My Birthday trip - day one

[disneydrmr]

Characters:

Me - just turned 37
Best Friend Forever(BFF) - 38
My sister (DSis) - 36

When: Nov. 1 thru 4
Where: Disneyland Hotel

Oct. 30 - my plan was to leave work at 3pm in order to get stuff done as I had a funeral to attend on Wed. the 31st. What really happened is I didn't get out of work until 4pm. Had enough time to run to the bank to at least withdraw my funds for the trip. The Funeral on the 31st lasted most of the day, putting me behind in my 'to do' list. I had planned to be in bed by 7pm. This did not happen as I was trying to pack and get things done. I believe it was finally around 11pm when I fell asleep so when that very loud and annoying alarm went off at 2am on Nov. 1st I wasn't so sure about getting up. But then I remembered that I would soon be on my way to Disneyland so up I got. I rushed thru a shower, threw on my clothes, finished packing the last minute items. Hugged and loved on my doggies and we were out the door by 3:30. My DH drove and we picked up my DSis by 4am. Then we were on our way to the airport. We were flying out of Dayton on Frontier. We arrived just after 4:30. DH unloaded us and after a long kiss goodbye my Dsis and I dragged our suitcases to the Frontier check in desk. All went smoothly and even the security check was quick and easy. We wandered about for a bit, debating grabbing something to eat. But nothing really sounded good. So we got some juice (at like $5 a bottle ) then sat down and ate a pack each of the Ritz 100 Calorie Snack Mixes that I had brought along. We boarded the plane with no trouble and soon were off into the wild blue yonder. I'm a nervous flyer but this was a smooth takeoff and I was quite impressed with the flight crew. We flew into Denver (where 32 degree temps met us) and landed a few minutes early. We found my BFF and we decided we had just enough time to grab a snack. After a quick wander around the food court we decided on a 'lunch' of cookies and milk. Soon we were on the next plane and off on the last leg of our trip! I gazed out the window and oohed and aahed over the snow covered mountains (took some wonderful pictures) and when we flew over the Grand Canyon I felt such a sense of awe! That is one place I hope to see soon! Anyway.. this was another picture perfect flight and before we knew it we were landing at the John Wayne Airport. We collected our luggage, made a quick pit stop, then found the Disneyland Express bus that soon whisked us off to our magical vacation! We arrived at the Disneyland Hotel and I was so impressed! A giant Mickey statue greeted us and as we entered the hotel lobby there was a mural of Sleeping Beauty's castle! My heart soared as it really hit me - I was in Disneyland! Our room was ready (9th floor, Wonder Tower, Pool / California Adventure/Rainforest Cafe view) Wow! What a beautiful hotel! The waterfalls, the Koi pond, the pool, the views! We dropped our stuff in the room and gathered what we would need for the day. I made a call to the Rainforest Cafe to get a seating for dinner,put on my birthday button, then we were off to the park! We rode the monorail and were in the park by 11am (CA time - 2pm Ohio time - already up for 12 hours!)Walking into Disneyland I felt the magic immediately! Sleeping Beauty's castle may be smaller, but it is just as beautiful as Cinderella's, and the site of it at the end of Main Street caught my heart. I took in the sites and the sounds of Main Street - the fire engine (which a cast member later told us that Walt himself used to ride around in), the horse drawn carriages, the buildings, the smells! WE WERE HERE!!! We stopped to rent a locker and that's when I heard it. The sound of someone taking a shower. I looked around,then looked up and noticed an open window above a shop. The sounds were coming from the window. The 'man' taking the shower was singing, humming and well, it was very amusing. We knew then that we were really in for a magical and fun time! We debated grabbing some REAL food but decided to head straight for Nemo! Thanks to a tip on this board I knew that the Nemo entrance was in Fantasyland and we found it quickly! And were pleased to see it was just a 45 minute wait! (we timed it and it was pretty much on the nose!). This was one very cute ride! My friend filmed the whole ride with her camcorder and I can't wait to see it again! But the effects are wonderful and I felt like we could've been in the movie! After Nemo we wandered a bit around Fantasyland.. surprised at the very short waits and light crowd! So many Cast Members wished me a Happy Birthday - it was great! And they really were sincere in their wishes! We were able to ride all the rides except for the Mountain ranges (we decided to hit those when we returned on Saturday) and Peter Pan (a 45 minute wait). We were VERY impressed with the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at the Haunted Mansion. So wonderfully done! And DLR's version of Pirates is FAR superior to the one at WDW! We were quite shocked that we got wet several times during the ride! We left the park about 15 till 4 (getting our hands stamped) to make it to the Rainforest Cafe for our 4pm dinner. We stopped at our locker to pick up a few things and drop a few purchases off and this time I heard the sound of a dentist working on a patient! Too funny! This is one thing I REALLY loved about the park - the closeness of everything - no needing to plan an hour tranport time to get from one place to another!). After a wonderful dinner we hopped back to Disneyland and staked out a spot for the parade. We got a front row spot and waited excitedly for it to start. What an awesome parade it was! After the parade we decided to wander our way out of the park as we had by this point been awake for about 22 hours, and I had a date with Stitch the next morning at 7am! Wandering back to the hotel we took in the Downtown Disney area! Wow! The musicans that were out! How awesome! There were even people dancing the Salsa in one area of DTD. We got back to the room and CRASHED!

