Whirlwind 42 Hour Disneyland Weekend About This Page:

[ilovedisney0_0]

everyone! DD and I went to DLR this weekend (March 8th and 9th), so I thought I would whip up a quick TR. We usually go to DLR at least once a year, and almost always around my birthday time because crowd levels are so manageable. This weekend, we happened to pick a time when the parks were overflowing with cheerleaders. Otherwise, crowd level was not too bad, and we had a great time!

Just a quick refresher, for those of you who don’t know us –

Me – I had my *ahem* (3rd) 35th birthday this week, and in my book, there is no better place to celebrate than at Disney!! I grew up in San Diego, and we used to go all the time!, so DLR feels like a second home. I love it there. Now that we live in Phoenix, it is still only a few hours’ drive. Plus, any excuse to spend some uninterrupted time with my kid is awesome.



Kaitlyn – My Eeyore-lovin’ 15 yo DD. Life as a HS sophomore is hectic, and she was really looking forward to this weekend, and having a break. She is definitely one of the ‘Drama Kids’ at school. Her HS just finished a production of “Proposals” by Neil Simon, and Kaitlyn had the lead role of Josie. She tried out for the part the week after we got home from WDW in October, and they have had practices every night for the last 5 months. The kid has been at school for a minimum of 11 hours a day, every day, for months!! We seem to be in this cycle right now of Kaitlyn having a play, going to Disney, and then getting sick. She woke up without a voice this morning, but at least she waited until we got home to get sick this time!


Kaitlyn and her 'father' onstage during "Proposals"

This trip started out as a chance to spend some time with a friend of mine, who is terminally ill. She has really wanted to go to DLR, and has been begging us to go with her (even though she hates it there! ). On Thursday, when I spoke with her, she had taken a turn for the worse, and just wasn’t up to going. I am very sad, because I don’t know how much longer she will be with us. I talked to Kaitlyn, and had decided that we wouldn’t go. DD really had been looking forward to it, though, and said she definitely still wanted to make the trip. So with less than 48 hours to go, I hopped online and was able to secure a hotel reservation at Crown Plaza again (via Priceline) for $46 per night!! We stayed there last year, so I was very happy with that. It is a beautiful, 3 star resort about a mile away from the parks. They offer a free shuttle, so no parking fees at DLR. And it is a short walk away from Starbucks, so I was able to start out the morning right!

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

We left our house about 4:45am for the drive to Anaheim. It was an uneventful journey, and Kaity caught up on some sleep. We got to Anaheim about 10am, and drove directly to Vons to pick up the Southern California 2Fer tickets. I know, I know – I am bad. But I have used these tickets many times before, and they never ask for ID. So, why not take advantage of them if you can? I spend enough at the parks anyway to make up for it. We drove to Crown Plaza to try and check in, but of course our room wasn’t ready yet. We changed and freshened up in the bathroom in the lobby, locked the car, and caught the shuttle to DCA.

It is my own personal ‘thing’, but I feel like the masses tend to do DLP on Saturday and DCA on Sunday. Kaitlyn and I love DCA, so we prefer to do DCA on Saturdays, and DLP on Sunday. Maybe I am just fooling myself , but I feel like I am zigging while everyone else is zagging. We got to DCA and headed to guest services to get my birthday button. I will say on this entire trip, we didn’t see one YOMD dream-giver. We saw several people with dream fast-passes on Saturday, and a couple on Sunday. That was it. This is my fourth time to Disney during the YOMD promotion, and still I wasn’t able to score one of those suckers!!! Oh well.

Our first stop was Soarin’. We picked up some FP’s, and then decided to hit that whole area of the park later. We had decided at the outset that this was going to be a very relaxing trip, and we were going to vary from our normal commando-style touring. So we each picked one must-do for the parks, and then decided that we would just do ‘whatever’. It was actually great!! For DCA, mine was CA Screamin’, and DD’s was The Aladdin Show. For DLP, mine was Nemo, and DD’s was Jungle Cruise (she takes American Sign Language in school, and this weekend there was supposed to be an interpreter riding at the Jungle Cruise – she wanted to see that).

