Summertime and Disneyland .Oo-De-Lally!!

[thornton0511]

Summertime and Disneyland….Oo-De-Lally!!

That famous phrase from a Disney classic is not only one that I use on a daily basis (no shame here)but also seemed to fit so perfectly in the title of this trip report. Sorry, where are my manners? Hello to everyone who has seemed to stumble upon my TR and welcome!!
My family and I just returned from our first ever trip to sunny CA and most importantly…..DISNEYLAND! We are usually WDW vacationers but after three trips we finally decided to take the plunge and see what new adventures awaited us at the original Disney park. This will be my 2nd TR here on the disboards but my first Disneyland TR! I would be more than happy to have you follow along in our new adventure to a new land full of memories, mishaps, and most important Disney!!! Oo-De-Lally!!!!
​

 

[thornton0511]

Table of Contents

"The Pre Show"​

About Us​

And So it Begins​

DAY ONE: FRIDAY JUNE 13TH​

California Here We Come!​

LA Car Rentals and the FREEWAY!​

Long Beach California​

Club Level Baby!​

Dinner at the Pier​

DAY TWO: SATURDAY JUNE 14TH​

A Morning Stroll With No Plans​

The End of Route 66 and my Bucket List​

Pacific Park​

The Grove​

Lunch at my Family's Fav​

Hollywood…bum bum bum bum bum bum Hollywood…..​

Getting Back to Long Beach and a Late Dinner​

DAY THREE: SUNDAY JUNE 15TH​

A Moring Drive on the PCH​

Checking in to Hyatt Huntington Beach​

Your Room is Ready and an Almost Repeat of our Last Vacation​

A Search for Sunscreen​

The Beach​

A Relaxing Evening, Dinner, and Aloe Vera​

DAY FOUR: MONDAY JUNE 16TH​

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND….​

Our First Day at Disneyland Pt1​

Our First Day in Disneyland Pt2​

Our First Day in Disneyland Pt3​

Our First Day in Disneyland Pt4​

A Birthday Surprise​

Almost The End of Our First Day's Adventures in Disneyland ​

The End of Our First Day's Adventures in Disneyland ​

DAY5: TUESDAY JUNE 17TH​

A Plethora of Breakfast ​

WIDE RIGHT!!!​

The Longest Version of TSMM Ever​

Fastpasspalooza and Exploring a Challenge Trail​

Killing Time With Some Favorites and Then Fastpass Time Baby!​

Lunch and Downtown Disney​

A Hot Afternoon in Disneyland Pt1​

A Hot Afternoon in Disneyland Pt2​

Dinner at Tortilla Joe's​

Strange Tea Parties, Monsters, and a Zephyr ​

World of Color​

DAY6: WEDNESDAY JUNE 18TH​

A Disneyland Rope Drop​

A Magical Morning in Fantasyland Pt1​

A Magical Morning in Fantasyland Pt2​

Toontown!!!!​

Big Thunder Ranch…..Again​

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New Orleans Square​

Tom Sawyer Island​

Critter Country?​

Getting Distracted ​

An Evening in Disney Pt1​

An Evening in Disney Pt2​

An Evening in Disney Pt3​

DAY7: THURSDAY JUNE 19TH​

Cars Land Rope Drop Pt1​

Cars Land Rope Drop Pt2​

A Nice Surprise and the Boardwalk Pt1​

A Nice Surprise and the Boardwalk Pt2​

An Array of Lunch in DTD​

An Afternoon of Fastpass and a Delicious Surprise ​

Dinner at Naples and Good Greif Get a Room!​

A Very Magical Last Night​

DAY8: FRIDAY JUNE 20TH​

A New Way to Stroll Down Mainstreet USA​

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthough​

Saying Goodbye to Disneyland Park​

Aladdin's Musical Spectacular ​

One Last Meal ​

A Whomp Whomp Whomp Kind of Ending​

Now It's Time to Say Goodbye……..​

THE END​

 

[luulu1999]

Following along!! We have 30 days til our trip so I kill time by reading about other people's trips!!!

 

[Cheshirecatty]

I'm following too!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Well well well, look who's back. I did the same thing in 2012... I had to change it up and see the original.

Looking forward to seeing how it all went Jenn, and probably most importantly, how you possibly got off track or lost in Disneyland Resort. Because I'm confident it happened.

 

[rteetz]

Woo Disneyland! Can't wait to hear about it! Never been but really want to go someday.

 

[thornton0511]

Following along!! We have 30 days til our trip so I kill time by reading about other people's trips!!!

Hi there and WELCOME!! I am more than happy to entertain you until your trip starts! And I know just how long time just drags by right before a trip to Disney starts too...bleh

 

[thornton0511]

I'm following too!

Welcome aboard!! So glad you want to follow along and I hope I can keep things interesting for you

 

[thornton0511]

Well well well, look who's back. I did the same thing in 2012... I had to change it up and see the original.

