Disneyland for beginners

[ependydad...Doug 176]

One of the common themes for my family is that we aren't doing a whole lot of pre-planning when we get to a destination. Seems kind of crazy that our lives are literally moving from one destination to another- you'd think we would be better prepared. But we aren't. Sometimes it's fun, sometime's it is problematic. Knowing that Disney World is a planner's dream and procrastinator's nightmare, I was a little apprehensive about our "come what may" attitude towards Disneyland. Spoiler alert: it mostly worked out.

Monday, November 30

The original plan was to camp at Anaheim RV Park which is just across the highway from Disneyland. Instead, I scheduled some camper upgrades and repairs to happen, which meant we would need a hotel for a couple of days. We "camped" out in front of their shop for a night to save on morning driving, so that they could get an early start on the camper. We were the talk of the place as we parked with the rearmost slide out only inches from their mailbox.

Tuesday, December 1

I wasn't thinking about the # of Disneyland hotels and went onto the site to find a room. The first thing that I found was that there was NO availability for the dates I entered. Figuring I could do the same kind of trickery of adding days and cancelling them, I tacked on the weekend and found that for the low-low-low price of $4,600/night average, I could stay that the Californian. So I did what any great Fiend does, I contacted Jason for help. In classic Jason style, he came through- suggesting a hotel at a decent price and informed me that he wasn't setup as a Travel Agent for them, so he gave me the info out of the goodness of his awesomeness. While I was appreciative, I spoke with my wife and she took over the hotel reservation. She found a "Annual Passholder" special package at the Fairfield Inn. Being a Disney World Annual Passholder, I figured we'd either fight it (the fine print didn't say Disneyland- it just said Disney) and win or just pay extra. Turns out, the hotel never asked for proof. The package gave us a "themed" room (we picked "Cars" for my son):

Even though we were only about an hour away, we still didn't get to the hotel until 2pm or so. Instead of going into a park for the afternoon (straight after check-in), our room wasn't ready until about 3:30pm (so much for a requested "early check-in") and then I realized that my whole family was just tired and cranky (ok, it was mostly my wife) - so naps were in order. I showered while she laid down and the kids watched some TV. At about 4:30, I figured we needed some kind of plan for dinner. I checked out the Disneyland site to see what character meals there were. I was able to get a reservation for Goofy's Kitchen (buffet, like Chef Mickey's) at 7pm or so.

We got cleaned up and headed out. The nice part about this hotel location is that while it was further than TCD's hotel, it was still very close and only took a bit to walk. Before too long, we were walking under the sign on Harbor Blvd.

Walking past the buses and whatnot, through bag check, and we were in the middle area between the 2 parks. California Adventure on one side:

And Disneyland on the other side. But, our destination was Downtown Disney which was across the way:

We had to walk through Downtown Disney to get to the Disneyland Hotel, which is where Goofy's Kitchen is. We walked past the World of Disney store:

Past a confectionery (which pales in comparison to Goofy's candy shop at Disney Springs):

Past the Lego store:

We had some time to kill, so we went into the Rainforest Cafe to check out the aquariums:

Past Olaf's ice skating rink (or something):

And finally emerged on the other side where we went under a small BAH:

(Periodically, it would twinkle and light up. Kind of cute.)

Disneyland Hotel has a gingerbread house. I think TCD saw it while it was under construction. Here's a trippy panorama of it:

There were also Christmas trees with people trapped in them:

While we were checking out decorations, a castmember came and asked if we wanted to visit with Santa. Apparently her was getting a little lonely on a Tuesday night. He was pretty funny with my daughter's Jack Skellington jacket. He laughed and said he wasn't a big fan of the Jack. We all laughed.

After checking in for our reservation, we went straight in to meet with Goofy:

There was a Disney photographer there, but not Photopass. They printed the photos out and brought them to your table to sell them to you for some "low" price... but hey, you got the fancy cardboard that came with it. I didn't like that- it felt a little cheap; I just spent a lot of money to eat there- I don't need to spend extra on a photo.

Most of the characters showed up pretty quickly. First there was Chip or Dale:

And then Minnie:

My 12 year old decided that she wanted to do autographs this time. We haven't done these in many years. Fortunately, she asked while we were at Walmart, so we picked up a cheap book and cheap pen. Here Minnie is signing the book:

(They all did, but I'll spare you those pictures.)

Here's the other Chippendale- everyone got great big hugs.

We then ate dinner. Honestly the food was pretty mediocre, but I really dislike buffets- so I'm a terrible judge. There was a very long delay until Pluto came around. Another table actually had their waiter offer to take them TO Pluto because of the delay. Anyway, it worked for us- we ate dinner and some dessert and the kids were still picking here or there at stuff when he came around. He was full of energy and hijinks:

At one point, he actually was pulling our son away. It was fun until it wasn't and we could see the fear hit his face. Fortunately Pluto let go almost at the same time (and as I was about to stand-up to shut things down). No love lost, though- son was still smiling at the end:

After dinner, we were walking around and came across this group of singers singing Christmas songs:

We had a private little performance as there was very few people around. We actually talked about when the older fellow on the left picked up on my response to "Where are you all from?"; which is always, "Maryland, originally." He chuckled and asked for an explanation. I told them about how we were living in our camper and traveling around. We had a nice chat and they then took requests for songs. Sadly, they don't know any Nightmare Before Christmas Songs. :D But, excellent singers.

We walked some more and came across the pool. The Monorails are the slides. It was chilly at night and no one was swimming.

Heading back, we went through Downtown Disney again. We were very disappointed to learn that you needed a park ticket to ride the Monorail. That's one of our favorite attractions in WDW.

Past the Lego store again, where we actually went in and bought some Lego people. Because who doesn't want 3 small pieces of Lego in a hotel room that if you lose one, you're basically screwed out of a Lego person? THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN. Clearly, I was overruled.

(Legos anger me in general. I sold a couple of hundred dollars of Lego friends Legos when we downsized for well less than $50. And suddenly, both of my kids want nothing but Legos. Jerks.)

We saw Santa again:

And while my wife and kids were searching for body parts, I went out to watch the fireworks:

And with that, we headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we head to Disneyland!

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

Waiting for the rest.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Second!!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, what a fun first night.  I think it was a good choice to stay on Harbor Blvd. rather than at the RV park.  It's hard to believe how easy it is to navigate around Disneyland until you're there and see it for yourself.

 

I am intrigued by your spoiler alert, and it has me wondering what did not work out.

 

TCD

[shoreline99 137]

Sounds like a great trip!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Nice start!

[Memphis 105]

I'm in.  

[wdwpoohbear...Jennifer 40]

Can't wait to read some more!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

I'm in.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

I'm in.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I'm in too.  Great start!

[we3peas 12]

Chip has a black nose like a chocolate chip and Dale's is red. That's how someone once told me to remember which was which.

[dvccamper 32]

Definitely following along!

[blm2003 2]

Great Start! I'm in for more!!

[sherryberry 35]

Yes! Another Disneyland report! I can't wait to hear what your daughter thought about the Nightmare overlay at Haunted Mansion - I don't see how anyone could possibly not enjoy it! And I hope you guys were able to meet Jack and Sally. It never worked out for us. Can't wait to hear the rest!

[sherryberry 35]

Yes! Another Disneyland report! I can't wait to hear what your daughter thought about the Nightmare overlay at Haunted Mansion - I don't see how anyone could possibly not enjoy it! And I hope you guys were able to meet Jack and Sally. It never worked out for us. Can't wait to hear the rest!

[Ivy 36]

Looking forward to more!

[Beckers 1,136]

Your comments made me lol. Especially about Legos.

I always feel stupid when we are somewhere and they ask for requests because I never have an answer. When Brian and I went to Vegas we went on the gondola ride and the guy asks us what we would like him to sing and Brian and I both just looked at each other and said uh, um. We still joke we should have asked for row, row, row your boat.

[ependydad...Doug 176]

Waiting for the rest.

Yesterday was our travel/move day, so I'm back at it today. Hope to have an update in a bit.

 

Second!!!

Congrats!

 

 

Wow, what a fun first night.  I think it was a good choice to stay on Harbor Blvd. rather than at the RV park.  It's hard to believe how easy it is to navigate around Disneyland until you're there and see it for yourself.

 

I am intrigued by your spoiler alert, and it has me wondering what did not work out.

 

TCD

 

I can't say there was any single thing that we had issue with. But, it definitely felt a little hectic and haphazard. But, we saw and did everything that we wanted; so that's a win.

We did find that we needed 3 days for us for Disneyland vs. the 2 that we planned. But fortunately, we were able to upgrade our tickets for the 4 of us for only like $60 for that extra day.

 

Sounds like a great trip!

We had a great time. 

 

Nice start!

Thanks! 

 

I'm in.

 

Howdy.

 

Can't wait to read some more!

 

Hopefully soon!

 

I'm in. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Welcome, welcome. Welcome very much.

I'm in. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yay! :)

 

I'm in too.  Great start!

Glad to have you. Hopefully I have some pics that catch your interest.

[ependydad...Doug 176]

Chip has a black nose like a chocolate chip and Dale's is red. That's how someone once told me to remember which was which.

I know my daughter told me the same, but couldn't think of it as I went to write this.

 

 

Definitely following along!

Howdy! My wife longs to join up for DVC. :)

 

 

Great Start! I'm in for more!!

 

Thanks!

 

Yes! Another Disneyland report! I can't wait to hear what your daughter thought about the Nightmare overlay at Haunted Mansion - I don't see how anyone could possibly not enjoy it! And I hope you guys were able to meet Jack and Sally. It never worked out for us. Can't wait to hear the rest!

It was wonderful! I have way too many pictures of it. My son, however.. hated the opening scene here Jack jumps in.

 

 

Looking forward to more!

 

Soon!

 

Your comments made me lol. Especially about Legos.

I always feel stupid when we are somewhere and they ask for requests because I never have an answer. When Brian and I went to Vegas we went on the gondola ride and the guy asks us what we would like him to sing and Brian and I both just looked at each other and said uh, um. We still joke we should have asked for row, row, row your boat.

That would have been fantastic! I forget what we did actually ask for- but whatever it was, they sang it beautifully.

[ependydad...Doug 176]

Wednesday, December 2

You couldn't see anything of Disney from inside the room. But stepping out into the "hallway", we could see Matterhorn (which, funny enough- we could also see from our campsite once we got there).

We also had a great view of the neighboring hotel's pool + play area. There was a bell that constantly rang indicating that the big bucket was about to dump. We were very afraid of hearing it from inside of the room, but surprisingly- we didn't.

We had heard that mid-week in early December was a great time to go. And truthfully- that was very correct! We aren't morning people, so we celebrated being able to be up, out, and at the park by 9:40am. The lines for the bag check weren't bad:

Each day, we saw quite the collection of selfie-sticks being confiscated. Fortunately, we left ours behind.

Surprisingly, we didn't buy tickets until the night before when we were coming back from Downtown Disney. Here's our set of paper tickets:

The 60th celebration seems like a big deal AND family selfies are a lot harder without a selfie stick:

Someone was apparently handing out pamphlets. I don't know if it was on property or just outside of the gates as I only found this one lying on the ground. This is one area that WDW definitely wins- when you're there, you're in the bubble. Whereas Disneyland, the outside world is very much there. Also just outside of the gate are people hawking light-up sling-shot helicopters and the bus-stop had 2 resident homeless people.

I don't know why, but I was giddy excited for Disneyland. I generally scoff and play the cynic when it comes to this stuff- mostly blaming it on my wife and kids that we go so often. But for some reason, none of that showed up and the magic was alive again. This sign was very comforting:

It was pretty neat to see the old vehicles driving about. I don't recall ever seeing that in WDW outside of DHS- but they are for cast members only; these are for guests to use to ride. We didn't because of the stroller and 7,000 bags. But neat to see none-the-less.

Next, we got to the tree:

And passed some Main St. businesses:

But, the real excitement was building. The CASTLE WAS COMING UP NEXT! I had heard tell that it is "small", even "puny", but... holy wow, it. is. tiny.

Horse drawn trolley. Interesting fact- those with strollers CAN ride this one. We didn't, but later in the day- we saw that the cast member at the front that shoos people out of the way (as if 2 large horses and a trolley weren't good enough), they'll push your stroller for you.

First things first, let's head back to Hyperspace Mountain for FastPasses. Tomorrowland might as well be called Starwarsville.

We got there to find the wall-o-CMs. I was seriously confused. I thought they were permanently planted at WDW's POC. Oh well, they were sending us away. Hyperspace Mountain was down and they also weren't issuing FPs. This was a common theme. I think it went down 2 or 3 times in our 3 days at DL.

We headed back to Buzz Lightyear as it was a walk-on "5" minute wait. My son loves Buzz almost as much as me.

What turned out to be a near constant fight- my daughter was stuck riding with me. Apparently Mom is the cool chick to ride with.

