Come on and Live the Magic! - Sept. 2015 Disneyland TR *Completed 9/6*!

missangelalexis

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Hi everyone! :wave:This will be my fourth Disney TR but my FIRST Disneyland TR!

If you've read any of my past TRs, then welcome back :) If not, thanks for finding me interesting enough to read about!

This trip was so special for so many reasons, and I can't wait to recap it! You can expect to hear about: character hunting, receiving pixie dust, how we survived some brutal heat, and much more! And since we are more familiar with WDW (and found ourselves referring to it as "back home" MANY times on the trip) you will hear a lot of comparing and our thoughts on what things we liked better at which park!

So let's cover some of the basics.

Who: Just me and my mom, having ourselves a mother-daughter trip! This was the first time we have every done anything like this and we really created some amazing memories.

When: September 16-21

What: 5 day park hoppers!

Where: We stayed at the Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites, a good neighbor hotel located directly across the street from the parks!

How: We flew non-stop through United from our home airport to LAX

Why: To celebrate Disneyland's 60th anniversary! The minute it was announced, I just knew I couldn't miss out on this awesome time. I have only been to DL once- and that was for a day trip back in 2012. It was a fun day but not nearly enough time spent there! My mom has not been since the 60s, so obviously things have changed since then! Honestly, it felt like a first time visit for the both of us.



So thanks for joining in and I hope you enjoy the recap of our wonderful trip!

 
September 16th
Arrival Day! (Posted 11/10/15)
Our First Park Activity (Posted 11/16/15)1
Meeting Mickey & Minnie (Posted 11/20/15)
Disneyland Forever (Posted 12/2/15)

September 17th
Magic Morning at Disneyland! (Posted 12/8/15)
Pixie Hollow and Castle Walkthrough! (Posted 12/15/15)
Toontown by way of Wonderland! (Posted 12/22/15)
More Toontown (Posted 12/30/15)
Lunch and a Halloween surprise (Posted 1/5/16)
Photopass Galore and Another Villain Meet (Posted 1/11/16)
Soundsational Parade Part 1 (Posted 1/21/16)
Soundsational Parade Part 2 (Posted 1/21/16)
A Suitcase and a Dream! (Posted 1/25/16)
California Adventure Exploring and Wine Country Trattoria (Posted 2/1/16)
World of Color (Posted 2/5/16)

September 18th
The Plaza Inn (Posted 2/10/16)
The Plaza Inn Continued (Posted 2/10/16)
Disneyland Fun (Posted 2/18/16)
Critter Country (Posted 2/24/16)
Haunted Mansion Holiday Overlay (Posted 3/1/16)
Frontierland & Big Thunder Ranch (Posted 3/8/16)
Character Meets & Canal Boats! (Posted 3/14/16)
It's A Small World and then some! (Posted 3/18/16)
A Disneyland Characterpalooza! (Posted 3/22/16)
Mickey & the Magical Map (Posted 3/28/16)
All over Disneyland! (Posted 4/1/16)
Disneyland Forever (Posted 4/6/16)
Paint the Night (Posted 4/11/16)
Goodnight Disneyland! (Posted 4/15/16)

September 19th
California Adventure! (Posted 4/19/16)
Paradise Pier (Posted 4/25/16)
Photo Ops & Bugs Land (Posted 4/29/16)
Hollywood Land (Posted 5/4/16)
Back to Cars Land (Posted 5/9/16)
California Adventure Fun (Posted 5/12/16)
Back AGAIN at Cars Land! (Posted 5/16/16)
Aladdin (Posted 5/19/16)
Meeting Oswald & Minnie (Posted 5/23/16)
Pixar Play Parade (Posted 5/26/16)
Monsters Inc, Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! (Posted 5/31/16)
Paradise Pier at Night (Posted 6/3/16)
Cars Land at Night (Posted 6/8/16)
Disneyland Forever (Posted 6/15/16)
Paint the Night (Posted 6/20/16)

September 20th
Another morning in California Adventure! (Posted 6/27/16)
Character meets & one last time on RSR (Posted 7/5/16)
Wandering around California Adventure (Posted 7/11/16)
The Animation Building & Grizzly Peak (Posted 7/15/16)
Goodbye California Adventure! (Posted 7/19/16)
Back in Disneyland (Posted 7/26/16)
From Tomorrowland to New Orleans Square (Posted 8/3/16)
Fantasmic! (Posted 8/9/16)
Disneyland Forever (Posted 8/15/16)
Goodbye Disneyland! (Posted 8/23/16)

