Disneyland Trip Slideshow

Thursday, Dec. 22

We got up at going and pulled out of the Tropicana at about 8:45.  Amazingly, the trip out of LA was easier than we expected.  It only took us about an hour to go from Anaheim to Valencia and we soon were in the San Juaquin Valley.....pretty much the middle of nowhere except for miles of trees, mostly oranges.  We stopped at Pea Soup Andersen's for a late lunch and made it to Redding by 7.  It was so nice to have 3 drivers.  But driving that far and sitting that long left us happy to be at the Super 8 and settled into a not moving bed.  I'll sum up this trip tomorrow, but suffice it to say, we consider this trip to be a great success.  And...... it will be good to be home!

Our reflection in a tanker

My turn to drive

The traditional pose

Tuesday, December 20 cont. and Wednesday, Dec. 21Th

Our View for the Parade

Think there are enough strollers?

Our evening plan had worked perfectly.  We got ice cream treats and walked to the balcony by the train station to catch the parade.  While we were standing there, a nice woman on one of the only benches available asked us if we wanted to sit down.  She had been saving space for her family, but they didn’t show. We felt really lucky to have such great seats.  The parade was cute, but it took a few hours to get that repetitive song out of our heads.  

Then we rushed over to DCA and the Hyperion Theater to watch the Aladin show.  We got great seats in the mezzanine but about 15 minutes into the show, they stopped and announced that they would not be continuing due to “technical difficulties”.   The rock slide in the cave of wonders failed to fall.  Not good.  We were very disappointed as we left.

We thought about continuing our tour and going on the roller coaster again, but Emily and I were both tired and we bribed Ruben and Max into going home by buying them wonderful light up swords.  Dueling all the way, we walked back to the Tropicana.  It was early, but we were ready to relax.

Wednesday, Dec. 21st

We slept in until 6:30 and were at the rope ready to go at 8.  We were following one of the touring plans from the Unofficial Guide.  We went straight to Space Mt. and believe me, the roller coaster in the dark was a helluva way to wake up.  Then we rode the Matterhorn and Alice in Wonderland and Emily got fast passes to Indy while Ru, Max and I did Buzz Lightyear.  Then we rode Big Thunder Mt. and Indy.  By that time we were pooped so we went to get a hand dipped corn dog at the little red wagon.  There is usually a long line and slow service, but they got our order before we even got to the window and we got our greasy delights in record time.  

 It was wonderful to relax in the sunshine and watch the late arrivals try to figure out where to go. While people watching, I like to play a game of figuring out which parent the kids look most like, and of course, look for stupid shoes.  

Can't boogie, can load littlest in front

Buzz in the background

Corndogs in the sunshine

They have blooming roses in CA

The corn dog gave us enough energy to walk over to DCA.  After we went on the new Ariel attraction, we were determined to ride Screamin’ one more time, but it was broken down with no end in sight.  We watched as they helped the stranded riders climb out and down the superstructure, speculating on what would happen if the outage happened at the apex of the loop.  Maybe we would skip another ride.

We got in line for the newest attraction, Toy Story Midway Mania, (that stupid ride with the horrible line) but soon realized that no ride, no matter how special or new was worth over an hour of our time.  So we went to the other side of the park and rode the Monster’s inc. ride, saw the Muppet 3D show (Ruben pronounced it the best movie he had ever seen) and decided to give Alladin one more try.  This time there were no technical problems and we thoroughly enjoyed the professional musical.  The guy that plays the Genie is hilarious.

By this time it was 2 pm and hot and sunny.  So everyone but me decided to go on the Grizzly River raft ride.  You are guaranteed to get wet and they figured we’d go home and go swimming anyway so it was the perfect time to give it a try.  I got great pictures of them in their raft and Max was the only one who got really wet.  Then off we went to the Tropicana for a swim and a nap. 

