JenniBarra
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2002
Jens Labor Day 2002 Disneyland Resort Trip Report
Who: me, spouse (Keith), Mom, Dad, and an assortment of friends and acquaintances
Where: Disneys Grand Californian, Disneyland Park, Downtown Disney, Disneys California Adventure
When: August 30 September 2, 2002
Friday, August 30
What a crazy day! Keith took the whole day off work and planned to not only pack, but to do miscellaneous things around the house before our evening flight to Anaheim. The only problem was that he really didnt allow himself enough time to accomplish all of it comfortably. As a result, I ended up running an errand less than an hour before we were due to go to the airport, so I was now stressed out, too! (It also meant that I did not catch him before he selected a suitcase and, knowing that one will inevitably have souvenirs to bring home, the next size up would have been much better! This would lead to some awfully tight bags on the return trip home!)
Thankfully, though, we still made it to the airport within our projected time frame. Things were pretty much smooth sailing from there
Once in Anaheim, our first stop was to check in at the Grand Californian. I have spent a fair amount of time in the lobby area and in the restaurants there, but never actually stayed at the hotel, so this was quite a treat! Our room partially overlooked Grizzly Peak, as well as Condor Flats, in DCA. About the time we reached our room, the Electrical Parade was starting and we could see tbe tops of the floats as they made their way to Paradise Pier.
My moms only specific request of the evening is that we see the fireworks. Mom and Dad still needed to purchase their AP s and, even though, their old passes had long lapsed, their photos were still on file so it took very little time for them to have new ones processed. (We were prepared to have to go to Plaza Pavilion for processing, etc. and had no idea how long that would take with the holiday crowds.) We didnt quite have time to actually get in the park before the fireworks started, but we were able to watch them from just outside the gate.
Inside the park, we started with a classic, PotC. (We had a happy boat, not only were my parents singing, I think I could hear the people behind them singing Yo Ho, too.)
After PotC, I suggested that we visit the Haunted Mansion since I find that it looks even better when ones eyes are already adjusted to the dark. As we waited in the queue, I reminded Keith that this might be a good weekend for a Maynard sighting. (Maynard is a cast member known for wearing different personas, depending upon the attraction he is working at the time, and that tends to be during holiday and peak periods. Probably his most famous guise is as the evil twin when he works the Mansion.) I just wanted to be surprised if we found him, but Keith actually asked a CM if Maynard was working that night. The response back was an extremely cryptic, Oh, he probably wont be back for weeks, maybe even months. This struck us as being kind of fishy, but we didnt inquire further On the ride, we noticed how much better the sound system is since the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay process took place.
By now, we were hungry, since dinner was in the afternoon at the airport hours and hours earlier. The problem was, nothing seemed to be open at the park! In the end, my parents decided just going to bed sounded more appealing, but Keith and I decided to seek out something at Downtown Disney. We found counter service at Naples where we could buy a big slice of pizza and a drink for $5. Instead of eating at Downtown Disney, I told Keith I wanted to eat on our balcony at the hotel, so that we could enjoy the view.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed our pizza with a view. It was somewhat different than earlier in the evening, since the park had closed some time earlier. The noise of people was completely gone and yet we could still hear the jet engine mister over at Soarin Over California and the sounds of Grizzly Peak. The funny thing was when Grizzly Peak went completely silent at five minutes to midnight! It was weird to hear the ambient noise to disappear just like that!
We went to bed tired, but happy
Who: me, spouse (Keith), Mom, Dad, and an assortment of friends and acquaintances
Where: Disneys Grand Californian, Disneyland Park, Downtown Disney, Disneys California Adventure
When: August 30 September 2, 2002
Friday, August 30
What a crazy day! Keith took the whole day off work and planned to not only pack, but to do miscellaneous things around the house before our evening flight to Anaheim. The only problem was that he really didnt allow himself enough time to accomplish all of it comfortably. As a result, I ended up running an errand less than an hour before we were due to go to the airport, so I was now stressed out, too! (It also meant that I did not catch him before he selected a suitcase and, knowing that one will inevitably have souvenirs to bring home, the next size up would have been much better! This would lead to some awfully tight bags on the return trip home!)
Thankfully, though, we still made it to the airport within our projected time frame. Things were pretty much smooth sailing from there
Once in Anaheim, our first stop was to check in at the Grand Californian. I have spent a fair amount of time in the lobby area and in the restaurants there, but never actually stayed at the hotel, so this was quite a treat! Our room partially overlooked Grizzly Peak, as well as Condor Flats, in DCA. About the time we reached our room, the Electrical Parade was starting and we could see tbe tops of the floats as they made their way to Paradise Pier.
My moms only specific request of the evening is that we see the fireworks. Mom and Dad still needed to purchase their AP s and, even though, their old passes had long lapsed, their photos were still on file so it took very little time for them to have new ones processed. (We were prepared to have to go to Plaza Pavilion for processing, etc. and had no idea how long that would take with the holiday crowds.) We didnt quite have time to actually get in the park before the fireworks started, but we were able to watch them from just outside the gate.
Inside the park, we started with a classic, PotC. (We had a happy boat, not only were my parents singing, I think I could hear the people behind them singing Yo Ho, too.)
After PotC, I suggested that we visit the Haunted Mansion since I find that it looks even better when ones eyes are already adjusted to the dark. As we waited in the queue, I reminded Keith that this might be a good weekend for a Maynard sighting. (Maynard is a cast member known for wearing different personas, depending upon the attraction he is working at the time, and that tends to be during holiday and peak periods. Probably his most famous guise is as the evil twin when he works the Mansion.) I just wanted to be surprised if we found him, but Keith actually asked a CM if Maynard was working that night. The response back was an extremely cryptic, Oh, he probably wont be back for weeks, maybe even months. This struck us as being kind of fishy, but we didnt inquire further On the ride, we noticed how much better the sound system is since the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay process took place.
By now, we were hungry, since dinner was in the afternoon at the airport hours and hours earlier. The problem was, nothing seemed to be open at the park! In the end, my parents decided just going to bed sounded more appealing, but Keith and I decided to seek out something at Downtown Disney. We found counter service at Naples where we could buy a big slice of pizza and a drink for $5. Instead of eating at Downtown Disney, I told Keith I wanted to eat on our balcony at the hotel, so that we could enjoy the view.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed our pizza with a view. It was somewhat different than earlier in the evening, since the park had closed some time earlier. The noise of people was completely gone and yet we could still hear the jet engine mister over at Soarin Over California and the sounds of Grizzly Peak. The funny thing was when Grizzly Peak went completely silent at five minutes to midnight! It was weird to hear the ambient noise to disappear just like that!
We went to bed tired, but happy
