Third Trip in Three Years - Two BFFs do Disneyland - Updated 07/17/2016

[jammyjam25]

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my very first trip report. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's TR's in the year or so since I've discovered this board and with my third trip with my BFF in three years quickly approaching I thought it was my turn to jump into the fray.

Trip Dates: September 27-October 5, Disney Days are Tuesday the 29th, Thursday the 1st, and Friday October 2, with bonus park time thanks to a MHP on Wednesday September 30!

The players:
Me (Jamie) - Disney nerd who had her love of the park rekindled in May 2012 when I went back for the first time as an adult. Since that trip I've been July 2013, December 2014, and now September 2015. My husband went with me in 2012 but isn't a huge Disney fan....we're now divorced. KID, I KID. So now he stays at home with our big dorky dog while I take my DL trips with someone who will appreciate the experience more. And she is...

Cait - My BFF and Disney partner in crime! You know how you have that one person who you can travel with and doesn't drive you crazy? That's Cait (referred to as "C" from here on out). We just "click" thanks to our very similar touring styles, her willingness to always split a churro or dole whip no matter the time of day, and because she'll happily take selfies with characters with me rather than looking at me like I'm crazy. She's the best.

We've gone to DL together twice already....here's a few photos from our previous adventures:

Oh wait, that's not us! Let's try again...




This coming trip is extra special because not only is it just the two of us for the first time, but we're also staying at a very special place.....




YES!! I've had the pleasure of staying here once before in 2012 but it will be a first for C, and I am SO excited for her to experience all the magic that staying at the DLH brings.

We're staying here because our trip happens to coincide with Gay Days weekend. We were able to snag a room at the great Gay Days rate and will be participating in the festivities Friday. We even got the shirts, aren't they adorable?


(does it look like it says "Bay Days" to anyone else or is that just me...)


The other important thing happening during this trip is a birthday! C's birthday to be specific. I won't tell you how old she's turning but it's a milestone birthday that may or may not rhyme with "dirty". So I've definitely got a surprise or two planned for that as well.

We'll be driving down from the Seattle area (since I am petrified of flying...thankfully C is a road trip warrior like I am) and our itinerary is this:

Sunday September 27: Leave Seattle EARLY (4:00am early) and make our way down to the San Francisco area where we'll be staying the night. Pit stop in S. Oregon for a very special place...The Oregon Vortex! - http://www.oregonvortex.com/

Monday September 28: Be out of SF area by 8 or 9 and head to DLH. Check in and have a casual night of swimming, DTD, and dinner with some very special friends we're meeting up with from Australia.

Tuesday September 29th: Park Day!

Wednesday September 30: MHP night. Plan to wake up early to do the DCA Power Walk and then just enjoy the pool until party time.

Thursday October 1: Park Day!

Friday October 2: Park Day!

Saturday October 3: Check out of the DLH (*sob*) and head home via stops in Las Vegas and Boise!

So that's it, that's the plan! I hope you join in and enjoy seeing our adventures.

Until then, here's a sneak peek at me for the next three weeks while I eagerly count down the days...

​

 

[kaoden39]

Hi! I look forward to reading your planning and then your trip.

 

[jammyjam25]

Hi! I look forward to reading your planning and then your trip.

Hi welcome!

Thank you! The planning is mostly done, it's more of a waiting game at this point. I almost WISH I had more to plan because I feel like the time would go by faster.

 

[kaoden39]

Hi welcome!

Thank you! The planning is mostly done, it's more of a waiting game at this point. I almost WISH I had more to plan because I feel like the time would go by faster.

Our time before our trip seemed to take forever. Now we are out to a week and I feel like this week is going to last forever.

 

[jammyjam25]

ADR's, Halloween Costumes, and....Donuts?

So, a few random things we have planned for our trip.

1) ADRs - We only have one, yes ONE reserved sit down meal this trip. We've done the park enough times together that we're familiar with the food landscape and we're both more than happy with CS and snacks for most meals. However, for C's birthday we are doing Minnie & Friend's breakfast at Plaza Inn our first day in the park. We've done Storyteller's and Ariel's Grotto before but this is the first time at Minnie's for both of us. I imagine it will look something like this:

C: "Oh look, here comes "insert character name here"

Me:

Have I mentioned that I LOVE meeting characters? LOL


2) Halloween Costumes - When we realized that an MHP would happen during our trip, we immediately started costume planning and really, there was only one option...PRINCESSES! C and I both are a little princess obsessed, so we decided to go as sort of Dapper version of our faves:

C will be... Snow White!