Disneyland Recap! (Posted 9/6/16)
 
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Day 1, September 16 - Arrival Day

My alarm went off bright and early this morning- 4:30 to be exact. I almost hit the snooze button until I realized "Hey wait, it's Disney Day! There's no snoozing on Disney day!" Mom was already up and I'm pretty sure we squealed a little bit at the day finally being here! We got ourselves ready, loaded up the car, and at 5:30 we were on our way to the airport! My dad was kind enough to take us, and we had no trouble getting to the airport. Checking our bags and getting through security was a breeze, and soon enough we were sitting at our gate waiting for boarding time.

We were able to catch this beautiful sunrise!





And finally it was time to board!



Our flight departed at 8am (on time) and we were in for 6 hours of being in the air. I went ahead and purchased the in-flight TV, but mom opted not to. During the flight I watched Inside Out, a tiny bit of Tomorrowland, and some random TV shows. Being kids at heart, we also spent time coloring and doing some word search puzzles. It was a long flight, but eventually we landed (and a few minutes early too)!

We got off the plane and headed to baggage, where our luggage came out in RECORD time! I then went ahead and called Karmel Shuttle, who would be taking us to our hotel and also bringing us back to the airport. They said our car should be there in about 20 minutes. We headed out to the curb and soaked in the warm LA weather! After 20 minutes our car still wasn't there, so we called again to check and they let us know it would be about another 15 minutes. We were a little antsy but knew there was nothing we could do. Finally our driver showed up and there ended up being only one other passenger in the car. We made our way out of LAX and were heading to Anaheim! Soon enough we were approaching the Disneyland area! Our driver asked if she could drop the other passenger off first. Our hotel was first, but it was on the other side of the street. The other passenger's hotel was a bit further down, but was on the side of the street we were already on. It made sense, so we said it would be ok. It was nice to be able to see our surrounding area by car. And then we hit a red light..except we ended up being stopped for an abnormally long time. What's going on? Wait, are people getting out of their cars? Why is everyone standing in the street? Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any cars coming from the opposite direction. So what DID happen? Apparently the VP was in town, and they stopped traffic for a bit so he could get through. I don't know how long we were stuck there, maybe 15 minutes?, before we were able to move again. Finally the driver was able to drop off the first passenger and then we were arriving at our hotel!

We headed into the lobby and filled out some paperwork, but they told us our room wouldn't be ready until after 3. We stored our luggages behind the desk, and rented a locker to stow our carry ons. We were hungry, so we decided to just stop at the McDonalds nearby to grab a little snack to eat. From there, we decided to walk around near our hotel and check out some of the little markets. Thanks Brenda for reccomending ABC Market! We were able to buy a few things there, as well as some water/soda to keep in our room! After that we headed back towards our hotel since it was just about 3pm.









I was really shocked when we walked into the lobby and it was empty! We asked if our room was ready and she said she had just processed it! So we got our keys and headed to room 131, our home for the next 5 nights. It was a quick walk from the room to the entrance which turned out to be great AND we had a ground floor! We were really happy with our room. It was spacious enough and the beds were big and comfortable. Also, the proximity of the hotel to the park could not be beat. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again!

We got into the room and took some time to call home, change our clothes, and get our bags ready for the park. We were wasting no time! I think we were walking into the esplanade by around 4:30!













We scanned our tickets and didn't get very far when we saw Alice & Mad Hatter greeting right as we walked in! However the line was closed (something we would experience several times this trip) so we took some pictures of the train station before walking into Town Square!







Again, we didn't get very far when we saw a line of people waiting for Mickey & Minnie! We waited around for about 15 minutes when someone came out and said the pair wouldn't be out until a little later. Ok moving on! Now mind you, we STILL hadn't caught our first glimpse of the castle. But that was about to change as we walked onto Main Street.











We were just so happy to be walking IN Disneyland and soaking it all in! Our first order of business was redeeming our Photopass. The store was a little chaotic but eventually we got our lanyard. From there we spent some time in the hub!
















We of course had to take our first PhotoPass pictures of the trip!











Up next...more picture taking and our first activity in the park! Any guesses to what it is? (Ride, Character Meet, Food??)
 
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well of course I am joining in!

Sounds like a fairly smooth travel day - if a bit long (though in my mind the VP should have to wait for you - your are the one trying to get to Disneyland!)

Glad you were happy with your room and hotel!