I didn't get a clear picture of the cars, but their guns aren't fixed like WDW's. They are on a cord and you have more flexibility for where to shoot. I found that we mostly forgot about turning our car around because of this flexibility. I also found that they seemingly are more difficult to get points and hit your target. I don't know if it was our skill or the ride actually registers a hit differently. Here you can see my wife's gun (snort).

Again, falling in-line with that Disney magic. I really liked the effects, like here where Buzz shoots the Evil Emperor Zurg.

We headed to Matterhorn next. One thing about Disneyland is that the characters really are out and about. And unless a mob forms, they'll interact with people. Here Alice and the Mad Hatter walked with a little girl.

Anyway, the wait for Matterhorn was pretty short- maybe 20 minutes. In line, I took this picture of my daughter's birthday button and her Mickey shirt.

And we made it to the sign:

And that's where it stopped being fun. Their yetis are AWESOME. The ride is jarring, rough, and generally unpleasant. I had the joy of riding it a second time on our 3rd day because the kids wanted to. And, such unpleasant.

PhotoPass sign setup (but my camera phone):

We decided to check on Space Mountain. The app made it seem like it was up, so while the kids got their faces painted, I headed back to grab Fast Passes. Firstly, the signage for the 3 lines is terrible. But, none the less. At 11:20am, we got FastPasses for 2:50-3:50.

Stupidly expensive face painting:

I certainly hope this was supposed to be "Generic Clownfish" as I couldn't find "Nemo" in this:

We almost went into the Horseshoe and I wish we had. I would have liked seeing the show.

Instead, we made our way to the Haunted Mansion for the NBC overlay! This was our first of 3 or 4 rides on it. I really enjoy the HM at WDW and we love NBC (we literally listen to/sing along with it in the truck when travelling- both the original and the re-done rock version).

But, I have too many pictures of it and don't want to split them up. So, you'll have to wait (but don't worry- not for long!).

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Wow, your first day and you did two things we didn't do! I didn't go on Space Mountain there cause Rick wouldn't have gone, and Matterhorn was closed

[ependydad...Doug 176]

(crappy filter for effect, you're welcome)

Once inside, they kept up with little and big details alike:

These pictures rotated between Christmas and Halloween:

I wasn't able to catch Zero in this picture:

This room also had tarot cards with NBC characters on them:

The table was re-done in Christmas colors, but they still kept the hidden Mickey:

Headless hat guy:

Jack is pert-near impossible to photograph without it being blurry:

The pumpkin mouths on the bottom sang (the mouth was projected):

We love Oogie Boogie:

Once outside, they tempted us with HM merchandise:

And NBC stuff:

Next up, we went to a particular "splashy ride" that I have a history of riding with barely ever getting wet. BUT NOT TODAY. OH NO, NOT TO. DAY.

I don't like that the ride pictures don't magically show up on your FastPass. I resorted to taking pictures of the screen like everyone else (in 300 sq. ft. of living space, you don't buy pictures willy-nilly). But, this is the greatest of ride pictures. My son's face.

My darling wife was the only dry one:

Next up, Winnie the Pooh - another basic walk-on. This is one case where I think WDW's is a bit better with the whole Heffalump and Woozles part.

To save money (and for me to justify my snacking at the expensive carts around the land), we pack picnic lunches. We figured a trip on the train around the park would be a good time to rest and eat.

Somehow, there were dinosaurs as part of the ride. I think they said that Walt rode dinosaurs around the park. Or had a dinosaur farm. Or maybe someone had some budget to spent. I dunno. But dinosaurs- and my son loves dinosaurs, so it was a good distraction from eating.

Next up is Pirates of the Carribean where it actually runs unlike MK's version. :D But, it would put me over the 30picture cut off, so yous gots to waits. (Did you know that people in southern/central PA say "yous" like it's the plural version of "you"? If you didn't, now you do.)

[ependydad...Doug 176]

Wow, your first day and you did two things we didn't do! I didn't go on Space Mountain there cause Rick wouldn't have gone, and Matterhorn was closed

That a shame about Rick not doing SM and you not doing it (though, I do understand!). The ride seems to be smoother than WDW's and I liked the side-by-side seating of it.

Matterhorn, trust me.. you're better off.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Nice updates.

 

Yous (did I spell that right?)  must have hit it just right with the crowds.  Matterhorn had a long wait the both of the times I went recently.

 

Your son's face on Splash is a keeper.  LOL.

 

LOL at your comments about Walt riding around the park on dinosaurs.

 

Good job.

 

TCD