A little Christmas magic

[MrsPinup]

4:30 am it was time to wake up and get ready to go. Everything was packed the day before and by 5:15 I was ready to go. I woke up my DH and went in to dress my sleeping DS7, Brydon. He sleepily asked what was going on and I told him we had to go pick up his Aunt from the airport.

Once at SMF I crawled in the backseat to let DS8 know what was going on - that he and dad would be spending the next two days doing man stuff while I took DS7 on a short trip. Brydon was still in the dark. DH handed me our two suitcases and we steped inside the airport. I pulled out my video camera/phone to record the revealing. "We are not picking up Auntie. We are actually going to Disneyland!"
"What? Disneyland?, he sleepily asked.
"Yup - we are going to Disneyland."
"What? But you said we couldn't go."
"It was a trick," I replied.

The video was funny in that he was too tired to have much of a reaction. We headed up to the tram, through security, and then to the Starbucks to get a muffin and a drink. Both of us ended up not having much of an appetite and packed our goodies away. Soon it was time for our plane to take off, we found seats together towards the back of the plane - the flight was packed and a man with stinky breath choose the seat next to me. Thankfully he slept instead of talking to me.

Upon arrival we headed down to the Super Shuttle waiting area where our reserved shuttle was waiting for us. We hopped on and after the rest of the guests were on board, we headed for the hotels. The driver made good time and we were at our hotel, Tropicana Inn, by 9am.

 

[MrsPinup]

Once at Tropicana, it was too early to check in to our room so the nice man at the counter checked our bags for us and checked us in. I thought when I had purchased the room from the website I was charged then, but it turns out I was not charged until check in. I really need to go back and check my bank account to confirm this, but the guy seemed sincere in that our account was not paid yet.

Anyways, we were able to head to the park by 9:20 and were in the parks earlier than I had expected.

When we ended up taking a break - due to craziness that I will get into in another post- we headed back to Tropicana at 4pm. Our room was ready - #257. It was close to the office and the street, but with a view of the parking lot, not the park. This was fine with me since we are not people to watch park stuff from our room.

The Deluxe King room we entered was huge! It had vaulted ceilings, a private balcony, and plenty of room to spread out. The bedding was colorful and the bed was comfortable. I slept like a rock!

Even the bathroom was spacious with a huge tub. We didn't have any issues with water pressure and the water came out nice and hot. My only complaint was in the bathroom however: housekeeping had missed a dirty washcloth that had been hung to dry at the top of the curtains. Since we were only there a night, I just avoided touching it and it wasn't a big deal. The counter space around the sink is minimal so if you have a ton of stuff to make yourself beautiful, you will either have to move the coffee machine or make the best of it. I didn't find it too much of a hassle and I use a blow dryer, curling iron, hairspray, makeup, and cleaners daily.

There are no "blackout" curtains in the room that completely cover the window. They only cover about half of the window. There are slightly sheer curtains that go all the way across and they blocked out enough light. The sun doesn't shine directly in the window since it faces south and we were up early enough that sunshine in the window didn't wake us anyways.

Yesterday morning, checkout went quickly and we checked our bags and headed to the parks. When our day was done we walked back over to the lobby to pick up our bags - this is where the concierege really made my stay at Tropicana a great choice. This was the same guy from Monday morning's check-in (I wish I would have written down his name!) He was a tall, handsome, 20-something brunette male. He grabbed our bags for us and even called Super Shuttle to confirm our 6:10 pm pick up time. Brydon and I waited in the lobby, reading and playing game. Super Shuttle gives you a 15 minute window, but by 6:30, they still had not arrived and another SS customer had arrived. Handsome man called Super Shuttle again and was told they were on their way. They didn't arrive until 6:55. Luckily my flight didn't leave until 9:10. I wanted to tip Handsome man, but only had enough cash on me to tip the driver (who really didn't deserve it IMO). I think I will mail him his tip if I can figure out his name. He really went above his duties and what I asked him to do. I appreciate that. As long as I can get great rates again, I would stay here. The walk was really quick, the rooms were clean, and the service was excellent.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I loved hearing about it Jen.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

Thanks for your trip report! It sounds like you had a good time despite the crowds and your son being sick. Is he feeling better?

Lisa