Goodbye Disney’s California Adventure……I sure hope they get all their construction done and finally figure out how to make that park into a better attraction.  There is no theme, no continuity and right now, it is impossible to get around easily because of the construction.  Still, it does have a bunch of great rides like the Tower and Screamin’.  It’s still worth going there, but barely.

Forced perspective in DCA

Grizzly River Rapids

I had been suffering all day Tuesday and all morning with my horrible cold.  The Benadryl helped, but after our rest and dinner, I felt shivery and achy and really sick.  My own words came back to haunt me.  This time I truly was the weakest link.  And Jeff wasn't there to help me. If I wasn't missing him before (which I was) I was missing him even more now.  Even the idea of riding a couple of times through Splash Mt. (my favorite ride) didn’t sound appealing.  I thought it over, and finally asked my companions if they minded if I skipped the last evening tour.  I think Max and Emily were secretly glad.  They had been worrying about me.  And my sniffling, sneezing, blowing and coughing weren’t very pleasant to listen to, I’m sure.  I didn’t complain (or at least I tried not to), but there was no way to hide that I was pretty sick.

So they left me at the Tropicana and I went upstairs to room 281 to blog, watch Jeopardy and look at the pictures Emily sent me.  

When they got home later, the told me they had to skip Splash Mt. because it was broken down, but did get to see Mr. Lincoln, experience the fireworks and snow again, enjoy the Haunted Mansion, Pirates and Gadget's Go Coaster, and say goodbye to Disneyland.  I was jealous, but glad that they could enjoy it one last time.  The boys had a final duel with their swords, we had our nightly cereal snack and went to bed.  It was nice to know we could sleep as late as we wanted to before leaving in the morning.

Santa Nella

The middle of nowhere

Small World at Night

HMMM Whatever to do next

We have yet to do that terrible ride with that horrible long line...

Alladin

Experiencing technical difficulties please stand by.

Tuesday, December 20,

This was the day of our Magic Morning early entry.  Trouble is, they don’t have the biggest rides open, so we decided it was our chance to tour Fantasy Land and all the “dark” rides there.  Emily and Ru even got a chance to go on Dumbo, one of the slowest rides in the park.  We explored Toontown, and the castle and then went on Indy and “The wildest”.  We ended the morning with lunch at The Blue Bayou.  Max talked Emily into trying the Monte Cristo sandwich and it was a hit, along with nice atmosphere, quiet, darkness, and great service (they filled Max’s soda 4 times!).  

Early Entry in front of Micky

Dumbo at last

Sunrise hits the castle

She doesn't know her own strenght

Getting ready to spin

The "Walmart People" came to Disney!

I had been fighting a cold since yesterday.  I am sure I caught it on the last day of school when many snotty sniffling children gave me a “Happy Holiday” hug on the last day of school.  Today it really started to get bad.  I hadn’t slept well because of my stuffy nose. I needed a dose of Benadryl and a nice long nap.  The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous Southern CA day so Max, and Em went to the pool to sunbathe while Ru swam, and I collapsed, finally able to sleep without a stuffy nose. 

Our plan for the evening is to catch the 5:30 parade at Disneyland and go over to DCA to catch the last showing of the Alladin musical.  After that, we aren’t sure, but I am sure that the fun will continue.  More later….stay tuned!

Monday, December 19

The alarm woke us at 6:15 and groaning, I got out of bed.  The previous days activities had left me sore and achy.  We followed the same pattern as yesterday and were there for the rope drop at 8.  This time we headed right toward the Finding Nemo submarines.  Emily passed on that one, but jumped right in at Autopia.  Then we talked her into going on Space Mountain.  And they rode the Matterhorn while I got Fast passes for Indy.

