric Parade from our table! What a nice surprise, as we had just planned on heading down and watching the parade street-level. So, we stuck around, had the terrace all to ourselves (with the exception of a nice gentleman and his daughter) and enjoyed the parade. It was the first chance for Aaron to watch it, and I enjoyed seeing again -- so many great childhood memories of the Electrical Parade!
Celebrity Sighting Counter: 1
part two, coming soon!
June 5th - June 10th, 2008
The hardest part about writing a trip report is this beginning...I never know how to start one of these things!! Fortunately for me, this one is a bit easier to start, as we get to hop in our time-traveling Delorean and go back to 2004. See, that was the first time Jamie and I got to go to Disneyland. As fun and exciting as that was, it was almost a disaster -- we spent the entire trip dealing with Hurricane Ivan. The plan was to drive to New Orleans, fly from there to Houston, then on to Anaheim. Unfortunately, Ivan's initial approach towards New Orleans closed the airport there and had us stuck in evacuating traffic. We drove to Houston and caught our flight from there instead. However, Ivan turned and hit Pensacola, which had us worried about Jamie's home and workplace. It wasn't until the end of the trip that we found out her home, workplace & coworkers were OK. Add to that the fact that Disneyland was prepping for the 50th Anniversary during our visit. Sleeping Beauty Castle was completely covered. Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion and several other rides were closed. So, we've been eager to get back for some time.
Fast-forward to Fall 2007, when we decided to return to Disneyland, this time with Aaron (Little Nigel to some of you...can you believe he'll be starting 5th Grade this fall?!). It was his Christmas present, and he about passed out when we told him! Jamie had put together a little book, and at the very end it read "You're going to Disneyland!" Needless to say, his excitement built during the 5 months between then and the trip.
Day One - Thursday, June 5th
We had an early flight this morning, which was nice, as getting checked-in and through airport security was a breeze. Our flights and connection in Houston were smooth, and we were landing in California around lunchtime. We used Super Shuttle (was part of our AAA package, actually) and had a decent trip.
We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini Suites. We wanted a cheap room (as opposed to staying at one of the Disneyland resorts), but wanted to be close enough to walk to and from the parks -- and we were not disappointed. Yes, the place isn't the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in, but the staff is friendly, the rooms are really a good size, and we were literally a 5-minute walk from our room to Main Street! Can't beat that!
Our room wasn't quite ready when we arrive, but they held our luggage while we walked over to let Aaron get acquainted with Disneyland. There's nothing like being in the middle of the Esplanade, with Disneyland to the right, California Adventure on the left, and Downtown Disney in front of you! We needed some lunch, so we hit Rainforest Cafe. Jamie and I had been to the one at Downtown Disney at WDW and to the one here, but this was Aaron's first visit to any Rainforest Cafe. We had little to no wait, and the food was great. Having a coupon for a free kids meal didn't hurt either (another AAA package goody).
We did some pre-shopping at some of the Downtown Disney stores, then headed back to the room. We wanted to freshen up and relax before our first real treat of the trip: Dinner at Napa Rose in Disney's Grand Californian resort!
If you've never heard of Napa Rose, definitely look it up. It's one of best Disney restaurants of all the Disney restaurants around the world. Jamie and I had the pleasure of dining here last trip, and wanted to experience it again. For dinner, we were meeting a cousin of mine who now lives in the area. I hadn't seen him in almost 10 years, so getting together was definitely a priority. Our reservation was for 6:30, and we showed up on time -- but, unfortunately, my cousin was stuck in that famous LA traffic, and would be a half-hour late. I spoke with the greeter at the Napa Rose podium, and they said they'd wait as long as it took...classy! My cousin finally made it, and after re-introducions, we headed towards our table. Our server was superb. He not only attended to our needs during the meal, he took plenty of time with Aaron as well. Jamie, Doug & I ordered the Vintners Table (a complete 4 course meal with wine pairings). Absolutely the best meal we've ever had. I wish I could remember everything we had, but I know it was good!
