Puns, a Fun Run and 1901 - Our first trip to Disneyland! Updated 8.29.2014x2!

[arbolita]

Greetings friends and soon-to-be friends (there are no strangers here; just a few people who may be a bit strange, including yours truly)!

Last year, my parents decided that for our family trip, we should go to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon and Sedona. As an girl who grew up on the East Coast, as soon as I heard we would be out that far west, I instantly started working on my husband to convince him that we should add on a couple days at Disneyland at the end of our trip. Luckily for me, he was all for it! Our first trip to Disneyland was finally happening!!

So please join me for the world premiere of Puns, a Fun Run and 1901 - Our first trip to Disneyland!

For those of you who don't know me, I am Theresa!

You may be familiar with me from my posts on TheDis, as GertieTheDino89 on Twitter, the girl who makes the Stacey gifs, or the girl who made the One More Disney Day video on YouTube.

You also might not know me at all, and that's cool too (I guess...). I hope you decide to stick around and get to know me and allow me to get to know you!

As my Twitter name implies, I looooooove Gertie the Dinosaur, who resides in my favorite Walt Disney World park, MGM Studios! (name change? What name change?)

The other person who joined me on this trip is my husband, Scott.

He's not quite the Disney fanatic that I am, but he does enjoy visiting the Parks for the food, customer service, and to keep me happy

We've each visited Walt Disney World with our families once as kids, and have gone together every year since 2008, including the trip where we got engaged and on our honeymoon! After so many trips to WDW, it was a huge dream of mine to be able to see Disneyland, so getting to make that a reality was amazing!

We were in Disneyland from August 6-9, 2013, staying at the Best Western Park Place Inn. It was a complete coincidence that our trip occurred in the days leading up to the 2013 D23 Expo, but I'm glad that it did because it meant that I got to meet a bunch of people I'd interacted with online, enjoy an absolutely unforgettable lunch, and participate in a unique and fun event at the end of our trip!

Hope you guys are ready, because here we goooooooooooooo!

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[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[arbolita]

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Chapter 1: Travel and Arrival
Chapter 2: It's a music celebration! Come on, come on, come on!
Chapter 3: Now entering - Bizarro Disney!
Chapter 4: No Dancing in Disneyland!
Chapter 5: Dinner on the Bayou and wait - I don't know what you look like!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Chapter 6: Welcome to Radiator Springs!
Chapter 7: One Picture, Four Mountains
Chapter 8: A Blast from my Walt Disney World Past
Chapter 9: I'm hungry, like a bear, raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawr!
Chapter 10: GET OUT OF THE BOAT MORGAN
Chapter 11: DCA Photo Tour
Chapter 12: DREAMS DO COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 13: The Most Underrated Attraction in DCA
Chapter 14: Quiet Down, you Tiki Room Reject
Chapter 15: Duffy? Is that you?
Chapter 16

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Chapter 17: Saving Our Magic for Lunch
Chapter 18: Saving Our Magic for Lunch - Part 2
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[arbolita]

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Chapter 1 - Travel and Arrival!


Scott and I had spent the week before Disneyland in Arizona with my family. We stayed on Route 66, were blown away by the Grand Canyon, relaxed in Sedona, and discovered that my new favorite animal is the javelina, mostly because their name is just really fun to say out loud. Side note (oh boy, second sentence into the trip report, and there are already side notes) – if you ever have the opportunity to go to the Grand Canyon and/or Sedona, DO IT!

Our flight was scheduled to leave from Phoenix at 10:45 AM, which meant we had to leave Sedona around 5:30. The two-hour drive was mostly uneventful, except on the way we passed through the only rainstorm we had in Arizona the entire week.

As we drove closer to Phoenix, we noticed that near some of the overpasses, they had fun designs on the side of the road. This salamander was my favorite!

Since we were leaving on a Tuesday morning, we hit some rush hour traffic as we got closer to the airport, but still arrived by 8:30. However, turns out I didn’t need to feel anxious about getting there in enough time, because shortly after we got through security we found out that our flight was going to be delayed. My friend Ryan, who works for Southwest and saw my tweets about our delay on Twitter, said that it was because our plane was coming from San Francisco where they were experiencing weather delays. EXCUSE ME MOTHER NATURE, DON’T YOU REALIZE I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND???