And I'll be...Ariel!

We found a *really* great Etsy shop that sells these adorable skirts - https://www.etsy.com/shop/DamselDuds?ref=search_shop_redirect. Here's what the Ariel skirt looks like.


Snow White's is exactly the same but a yellow skirt with a blue sash. We'll be pairing them with white tees, matching petticoats for underneath (red for SW, purple for Ariel), wigs, and themed accessories.


3) Donuts - One of the best things about road tripping for me besides the scenery is getting to enjoy foods that you don't get to at home. In the course of our planning we seemed to keep finding cool donut places so we thought, what the heck, let's make it a point to find a donut place at every planned stop. We even have a very serious grading system in place (think NCAA March Madness Bracket serious ) and at the end of our trip we're going to declare a "Best Donut" of the trip. So who are the contenders you ask?

C will be travelling down from Canada the day before our trip so she'll be bringing along a Canadian delicacy known as Tim Horton's to start our donut contest off.

Donut stop #2 will be in Portland, OR for world-famous Voodoo Doughut! This is a place C and I have visited several times before but we both just love it. The donuts are fun and taste great. The main obstacle here is the line. Hit this place at the wrong time and you're looking at an hour wait...yikes! If only they had a Fastpass.

Donut Stop #3 is Psycho Donuts in the San Jose area! This looks like Voodoo Doughnut's demented cousin and I can't wait to try them. This place is also right down the street from the Winchester Mystery House so we're hoping to catch a peek at that while we're in the area. C and I are both fans of a little show called "Supernatural" so anything with the word "Winchester" in it is hard to resist

Doubt we'll get lucky enough to see anyone this cute on our trip, but you never know!

Donut Stop #4 is The Donut Man in Glendora, CA. We'll be hitting this up on our way out of Anaheim! Sadly I don't think the strawberry donuts will be in season while we're there, but the rest of their stuff looks tasty too!

Stop #5 is going to be Krispy Kreme! They don't have these magical donuts in Canada so C will be experiencing them for the first time.

We have at least one other donut stop we'll need to make somewhere in Utah or Idaho but we haven't gotten that far in finding one yet. If anyone has any favorites in those areas please let me know!

Between all these donut stops and all the treats I plan on indulging in at the Park, it will definitely be diet time when we get back.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Joining in - looks like a fun trip. Plus, you know, donuts!

Oh, and the shirt does look like Bay Days now that you mention it

 

[jammyjam25]

Joining in - looks like a fun trip. Plus, you know, donuts!

Oh, and the shirt does look like Bay Days now that you mention it

Thanks for joining!

 

[jammyjam25]

LINKS
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Part 1 -
Part 2 -
Part 3 -
Part 4 -
Part 5 -
Part 6 -
Part 7 -

 

[Woodskeeper]

Joining in! Looks like we'll be leaving just as you're coming in. We'll do our best to scare any crowds away

Sounds like a fun trip! I love the donut idea--can't wait to see the March Madness Results!

 

[jammyjam25]

Joining in! Looks like we'll be leaving just as you're coming in. We'll do our best to scare any crowds away

Sounds like a fun trip! I love the donut idea--can't wait to see the March Madness Results!

Thanks for joining! And yes, if you wouldn't mind taking those crowds with you when you go.

 

[KittyCate]

I'm joining in! Mostly cause I'm C! And really looking forward to this trip and the great trip report I know JammyJam is going to write up! (And maybe I'll through in a couple points)

 

[jammyjam25]

First stumbling block in our plans....No more bumblebee cupcake??

One of the places we had planned to grab lunch during our trip was Hungry Bear. We've always heard great things about the food and atmosphere, but hadn't managed to make it over there on previous trips.

So this time, we had a plan. Head there for lunch one day to split Big Al's Chicken Salad and a Bumblebee Cupcake. I mean, look at this perfect, adorable little treat.


