Sydney to Disney... February 2017 TR! Updated 4th of March!

[kaitmaree]

Hi everyone! Full disclosure: I'm a little clueless when it comes to figuring out how to format things so this'll be a learning curve as I try to tell you all about my adventures!

My name is Kait. My favourite Disney films are Mulan, Pocahontas, The Aristocats, Frozen, Inside Out, Moana and a whole bunch more.



I'll be travelling with my mother, E. She's not a huge Disney fan like me but she loves a lot of the films and is always up for a good time.

We'll be meeting up with my friends of four years S, who's an LA native, and L who is flying in from Philly. S + L have been to Disneyland a ton but my mother has only been once, back in 1991 when she was pregnant with my sister! So she missed out on a whole bunch of rides and the park has no doubt changed a lot since.

I have been to Disneyland Paris but wasn't with huge Disney fans so we skipped a lot... this is my chance to make up for that!

We'll be flying in from Sydney on the 11th and staying at an Airbnb in Anaheim. Our Disney days are the 12th and the 13th and then we're off to LA where we'll be ending our trip with a visit to The Magic Castle before flying home on the 19th. It's going to be whirlwind but we intend to make the most of it.

Today is 5 days 'til take off and I can't wait!

 

[AusAnnie]

Looking forward to reading about your trip!! You must be so excited.

 

[kaitmaree]

Looking forward to reading about your trip!! You must be so excited.

SO excited! Thank you, AusAnnie! Your profile pic is so sweet.

 

[kaitmaree]

Okay, WOW. FINALLY BACK. Two delightful days at Disneyland and DCA and then the rest spent in LA. Squeezed so much in but still not enough. TR will follow once I figure out the best way to format pics.

 

[Our Aussie six]

Welcome back, I can't wait to hear about your trip. We are flying from Australia in nov and are also staying at the Magic castle hotel for our LA portion of our trip, so I am looking forward to hearing what you thought.

 

[kaitmaree]

Welcome back, I can't wait to hear about your trip. We are flying from Australia in nov and are also staying at the Magic castle hotel for our LA portion of our trip, so I am looking forward to hearing what you thought.

Life has been crazy but a TR is coming. We didn't stay at the hotel but we did attend the Magic Castle and it was incredible. I've only heard good things about the hotel, though, especially if you're travelling with family!

 

[kaitmaree]

OKAY, SO, going to be honest, I did not take many notes so most of this is coming from memory and my memory is unreliable at best. I'll also be honest and say that our trip wasn't perfect. Not because of anything Disney did or didn't do, but because of a lack of planning on my part. I really should have gone for three days instead. Next time I will. But I still had an amazing time.

On February 12th and 13th we had park hoppers for DLR and DCA and the weather could NOT have been more perfect. It was sunny but far from hot. It was just beautiful. We slept in later than we should (blame flying 14 hours the day before!) and didn't get to DLR until about 10 but the queues were short.



I, of course, went to City Hall and got my first visit badge!



We then went to Starbucks – my first time in the US – and I was amazed and amused that they got my name right. Nobody in my own country gets my name right and both times I went to Starbucks in California they did. Once we'd refuelled we settled on our first ride which would become my favourite, Haunted Mansion.

OH MY DEAR, THIS RIDE. The theming is out of the world and the music. I keep saying I wish I'd just ridden HM all day but of course, there were other things to be seen. We were with friends who were locals so they told us to pick what we wanted to do and we really had no idea. We browsed a lot, I got my ears and before we knew it, it was time for lunch at Café Orleans which was incredible. The only thing I'll say is that the pomegranate lemonade was a little too sweet. It needed a squeeze of lime but it was still really tasty. As we left, we saw a jazz band and stopped to watch and listen. They were great!







About now I started panicking because it was noon-ish and we'd only done one ride. This will be an ongoing theme on this trip: we didn't ride enough rides. Lesson learned for next time!

But our next ride was Star Tours and I loved it! The highlight was a cute little kid down front who kept saying hello to Yoda. And again, the theming at Disney is second to none. It's consistent and creative and keeps you from realising just how long you're in line.



Up next, some cats and some beloved Disney character encounters.

 

[kaitmaree]

Oh boy. My images aren't working. Going to have to fiddle around a bit.

ETA: DONE.

 

[kaitmaree]

After Star Tours we grabbed some late night FPs for Hyperspace Mountain and decided to venture over to California Adventure. It was here that we met our first character... Pluto! He was super sweet and patient and a great first impression of the characters Disney has wandering around.



Right across from Pluto, we spotted a Disney cat! We were so excited as we are volunteers for our local animal welfare league and foster lots and lots of cats. The next day we saw the very same cat and in the very same spot. My mother posted a picture on FB and guess what? Her friend shared HER picture from 3 months ago of the same cat. In the same spot. Talk about creatures of habit...



We then bumped into Dale playing charades! I guessed Aladdin right... but just a second after another guest, so I didn't expect to have won a picture. Dale decided to do some Disney magic and came and gave me a cuddle anyway. What a sweetheart.



I'm getting confused about the order, now, but I'm pretty sure this is when we did The Little Mermaid ride. What a beautiful ride! I love how the cars spin so you don't miss a moment.

