dedesmith32
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2009
I'm so jealous! We are going in December and it feels so far away! I hope your trip is amazing!
Yeehaw Let's Go to Disneyland Trip Report Updated 6/23/2014 Pg 3
- Thread starter thatgrljme
- Start date
I'm so jealous! We are going in December and it feels so far away! I hope your trip is amazing!
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
22 days!! WOW I was excited about us going into the double digits lol 98 days
I've been counting down from about 180 days so I feel your pain! It will go fast I promise!
I hope your son does well with the characters and rides. We took my DS6 for the first time last year for his 5th birthday. For some reason I had it in my head that "5" was the magic age to go to Disneyland for the first time so we never even considered going before then. Unfortunately, he was at the prime age for "fears", so he would not go on any dark rides or up close to any characters. But he has always been very hesitant when it comes to things like that. This past Christmas was the VERY FIRST time we could get him to sit on Santa's lap! We are trying for a trip to DLR just after Thanksgiving this year so hopefully he will have outgrown some of it. I just showed him a video of the POTC ride and he said NO WAY! Oh well
If your son loves Disney Jr., you must take him to the Disney Jr. show at DCA where he'll see all his favorites on stage. Also, the Animation Academy building is great for some quiet time and Turtle Talk with Crush is super cute. At DL go see the shows at the Royal Theatre in Fantasy Faire. They are great! Have fun!!!
This is my fear. He hates Santa, he hates the Easter Bunny....but he told me he would sit on Mickey's lap. We're going to take it slow, do a character breakfast, and just see how he reacts. We're there for five days so at some point he SHOULD come around.
I have a countdown app on my phone and it's to the second. It's been a long couple of months since I started planning this back in November I think, but I can't believe it's almost here.
I am so excited to share pictures with everyone when we get back too!
I seriously am way more excited then my son lol
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
Well we just got home from urgent care. Oliver has come down with his second ear infection in less than a month. Crossing my fingers this round of meds clears him up and he won't need another round of tubes. *sigh* I also hope he's better by the time our trip rolls around. I don't want his ears bothering him on the plane.
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
We got out package from Mickey Mouse yesterday....it's really happening! 
When I got home I noticed a package from Anaheim sitting on the stairs and I couldn't wait to tear into it. Tickets....check....character meal vouchers....check....luggage tags....check.....other cool free stuff....check!
Oliver is doing better with his ears, but he does spit out a lot of his medicine. Hoping for his ears to get better and no more ear infections.
Now I just sit here and wait. 16 more days!
When I got home I noticed a package from Anaheim sitting on the stairs and I couldn't wait to tear into it. Tickets....check....character meal vouchers....check....luggage tags....check.....other cool free stuff....check!
Oliver is doing better with his ears, but he does spit out a lot of his medicine. Hoping for his ears to get better and no more ear infections.
Now I just sit here and wait. 16 more days!
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
Aww they should send something! Anytime I've been to Disneyland in the past I'd just walk up to the gate from the parking lot that is no longer there lol
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
On an unrelated note, my son and I had pictures taken in the blue bonnets tonight and I quickly found out that I am allergic to them.
I've lived in Texas for 15 years and have always had allergies in the spring and could never figure out what it was from, even had a legit allergy test. My first time taking pics in blue bonnets and bam!
I've lived in Texas for 15 years and have always had allergies in the spring and could never figure out what it was from, even had a legit allergy test. My first time taking pics in blue bonnets and bam!
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
We are 7ish days out and I just checked the forecast and it's looking to climb back I to the 90s by the 12th. Ugh! In trying to get away from the heat lol
Going to start packing today since we have to leave at 5am next Saturday for the airport!
Getting excited!
Going to start packing today since we have to leave at 5am next Saturday for the airport!
Getting excited!
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
This weekend Oliver was at his dads house so it gave me all the time to do laundry, get any last minute things needed, pack, etc.
I start Saturday morning by getting my nails done -
Sorry that it's so small.
I had to go with a Disney theme and I can't wait for Oliver to see them!
Today has been full of laundry, cleaning, and starting to pack. I sprayed the stroller down and was happy to see that it fit great into the Phil & Ted's stroller bag I got. I still need to vacuum his car seat, but I can't take it out of the car until Friday after I pick him up from daycare anyway so that's probably the absolute last thing I'll do.