(thanks www.disneytouristblog.com for the photo)!

But earlier this week, a rumor popped up on the boards saying that yesterday was the last day for the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich at HB. Unfortunately, that turned out to be true, and it was not the only casualty. BOTH the salad AND the bumblebee cupcake that we were planning on inhaling have also disappeared from the online menu as well!

I'll let the following gifs sum up my feelings...

Le sigh.....so I guess we'll be looking at other CS options instead as nothing else on the menu really looks appealing.....and as much as I'm tempted to have funnel cake for lunch, even I have my limits.

 

[jammyjam25]

TWO WEEK UNTIL WE LEAVE!

I feel like I'm sort of vibrating out of my skin at this point, I'm so ready for this vacation! Thankfully, today marks 14 days to go until C and I hit the open road!

One of the things I like to do to get myself ready for a Disney vacation is watch YouTube videos, so here's a couple that I've watched recently to get me in the Disney mood.

1) 90's Disney by Todrick Hall (ft. Shoshana Bean) - This combines two of my very favorite things, 90's R&B and the Disney Renaissance! What's not to love?

2) Frozen Medley by Pentatonix - This is 3/5ths of the acapella group Pentatonix just goofing around singing Frozen in their living room. It never fails to make me laugh!

That's about it for now! No real updates on the planning front as our trip is pretty much set.

 

[jammyjam25]

We're heading out in less than 5 days! Nothing much new to report other than we changed our hotel reservation for Sunday night. Now instead of staying Northeast of San Francisco, we're staying south of the city to help us get a little better jump on the drive to Anaheim the following morning.

The next four days will basically look like this...

 

[jammyjam25]

Sooooo I meant to get to this like MONTHS ago but working FT, going to school FT, family, etc. get in the way and before you know it it's been nine months since your last DL trip and only three months until your NEXT DL trip and your poor trip report is sitting here all sad and neglected. So let's get going, shall we?

DAY 1:

C and I left Seattle bright and early and hit the road. Seattle to Anaheim is roughly 19 hours and we planned to split it up into two days.



Ready to hit the road!


Our first stop was Portland for breakfast. We ended up with four donuts to try. Peach Fritter, Blueberry Cake, Grape Ape, and Maple. They were all delicious!


Heimlich checking out the view in Southern Oregon somewhere before we reached our next destination. The Mystery Spot/Oregon Vortex! This is one of those tourist trap places but being fans of Supernatural we couldn't resist (this Mystery Spot features heavily in an episode).




The Mystery Spot/Oregon Vortex took us approximately an hour with the free tour. It was fun but at this point we were hungry and ready to get back on the road. Our destination for the night was still several hours away!


We finally got into San Francisco right around sunset (7:00ish? if I can recall correctly). We were meeting a friend of mine who lived in town for dinner.




We ended up at the "Wipe Out Bar & Grill" on Pier 39. Here's C very happy to be out of the car and with a drink in her hand. I had a teriyaki chicken bowl that was amazing!



Churro fudge! Wouldn't mind seeing this in one of the treat shops in DL!



We ended our evening watching the Sea Lions for a good 45 minutes. They were SO loud and they kept barking and snoring and every once in a while one would jump off one dock and leap onto another. It was pretty neat!

After that we drove about 30 minutes south to Santa Clara and finally found our hotel. It was probably about 11:00pm by that time and we were wiped after being up since 4:00am! We hit our beds, ready for another early morning for driving day 2.

 

[kaoden39]

Yay! Love the update!

 

[jammyjam25]

Before I start Day 2 I just want to say a quick HAPPY 61st BIRTHDAY TO DISNEYLAND!

Okay, onward...

Day 2:

C and I were up bright and early for day 2 of driving. We stayed for the night in Santa Clara so we had about six hours of driving on our schedule for the day.

Our first stop of the day was for, you guessed it, more donuts! This time we stopped at "Psycho Donuts" in Santa Clara.





If I remember correctly the flavors we got were Key Lime, Red Velvet, "Cookie Monster" which was Oreo w/ blue icing, and then a standard sprinkle donut.

Driving through Central California was uneventful and we made our second stop of the day just before hitting the mountain pass and making our way through the valley. This stop had been eagerly anticipated because both of us were hungry and ready for a California tradition. In N' Out!