Fortunately the delay wasn’t a long one, and we were boarding around noon, and we were on the runway by 12:15! While we were still on the tarmac, we were able to see Air Force One – apparently Obama was arriving, just as we were leaving.

The flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles was a short one. My phone apparently knew where we were heading, because mid-way through our flight, this came up on my iPhone playlist.

We reached LAX by 1:30 – I was ready to jump out of my seat and run off the plan as soon as we landed! As soon as we picked up our luggage, we got in line for the Super Shuttle, and fortunately didn’t have too long of a wait.

Our Super Shuttle driver was a little crazy, but hey, he was definitely getting us to Anaheim quickly! Around 3:00 we saw this sign:

And then shortly after getting off the exit…

MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!

THE ENTRANCE SIGN!!!!!

Our Super Shuttle driver pulled into a hotel immediately after I took this picture, and it was the Best Western Park Place Inn. WHICH WAS OUR HOTEL. WE WERE THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check-in went very smoothly. Our room was 139, which was near the back of the hotel, which was fine with us. We were happy to be away from the traffic on the main road, and not have as many people walking by our door.

The room itself was great! Incredibly spacious, comfortable bed, and a short walk to Disneyland (and very budget friendly). As eager as we were to get into the Parks, after 10 hours of travelling, we both wanted to freshen up a little bit. Scott took a shower, I put in my contacts, and by 3:45 we were crossing the street for Disneyland!

!!!!!!

I was so emotional the entire walk there, especially after we walked under the Disneyland sign and could start hearing the Disney music. I think I had to wipe away tears at least twice before we even approached bag check. And I did love that bag check was prior to entering the Esplanade, since it means that once you are through, you don’t have to worry about it again until you leave property.

We approached the ticket gate, since we had two types of vouchers to exchange for tickets. One was a deal we had gotten through Travelocity, the other by redeeming reward points from one of our credit cards. We had to wait for them to confirm that both of our vouchers were valid, and I was smiling from ear to ear the entire time. Once they gave us the thumbs up that everything was in order, I was once again attempting and failing to fight back happy tears.

Everything was so surreal as we were getting ready to enter the park. Of course I had to get some pictures in front of the train station.

Once we entered Disneyland, you guessed it, crying again. It really felt like I was walking through a dream, since Main Street USA seemed so familiar, but so different at the same time. I took a few pictures here and there, but mostly just stared wide-eyed, trying to take everything in.

Naturally I had to take a moment outside of Walt’s apartment. How different would our lives and culture be without his influence?

Loved seeing the Roasty-Toasties on the popcorn machines! I made it part of my mission on this trip to see all the different designs they used in the Disneyland.

We could hear the music for Soundsational shortly after we entered, and I couldn’t think of a better way to start our Disneyland experience! Since we weren’t going to be walking down Main Street quite yet, the entire time we were in the town square I made sure to avoid looking down towards the castle. I found a great spot to stand across the street from Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, towards the end of the parade route.

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[arbolita]

Chapter 2: It's a music celebration! Come on, come on, come on!

It had been so long since Id seen a new-to-me parade, and I was ready! I absolutely loved the outfits of the dancers, and the music was the kind that was just catchy enough to get stuck in your head without being annoying, haha.

Seeing Mickey Mouse and Pluto within the first half hour of being in Disneyland? DOING IT RIGHT

I couldnt get over how colorful everything was, especially from Prince Ali to the Three Caballeros!

And I absolutely LOVED that there was a float with Rapunzels tower and one for Princess and the Frog (which I think is one of the most underrated Disney movies).

In case you were wondering, and Im sure youll be SO SHOCKED by this revelation, yes I did indeed cry several more times during Soundsational. I still couldnt get over the fact that we were actually in DISNEYLAND. Years of dreaming, months of planning, and we were finally there.

Continue to next chapter

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[Disneyfreak616]

I am so in on this!

 

[marDgreen88]

Ahhhh I'M HERE I'M HERE I'M HERE!!! I am actually TOO excited about this. I will be back to read everything tomorrow, but I wanted to officially join in ASAP!

 

[arbolita]

I am so in on this!

Ahhhh I'M HERE I'M HERE I'M HERE!!! I am actually TOO excited about this. I will be back to read everything tomorrow, but I wanted to officially join in ASAP!

Yay, I'm glad you're both here!!! (And not only because it means I get to look at your countdowns and see how long I have left to see your lovely faces!)