We then wandered into Cars Land (for food!) to see all guests avoiding a spot on the path. Why? Well, some more Disney magic of course!



Wandering further into Cars Land we knew we had come at the perfect time of day. Look how beautiful!



I got a mac and cheese cone from the Cozy Cone Motel as it was on my bucket list and my goodness was it good. I also got a frozen lemonade which was quickly becoming one of my favourite things about the USA. Nobody else wanted anything from Cars Land for dinner so we headed back towards the front of the park and took a little brain break in the Animation Building. Oh my! This might be my favourite place in all of Disneyland Resort. It's so cool and comfortable and a nice reminder of why we've all come so far to see these characters and ride these rides. I cried through some of the videos, no lie.



Everyone else still wanted food so we headed to Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill while we waited for WoC. I didn't eat any of the food but everyone seemed to like it. While I was there I met a lovely woman named Christy (I don't know if she Disboards) and her son and husband and we talked for a while. It was so nice to hear from annual passholders what they thought of the place.

We then wandered over to the pier and of course, due to my terrible planning, didn't have great spots for WoC. But we still heard and saw it all and it was beautiful. I'm so glad I saw it. Later, you'll see why I wish we'd seen it the next night (clue: more poor planning.)



It was time to hop on Hyperspace Mountain so we headed back into Disneyland and past the parade. I started getting nervous. I don't know why! But my friends promised I'd be fine and have a blast and I knew I couldn't come back from DLR without having ridden Space Mountain... or maybe I should have.



Yeah, I didn't like it. I'M SORRY. But dark and fast? I should have known! I kept thinking I was slipping out of my seat even though I know rationally I was well secured in. I cried when I got off. But everyone else had a good time, and it's a good story to tell.

We were going to try to go on Indiana Jones but everyone was pretty spent so went on Astro Blasters instead. It was fun! Much better than Hyperspace Space Mountain. It did break down briefly but I am glad it was that ride and not the former.

We wanted to stay longer but after a whole day of travel and then a whole day of exploring, we were spent. So we said good night to Mickey, Walt and the Castle and wandered back to our Airbnb for another night of sleep.



Up next: DCA then Disneyland and more of my poor planning.

 

[kaitmaree]

Hey, everyone. I don't think many people are reading this BUT after a really bad week with family matters I'm going to try to get a new update up soon. What I REALLY wanted to talk about is the fact that I am ALREADY planning to go back to DLR – in October. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK and do all the things I didn't get to do now that I know better.

 

[kaitmaree]

We started our second day (Monday) in DCA and I loved seeing it in the morning light! We got a glimpse of the Red Car Trolley Newsboys and – can you believe it?!– our first glance of Mickey since we'd arrived! We grabbed some fastpasses for Soarin' and then started to explore.





Our first ride of the day was Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! and it was so much fun. One of my favourite parts was all of the excited children in the line... but once we were in our little taxis I felt like a child myself! Monsters Inc will always be one of my favourite movies, animated or otherwise.



We were hungry by now! We decided to dine at Flo's and I got a kid's meal... and a vodka and pomegranate limeade from the Cozy Cone Motel. One of the best parts of DCA!



After lunch we went through Bug's Land. I wish we'd spent a little longer here because wow, the detail was amazing! So many good rides for the little ones, too.






Up next, Disney feels, more rides and a very special meet and greet...

 

[kaitmaree]

More exploring throughout DCA brought me to this statue. It made me cry. There's so much history in this place, it's amazing.



We then made our way closer to Soarin' because it was almost time for our fastpasses to be used! I was a little nervous for this one after my experience on Space Mountain because of going up high but I needn't have worried. It was incredible. Absolutely breathtaking. Easily one of my favourite rides and one of my favourite places in DCA and Disney. Again, so much history...





Pardon the tourist neck pouch... we were also well overdue for a selfie!



We decided we wanted to take a little rest and made our way to Animation Building. We took a chance and asked about the Anna & Elsa meet and greet... and the castmember said there was a 10-15 wait(!!!) We raced to get in line and I started to get quite emotional. Frozen means a lot to me as a sufferer of anxiety and depression. I think the picture the PhotoPass photographer got captured how much this moment meant to me.





We then hopped in line for the Animator's Studio. The studio itself is amazing and filled with so many stuffed toys that I wish were available to buy! We drew Minnie from way back when she was still wearing her teapot hat. I won't be sharing mine because it was terrible, but it was a lot of fun. I loved the artwork as we waited in line, too. Mulan is one of my heroes and she looks so powerful here.



Up next... saying good bye to a magical place and on to LA.*

*Do people want to hear/see a bit of the LA trip?

 

[Jaina]

I have enjoyed the Disney portion of your trip! It is always fun to see how people tour differently! My family growing up was all about the rides, and though with our own little family we moake a little more space for shows and characters, we still usually make it on like 12-15 rides in a day!

 

[kaitmaree]

Thank you Jaina! I hope to finish this TR, it's just been a crazy few weeks with my grandmother unfortunately passing away.

12-15 rides is amazing! Now I've seen the park and know where everything is I think my strategy will be much better.