We were able to hang out after dinner for a few more hours with my cousin, catching up on old times, which was nice. Aaron had fun roaming around the Grand Californian and snapping pics with his camera. We asked Doug if he'd like to join us at Disneyland Park one day during our stay, as he hadn't had the chance to visit since moving to the area. We made plans on getting together with him on Saturday, and parted ways.
Ya know, the walk through Downtown Disney is just so nice, especially late at night. The weather is beautiful, and it's so peaceful... Unfortunately, the peace and quiet were quickly over as we got closer to the Esplanade -- Grad Nite was getting started, and there were kids everywhere! Luckily, there seemed to be plenty of security and adult-types around, so all was good.
Anywho, we got back to our room and got to sleep as quickly as we could, knowing we had several full days ahead of us.
Celebrity Sighting Counter: 0
Day 2 - Friday, June 6th
Slept in a bit, which was nice, but headed out the door and over to Downtown Disney for breakfast. Got some beignets from Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. Very disappointing -- nothing like what we're used to when we visit New Orleans. Oh well.
On to Disneyland Park! We wanted to visit there first and let Aaron have the full effect of their Magic Kingdom. A quick firetruck ride up Main Street, and we were gazing longingly at Sleeping Beauty Castle. We headed into Fantasyland, which was remotely quiet -- no more than 5 minute waits for Pinocchio, Casey Jr, Mr. Toad's & Alice. Yay! Now, I had this grand plan of maxing out our FastPasses and really taking advantage of everything we could (short lines, etc.) but all that got thrown completely out the window when we got there. Oh well, we were just happy to be there, so that was more important.
We decided to take a break from the heat and the people over at the Lost Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. It's our favorite place to chill (and Aaron loves to walk around, watch the remote-controlled boats, etc.). Then it was back to Disneyland!
We were able to hit Pirates, Indy and a few other attractions before sundown. We caught the 6:30 Parade of Dreams, which is a great parade. We were impressed with the Pinocchio float! We were getting extremely tired around 8pm, and thought we couldn't make it long enough to catch the fireworks (9:20), much less stay till closing (midnight), but a few Main Street hot dogs gave us some extra fuel, so we watched Remember...Dreams Come True -- what an awesome show! How do they make fireworks do those shapes?! It's an excellent show, and we love the tributes to the attractions.
Almost forgot: we were in one of the shops on Main Street, and one of the kids roaming around in there caught Jamie's eye. After a few seconds, she realized it was one of the kids from the Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader DVD game! Cool! Our first celebrity sighting!
Celebrity Sighting Counter: 1
Day 3 - Saturday, June 7th
We were going to make this morning our Early Entry day, but we were just so tired, we decided to sleep in a bit. Doug was coming in to join us, so we decided to just wait for him (as opposed to doing the Early Entry thing, then leaving to meet up with him). After enjoying some pastries from Main Street, and eating them on a bench near the Partners Statue, we knew we needed to get going and stick to some sort of FastPass strategy. I picked up FastPasses for Indy for us all, then we all headed for the Nemo sub ride. I gotta say, we were impressed with this!! We also rode Space Mountain, and again -- impressive! I really hope they update WDW's Space Mountain with this experience.
We were able to catch Indy, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates, Matterhorn, Buzz Lightyear -- and even Space Mountain a 2nd time, all before 5.
We headed back to the room around 5pm or so, to take a break and say goodbye to Doug, he had to head to work that evening. So, after that, we headed over to California Adventure. Dinner reservations for the Vineyard Room were for 6:30. The upstairs terrace dining was really nice, and Jamie and I ordered their 3-course meal with the wine pairing. Although not nearly as nice as Napa Rose, this was another excellent meal. Our server let us know we were more than happy to stick around and watch the Electric Parade from our table! What a nice surprise, as we had just planned on heading down and watching the parade street-level. So, we stuck around, had the terrace all to ourselves (with the exception of a nice gentleman and his daughter) and enjoyed the parade. It was the first chance for Aaron to watch it, and I enjoyed seeing again -- so many great childhood memories of the Electrical Parade!
Celebrity Sighting Counter: 1
part two, coming soon!