 

[momjeeps]

Can't wait for the rest of the report. I'm new to your reports. Grew up in CA going to DLR and finally got my first WDW trip in November 2012. So I know the feeling (in reverse). I got teary right along with you as I read.

We are staying in BWPPI in March for the first time, so it was nice to see some rather recent photos.

Glad you enjoyed AZ too. My parents and one of my brothers live there and we lived there for six years. No matter how many times I've seen the Grand Canyon it still takes my breath away.

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

[AshClan]

Hi there,

I have seen your name around (particularly in Jess' humongous DCP TR), and was excited to see you here on the DL side of things! My husband and I and our two boys (21 and 19, though you'd never guess it from my signature pic!) are heading out to DL for the first time this May, after countless WDW trips over the years, and I am so excited! I can't wait to see DL through the eyes of another WDW veteran! Keep it comin'...

 

[arbolita]

Can't wait for the rest of the report. I'm new to your reports. Grew up in CA going to DLR and finally got my first WDW trip in November 2012. So I know the feeling (in reverse). I got teary right along with you as I read.

We are staying in BWPPI in March for the first time, so it was nice to see some rather recent photos.

Glad you enjoyed AZ too. My parents and one of my brothers live there and we lived there for six years. No matter how many times I've seen the Grand Canyon it still takes my breath away.

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

Hello! I'm pretty new to writing reports - this is only the second one I've done (but hopefully not the last)! During my last trip to WDW, I was walking around with a friend who was a DL regular, and she wa telling me how there were times she thought she knew where she was going, then would turn a corner and say, "HEY! Who put that wall there?" We saw her during our Disneyland trip and told her "Yep, pretty much the same thing on our end!"

I can't say enough nice things about the BWPPI - we'll definitely be staying there again in the future. Hope your experience is as good as ours was!

One of my best friends is considering a move to Arizona; as much as I would hate for her to leave, I'm secretly hoping she does it so I have an excuse to visit there frequently, lol.

Thanks for joining in!

Hi there,

I have seen your name around (particularly in Jess' humongous DCP TR), and was excited to see you here on the DL side of things! My husband and I and our two boys (21 and 19, though you'd never guess it from my signature pic!) are heading out to DL for the first time this May, after countless WDW trips over the years, and I am so excited! I can't wait to see DL through the eyes of another WDW veteran! Keep it comin'...

Hello! I'm happy to finally have a reason to post over here! I mostly lurked during the planning stages for my trip, since just about every question I could think to ask had been answered by someone.

We'll definitely have to compare notes after you get back in May! In early May, I'll be going back to WDW for the first time since my Disneyland trip, so I'm curious to see if I'll have any different insights or opinions of those parks after having visited the original. Glad I can help increase your excitement for your trip!

 

[TheChapman6]

Loved reading it all so far can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[arbolita]

Loved reading it all so far can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Thanks for joining in - can't wait to post more! Hopefully I'll get another post up by this weekend =)

 

[marDgreen88]

This is so exciting to read about because I know that's exactly how I will be when I finally get to Disneyland for the first time. (Heck, it's how I was for WDW not even four years ago. )

AHHHH SOUNDSATIONAL. Even though I've never even seen it in person, it has been my favorite Disney parade since it debuted in 2011. I'm actually obsessed. (This is why I have such high hopes for Festival of Fantasy. I can't wait to watch it with you!) You're so lucky that you got to see it within MINUTES of arriving! Ahh this is so exciting, can't wait for more!

 

[arbolita]

This is so exciting to read about because I know that's exactly how I will be when I finally get to Disneyland for the first time. (Heck, it's how I was for WDW not even four years ago. )

AHHHH SOUNDSATIONAL. Even though I've never even seen it in person, it has been my favorite Disney parade since it debuted in 2011. I'm actually obsessed. (This is why I have such high hopes for Festival of Fantasy. I can't wait to watch it with you!) You're so lucky that you got to see it within MINUTES of arriving! Ahh this is so exciting, can't wait for more!

Haha, I know what you mean - it was very similar to my first trip back to WDW as an adult, since an 18-year gap between trips has the same effect of having things feel familiar, yet different at the same time.

Festival of Fantasy is just going to be ridiculous. Not much longer now!!

 

[disfanTN]

I am new here but can't wait to see what you think of Disneyland. I grew up an hour away from it and our only vacation every year was a week long stay- so I have lots of fond memories!

