momto2nenas
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2007
My looooong overdue trip report! We were at DLR June 13-15, 2007.
CMs: Me - Disney-lovin' momma to 2 princesses
DH - Slowly but surely becoming a Disney-lovin' Dadda
DD#1 - 5 Year old Princess
DD#2 - 2 yr. old Princess-in-Training
This makes our 2nd visit to Disneyland, and my 3rd visit to the Disney Parks (did WDW in '93 on a cheerleading trip and if you don't count going to the Disneyland Paris parking lot back in 2001 on our way to Paris!).
Day 1: (and bear w/ me as I cut and paste and learn to add photos!)
We arrived at Disneyland gates at about 8:20 and the lines were under the monorail. They opened the gates at 8:55 and let us down Mainstreet for the rope drop. EE messed up the regular schedule I think (it was switched days b/c of Grad Night).
My 2 beauties waiting for the gates to open:
We headed straight for Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan with a short wait, then headed straight over to Dumbo then on to the Teacups. Short wait on both.
DD#1 and I:
DH and DD#2 (check out this sweet baby's face! She loved this ride and constantly made Dumbo go up and down.)
Next was The Storybook Canal b/c DD#1 insisted, it turned into a 50 minute wait! The ride wasnt even that great! She liked it so I guess it was worth it. We then headed over and did Mr. Toads Wild Ride, took a pic with Merlin and then rode the Carousel. I love all the details on the Carousel!
Next we headed to NOS to Pirates of the Carribean, its about 11:15 at this point. We rode Pirates and loved it! It was closed for refurb. last spring and we didn't know what we were missing! This became a favorite during the trip.
We stopped for lunch at Café Orleans, they said 15-30 min. wait but actually took about 5 minutes. I ran to Splash to get a FastPass but the line to get a ticket was massive so I ran back to the restaurant just in time for our name to be called. Lunch was delicious! I had the Monte Cristo, DH had a Cesar salad and the girls shared the mac and cheese w/ fruit. I had an iced tea to drink and it was very refreshing! We were seated outside along the rail which was awesome! I loved people watching and seeing the Columbia sail by and we caught 2 pirate shows from across the water! I am still daydreaming about the Monte Cristo....
We rode Haunted Mansion after lunch and it was so fun w/ the girls this year! Last year DD#1 kept her eyes closed the whole time and DD#2 was only 7 months and it was difficult getting into the moving Doom Buggy carrying her and dragging along DD#1...
After lunch we went to Critter Country and the girls and I rode Pooh while DH got a Splash FP. After Pooh which was a walk on we stopped for pics with Pooh and Eyeore. DD#2 wasnt scared at all and went right up to them! This was her first character meeting (we didn't even attempt w/ Merlin earlier, didn't want to ruin the whole visit by a 6ft. tall bearded man!)
We decided to head to Mainstreet for the Parade of Dreams and on the way DD#1 posed for a pic with Aladdin (DD#2 had fallen asleep in the stroller) at his Oasis. On the way to get a spot for the parade we saw Mary Poppins and Bert in their finest so DD#1 posed for another character pic.
There were no crowds on Mainstreet so we figured we were quite early for the Parade so we went over to Tomorrowland to see Ariel at her Grotto and then back to get our parade spot in front of Refreshment Corner. DD#1 and I went to get lollipops for both girls to eat during the parade and made a ton of smashed pennies. (We had stacked 2 quarters and a penny in a Mini M&Ms container and it worked perfect for storage!) DH got an ice cream at the Blue Ribbon place and it looked delish! (Food pics will be at the end of the TR!) Mary Poppins and Burt walk across MainStreet followed by Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, and Tweedle Dee Dee and Dumb but they were in a hurry for the Parade I believe.
I got a Cherry Coke to drink while watching the parade. I should mention I was desperately thirsty all day long and had to take about 10 potty breaks! Way more than DD#1! I'd heard Cherry Cokes were great in DL and the one I had did not disappoint!
The Parade was good, not nearly as moving to me as last year's but still beautiful. I love the music and wanted to dance on the street corner, lol.
DD#1 sat on the curb the whole time while DD#2 did get up and dance until Goofy as the Jester got too close and she said Uh-Uh! And went hiding behind DH! The Princes and Minnie Mouse were absent from the parade, DD#1 did NOT like that as she remembered seeing them last year. I have heard of not enough CMs for the Princes...? I loved seeing them dance with their Princesses last year! I guess the Beast was the lone "Prince" this year:
After the parade we headed to Matterhorn and discovered a massive line and said SKIP! On to check out Space Mountain.. another SKIP! We did find a switch pass for Star Tours on the ground so DH and DD#1 used that and walked right on. Then we got FPs for Buzz and had some fruit and Powerade while we waited for our 5pm FP time.