Waiting for Screamin'

After that, it was over to DCA.  They are totally remodeling the whole place, but we went to Soarin’ over California and then to Ruben’s favorite…..the Tower or Terror.  When that was done, so were we.  We headed to the Storyteller Café in the Grand Californian Hotel to have another character breakfast.  Delicious, but expensive, the buffet was more than adequate and they even had eggs benedict.  The Storyteller is done in craftsman style and the entire hotel is luxurious.  After brunch, we took the Monorail to Tomorrowland and then cruised down main street and did our shopping.  I got a 20% off coupon when we dined at the Plaza, so we took advantage and got all the souveneirs we could carry.  Emily got a wonderful fleece jacket.  I think she wore it to bed that night.

Then we headed home for our afternoon break.  We almost had a whining breakout, but had our naps just in time.  After a long rest, we went to Millie’s for dinner and back to DCA to ride California Screamin’ which is one of the best coasters I’ve ever been on.   Ruben was finally big enough to ride, and he looked pretty scared as he watched it make a giant loop above our heads.  But once he got on he did great…..in fact, we all did…..and we rode it one more time. 

Emily had gotten us passes to watch the new water show at 8, but when we showed up expecting a reserved seat, we were told we needed to stand up to watch.  NO seats available except to those who paid for expensive dinners at the restaurants within view.  I was more than a little irritated by that time.  DCA wasn’t that great before, but they have totally torn it up and are doing construction all over the place making it difficult to get around.  Now the expectation that we would reserve a place to “stand” really frustrated me.  Anyway, I gave the Disney “Cast member” a piece of my mind before we decided to skip the hour “stand” and go ride some more rides.

We rode Soarin’ and Tower on our fast passes and then decided that enough was enough.  We got home just in time to enjoy the fireworks from our balcony and then off to dreamland with the alarm set for 6.

Sunday, December 18 continued,

When we went back to Disneyland the place was packed.  There was no way to get down main street, as the parade had just finished and it was like an LA freeway.  No Go!  We put Max in front and he bulldozed a path through the stroller pushing parents and we made our way to the newest ride in the park…..the revamped Star Tours.  We were too early for our fast pass so we killed time watching Captain EO.   Re-living the mid 80’s with Michael Jackson was hilarious.  Emily and I laughed so hard we almost fell out of our seats.  You just couldn’t take Michael seriously as a space captain.  After that flashback, Max, Ru and I tried out Star Tours.  The original was the only ride that ever really made me sick.  So I bravely decided to try the new 3D version.  It was truly amazing, but had the same effect as the old one……I had to close my eyes halfway through and pray that I didn’t toss my cookies. 

Our goal for the evening was to find a good seat in order to view both the fireworks and Fantasmic.  We headed for New Orleans Square and rode Pirates of the Caribbean, then found a spot between two blanket saving teens right in front of the Fantasmic main display.  It got pretty cold sitting there on the concrete for 40 minutes waiting for the show to begin, but we were glad we made the sacrifice.  The fireworks, followed by the snow softly falling to the gentle strains of White Christmas brought tear to my eyes.  (What is that fake snow made of anyway—it isn’t water or soap—who knows). 

Fantasmic was even better than I remembered.  Emily and Ru hadn’t seen it the last time we went, so they were first time viewers.  It is a spectacle impossible to describe, but totally amazing.  Ruben especially enjoyed the fight between Peter Pan and Capt. Hook and all those pirates swinging around the Columbia ship.  The story really doesn’t make much sense, but it sure fun to watch.

Then we went where only the brave venture…..Splash Mt at 10pm.  It was cold, and not many people want to get wet at that time of night, but we were going home afterward anyway so we figured “What the heck”.  We went around twice and got a boat of our own each time.  That makes for the best pictures.  The first one has been posted here already, but the second was pretty impressive too…..we gave them the Oregon O.  And amazingly, we didn’t even get very wet because we were careful to balance our boat.  After that we went home and Ruben practically fell asleep face down in his bowl of cereal.  We weren’t far behind.

NO BOOGYING

On the train.

Blue Bayou for lunch

Emily is excited about the fabled Monte Cristo sandwich.

Small world

Magic Morning

Max reading Handgunner

It was a long day.