 

[arbolita]

I am new here but can't wait to see what you think of Disneyland. I grew up an hour away from it and our only vacation every year was a week long stay- so I have lots of fond memories!

Welcome to the DisBoards and my trip report! How cool that you lived nearby and were able to experience so much of Disneyland's history! What was your favorite "retired" attraction?

 

[arbolita]

Chapter 3: Now entering- Bizarro Disney!

Once Soundsational ended, I was ready to start our walk down Main Street USA towards Sleeping Beauty castle. It was just a little crowded as we joined the rest of the masses who were also leaving the parade. BUT LOOK! THERE IT IS!

I completely fell in love with the building façades I adore MSUSA in Walt Disney World, but something about MSUSA in Disneyland made so much more of an emotional impact on me. It just felt right.

It was also a lot of fun looking for the windows of some of the Imagineers whose names I recognized from their work on Disneyland. The first one that stood our was for Rolly Crump, who is responsible for some of the most classic attractions, like Haunted Mansion, Enchanted Tiki Room and Adventureland Bazaar, each of which have references on his window design.

At the end of Main Street, we went into the Photo Supple Co. in order to exchange our Photopass+ voucher to get our Photopass+ card. Ive never pre-purchased the Photopass package for any of our trips to WDW, but as this was our first Disneyland visit, and I didnt know when we might return, I figured it was worth it especially since it meant that we could collect all of our ride photos as well!

Usually in Walt Disney World, we always have a plan of what we want to do when we first arrive, but I was feeling so overwhelmed by Disneyland. We spent a lot of time in the hub, partially because I wanted to take it in and get some pictures, but also because I couldnt decide where to go first! Adventureland for Indiana Jones? New Orleans Square for Haunted Mansion and Pirates? Tomorrowland for my beloved subs? Fantasyland for Matterhorn?

While we were trying to decide, the Disneyland College Band started playing, so we listened to them for a few minutes while deliberating on which direction to go.

We settled on walking through Adventureland to get to New Orleans Square. We had just seen a new parade, why not follow that up by checking out a new-to-us land??

Ill admit that I spent a lot of this trip comparing WDW and DL, and one of the things that stood out to me immediately was just how many more street performances that Disneyland had throughout the park. It seemed almost constant that you would turn a corner, and hear music playing or see characters interacting with the crowd.

This was also the point where we got really overwhelmed in a bad way. There were SO many other people who had gone the same direction as us, we were hot and a little tired from our early morning. We also felt like we were in bizarro Magic Kingdom, since even though things looked a little familiar, with the Rivers of America directly in front of us, it was a strange feeling having no idea which way to go to get to attractions and after we found them, we didnt know where to find the entrances or the wait times.

We managed to escape the crowd and decided to go to Haunted Mansion, since the entrance was almost directly in front of us, and the line seemed short-ish.

I didnt take any pictures during our first ride through, because I really wanted to get a sense of the similarities and differences between one of the classic attractions on both coasts. I absolutely loved the pre-ride portion of Disneylands Haunted Mansion, especially the stretching room! On the actual ride itself, I give the edge slightly to Walt Disney World, but Ill go into a little more detail about why later on.

After we exited Haunted Mansion, we made our way to one of the rides I was most excited about PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN!!

Oh my gosh, you guys. I dont know how Im ever going to be able to ride WDWs version of Pirates again. I just could not get over how amazing this ride was from the beginning of the boat ride through the Blue Bayou restaurant, the additional scenes, the second drop, the freaking awesome cave work (I seriously spend a large chunk of that first ride through looking above me in awe of how immersive the entire environment was. Completely and utterly in love. Pirates definitely wound up being the ride we went on most throughout the trip, and I think that trend will continue for any additional trips we make to Disneyland in the future.

Continued in Next Chapter


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[disfanTN]

Welcome to the DisBoards and my trip report! How cool that you lived nearby and were able to experience so much of Disneyland's history! What was your favorite "retired" attraction?

Thanks! To this day I feel so lucky for being able to visit so much! There are so many awesome "retired" attractions! I loved the Gummi Bear themed motor boats that used to be near IASW- I think the old loading dock for the attraction is now a smoking area? The Rocket Rods in Tomorrowland were also insanely cool- but it was so rare that they ever worked. You could wait in line forever and just listen to them stop over and over again. I know Disney has to evolve as time does, but you never could beat when Tarzan's Tree House was Swiss Family themed, either.

 

[sophies*mom]

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!