Looking forward to seeing how it all went Jenn, and probably most importantly, how you possibly got off track or lost in Disneyland Resort. Because I'm confident it happened.

Rob!!! You found me YAY!!!! My oh my what a trip. I cannot wait to tell you all about it lol. I have also got to get over and catch up on yours too!! And hey there buddy I will have you know that since Disneyland is like a quarter of the size of WDW it would have been much harder for me to get off track or lost.....I mean WDW is so big.....it could happen to anyone.....bahahahaha! You are going to laugh when I tell my secret for getting to know Disneyland park before we got there and no it was not just from watching a you tube walkthrough, although I did that too! Really happy to see you here

 

[thornton0511]

Woo Disneyland! Can't wait to hear about it! Never been but really want to go someday.

Well hello there and welcome!!! It was quite the first time experience for us lol! Happy to have you here!!

 

[thornton0511]

About Us
Our Disney family includes 4 people. We are from East Texas, and no we do not ride horseys for transportation, but we do have southern charm and a twang in our accents. We now have three Disney trips under our belt as a family and I took a trip with my family when I was a teenager. We love Disney and it has become our happy place. No other place in the world has ever come close to comparison with Disney standards and we have been fortunate enough to make it our vacation destination every year since 2011. Most people cannot comprehend why we choose to go back so often and what the big deal is with Disney. I know that I do not have to justify that to all of you here on the disboards seeing how we all have this Disney obsession of sorts in common. And that is okay! So I guess now I need to move it right along and get some introductions out of the way. I will start with me.

Hi there! I'm Jenn and I will be the narrator in this story. I am a 33 year old (as of today…yay!) Disney fanatic and the planner in all of our Disney getaways. I have such a wonderful love for Disney that I cannot even begin to explain in words but I am sure that most of you will understand because you have it bad too. I am married to my prince charming (who you will meet next) and in August we will be celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary. He really is my prince charming and the love of my life! I am also a mother to two wonderful children who are my life.

This is my prince charming. He loves going on Disney vacations but is not in love with Disney as I am. He leaves all of the planning to me by choice which is great because I need to have complete control lol. His absolute favorite thing about Disney is the wonderful dining plan, even if it's not the greatest bargain in the world he believes being on it is the best part of a Disney vacation. So for that reason we always have it when we go to WDW…..pick you battles people. It makes him happy so that makes me happy. Obviously we were on no such plan this trip so we had to pay OOP for food and that was not something that he was looking forward to.

Moving on to our eldest child Cory. He is currently 12 years old, but will be turning into a teenager in a short few months, which makes me feel old. I'm not ready to accept being a parent to a teen yet ugh! He has a love of sports and has played city baseball since he was a little boy. Now that he is entering 7th grade this fall he will most likely be adding football, basketball, and track to that which will make me one busy mama! He is also gifted with smart brains (which he obviously got from his daddy) and somehow finds time to be in the GT program in school and managing to keep straight A's. I have noticed over the years that he seems to be falling out of love with Disney which makes me sad but he is a 12 year old boy so I guess that's normal. He still enjoys our trips there he just doesn't seem to have that sparkle in his eyes like he did when he was 9. Makes me sad.

Last but certainly not least is my little Disney companion Sydney. She is now 8 years old and since she has technically been going to Disney since she was 5 that apparently makes her a Disney veteran. This girl loves Disney as much as I do and I really hope that we have some mother/daughter trips to Disney when she is a bit older, especially if the other two get tired of going, because we never will lol! Sydney is to gymnastics like Cory is to sports…she loves going to class. She is also one bright cookie and gets straight A's in school. Besides Disney she also has a love for American Girl and Rainbow Loom, like most girls her age. She is very shy around strangers but when she is in her comfort zone she is a completely different child. She also has a slight issue with being in situations where she does not know what to expect and so for this reason we have to make sure that she knows every single detail about rides and shows before she will agree to do them. Basically she does not respond well to surprises.
So that is just us basically in a nut shell. Just you every day average Disney loving family! I hope you will enjoy our adventures as the story begins next!
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[ElizabethDarling]

Rob!!! You found me YAY!!!! My oh my what a trip. I cannot wait to tell you all about it lol. I have also got to get over and catch up on yours too!! And hey there buddy I will have you know that since Disneyland is like a quarter of the size of WDW it would have been much harder for me to get off track or lost.....I mean WDW is so big.....it could happen to anyone.....bahahahaha! You are going to laugh when I tell my secret for getting to know Disneyland park before we got there and no it was not just from watching a you tube walkthrough, although I did that too! Really happy to see you here

Ahh u understand my dilemma! Were from southern Cali and Disneyland is all we've known! September is our 1st trip to Disneyworld and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the size!.. I think I need to add an extra week! Lol hope you enjoyed Disneyland

 

[thornton0511]

Ahh u understand my dilemma! Were from southern Cali and Disneyland is all we've known! September is our 1st trip to Disneyworld and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the size!.. I think I need to add an extra week! Lol hope you enjoyed Disneyland

LOL don't sweat it you will be fine! You will probably think of WDW like I did of DLR which is everything looks familiar yet bizarre....where am I? Ha! Hey and plus look at the bright side, if you get lost in WDW since its like the size of a small city at least you will still be in the Disney bubble whereas with your home park if you get lost outside the gates of Disney, well Toto were not in Kansas anymore. Seriously though don't worry too much. Rob is just making fun of me because it was kind of my theme in my last TR where I was always lost and taking wrong turns and running late like the white rabbit....which does not happen to normal people. And I am not normal so......