After picking up our FP’s, we headed toward Hyperion Theater to check out Aladdin. The next show was starting in 30 minutes. We decided to ride TOT before getting in line for Aladdin. There was a super short wait, maybe 10 minutes?? We love and dread this ride all at the same time, and EVERY time we ride it we give props to Princess Sharon – the grand master who could ride it 13 times in one day!! After once per trip, I am DONE! It was a super fun drop sequence, though. Two drops, we thought the ride was over…then it shot halfway up, hovered, went all the way to the top and dropped again!!




After TOT, we walked right in to Hyperion Theater. Aladdin was awesome, as usual. The thing I love about this show is that the Genie is so current, and always inserts jokes that are very ‘now’. This time he said something to the effect of “Hey, where are you going with my umbrella –ella –ella??” The audience busted up. The Genie rocks!!




We wandered over to MuppetVision next. I haven’t seen this show in a few visits, so it was fun to see it again. Our squirters weren’t working in the seats, so we didn’t feel the water spray, but we did catch some of the bubbles falling. I love to watch the little kids all around during these 3D shows, trying to ‘touch’ the characters as they come out of the screen. They are so dang cute!!



We walked over to Soarin’ for our ride over California. I asked for row one, and was very proud of myself for getting it!! Little did I know, but this ended up being the trip where I got front row for almost everything – whether I wanted it or not! This was the first time I could actually smell the pine and orange scents, although DD says she can smell them every time. Who knows, maybe my nose was just working better this time!



1st row, baby!!

By this time, DD was starving. We decided to get FP’s for CA Screamin’, and then get something for lunch. DD needed a ‘snack’ before lunch , so I decided that I wanted my stack of birthday tortillas from the Mission Tortilla Factory! That stinkin’ CM said ‘Happy Birthday, Amy!’… and then handed me one tortilla. We did the bread tour next, and had our taste of yummy sourdough. DD didn’t remember doing this tour, and she really loves “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” She was thrilled to see Colin Mochrie as the narrator, so she was really interested and watched the entire presentation. Then it was time for lunch!

I had just read a post on PP about DL tips, and Karen (zacksmom) had posted about yummy grilled cheeses at White Water Snacks in the Grand Californian. My sister and I have been talking about staying there by ourselves for a girls-only weekend, so this was the perfect chance to check it out. I am so glad we took the time to head over here! It was sooo peaceful, and what a gorgeous resort! I think I loved the interior décor even more than WL!! But what I didn’t like is that it really felt so – well – just shoved into a corner of the park. I didn’t like that you could see park attractions while lounging by the pool. In that regard, I like the space of Orlando much better. But ooooh, it is so beautiful! I am really excited to stay there now, when my sister gets home from Japan!



Kaitlyn's grilled cheese My veggie burger

Yummy dessert Kaitlyn is a cookie monster!

These are some pictures of the Grand Californian lobby - beautiful!!




Next up – more of a magical day at DCA!

[DawnDenise]

I'm so glad you decided to do a TR on your quick getaway to DL! Sounds like you have a great relationship with your daughter and this time together is special! I your pictures and makes me even more excited to be going in a little over a month! Looking forward to more!

[DyanKJ130]

Great start, Amy! to hear that your friend couldn't make it.

Our family Aladdin! Kyle still laughs about when he said, "This is so going to be on YouTube" as he started to make his decent down the stairs! I'm going to have to get cracking on my TR now! Can't wait to hear more of yours!!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great start Hurry back with more

[PrincessSharon]

Great start, Amy! And You got so much done already (including a ride on my Tower ). The Aladdin show is hilarious, isn't it. Genie steals the show every time. Can't wait for more!

