jrkcr, her family and Diznee4Me Disneyland Resort Adventure - Day 1

[Diznee4Me]

Disneyland Trip Day 1

Sunday August 24th, 2008

This trip consisted of JRKCR and her DH, their three DD’s and a family friend, a young lady who was a friend of their daughters. I was in Cali without the DW or DD. Both were at home working and going to school – what a wife and daughter to let me go to the west coast without them – actually, now that I think about it, they agreed pretty quickly. Hmmm….

This trip came up pretty quick and thanks to JRKCR’s husband, frequent flyer miles got me across country in style. Thanks again for that J.

So Sunday morning I left South Carolina early and after and arrived at LAX around 2:30 PM. Catching the Super Shuttle, a big :thumbsup: here to them, I was on my way to the Desert Palms* hotel just around the block from Disney. The JRKCR family left Reno, Nevada early that morning and, believe it or not, we all arrived at the hotel within five minutes of each other. Hugs and introductions over, luggage in the room, it was now time to eat.

*(A word here about the Desert Palms. It was a pretty nice hotel, clean, and the staff was polite. There was a great free breakfast every morning and the hotel was relatively close to the resort. Downsides, we had no hot water for a couple of days, the pool was a bit small [which we didn’t get to use much because it was closed when we got back from the parks] and the girl’s room was without air conditioning most of the week – but they never complained.)

All seven of us went to Downtown Disney and had dinner at the House of Blues. I had the shrimp po-boy and it was delicious. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food also. Afterwards we went back to the hotel to get some rest for our big day tomorrow at Disneyland.

OK JRKCR - follow up with what I missed.:D

[jrkcr]

OK, My 2 cents...:twocents:

I think I'd stay at the Desert Palms again. But we stayed in a regular room, not a suite. So I don't know what a difference that makes. We had a total of three of the tiniest drawers for our clothes, so we all lived out of the suitcases all week.We did have a closet, so I hung up DH shirts. The rooms were dark, and I prefer light sunny rooms-they just feel cleaner. But on a good note, I had brought Lysol wipes just in case the place was not clean-and I didn't use them! Housekeeping always had our room cleaned and stocked everyday. We had a small frig, and a microwave in each room, so that was nice. And I didn't think the walk to the park was bad at all. It was an OK hotel, just not somewhere I'd be thrilled to stay again. But for the price, it was OK.

Now from DH:
Pros: Clean rooms, refrigerator was large enough to hold a case of water bottles. decent hot breakfast every morning, pleasant and accommodating staff, good access to Anaheim transit stops, good free parking at hotel. Good price.

50/50: Possible to walk to Disneyland, but not recommended for the very young or old or those with sore feet. Small pool but clean; same for hot tub. A/C worked great in our room, but not well in the kid's room. Note: we told staff about A/C problem on first day and it worked well for a day after that. Kids did NOT inform us that A/C was a problem after that until LAST day.

Cons: Long walk to Disney; Anaheim transit not always faster than walking and several drivers left a lot to be desired. Pool at hotel opened at 9am and closed at 10pm - the exact hours we were at the park.

[tinkwest]

Thanks for your comments on the Desert Palms. It is always great to get reviews and updates on the area hotels.

Anxious to read about your "in park" adventures.

[ChipnDaleGal]

I have been looking forward to see how this joint trip went for you guys. Glad you all arrived safely and are all settled in. :mickey:

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the report! :smickey: