Jenn1116
<font color=coral>My goal in life is to visit DLP<
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2007
My two girlfriends and I took our 4 year olds to Disneyland over Presidents day weekend.
The Hotel: La Quinta
Over the course of our stay I found the hotel to be decent but I cant give it thumbs up.
We were planning to go with Motel 6 to save money but found a deal and thought staying somewhere with a continental breakfast would be a good idea. Of four days we only ate their breakfast once (the kids ate there a second time on departure day). The food was not great. The fruit might have been sliced peaches or pears (
or something?)
on ice. Biscuits and gravy
Stay Away!!! Even the coffee could not be saved with non-dairy creamer and sugar. I probably should have gone with the cereal. As far as service went, the ladies at the front desk were nice, so were maintenance as they let us in to the heated pool when our key did not work so we did not have to go all the down to the office. Unfortunately I had to request extra towels for our room three times before housekeeping actually left enough towels for all six of us, just in time for our last day!
For those interested, the hotel is enclosed. You have to use a room key to enter using the stairs or elevator. On the bright side, the rooms were very clean. I dont recommend sleeping on the pull-out couch but I volunteered so I cant complain. The beds seemed surprisingly comfy. We were in a deluxe with two queens in the room as you enter then a small table, two chairs, couch and coffee table in a small room with a sliding door beyond that. There were two TVs, microwave and mini fridge. The sink was on the counter in the main room (weird). The closet was kind of small and the room with the couch had the only drawers (3).
Oh! And the vending machine down the hall was not plugged in and I could not satisfy my chocolate craving.
Its about two and a half blocks from the park so we used the shuttle. Our drivers were great, except one. The not-so-great-one took a speed bump pretty hard and almost bounced us out of our seats. We walked back to the hotel once for an afternoon rest and it was not an easy walk for three out-of-shape grown ups and three tired children.
Disneyland:
I drove like the wind early Friday morning.
We arrived Friday afternoon and it was already incredible crowded. However, we spent an hour or two on the island and got great pictures with Jack (sigh). Another pirate played tag with the girls while we waited in line! We also went on POTC and HM. Even though it was very crowded we only waited 15 min for POTC and maybe 20 for HM. The kids also got to climb in the treehouse. We went to Blue Bayou for dinner and the service was great! But for someone on a tight budget I have to say it was not worth it. Im sorry to say it too because Ive wanted to eat there for years! I would have much rather spent that money on lunch or dinner with the princesses at Ariels Grotto. The menu was shockingly short and I still cant believe I spent $8 for a crustable.
For those of you who frequent BB, Im not trying to say that it was no good. If I had the money to blow, I would eat there again. But since I dont Id rather spend my money elsewhere.
After dinner the others went back to the hotel and I took my DD on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was her first rollercoaster ever. She wasnt scared at all until we got going. She clung to me like super glue. Then we got off, I asked if she was ok and if she liked it and she said she liked it!
Day two was Saturday. We arrived early for MM. There werent any characters behind the gates before opening as Ive seen in the past. Our first destination: Nemos Submarine. We were just a few people back from the front of the gate but once in people were flooding around us, and they made everyone go all the way around the Matterhorn. In my infinite wisdom, I wore flip flops and got shin splints
. But we made it and the longest part of the wait was winding our way through all the ropes. We all really enjoyed the ride but I agree with previous posters that I would not wait 3 hours for it.
Next we hit SM and walked on. DD started to protest but I told her to hurry up so we could catch up with our friends. She didnt have time to back out.
If she had, it really would have been no problem to wait and go after our friends. She actually did ok, holding on to me all the while. But she didnt want to go on many other rides after that. We also got in Buzzs Astro Blaster ride and Star Tours with just a few minutes wait.
By 10am we were in line for the Princess Fantasy Faire. The CM at the front was very nice and let the girls wear her hat. Cinderella spent ages talking with DD and DD had no problem chatting up a storm with her. They also saw Pochohontas and Sleeping Beauty. We also got some great pictures in the stage area after Snow White finished her story-telling. Then we walked DTD and took the girls to Build-a-Bear, where we waited in line forever!!
DD had gift certificates left over from her birthday so I used those to pay for the bear and outfit, otherwise I would not have taken her at all.
We came back in the evening and hit Fantasyland. Dinner at the Village House was pretty good. It was a lot of food and worth the price of eating in the park. Plus, we ate so late (after 7) that it was not crowded at all and we didnt have to wait in line. We took the girls on Autotopia and only had to wait about 20 minutes w/o FPs. Then we caught the fireworks over behind the Matterhorn. It wasnt crowded at all and we could see almost everything, although we had to look back and forth between the castle and the back of the park because the fireworks are at the back and the pyrotechnics are at the castle.
Sunday we did Minnie and Friends breakfast. The food was great, just as I remembered from last time. And we got a lot of pictures with Minnie and many other characters (Chip, Tigger, Cinderellas Fairy Godmother, Eyeor, Pooh) Then we all had our faces painted at the booth on the far side of Nemo. It was very expensive and I probably wont do it again but it was a lot of fun.