I've pretty much got my entire suitcase packed minus shampoo's, tooth paste/brushes, etc. I'm hoping I have enough clothes to last me through the week with what I've already packed lol
Oliver's little carry on suite case and back pack are packed and I just need to keep him out of it for the week. My dog is not very happy and has been whining all day thinking we're leaving her.
I'm soooooe excited! Saturday at 5am can't come quick enough!
I start Saturday morning by getting my nails done -
Sorry that it's so small.
I had to go with a Disney theme and I can't wait for Oliver to see them!
Today has been full of laundry, cleaning, and starting to pack. I sprayed the stroller down and was happy to see that it fit great into the Phil & Ted's stroller bag I got. I still need to vacuum his car seat, but I can't take it out of the car until Friday after I pick him up from daycare anyway so that's probably the absolute last thing I'll do.
I've pretty much got my entire suitcase packed minus shampoo's, tooth paste/brushes, etc. I'm hoping I have enough clothes to last me through the week with what I've already packed lol
Oliver's little carry on suite case and back pack are packed and I just need to keep him out of it for the week. My dog is not very happy and has been whining all day thinking we're leaving her.
I'm soooooe excited!
Saturday at 5am can't come quick enough!
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
Well we're counting down hours now. We will be up bright and early to make a 7am flight. Praying for everything to go smoothly because currently they're not.
Positive thoughts, pixie dust, we will be at Disneyland TOMORROW!!!
Positive thoughts, pixie dust, we will be at Disneyland TOMORROW!!!
Looking forward to hearing all about your trip! I hope Oliver's having the time of his life!
DD and I head for our preflight hotel tomorrow evening and will fly out early Tuesday morning and be in Disneyland mid-morning if all goes smoothly.
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
Looking forward to hearing all about your trip! I hope Oliver's having the time of his life!
I hope you're prepared for the heat! It's not only hot the Santa Anas are blowing and at times has felt like having a blow dryer in my face lol but the evenings are nice and cool. It's been super busy so far and seems pretty packed today as well. We're back at the hotel for a break right now.
Will do a full update once we're back home.
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
We're home. We survived the heat, barely. I will start uploading pics and updating soon. Trying to do laundry and catch up on rest after the jet lag.
Can't wait to share with everyone!
Can't wait to share with everyone!
We just got home a couple hours ago. You weren't kidding about the heat! We melted! Then, of course, yesterday when we didn't go to the parks, it was 20 degrees cooler! But, we had a fantastic time despite the heat. I'm happy to be home where it's 60 instead of 104!!
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
Sorry for the lack of updating. Funny how life just gets to you when you get back from vacation.
Let's start....
Bright and early Saturday morning, and I mean bright and EARLY 4am I was up and getting any last minute things together, most of which I had done last night. Got a cup of coffee down, dealt with my dog, got all carry ons into the car and once my mom and step dad were ready to go I got Oliver out of bed and changed his diaper and loaded him in the car.
Check in at the airport was easy, security was surprisingly even easier and Oliver walked right through with no problem. My mom had upgraded our tickets to the bulkhead seats so we would have more room and Oliver wouldn't be kicking the back of the seat in front of him which was nice as well. We pre-boarded early and installing the carseat on the plane out to LA was no problem at all, coming back was another story.
Oliver did SO well on the plane. He still uses a pacifier so I think that helped his ears a ton and he fell asleep shortly after take off. The flight was really good and when we landed I found out my dad had just landed too.
The original plan was his flight actually was supposed to get in earlier than ours and he'd run and get the rental car and meet us at baggage claim probably right after we landed. Our flight was bumped up 30 minutes so we both arrived at the same time. We hung out at baggage claim with my mom and step dad until my dad arrived and then we were off to Disneyland!!
Traffic was super easy since it was early on Saturday and we arrived rather quickly to our hotel, which meant.....our room was not ready yet. We stayed at Paradise Pier Hotel on the concierge level which benefitted us in multiple ways. The view was awesome and the fact that we could eat breakfast before leaving in the morning was nice too. Oliver took full advantage of that cereal they have there with multiple bowls in the morning.
Oliver fell back asleep in the car, which was fine seeing as how we probably weren't going to get a nap in that day.
We stayed in room 1400 which was the last room at the end of the hall which was nice to only share one wall. The view was AMAZING and watching world of color from the room was very nice since Oliver barely made it out of the park on most evenings. We were able to see some of the movie scenes on the water but not all. The only thing I didn't love about facing the park was that WOC played every day we stayed and I wasn't aware that it played during the week. So the night we were back in the room early because of the heat we had to deal with the loud music while we were trying to fall asleep.