Paradise Pier

About to do some California Screaming.

Restaurant entertainment

Cruising the Autotopia

Maybe a little tired...

Waiting for the rope drop

7:30am. We are headed to Fantasyland first today.

Splash Mountain

Disney Snow

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The alarm woke us at the appointed time and we showered, ate from our ample collection of food and by 7:15 we were standing in line at the front gate.  Then, magically, the gates opened and we power walked down main street only to find the rope up separating us from our first destination…..Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  At 8, the rope dropped and the power walk resumed.  We rode Indy twice and that was a real wake up call.  Then, another power walk over to Big Thunder Mt. and twice around again.  The “wildest ride in the wilderness” wasn’t enough so we went to the Haunted Mansion, which is totally redecorated for Christmas with a “Nightmare before Christmas” theme.  It was wonderful!  Then, back to Indy for the 3^rd time.  Now we were getting hollow and it was time for breakfast.

Stupid Shoes #1

So we went to the Plaza Café for the Minnie and Me breakfast.  It is costly, but worth it…….Capt. Hook, Eeore, Pooh, Minnie and other assorted characters joined us while we chowed down on Mickey waffles and omlettes.  Ahhhhh!  What a joy to sit and relax and sip coffee and rest our feet and tired bodies. 

Revived, we went to Tomorrowland and Max, Ru and I went to Space Mountain.  Max hadn’t been there since he was 14 and it was a lot darker, faster and scarier than he remembered.  So much fun!  Then it was across the park to Splash Mt. and the Pooh ride and finally on the train to rest our feet and go back to Main St.  and home.  

Waiting for Space Mt.

On the train

The big tree

No really---not stupid shoes---stupid with NO shoes.

Max and I collapsed and Ruben went swimming while Emily watched.  This is the key to effective Disneyland touring.  You have simply got to get out of the park and take a mid afternoon rest.  There are plenty of people who haven’t gotten that message and you can see those crying, overwhelmed children and surly exhausted parents all over the park after about 2:00.  Just a short afternoon break makes all the difference.  By 5, we were ready to have an early dinner and head back for more fun.

More of the adventure later.  And thanks to Em for her mobile posts!

K

Sat. December 17, 2011

We got up early and had a quick breakfast at the Super 8 and hit the road with Emily driving.  The miles quickly went by and we stopped for brunch at the Denny’s at Lodi.  Then back in the car with K driving for more and more miles.  We stopped for a break near Coalinga.  The hiway patrol was having every truck pull over there and all were being inspected.  Obviously they were suspicious that something was being smuggled, but we didn’t ask any questions.  Max drove like a bat out of you know where all the way to the grapevine.  After a fill up, Emily (brave Emily) drove up and over the grapevine and into the depths of LA.

There all rapid forward progress ceased.  While we never actually stopped for long, it was mile after mile of 15-20 MPH.  We got a good look at the freeway scenery while waiting for a chance to go faster.  Finally, just before Anaheim, the traffic spread out and we were soon turning onto Harbor Blvd. and our Hotel.

The Tropicana is a true Oasis.  It is located directly across the street from the Disneyland entrance.  Believe me, after a day in the park, you want the fewest steps between DL and your hotel that you can get.  We were placed on the second floor with a view of space mountain.  The hotel is in the shape of a U with parking and a pool and hot tub in the middle.  There are always more cars than spaces, but I guess they got wise in the time between now and our last visit, because they actually had valet’s to tame the chaos.  My guess is that fighting for parking spaces turned ugly and they decided it was cheaper to hire a valet than pay a defense lawyer.  (Isn’t there a law against having more rooms than parking available?)

After getting unpacked, we were totally in need of food and rest.  We walked down Harbor to Millies…..a good respite.  We all ordered salads in preparation for the junk food of the next week and had a nice dinner.  Then it was back to the hotel to relax and have an early bedtime.  The alarm was set for 6:30 and it didn’t take much for everyone to fall asleep.