Then we headed over to DCA for the day. Phew we didnt even have time for a break!! We caught Mr. and Mrs. Incredible just before they went on break and were next in line for Snow White when Dopey joined her so we got really good pics with them. We got in line early for the Aladin show and good thing. Even though we had to wait a while we got really good seats and the show was FANTASTIC! Amazing thumbs up. It was so very entertaining so if you havent seen it its a must see!!!
After the show we got ice cream for the girls and FP for Screamin. We hit the side with the Sun Wheel (which was terrifying by the way. Ok, Im a big chicken sometimes. We got in the one that does not swing. I just have a huge problem with heights especially because you arent strapped in on that ride.
But I survived and will avoid it in the future.
Sorry for the tangent
) Anyway, we stayed for DELP. Us moms picked up yummy margaritas on the way to find a good spot. Then we went back to the hotel after. We were all exhausted especially since we didnt get a break that day.
Monday was a little easier. We went to TTMM and took our time, but we made sure to get in line for Mickey early. I have to say I was VERY disappointed that they did not have a photog for Mickey that early. I guess they arrive at 10am?
Soooo irritating. The girls had fun playing especially at Goofys House. Next, we headed for Critter Country and on our way over we caught Mary Poppins performing with Bert and band in front of the castle. She chose my DD and some other kids to come up with her and dance. I was sooooooooo excited and got a lot of pictures but I also felt bad because my friends daughter were not chosen and it was a little hard on them. When that was over we went on Poohs ride very cute! And got more pics with Pooh. Splash Mtn was down 
so we didnt get a chance to ride on it. We ate lunch at that tiny outdoor café on MS. I have no idea what it was called. We all crashed hard back at the hotel. One of my friends and her daughter fell asleep and didnt get up til morning.
My other friend and I took our girls swimming and then headed back to the park at about 6:30. We ate at the French Market in NO. Yummy food!!! Then we caught the fireworks from that side of the park and went on POTC again right after. We caught the HM one more time and took the train back to MS where I got my DD ice cream and my friends DD had cotton candy. We went to catch the bus and my friends DD puked over the side of a bench. (Made me gag.) So it turns out there really is such thing as too-much-of-a-good-thing lmao.
Finally Tuesday we packed and went back to DL to get on a few rides in Fantasy Land that we missed like Peter Pan, which was a must! Then I did my shopping on MS and bought some churros on the way out. I just love DL churros!!!!
Now Im tired again, just writing about it!!
And I can't wait to plan the next trip!!!
The Hotel: La Quinta
Over the course of our stay I found the hotel to be decent but I cant give it thumbs up.
We were planning to go with Motel 6 to save money but found a deal and thought staying somewhere with a continental breakfast would be a good idea. Of four days we only ate their breakfast once (the kids ate there a second time on departure day). The food was not great. The fruit might have been sliced peaches or pears (
or something?) on ice. Biscuits and gravy
Stay Away!!! Even the coffee could not be saved with non-dairy creamer and sugar. I probably should have gone with the cereal. As far as service went, the ladies at the front desk were nice, so were maintenance as they let us in to the heated pool when our key did not work so we did not have to go all the down to the office. Unfortunately I had to request extra towels for our room three times before housekeeping actually left enough towels for all six of us, just in time for our last day! For those interested, the hotel is enclosed. You have to use a room key to enter using the stairs or elevator. On the bright side, the rooms were very clean. I dont recommend sleeping on the pull-out couch but I volunteered so I cant complain. The beds seemed surprisingly comfy. We were in a deluxe with two queens in the room as you enter then a small table, two chairs, couch and coffee table in a small room with a sliding door beyond that. There were two TVs, microwave and mini fridge. The sink was on the counter in the main room (weird). The closet was kind of small and the room with the couch had the only drawers (3).
Oh! And the vending machine down the hall was not plugged in and I could not satisfy my chocolate craving.
Its about two and a half blocks from the park so we used the shuttle. Our drivers were great, except one. The not-so-great-one took a speed bump pretty hard and almost bounced us out of our seats. We walked back to the hotel once for an afternoon rest and it was not an easy walk for three out-of-shape grown ups and three tired children.
Disneyland:
I drove like the wind early Friday morning.
We arrived Friday afternoon and it was already incredible crowded. However, we spent an hour or two on the island and got great pictures with Jack (sigh). Another pirate played tag with the girls while we waited in line! We also went on POTC and HM. Even though it was very crowded we only waited 15 min for POTC and maybe 20 for HM. The kids also got to climb in the treehouse. We went to Blue Bayou for dinner and the service was great! But for someone on a tight budget I have to say it was not worth it. Im sorry to say it too because Ive wanted to eat there for years! I would have much rather spent that money on lunch or dinner with the princesses at Ariels Grotto. The menu was shockingly short and I still cant believe I spent $8 for a crustable. For those of you who frequent BB, Im not trying to say that it was no good. If I had the money to blow, I would eat there again. But since I dont Id rather spend my money elsewhere. After dinner the others went back to the hotel and I took my DD on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was her first rollercoaster ever. She wasnt scared at all until we got going. She clung to me like super glue. Then we got off, I asked if she was ok and if she liked it and she said she liked it!
