Al's Jasmine
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2004
Starring the dyanmic duo of:
Albert (the Mallard duck..more on this to come) Do - 20something
and
Rila (the princess) Trinidad - Do - 20something
A Milestone was had this trip around and we would like to thank our APs for that. This was the first time we stayed on site at Disneyland Hotel, and it was extremely magical.
Butt-Crack morning of Thurdsay approx. 3:00 AM (yes AM), we leave the Bay Area for Anaheim. We usually try to beat or meet what our driving record has been to get there and we will settle for no more than a 6 hour drive. I barely get the eye gunk off the corners of my eyes and I'm already thinking of the first things I want to do when I get there (I want to take picutres of our room, I want a mickey head ice cream bar etc). We tried to beat LA morning traffic but just barely made it. Cars were already joining the masses. Traffic wasn't too bad and we arrived in front of DLH by 10am (not bad).
The moment we drove up we had the valet boy direct us and help us with our luggage. We decide to get the car valet, as we thought this was the only thing we could do. Little did we know we could've parked our own car and saved ourselves 12.00 A DAY just for getting it valeted. So a quick tip: Valet is NOT included in the resort fee. You still get the resort fee tacked on the bill, but the valet is 12 bucks on TOP of that. Don't get confused like us!
Other than that..we Checked in right away. Yes at 10am, and guess what. Our room was ready!! We were in the Marina Tower on the 5th floor with the view of the Neverland Pool. LOVE LOVE LOVE our room!
It was huge just for us two and everything was Disney-ed out! We wanted to hit the parks but remember...3am departure for a 7 hour drive means we woke up at 2am (after having slept at 10pm the night before) = no sleep me need nap. Al was snoring already before I could decide this..
We woke up with a hunger but more so a hunger for a ride or two. We hopped on the Monorail (which is so convienient) and began day 1 of Disneyland getaway. It wasn't too busy so we made a bee-line for Fantasyland since that is what I have deemed "Stroller Hell" . It's still early so rides like Peter Pan aren't nuts. Peter Pan always seems to get us into the mood instantly. Haunted Mansion and Small World were closed for holiday take-down. (darn)
Fast foward a few rides thrown in and casual browsing around shops later...we decide to take a slow walk through DTD. We wanted to have a nice night out so we brought some snazzy clothes to wear and planned on having a dinner at Catals and some drinks. Catal is the indoor restaurant near Uva Bar and is very much so SIT DOWN. I guess being who we are..we were feeling a little..how you say..SEE AND BE SEEN mood. We chose UVA bar and sat outside. They have Heat lamps so it wasn't very chilly. The drink menu was pretty good and they served Tapas (appetizer or SMALL PLATES) and other foods. Its a good place to meet with a group (of grown ups of course) and have a beer or cosmo and chit chat. House of blues was having an event every night we were there. Its a good place to hang if you like that semi-club scene and want to hear a band or dance. Don't be afraid to bring nice clothes along and dress up. Its fun just to be dressed up walking around
We were a little tipsy when we got back to our room and we knocked out pretty quickly..our 1st day was mostly travel time plus power nap times and a lot of just getting ready...
*oh yeah. You know there are a a few (is this an understatement) ducks in DL just making a home of it. I learned awhile ago that Ducks, penguins and geese actually Mate for life. AKA they are monogamous. Amazing right (probably not). Anyway..I told my husband this very useless information and called him my Duck..his response? Quack..So now..I say "Baby, you are my Duck..and he says "Quack". LOL Okay that was pointless and very unnecessary story to tell..*
Tips to know from this day:
Valet is extra on top of every other fee and/or tax that is put on your bill. If you want to save 12 bucks a day, park your own car. (sheesh)
If you call DLH to book hotel make sure you mention you are a AP holder, AAA member, etc. I paid $99 for one night and $119 for the weekend nights. You look at the regular rack rates for this month and tell me how much I saved. Off Season is awesome and so is being a member or cardholder for something..
Don't forget the privacy sign outside the door if you plan on doing private things in the room. You don't want house keeping to halfway accidentally come in!!! (oops)
To Be Cont'd...