Definitely hear you about Character lines getting cut off a lot - the whole character meet process is so different there than at WDW ... it was neat that they would roam more but also they would get mobbed at times and just less order with forming lines, etc.
 


I'm here!! It's so great you were able to go for the 60th anniversary. Maybe (fingers crossed!) we can make it happen too before it ends!

Travel day is off to a good start. :)
 
Joining in, excited to hear about Disneyland and mom and daughter trip since that is what I always do with my daughter at WDW. I was at Disneyland just once when my son was 9 and he is 21 now so it was awhile ago. The castle looks so small when you compare it to MK.
 
I love the title of your trip report! As soon I saw it the song popped into my head. Those fireworks are incredible! I'm looking forward to reading more... :)
 


Following along!

Glad your travel day and long flight went smoothly!

Love all of the pictures of the Halloween decorations. And great shots of you and your mom!
 
How fun! I grew up with Disneyland almost every year. It's probably my favorite Disney location because of those childhood memories. I'm guessing you went right into Tomorrowland and rode Buzz.
 
well of course I am joining in!

Sounds like a fairly smooth travel day - if a bit long (though in my mind the VP should have to wait for you - your are the one trying to get to Disneyland!)

Glad you were happy with your room and hotel!

Definitely hear you about Character lines getting cut off a lot - the whole character meet process is so different there than at WDW ... it was neat that they would roam more but also they would get mobbed at times and just less order with forming lines, etc.

Glad you are here!

It really was smooth travelling and the little issues were minor and not really a huge deal. But you're right, didn't the VP know we had places to be?!

Yeah, I don't think I was prepared for the character greets to be as unorganized as they were. I liked that they were more "random" but at the same time I missed the structure of WDW.

I'm here!! It's so great you were able to go for the 60th anniversary. Maybe (fingers crossed!) we can make it happen too before it ends!

Travel day is off to a good start. :)

Thanks for joining in again! :) I really hope you can squeeze in a trip, the 60th offerings are just so wonderful!

Joining in, excited to hear about Disneyland and mom and daughter trip since that is what I always do with my daughter at WDW. I was at Disneyland just once when my son was 9 and he is 21 now so it was awhile ago. The castle looks so small when you compare it to MK.

Thanks for joining in! When you walk into Disneyland, the size difference between the castles is so noticeable! But Sleeping Beauty Castle is beautiful in it's own way and I think it's fits the park very nicely!

I love the title of your trip report! As soon I saw it the song popped into my head. Those fireworks are incredible! I'm looking forward to reading more... :)

Hi, welcome! :wave:

The firework show is spectacular! And I just loved the soundtrack, (hence the title ;)) gets stuck in my head all the time!

Following along!

Glad your travel day and long flight went smoothly!

Love all of the pictures of the Halloween decorations. And great shots of you and your mom!

Hi!!

Thank you, it really went very smoothly.

I loved the mix of 60th decorations with Halloween decorations, very cool!

Joining in too! Can't wait for more. :)

Thanks for joining in!! :)

How fun! I grew up with Disneyland almost every year. It's probably my favorite Disney location because of those childhood memories. I'm guessing you went right into Tomorrowland and rode Buzz.

I can see why you love Disneyland so much! We created such wonderful memories this trip that it will now hold a very special place in my heart :)
 
Day 1 - Our first park activity!

We then headed towards the right side of the castle to check out the Snow White statues and wishing well. Ariel was out greeting but, surprise, her line was closed already.









We then headed towards the other side of the castle. Rapunzel was meeting and yes her line was closed already too.







And here is where we did our first park activity! The wait time for The Royal Hall was only 15 minutes so we decided to wait in line and do that! I would say it took maybe a little longer than that but it wasn't too bad.





First up we met Snow White.







Then Cinderella. I commented on how she was wearing her winter wear but all she said was that it was a little chilly in the hall. Not very talkative!





And then Belle. I was happy to finally meet her in her ballgown!





I was glad we were able to do this now and cross it off the list! I have to say, the interaction in here was not very good. The princesses did not have much to say and it was very much a "get your picture and go" scenario.

We spotted our first Disney duck on the way out!



Up next...The most important character meet ever
 
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bummer you kept encountering closed lines. I know for a few we did hit we had to wait for the next set/when the character would return. Definitely frustrating.

Sorry too that the princesses weren't better as far as interaction. I did like the set-up there in that you can knock 3 princess out (not literally, you know what I mean) for one line and I'd say when we went 2 of the 3 were rather good meets.