I didn't get any pictures of the room itself, but it's pretty standard of what you'll find that other people have posted on here.
That was pretty much the only downside I could find to staying at PPH. We loved every aspect of it. The people we SO nice and we did get our room relatively quickly. I think they called us about two hours after we had been in the park if not sooner. Although we didn't go back right away it was nice they were able to have a room available for us earlier than expected.
Let's start....
Bright and early Saturday morning, and I mean bright and EARLY 4am I was up and getting any last minute things together, most of which I had done last night. Got a cup of coffee down, dealt with my dog, got all carry ons into the car and once my mom and step dad were ready to go I got Oliver out of bed and changed his diaper and loaded him in the car.
Check in at the airport was easy, security was surprisingly even easier and Oliver walked right through with no problem. My mom had upgraded our tickets to the bulkhead seats so we would have more room and Oliver wouldn't be kicking the back of the seat in front of him which was nice as well. We pre-boarded early and installing the carseat on the plane out to LA was no problem at all, coming back was another story.
Oliver did SO well on the plane. He still uses a pacifier so I think that helped his ears a ton and he fell asleep shortly after take off. The flight was really good and when we landed I found out my dad had just landed too.
The original plan was his flight actually was supposed to get in earlier than ours and he'd run and get the rental car and meet us at baggage claim probably right after we landed. Our flight was bumped up 30 minutes so we both arrived at the same time. We hung out at baggage claim with my mom and step dad until my dad arrived and then we were off to Disneyland!!
Traffic was super easy since it was early on Saturday and we arrived rather quickly to our hotel, which meant.....our room was not ready yet. We stayed at Paradise Pier Hotel on the concierge level which benefitted us in multiple ways. The view was awesome and the fact that we could eat breakfast before leaving in the morning was nice too. Oliver took full advantage of that cereal they have there with multiple bowls in the morning.
Oliver fell back asleep in the car, which was fine seeing as how we probably weren't going to get a nap in that day.
We stayed in room 1400 which was the last room at the end of the hall which was nice to only share one wall. The view was AMAZING and watching world of color from the room was very nice since Oliver barely made it out of the park on most evenings. We were able to see some of the movie scenes on the water but not all. The only thing I didn't love about facing the park was that WOC played every day we stayed and I wasn't aware that it played during the week. So the night we were back in the room early because of the heat we had to deal with the loud music while we were trying to fall asleep.
I didn't get any pictures of the room itself, but it's pretty standard of what you'll find that other people have posted on here.
That was pretty much the only downside I could find to staying at PPH. We loved every aspect of it. The people we SO nice and we did get our room relatively quickly. I think they called us about two hours after we had been in the park if not sooner. Although we didn't go back right away it was nice they were able to have a room available for us earlier than expected.
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
After we checked in and got all of our bags situated with the bell service we walked over to the parks. I didn't expect much the first day as Oliver hated Santa Clause and the fireman dog and didn't much care to see the Easter Bunny either.
As soon as we walked into Disneyland we saw Minnie Mouse....and this was his reaction from afar.
He didn't seem to want to get too close to them which was more then obvious when we stood in line to take a picture with Pluto. This is what we ended up with
He wanted nothing to do with the characters that day. Looking at the from afar was fine, but getting up close was too much. This scared me as we had breakfast reservations at Surfs Up! the next day.
So...based off of that we took most of the day slow. Our first ride was Winnie the Pooh which he did REALLY good on, which shocked me because it is a dark ride. After that we went and got our ears.
My dad and Oliver
My favorite picture from the trip
Fantasyland was a mess due to it being Saturday so we didn't stick around there for very long. We went over to Frontierland and hung out with the animals in the petting zoo for a bit and then headed over to California Adventure to check things out as I had never been there before.
Oliver was pretty over it at this point, but I wanted to take advantage of our Photopass Plus. I'm really glad I ended up getting this, but we didn't get as many pictures as I wanted because it was just too dang hot for our trip. Saturday however was very nice.
We went and ate dinner at Flo's which was really good. I didn't take any pictures of the inside, but it's so dang cute. And Radiator Springs is to a T from the movie. I was pleasantly surprised at all of the little details. Most of which were lost on my dad as he has never seen the movie, but he appreciated Flo's kind of a throw back to his child hood.