 

[ElizabethDarling]

LOL don't sweat it you will be fine! You will probably think of WDW like I did of DLR which is everything looks familiar yet bizarre....where am I? Ha! Hey and plus look at the bright side, if you get lost in WDW since its like the size of a small city at least you will still be in the Disney bubble whereas with your home park if you get lost outside the gates of Disney, well Toto were not in Kansas anymore. Seriously though don't worry too much. Rob is just making fun of me because it was kind of my theme in my last TR where I was always lost and taking wrong turns and running late like the white rabbit....which does not happen to normal people. And I am not normal so......

Who likes normal anyways?...

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

The fact that you wrote "horseys" just made my day!!!

Since I feel quite familiar with ya'll (see I can talk Texas), and since Sydney got one a while back, I'll just add an only slightly belated...

 

[thornton0511]

Who likes normal anyways?...

exactly

 

[thornton0511]

The fact that you wrote "horseys" just made my day!!!

Since I feel quite familiar with ya'll (see I can talk Texas), and since Sydney got one a while back, I'll just add an only slightly belated...

YAY! A Disney Birthday Button, thank you Rob!!!

Lol I just got an image of you trying to speak Texan and it was quite funny in my head.

I like to say horseys

 

[thornton0511]

And So it Begins

Well before we get to that. Since this post was going to be picture less I thought I would start by introducing everyone to the newest member of our family.

I am pleased to introduce, Captain Jack Sparrow (we are calling him Jack for short). I love him!!! And now this post has a picture so win win!


Alright so where to begin….hmmmmm. Well I guess it all started around the time that we got back from our December trip to WDW. This had been our 3rd annual trip to the world and we had decided to bring the DH parents along with us. It was also our first trip to experience the new magic band technology and also the rollout of FP+. Luckily for us they were also still using legacy FP too. This trip had a lot of new things going on. We had a great time but were not completely sold on the new FP+ and other things, plus we had always played around with the idea of a Disneyland trip. So after a few family discussions we decided that this would be the perfect time to try something new.
So it was decided and a date was set. July. This would also put us there the same week as DL 59th anniversary and I thought that would be kind of a cool thing to experience. I got into planning mode and started my research for this trip. Everything was so different and new. Then frustration started to set in because there just did not seem to be as much info available for planning a trip to DLR like I am used to with WDW. They are different and I got that. WDW is more of a travel resort destination for people to vacation from around the world where as DLR is more of a local scene. But I am the kind of person who wants to know EVERYTHING down to videos and pictures of food. You name it. There were many times when I just wanted to throw my hands up in defeat and retreat back to a WDW vacation like I had done in past years but I stayed determined to take a family trip to Disneyland. Plus at this point I had already purchased 5 day PH to DL so there really was no turning back lol.
Then the time came when we were only a few short months away and WDW was about to release the ever famous free dining…..which we have never been a part of. I brought it up to DH one evening not even for a second seriously considering it….honest. We already had a trip planned and we only take one big trip a year so it was a null point. But still the conversation was started and we both just started a pretend "what if" talk. By the time the conversation was over it was decided that if we could move some things around with DL to make it more cost efficient we could do both and have two medium size trips instead of one big trip. I got back to the drawing boards and we also went ahead and booked a free dining pkg for September. With all of that being said the Disneyland trip had now been moved to June and the goal was to make it way under budget. DL may be smaller than WDW but that does not make a trip there less expensive. This was going to take some major pixie dust.
On top of all of that when we had it scheduled for July I had already made June plans for the kids which included camp for Cory and Swimming Lessons for Sydney. The new trip dates would mean getting Cory a day early from camp and Syd missing her last day of non refundable swim lessons. But DH and I really wanted to go to WDW in the fall so we just bit the bullet to make it work for a June trip. The new dates would be Friday 13th- Friday 20th. Flights were shuffled around and hotel ressies were cancelled and rebooked. We were all set. Now we just had to wait for the start of our trip. Cue the excitement people!
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[dedesmith32]

I'm excited for your TR. I have a 12 year old son and a 9 year old daughter so close to your kids ages! We aren't going to DL until December so I am loving reading all the trip reports until it's our turn! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[petals]

Joining in. Happy birthday.
I completely agree with the not being nearly enough info around on Disneyland. I found that with Paris as well. I need to know what I'm doing every second of the day on vacation and can't plan this trip as much as I want because the info isn't there for me