Seriously, who can resist this burger? SO GOOD.

After stuffing our faces we hit the road for the last hour or two of our drive. We were eager to get to our home for the next week but first we had to make a stop in LA to pick up some very special guests for this trip. A friend of ours was visiting LA with her daughter all the way from Perth, Australia! We hadn't seen our friend in person since 2010 so we were very excited to get to spend some time with her and her daughter. They had already been in LA for a couple of days and we were picking them up from their hotel. The plan was for them to hang out with us at the Disneyland Hotel that evening and have dinner with us!

After picking them up and taking in some sights of Hollywood Blvd (from the car, haha) we were back on the freeway and before we knew it we were pulling in at the Disneyland Hotel around 3pm! AHHHHH!!!

We were staying in room 2061 in the Adventure Tower and it was a great room. Check out the view!


I had stayed at the hotel before but C and our friends had never been so we spent a little while ooh'ing and ahh'ing over the headboard and just enjoying the beautiful room before heading down for some much needed post-driving pool time.


What's some time at the pool without a drink or two?

We had a blast at the pool, especially our friend's daughter. It wasn't too crowded so were able to go on the water slides over and over again with hardly any wait! After a couple of drinks, lots of splashing, and lots of fun, we had to go get ready for dinner. C thought we were heading to Downtown Disney but I had secretly made reservations somewhere else....


All dressed up and ready for dinner!


Surprise! Dinner with our pal Goofy! Since our friends were sadly leaving the next morning and wouldn't actually be visiting Disneyland itself during their time in LA, I figured this would be a great way for them to get a taste of the Disney magic. After getting checked in and getting our picture with Goofy we were seated and quickly meeting characters.



Dinner was a blast. We met all the characters walking through (Mickey, Pluto, Chip, Dale, and Goofy) and everyone enjoyed their food. Minnie took a real shine to our friends' daughter after she found out that her name is Mickey! She kept making heart symbols at her and pulled her out to dance, it was REALLY cute!

We had some time after dinner so we went walking through DTD to go check out World of Disney, Marceline's and also took the time to pop into the Grand and I'm so glad we did because this bad boy was hanging out in the lobby!



After walking around it was about 9PM and our friends sadly had to go back to their hotel as they had an early morning. We saw them off with lots of hugs and then C and I were back to our room because we had an early morning as well, our first day in Disneyland!

 

[jammyjam25]

Day 3

Tuesday was our first day in the park and we were up bright and early and ready for our big day. EMH started at 8am I think we were walking through DTD by about 6:45am, we just couldn't wait any longer!


Good morning!

After a stop at Starbucks for breakfast we were in line with a few other early birds waiting for the security line to open. I think by about 7:30 security opened and we were quickly through and were the first people in line at our gate.

I love being early to the gate because they pre-scan your tickets, take your photo, etc. so when they open the gates we were off! They let us through about 10-15 minutes before EMH so I knew we would be held up at the end of Main Street and have a second "rope drop". Nevertheless C and I were let through and as we came through the right-hand tunnel we had somehow managed to be the FIRST people on Main Street that morning!

C and I were practically skipping down Main Street hand in hand we were so excited to be the first ones, LOL. We made it up to the end of the road and sure enough, were met by a rope and a lovely security guard or two. I managed to snap this picture while we were waiting.



I love seeing the park when it's empty like this! At 8am on the dot we were allowed through and C and I had a very popular destination in mind for our first ride, Peter Pan!

side rant: Can I just say that I HATE how people literally RUN to rides at rope drop? I can't tell you how many parents I saw DRAGGING their children while they ran at a full sprint past the people who were ahead of them in line at rope drop. I just think it's kind of rude, idk.

Even despite all the runners, C and I were able to get to Peter Pan at a brisk walk and get on the ride with only about a 10 minute wait. After that we did Alice, the Matterhorn, Dumbo, Mr. Toad, and I believe Snow White. Definitely a successful Extra Magic Hour!

After EMH we quickly crossed over to Adventureland to do my favorite ride in the park, Jungle Cruise! I believe we were able to squeeze in a ride on Indiana Jones and maybe Pirates as well and then we were off to our second character breakfast in as many days at the Plaza Inn for breakfast with Minnie!