Rode Buzz w/ no wait and took DD#2 to meet Ariel since she was sleeping the first visit, she walked right up to her, so cute! She really liked the Buzz ride and even held the ray gun for a bit.
Time for our Splash FP so we headed back to that side of the park with a stop on Jungle Cruise since there was a less than 5 min. wait. It was super cute and the girls both loved it. Our guide was pretty funny to w/ corny humor and jokes. On to Splash and DH and DD#1 rode w/ a 10 min. wait. DD#2 and I strolled around and tried to find me a frozen banana, no luck. They came off the ride not too wet but DD#1 claimed she didnt like it b/c she almost fell off I guess when the ride went down the drop she skidded forward on the seat and got scared. She said she would not be riding again. We then went to eat at the French Marketplace or whatever (like a cafeteria) and the food again was great! I had fried chicken w/ mashed potatoes and gravy. And fries I didnt eat. The girls shared mac and cheese, fruit and DD#2 had a chicken leg from my plate. DH had a beef stew bread bowl, I loved how they made it look like a Mickey head w/ the cutouts as "ears".
Then on to the Hub to get a spot for Fireworks that were scheduled early b/c of Grad night. We had a great seat, right on the curb in front of the castle (apparently where the horses take their breaks as well the smell was pretty ripe). DD#2 and I took pictures of the castle while DH and DD#1 went to ride Matterhorn w/ success this time! It was still a 35 min. wait around 7:30pm. We had our spots, the girls had cotton candy, I had a Coke all ready for the fireworks......... and at 8:55 they announce they are canceled b/c of wind. NO! This happened to us last year so we still didn't get to see the fireworks! We book it over to Indy to use the FP we grabbed earlier and DH walked on at 9pm. The park closed at 9pm b/c of Grad Night.
Here's a pic of the castle as we waited for the Fireworks that never happened...
So we managed to ride 16 rides the first day! I think thats great since its June and the crowds were pretty heavy. Heavy but manageable. Tomorrow is our CA day!
CMs: Me - Disney-lovin' momma to 2 princesses
DH - Slowly but surely becoming a Disney-lovin' Dadda
DD#1 - 5 Year old Princess
DD#2 - 2 yr. old Princess-in-Training
This makes our 2nd visit to Disneyland, and my 3rd visit to the Disney Parks (did WDW in '93 on a cheerleading trip and if you don't count going to the Disneyland Paris parking lot back in 2001 on our way to Paris!).
Day 1: (and bear w/ me as I cut and paste and learn to add photos!)
We arrived at Disneyland gates at about 8:20 and the lines were under the monorail. They opened the gates at 8:55 and let us down Mainstreet for the rope drop. EE messed up the regular schedule I think (it was switched days b/c of Grad Night).
My 2 beauties waiting for the gates to open:
We headed straight for Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan with a short wait, then headed straight over to Dumbo then on to the Teacups. Short wait on both.
DD#1 and I:
DH and DD#2 (check out this sweet baby's face! She loved this ride and constantly made Dumbo go up and down.)
Next was The Storybook Canal b/c DD#1 insisted, it turned into a 50 minute wait! The ride wasnt even that great! She liked it so I guess it was worth it. We then headed over and did Mr. Toads Wild Ride, took a pic with Merlin and then rode the Carousel. I love all the details on the Carousel!
Next we headed to NOS to Pirates of the Carribean, its about 11:15 at this point. We rode Pirates and loved it! It was closed for refurb. last spring and we didn't know what we were missing! This became a favorite during the trip.
We stopped for lunch at Café Orleans, they said 15-30 min. wait but actually took about 5 minutes. I ran to Splash to get a FastPass but the line to get a ticket was massive so I ran back to the restaurant just in time for our name to be called. Lunch was delicious! I had the Monte Cristo, DH had a Cesar salad and the girls shared the mac and cheese w/ fruit. I had an iced tea to drink and it was very refreshing! We were seated outside along the rail which was awesome! I loved people watching and seeing the Columbia sail by and we caught 2 pirate shows from across the water! I am still daydreaming about the Monte Cristo....
We rode Haunted Mansion after lunch and it was so fun w/ the girls this year! Last year DD#1 kept her eyes closed the whole time and DD#2 was only 7 months and it was difficult getting into the moving Doom Buggy carrying her and dragging along DD#1...