After dinner we caught the Pixar Play Parade which I think was neat for Oliver to watch even though he was getting a little cranky at that point. Remember, we're two hours ahead of California normally so his whole day was thrown off.
After the parade we walked around a little more and then headed back to the hotel because shockingly I was getting cold and left my sweatshirt in the room. It was nice to get back though because Oliver was getting tired and we wanted to really unpack and get things situated in the room.
We watched WOC for a little bit from our room before turning in. Please excuse the blurry in the next few pics I didn't have a tripod with me.
That is the end of day one. Hope you enjoyed it so far!
As soon as we walked into Disneyland we saw Minnie Mouse....and this was his reaction from afar.
He didn't seem to want to get too close to them which was more then obvious when we stood in line to take a picture with Pluto. This is what we ended up with
He wanted nothing to do with the characters that day. Looking at the from afar was fine, but getting up close was too much. This scared me as we had breakfast reservations at Surfs Up! the next day.
So...based off of that we took most of the day slow. Our first ride was Winnie the Pooh which he did REALLY good on, which shocked me because it is a dark ride. After that we went and got our ears.
My dad and Oliver
My favorite picture from the trip
Fantasyland was a mess due to it being Saturday so we didn't stick around there for very long. We went over to Frontierland and hung out with the animals in the petting zoo for a bit and then headed over to California Adventure to check things out as I had never been there before.
Oliver was pretty over it at this point, but I wanted to take advantage of our Photopass Plus. I'm really glad I ended up getting this, but we didn't get as many pictures as I wanted because it was just too dang hot for our trip. Saturday however was very nice.
We went and ate dinner at Flo's which was really good. I didn't take any pictures of the inside, but it's so dang cute. And Radiator Springs is to a T from the movie. I was pleasantly surprised at all of the little details. Most of which were lost on my dad as he has never seen the movie, but he appreciated Flo's kind of a throw back to his child hood.
After dinner we caught the Pixar Play Parade which I think was neat for Oliver to watch even though he was getting a little cranky at that point. Remember, we're two hours ahead of California normally so his whole day was thrown off.
After the parade we walked around a little more and then headed back to the hotel because shockingly I was getting cold and left my sweatshirt in the room. It was nice to get back though because Oliver was getting tired and we wanted to really unpack and get things situated in the room.
We watched WOC for a little bit from our room before turning in. Please excuse the blurry in the next few pics I didn't have a tripod with me.
That is the end of day one. Hope you enjoyed it so far!
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
Day 2 started with of course some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for Oliver as that is his morning routine back home.
This was also Mother's Day....one of the big reasons I had booked this trip. I was so pumped for the Disneyland Hotel's Mother's Day Brunch and when I found out it was canceled on top of all of the ride closures I nearly wept, but, we went and booked different brunch plans for 10am so we stood in line for Disneyland early that day to see how much we could get done in Fantasyland before the masses showed up.
Waiting at the gates...
Oliver was clearly more interested in my PP+ badge then smiling at the camera
And I loved how empty it was that early in the morning, and still reasonably cool out as well
We rode Dumbo, Casey Jr Circus Train and the Storybook Land Canal boats before heading out for brunch.
The Mad Hatter wanted to let us know that we were about to get eaten by a whale.
After that we walked back to PPH for our brunch with Mickey Mouse. This was the first time Oliver would be up close and personal with the characters and I was hoping all would go well. When we walked in Mickey was coming back from a break and when he walked by Oliver, oh Oliver got so excited! I was so relieved!
We also met Daisy and Pluto. He wanted to steer clear of Stitch though.
Oh and he gave Mickey big hugs and wanted to keep going up to Mickey but I had to explain to him that other people wanted to meet Mickey too.
Oliver filled up on waffles and syrup and was nice and sticky, so we headed back to the room to change him and then went back to the park. We decided to take a spin on the Jungle Cruise, but Oliver decided he wanted to nap.
So after he woke up we boarded the Jungle Cruise, which he hated. I think due in part to the heat as we were waiting in the que. Both levels were open so it was a bit of a long wait. After that I treated him to his first Dole Whip Float and he LOVED it!
Such a yummy treat on a hot day! After that we attempted Autotopia, but it was just too hot. We boarded the train, which I thought he would love, but by the time we got from Tomorrowland Station to Main Street Station he wanted off.
As we got off we noticed Goofy and Donald on Main Street. He wanted to see Goofy, and then changed his mind and wanted to see Donald so we got in line to see Donald. As we were two people back from meeting Donald he wanted to go wait for Goofy and I told him we had to see Donald first. He wasn't very happy about that.