Day two was Saturday. We arrived early for MM. There werent any characters behind the gates before opening as Ive seen in the past. Our first destination: Nemos Submarine. We were just a few people back from the front of the gate but once in people were flooding around us, and they made everyone go all the way around the Matterhorn. In my infinite wisdom, I wore flip flops and got shin splints
. But we made it and the longest part of the wait was winding our way through all the ropes. We all really enjoyed the ride but I agree with previous posters that I would not wait 3 hours for it. Next we hit SM and walked on. DD started to protest but I told her to hurry up so we could catch up with our friends. She didnt have time to back out.
If she had, it really would have been no problem to wait and go after our friends. She actually did ok, holding on to me all the while. But she didnt want to go on many other rides after that. We also got in Buzzs Astro Blaster ride and Star Tours with just a few minutes wait.By 10am we were in line for the Princess Fantasy Faire. The CM at the front was very nice and let the girls wear her hat. Cinderella spent ages talking with DD and DD had no problem chatting up a storm with her. They also saw Pochohontas and Sleeping Beauty. We also got some great pictures in the stage area after Snow White finished her story-telling. Then we walked DTD and took the girls to Build-a-Bear, where we waited in line forever!!
DD had gift certificates left over from her birthday so I used those to pay for the bear and outfit, otherwise I would not have taken her at all. We came back in the evening and hit Fantasyland. Dinner at the Village House was pretty good. It was a lot of food and worth the price of eating in the park. Plus, we ate so late (after 7) that it was not crowded at all and we didnt have to wait in line. We took the girls on Autotopia and only had to wait about 20 minutes w/o FPs. Then we caught the fireworks over behind the Matterhorn. It wasnt crowded at all and we could see almost everything, although we had to look back and forth between the castle and the back of the park because the fireworks are at the back and the pyrotechnics are at the castle.
Sunday we did Minnie and Friends breakfast. The food was great, just as I remembered from last time. And we got a lot of pictures with Minnie and many other characters (Chip, Tigger, Cinderellas Fairy Godmother, Eyeor, Pooh) Then we all had our faces painted at the booth on the far side of Nemo. It was very expensive and I probably wont do it again but it was a lot of fun.
Then we headed over to DCA for the day. Phew we didnt even have time for a break!! We caught Mr. and Mrs. Incredible just before they went on break and were next in line for Snow White when Dopey joined her so we got really good pics with them. We got in line early for the Aladin show and good thing. Even though we had to wait a while we got really good seats and the show was FANTASTIC! Amazing thumbs up. It was so very entertaining so if you havent seen it its a must see!!!
After the show we got ice cream for the girls and FP for Screamin. We hit the side with the Sun Wheel (which was terrifying by the way. Ok, Im a big chicken sometimes. We got in the one that does not swing. I just have a huge problem with heights especially because you arent strapped in on that ride.
But I survived and will avoid it in the future. Sorry for the tangent
) Anyway, we stayed for DELP. Us moms picked up yummy margaritas on the way to find a good spot. Then we went back to the hotel after. We were all exhausted especially since we didnt get a break that day.Monday was a little easier. We went to TTMM and took our time, but we made sure to get in line for Mickey early. I have to say I was VERY disappointed that they did not have a photog for Mickey that early. I guess they arrive at 10am?
Soooo irritating. The girls had fun playing especially at Goofys House. Next, we headed for Critter Country and on our way over we caught Mary Poppins performing with Bert and band in front of the castle. She chose my DD and some other kids to come up with her and dance. I was sooooooooo excited and got a lot of pictures but I also felt bad because my friends daughter were not chosen and it was a little hard on them. When that was over we went on Poohs ride very cute! And got more pics with Pooh. Splash Mtn was down so we didnt get a chance to ride on it. We ate lunch at that tiny outdoor café on MS. I have no idea what it was called. We all crashed hard back at the hotel. One of my friends and her daughter fell asleep and didnt get up til morning. My other friend and I took our girls swimming and then headed back to the park at about 6:30. We ate at the French Market in NO. Yummy food!!! Then we caught the fireworks from that side of the park and went on POTC again right after. We caught the HM one more time and took the train back to MS where I got my DD ice cream and my friends DD had cotton candy. We went to catch the bus and my friends DD puked over the side of a bench. (Made me gag.) So it turns out there really is such thing as too-much-of-a-good-thing lmao.
Finally Tuesday we packed and went back to DL to get on a few rides in Fantasy Land that we missed like Peter Pan, which was a must! Then I did my shopping on MS and bought some churros on the way out. I just love DL churros!!!!
Now Im tired again, just writing about it!!
And I can't wait to plan the next trip!!!