I don't know if it's because we had a later seating or if it was because we kind of got stuck in a corner at a small table, but this breakfast was just okay for us. Pooh, Tigger, Chip and Dale came by our section several times but none of the other characters made it to us. We saw Fairy Godmother leaving our section right as we were sat and she never made it back, and we saw Captain Hook outside at tables but he never made it inside. However, the food was good and the Plaza Inn was lovely (it was our first time ever eating here) but we didn't quite have the experience we were hoping. Still a lot of fun though!

After our late breakfast we headed into Tomorrowland since we were right there and we rode the Astro Orbiter, Buzz, and Autopia before crossing back across the park.


Taking selfies while on rides is probably not the smartest, but here I am from the Astro Orbiter! Wheee!

It was getting hot out so we stopped for a snack.



Mmmm Dole Whip! This wouldn't be the last of these I'd have over the next few days. After our Dole Whips we were off to one of my favorite rides. Haunted Mansion Holiday! Nightmare Before Christmas is a beautiful movie so I love seeing the overlay on the ride.


Hi Jack!

I don't have many pictures from the rest of the afternoon but I do know we ended up in Toontown at some point because while were on Roger Rabbit it shut down and we had to be walked off! A first for us at Disneyland! I may have got (nicely) yelled at by a CM for taking this picture while the lights were on....I probably shouldn't be posting it either but OOPS here it is.



After our adventure in Toontown we headed back to Main Street where we had some very exciting evening plans in store....Paint the Night!!

Knowing seats to PTN were a hot ticket I want to say we got to Main Street about an hour and a half before show time. We got curbside seats (whoo!) and then had a snack while we waited.


We enjoyed our ice cream and relaxed while the sun went down and we waited for PTN to begin. And this is where rant number 2 begins...

C and I (and many, many others) showed up early to get seats on the curb for the parade. Literally about two minutes before the parade came down main street (they had already made the announcement the parade had started and we could see/hear it coming down from IASW) an older lady appeared out of nowhere (she was not behind us in the hour + that we were waiting so she must have squeezed her way forward) and asked if her granddaughter could sit on the curb. The granddaughter was approximately 2 years old. I was mildly annoyed but there was a little bit of room so I scooted closer to C to make room for the kiddo thinking the grandma would be standing/sitting behind her. No, grandma takes grandbaby into her arms and proceeds to sit down halfway on TOP OF ME and squeeze her way onto the curb. I'm sorry, but this is incredibly rude. She didn't apologize and completely ignored my "really??" of disbelief and acted like she had been there all along. WHY ARE PEOPLE SO RUDE AND ENTITLED. I'm sorry but this is a very popular parade. If you wanted a curb seat you should have shown up earlier and found a spot, not SAT on a fellow guest as the parade was starting.

After that bit of unpleasantness I decided it wasn't worth being cranky over and having my night ruined and instead focused on the incredible parade heading our way!




Paint the Night is truly incredible. The sounds, the music, the lights are all so fun and it's really an amazing way to cap off a day at DL. After PTN we immediately made our way into the middle of Main Street and enjoyed the Disneyland Forever fireworks. Again, this show is just incredible! I'm pretty sure I cried through about half of it.

After the fireworks the park was closing so we made our way out, stopped for a quick nightcap at House of Blues, and then were off to bed after a successful day 1!

Up next, a pool/MHP day!

 

[bcwife76]

Joining in!!! We were at Disneyland the same week you were - we took the Disney Wonder down from Vancouver to San Diego then drove up so we were at the parks Thursday Oct 1st through Sat Oct 3! And we're from Canada so HI to "C", a fellow Canuck ;-)

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[jammyjam25]

Joining in!!! We were at Disneyland the same week you were - we took the Disney Wonder down from Vancouver to San Diego then drove up so we were at the parks Thursday Oct 1st through Sat Oct 3! And we're from Canada so HI to "C", a fellow Canuck ;-)

Can't wait to read more!!

Hi, welcome! Hope you had a wonderful time on your trip as well. I would LOVE to do that Disney Wonder cruise from Vancouver someday!