[ilovedisney0_0]

I know, Aladdin is great!! DD took some video of her favorite number during the show - I don't know how to do YouTube, but if I can figure it out , I will post it!

And we DID get a lot done! When we toured DLP on Sunday, we got almost the whole park done by noon!! Waits were something like 10-15 minutes for practically the whole weekend - in the morning to early afternoon, anyway!

[disney_duke]

Sounds like a great start to your weekend. Looking forward to more!!

[chezp]

What a great start - I love the way you can do a whirlwind visit to Disneyland from your home. How neat is that? I can't wait to read more.

[Dawn in Scotland]

Thanks for this report - I haven't been to CA so finding it especially interesting. Also love the look of that Grilled Cheese - must be nearly time for lunch.

[ilovedisney0_0]

Thanks for reading! I just finished another update while I am -ahem- working , so I will post it tonight with pics.

[DyanKJ130]

Originally Posted by ilovedisney0_0

Thanks for reading! I just finished another update while I am -ahem- working , so I will post it tonight with pics.

Uh-oh! I better get cracking!! Tonight is my only night to work...hopefully, the kiddos will all be angels and I'll be moved to finish my first installment when I return home! Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

[ilovedisney0_0]

I'm ready, Dyan! And I am holding you to it!

[ilovedisney0_0]

Saturday, March 8th, 2008 - continued…

After we ate, and spent some time wandering around the Grand Californian, we were well within our FP window for CA Screamin’. Kaitlyn wasn’t too sure about riding it on a full stomach (the big woos! ), but compassionate mother that I am , I talked her into it anyway.

We have this thing – sort of an inside joke – when we were at WDW in October, there was an older confused gentleman with his family at Figment. They were in line ahead of us. The poor man just was not understanding the concept of how the line worked, and he kept cutting around people in the queue to try and get on the ride. The family kept yelling “George?? George!! Come back here, George! It’s not our turn yet, George!!” DD and I watched this go on for probably 20 groups of people before them. He kept trying to cut everyone, and his family would call him back. Well, when it actually got to be their turn, he took off and tried to get in the wrong car!! He and his family were all befuddled. They were actually walking around in circles!! I shouldn’t laugh, but it was hysterical. I mean, c’mon. We are all like cattle in there, how can you not figure out how the line moves?? Anyway, because George and his family were so discombobulated, the CM called DD and I up and we actually got in the ride ahead of them. So DD and I looked at each other, waved beauty pageant waves at them, and said “Bye George!” So, after all of that, our inside joke is to smile sweetly, wave, and say “Bye Georges” to everyone in standby we sail past when we are using our FPs!

Back to CA Screamin’, we giggled and chanted “Bye Georges!” Bye Georges!” as we passed all the suckers, errrr.. I mean, the people waiting in standby . Very immature, I know, but it makes us laugh every time!! And DD was having so much fun, all thoughts of just having eaten flew right out of her mind! As soon as we were done, we grabbed another set of FP’s. Then, it was time for some serious shopping! Teenage girls (and their Mommies ) love to shop, but I never give DD ‘enough’ time to spend pursuing her favorite pastime. When we are at Disney, I am usually trying to squeeze every second of ride time out of those precious hours, and my poor deprived DD has suffered horribly because of it. Because this was a relaxed, bonding weekend and I knew she really wanted to peruse the shops, we were on a mission to discover every nook and cranny of retail space this weekend.

I DO NOT like the fact that the Boardwalk is so closed off right now, as Disney builds the Toy Story attraction. I was sure that we would be able to cut through the construction, via the restroom breezeway behind the carousel. Not so. So we trudged up the hill, and circled around the lake, past Mulholland Madness and the BarfiBoomer to the shops. We started at the other side of the Toy Story construction, and then I just let her shop and shop and shop. She had $55 to spend, and boy let me tell you, it took her the entire weekend!! How come she is so much freer with spending my money? We made our way all the way through Paradise Pier, through all the shops in Sunshine Plaza and then the stores in Hollywood Pictures Backlot. We probably spent a good 3 hours just wandering around.