Looking forward to the next update with the most important character meet ever - though, obviously that is a lie since I know you didn't meet me ;o)
 
YAY!!! So looking forward to this report! I love DL so much!!

Looks like a great travel day, minus getting from the airport to your hotel with the extra time it took. Glad you were happy with your hotel choice.

Wow, what a bummer on all the closed character lines. That's interesting.

I agree, getting the PP at the store in DL is chaotic!

Great first PP! Love the diamond shape!!

Yay for only 15 minutes for The Royal Hall and you got cute pictures, sorry to hear the interactions were lacking though.

Looking forward to more!
 
bummer you kept encountering closed lines. I know for a few we did hit we had to wait for the next set/when the character would return. Definitely frustrating.

Sorry too that the princesses weren't better as far as interaction. I did like the set-up there in that you can knock 3 princess out (not literally, you know what I mean) for one line and I'd say when we went 2 of the 3 were rather good meets.

Looking forward to the next update with the most important character meet ever - though, obviously that is a lie since I know you didn't meet me ;o)

It was a little frustrating but nothing you can do about it!

I'm glad you had good meets in the Hall..I'm sure my experience isn't indicative of what it's like there.

Hahaha you certainly would have been an important meet...but knowing my luck your line would have been closed! ;)

YAY!!! So looking forward to this report! I love DL so much!!

Looks like a great travel day, minus getting from the airport to your hotel with the extra time it took. Glad you were happy with your hotel choice.

Wow, what a bummer on all the closed character lines. That's interesting.

I agree, getting the PP at the store in DL is chaotic!

Great first PP! Love the diamond shape!!

Yay for only 15 minutes for The Royal Hall and you got cute pictures, sorry to hear the interactions were lacking though.

Looking forward to more!

Thanks for joining in!!

Everything went pretty smooth, we were grateful.

I guess the photo store is just always crazy!

They had some great PP borders for the 60th anniversary :)
 
Here! I can't wait to read all about your DL trip! I hope my daughter wants to do a mother-daughter trip some day, it's so nice that you did this with your mom. I can't wait to read more!
 
Here! I can't wait to read all about your DL trip! I hope my daughter wants to do a mother-daughter trip some day, it's so nice that you did this with your mom. I can't wait to read more!

Thanks for joining in!! :) It was so nice to get to do a trip with just the 2 of us, something I will never forget. I am sure you and Bea will get to do the same one day! :lovestruc

The princess dresses are perfect! So pretty!

They are so beautiful!!
 
Day 1 - Meeting Mickey & Minnie!

From there we decided to head back to Town Square and see if Mickey & Minnie were out. Sure enough they were- and in their 60th outfits! The line was long but NOT closed. And the handlers guaranteed that if we were in line, we would get to meet them (so no running off
unexpectedly). Pluto was meeting by the flag pole, so mom and I took turns meeting him while the other stayed in the Mickey & Minnie line.







Goofy was also out somewhere because we saw him walk by!



We ended up waiting about 70 minutes, but honestly it was worth it. Meeting these 2 in their 60th outfits was a high priority and to get to meet them together was even better. We did have a small moment of panic though. As we got close to the front of the line (maybe 5 groups back), Minnie went off to take a break but Mickey stayed. The CMs were encouraging people to keep the line moving and meet Mickey but everyone was kind of upset with Minnie leaving. There was a girl in the group that was next up that looked like she was ready to cry, and honestly I was too! However everyone up front kind of took a stand and said that they would be waiting for Minnie to come back, and finally the handlers just realized that sending Minnie for cheese without Mickey was a mistake! So they took him back to take a break as well and shortly after BOTH of them came back and all was right in the world! It was a nervewracking few minutes though!















After that, we needed to get something to eat. That McDonalds definitely wore off, and we were definitely feeling the effects of the long day plus waiting so long in line for the characters. We decided to just get some Hot Dogs at Refreshment Corner since it was close by. Mom held down a table while I went and got the food. The food hit the spot, just what we needed!



We then decided to browse the Emporium while Paint the Night passed. It's no surprise that the detail in the shops was so wonderful!













This picture was the closest I'd get to taking these cuties home..



Up next...Disneyland Forever
 
Wow Pluto has some bling on his tag! I wonder if it's like that all the time or if it's special for the anniversary. We've never met Pluto before.

I love that the line banded together to wait for Minnie to return! I would have been upset too. I'm glad you got to meet them both, they are so cute!
 

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