[NotaGeek]

How FUN! Sounds like a great, albeit LONG first day! Can't wait to read more!

[MegaDisney]

Great start!

I always love to read reports from WDW regulars!

I am the biggest fan of Walt's Park and what it has become, and love it when someone appreciates it. Especially Sleeping Beauty's Castle, which some people are disappointed by. I think it is charming!

Happy Belated Birthday!

[offwego]

Thank you so much for reporting on this trip. I've been looking forward to this!

[dlpmikki]

Woo Hoo - the trip report has started!

[tinkwest]

I can feel your joy!!

Can't wait to read more!

[Melanie]

Very nice (and long) first day! Amazing what that Disney adrenaline can do.

[pogo]

I'm enjoying the report...... keep them coming.

Did you remember to eat a for me ?

[Dsnygirl]

Di, what a great first day... you've got me wanting to go!! I'm glad it started out so perfectly and so magical... I can't wait to read the rest!!

[drummerboy]

Finally--the report us right-coaster JQers have been waiting for. Good report Di, can't wait for the rest.

[ChipnDaleGal]

Oh Diane, I can just feel the Disneyland Magic doing it's thing on you! It is impossible to descibe how wonderful it is until you are actually there experiencing it firsthand!

[BklynChick]

Wow, you definitely packed a lot into that first day. That surge of "we're HERE!" energy definitely kicks in.

I too love the fact that you are no more than a 5-10 minute walk from anywhere in the resort to anywhere else.

What a fun trip report! Keep 'em coming!

[GeminiAngel]

What a great opener! Sounds like a fantastic TR in the making. Now I want a churro.

[Caroleh]

Di, thanks for the great trip report!!! It sounds like a great first day!!! Keep them coming!!!

[Jenemmy]

Great report! You have already strengthened my resolve to move past the "world" and actually see the "land" someday!!

[BrerGnat]

Awesome report! I'm so glad that Disneyland "got you" right away. Sometimes, it takes some getting used to for the WDW veterans. But, once you realize it's apples to oranges, you can really appreciate the details to be discovered at DL.

Main Street continues to surprise me. I love those sound effects coming from the "offices" too. I recently noticed, after being a passholder for SIX YEARS (and going VERY frequently), that there are actual GAS LAMPS on Main Street. I noticed them (and smelled them) for the first time in July of this year. I know I haven't even begun to tap into all the little things to be found there.

Can't wait to read more.