Albert (the Mallard duck..more on this to come) Do - 20something
and
Rila (the princess) Trinidad - Do - 20something
A Milestone was had this trip around and we would like to thank our APs for that. This was the first time we stayed on site at Disneyland Hotel, and it was extremely magical.
Butt-Crack morning of Thurdsay approx. 3:00 AM (yes AM), we leave the Bay Area for Anaheim. We usually try to beat or meet what our driving record has been to get there and we will settle for no more than a 6 hour drive. I barely get the eye gunk off the corners of my eyes and I'm already thinking of the first things I want to do when I get there (I want to take picutres of our room, I want a mickey head ice cream bar etc). We tried to beat LA morning traffic but just barely made it. Cars were already joining the masses. Traffic wasn't too bad and we arrived in front of DLH by 10am (not bad).
The moment we drove up we had the valet boy direct us and help us with our luggage. We decide to get the car valet, as we thought this was the only thing we could do. Little did we know we could've parked our own car and saved ourselves 12.00 A DAY just for getting it valeted. So a quick tip: Valet is NOT included in the resort fee. You still get the resort fee tacked on the bill, but the valet is 12 bucks on TOP of that. Don't get confused like us!
Other than that..we Checked in right away. Yes at 10am, and guess what. Our room was ready!! We were in the Marina Tower on the 5th floor with the view of the Neverland Pool. LOVE LOVE LOVE our room!
It was huge just for us two and everything was Disney-ed out! We wanted to hit the parks but remember...3am departure for a 7 hour drive means we woke up at 2am (after having slept at 10pm the night before) = no sleep me need nap. Al was snoring already before I could decide this..We woke up with a hunger but more so a hunger for a ride or two. We hopped on the Monorail (which is so convienient) and began day 1 of Disneyland getaway. It wasn't too busy so we made a bee-line for Fantasyland since that is what I have deemed "Stroller Hell" . It's still early so rides like Peter Pan aren't nuts. Peter Pan always seems to get us into the mood instantly. Haunted Mansion and Small World were closed for holiday take-down. (darn)
Fast foward a few rides thrown in and casual browsing around shops later...we decide to take a slow walk through DTD. We wanted to have a nice night out so we brought some snazzy clothes to wear and planned on having a dinner at Catals and some drinks. Catal is the indoor restaurant near Uva Bar and is very much so SIT DOWN. I guess being who we are..we were feeling a little..how you say..SEE AND BE SEEN mood. We chose UVA bar and sat outside. They have Heat lamps so it wasn't very chilly. The drink menu was pretty good and they served Tapas (appetizer or SMALL PLATES) and other foods. Its a good place to meet with a group (of grown ups of course) and have a beer or cosmo and chit chat. House of blues was having an event every night we were there. Its a good place to hang if you like that semi-club scene and want to hear a band or dance. Don't be afraid to bring nice clothes along and dress up. Its fun just to be dressed up walking around
We were a little tipsy when we got back to our room and we knocked out pretty quickly..our 1st day was mostly travel time plus power nap times and a lot of just getting ready...
*oh yeah. You know there are a a few (is this an understatement) ducks in DL just making a home of it. I learned awhile ago that Ducks, penguins and geese actually Mate for life. AKA they are monogamous. Amazing right (probably not). Anyway..I told my husband this very useless information and called him my Duck..his response? Quack..So now..I say "Baby, you are my Duck..and he says "Quack". LOL Okay that was pointless and very unnecessary story to tell..*
Tips to know from this day:
Valet is extra on top of every other fee and/or tax that is put on your bill. If you want to save 12 bucks a day, park your own car. (sheesh)
If you call DLH to book hotel make sure you mention you are a AP holder, AAA member, etc. I paid $99 for one night and $119 for the weekend nights. You look at the regular rack rates for this month and tell me how much I saved. Off Season is awesome and so is being a member or cardholder for something..
Don't forget the privacy sign outside the door if you plan on doing private things in the room. You don't want house keeping to halfway accidentally come in!!! (oops)
To Be Cont'd...
! We've eaten at Catal before and prefered the UVA bar ourselves. 
when fellow DISers share! 
Your fellow bay area gal,