At that point I think Oliver was a bit tuckered out so we headed back to the hotel for a nap.
This was also Mother's Day....one of the big reasons I had booked this trip. I was so pumped for the Disneyland Hotel's Mother's Day Brunch and when I found out it was canceled on top of all of the ride closures I nearly wept, but, we went and booked different brunch plans for 10am so we stood in line for Disneyland early that day to see how much we could get done in Fantasyland before the masses showed up.
Waiting at the gates...
Oliver was clearly more interested in my PP+ badge then smiling at the camera
And I loved how empty it was that early in the morning, and still reasonably cool out as well
We rode Dumbo, Casey Jr Circus Train and the Storybook Land Canal boats before heading out for brunch.
The Mad Hatter wanted to let us know that we were about to get eaten by a whale.
After that we walked back to PPH for our brunch with Mickey Mouse. This was the first time Oliver would be up close and personal with the characters and I was hoping all would go well. When we walked in Mickey was coming back from a break and when he walked by Oliver, oh Oliver got so excited! I was so relieved!
We also met Daisy and Pluto. He wanted to steer clear of Stitch though.
Oh and he gave Mickey big hugs and wanted to keep going up to Mickey but I had to explain to him that other people wanted to meet Mickey too.
Oliver filled up on waffles and syrup and was nice and sticky, so we headed back to the room to change him and then went back to the park. We decided to take a spin on the Jungle Cruise, but Oliver decided he wanted to nap.
So after he woke up we boarded the Jungle Cruise, which he hated. I think due in part to the heat as we were waiting in the que. Both levels were open so it was a bit of a long wait. After that I treated him to his first Dole Whip Float and he LOVED it!
Such a yummy treat on a hot day! After that we attempted Autotopia, but it was just too hot. We boarded the train, which I thought he would love, but by the time we got from Tomorrowland Station to Main Street Station he wanted off.
As we got off we noticed Goofy and Donald on Main Street. He wanted to see Goofy, and then changed his mind and wanted to see Donald so we got in line to see Donald. As we were two people back from meeting Donald he wanted to go wait for Goofy and I told him we had to see Donald first. He wasn't very happy about that.
At that point I think Oliver was a bit tuckered out so we headed back to the hotel for a nap.
thatgrljme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
After nap time we headed back over to Disneyland. I wanted Oliver to check out Toon Town since it is toddler friendly even with some refurbs going on he still enjoyed it.
Driving Mickey's Car
We visited Minnie's House
After Toontown we headed over to the Red Corndog Wagon and grabbed dinner and then slipped into the silhouette shop on Main Street to get this.
That is by far my favorite thing from the trip.
The next morning was Monday and I had asked the concierge service if we could get a reservation at Goofy's Kitchen. They luckily had one pretty early so we took it.
When we got there Goofy was on break so we got pictures with Pluto and Oliver was pretty excited about that.
We then went in to be seated and saw Baloo and Oliver was terrified. Baloo got a little scared too and covered his eyes so Oliver wouldn't see him anymore. It was so cute. Dale came and visited our table and I don't know if it was because we were early, but the character interaction seriously lacked at this one for me.
Dale was the only one to stop by our table and by the time we were done eating Oliver wanted to go back up to the front to get his picture taken with Goofy since he loves him so much. We so no other characters.
We stopped in front of the hotel to take this pic. My dad was really into taking pictures with the statues in the parks lol
Driving Mickey's Car
We visited Minnie's House
After Toontown we headed over to the Red Corndog Wagon and grabbed dinner and then slipped into the silhouette shop on Main Street to get this.
That is by far my favorite thing from the trip.
The next morning was Monday and I had asked the concierge service if we could get a reservation at Goofy's Kitchen. They luckily had one pretty early so we took it.
When we got there Goofy was on break so we got pictures with Pluto and Oliver was pretty excited about that.
We then went in to be seated and saw Baloo and Oliver was terrified. Baloo got a little scared too and covered his eyes so Oliver wouldn't see him anymore. It was so cute. Dale came and visited our table and I don't know if it was because we were early, but the character interaction seriously lacked at this one for me.
Dale was the only one to stop by our table and by the time we were done eating Oliver wanted to go back up to the front to get his picture taken with Goofy since he loves him so much. We so no other characters.
We stopped in front of the hotel to take this pic. My dad was really into taking pictures with the statues in the parks lol
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