After lunch we went to Critter Country and the girls and I rode Pooh while DH got a Splash FP. After Pooh which was a walk on we stopped for pics with Pooh and Eyeore. DD#2 wasnt scared at all and went right up to them! This was her first character meeting (we didn't even attempt w/ Merlin earlier, didn't want to ruin the whole visit by a 6ft. tall bearded man!)
We decided to head to Mainstreet for the Parade of Dreams and on the way DD#1 posed for a pic with Aladdin (DD#2 had fallen asleep in the stroller) at his Oasis. On the way to get a spot for the parade we saw Mary Poppins and Bert in their finest so DD#1 posed for another character pic.
There were no crowds on Mainstreet so we figured we were quite early for the Parade so we went over to Tomorrowland to see Ariel at her Grotto and then back to get our parade spot in front of Refreshment Corner. DD#1 and I went to get lollipops for both girls to eat during the parade and made a ton of smashed pennies. (We had stacked 2 quarters and a penny in a Mini M&Ms container and it worked perfect for storage!) DH got an ice cream at the Blue Ribbon place and it looked delish! (Food pics will be at the end of the TR!) Mary Poppins and Burt walk across MainStreet followed by Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, and Tweedle Dee Dee and Dumb but they were in a hurry for the Parade I believe.
I got a Cherry Coke to drink while watching the parade. I should mention I was desperately thirsty all day long and had to take about 10 potty breaks! Way more than DD#1! I'd heard Cherry Cokes were great in DL and the one I had did not disappoint!
The Parade was good, not nearly as moving to me as last year's but still beautiful. I love the music and wanted to dance on the street corner, lol.
DD#1 sat on the curb the whole time while DD#2 did get up and dance until Goofy as the Jester got too close and she said Uh-Uh! And went hiding behind DH! The Princes and Minnie Mouse were absent from the parade, DD#1 did NOT like that as she remembered seeing them last year. I have heard of not enough CMs for the Princes...? I loved seeing them dance with their Princesses last year! I guess the Beast was the lone "Prince" this year:
After the parade we headed to Matterhorn and discovered a massive line and said SKIP! On to check out Space Mountain.. another SKIP! We did find a switch pass for Star Tours on the ground so DH and DD#1 used that and walked right on. Then we got FPs for Buzz and had some fruit and Powerade while we waited for our 5pm FP time.
Rode Buzz w/ no wait and took DD#2 to meet Ariel since she was sleeping the first visit, she walked right up to her, so cute! She really liked the Buzz ride and even held the ray gun for a bit.
Time for our Splash FP so we headed back to that side of the park with a stop on Jungle Cruise since there was a less than 5 min. wait. It was super cute and the girls both loved it. Our guide was pretty funny to w/ corny humor and jokes. On to Splash and DH and DD#1 rode w/ a 10 min. wait. DD#2 and I strolled around and tried to find me a frozen banana, no luck. They came off the ride not too wet but DD#1 claimed she didnt like it b/c she almost fell off I guess when the ride went down the drop she skidded forward on the seat and got scared. She said she would not be riding again. We then went to eat at the French Marketplace or whatever (like a cafeteria) and the food again was great! I had fried chicken w/ mashed potatoes and gravy. And fries I didnt eat. The girls shared mac and cheese, fruit and DD#2 had a chicken leg from my plate. DH had a beef stew bread bowl, I loved how they made it look like a Mickey head w/ the cutouts as "ears".
Then on to the Hub to get a spot for Fireworks that were scheduled early b/c of Grad night. We had a great seat, right on the curb in front of the castle (apparently where the horses take their breaks as well the smell was pretty ripe). DD#2 and I took pictures of the castle while DH and DD#1 went to ride Matterhorn w/ success this time! It was still a 35 min. wait around 7:30pm. We had our spots, the girls had cotton candy, I had a Coke all ready for the fireworks......... and at 8:55 they announce they are canceled b/c of wind. NO! This happened to us last year so we still didn't get to see the fireworks! We book it over to Indy to use the FP we grabbed earlier and DH walked on at 9pm. The park closed at 9pm b/c of Grad Night.
Here's a pic of the castle as we waited for the Fireworks that never happened...
So we managed to ride 16 rides the first day! I think thats great since its June and the crowds were pretty heavy. Heavy but manageable. Tomorrow is our CA day!
but the girls liked it and had fun. We rode Monsters Inc. and played around in the limo outside of the ride and DD#2 had to give her friend Boo a kiss:
Say it isn't so! 