Disney Animation was our next stop. It is the 70th anniversary of Snow White, and there is a really awesome exhibit set up in there with a lot of the original concept art. Because Kaitlyn is getting a little older now, I love the fact that she takes as much enjoyment from this stuff as I do – it’s not all about Fantasyland anymore! I didn’t take any pictures because it was posted that you weren’t supposed to, although we did see some people doing it anyway. We were just fascinated with the extreme detail that went into every single scene. Did you know that Snow White was originally drawn to have long blonde hair??? And that the Evil Queen is an amalgamation of many of the famous actresses of that day. Well, you probably did know that , but we learned so much! DD was amazed at the care, effort and man-hours spent just designing Snow White’s shoes. It was really a cool thing – check it out if you have a chance!

Of course, while we were there, we had to do Turtle Talk. That is such a fun show! After that, we decided to give it a go and attempt the animation academy. In October, we did this at WDW and we drew Daisy Duck. DD was frustrated because her Daisy didn’t come out ‘just perfect’. So, we line up, go in…and we are drawing… Daisy Duck!!! Kaitlyn didn’t see the humor in that. She did very well, though – her Daisy was much better than mine – and I think that made her secretly happy. She wasn’t frustrated, by the end, so when they announced that the next class would be drawing Mickey , she was willing to give it another shot.




Waiting in line for the second animation class to start

Now, I haven’t been to Disney Animation for awhile, because I am usually going with littler people who aren’t ‘into’ that stuff. So maybe this… thing… has been there for awhile. I just have never seen it before. I don’t even know what it’s called, other than THE.COOLEST.THING.EVER.!!!! It was a scene with Jessie from Toy Story, Buzz, and the little green monsters. There were tons of each figure, in a slightly different position all around a circle. Then, they would dim the lights, turn on some music and lights in the case, and the scene would spin around incredibly fast!! So fast, that it looked like the figures inside were moving! It was totally neato. It looked like Jessie was spinning a lasso around her head then around her body. I forget what Buzz was doing, but the little green men were jumping through the scene and disappearing into a hole in the ground. I am posting a picture so you can see, while it was immobile. It would only move for a minute or so, but people were gathered around just fascinated. It was .




We grabbed disgusting hot dogs at that Award Weiners place , then went to claim a spot for Main Street Electrical Parade in Sunshine Plaza. This is my absolute, all time, best in the world, it’s my cell phone ring, FAVORITE show at Disney. I have wonderful, early childhood memories of watching this with my parents , who aren’t with us anymore, so it is a MUST DO for me every trip. We were really lucky to find an actual place to sit, and we had a great view. We were cold, but the time passed fairly quickly and the show soon started.







This one I took specifically for the CLT, since they enjoyed the Evil Stepsisters so much at WDW!!








Before the parade, we had discussed leaving afterwards to head back to the hotel. I don’t know what got into me, but as soon as it was over, I was ALL PUMPED UP!!! I think it was watching all the guests head to the exit – I love all that free space to roam! We headed back to CA Screamin’ and had another awesome time. On my favorite rides (Space Mountain and CA Screamin’ at DLR) I can’t even scream. I just laugh like a lunatic the entire time. So I laughed my head off for the entire ride!! Somehow we managed to time it just right, so when we were on the roller coaster, we could see the fireworks exploding at DLP. It was so pretty! The little boy in front of us in the picture below was hysterical. After our car was coming back to unload us, the entire train was pretty quiet - coming down from the high. So out of the blue, he YELLS "THAT WAS SOOO AWESOME!!!!!" The entire train busted up laughing. It was exactly how I felt!





There was a tshirt I had wanted earlier, but didn’t buy, that had an upside down Mickey on CA Screamin’ – it said GET A GRIP! And Mickey is like ! It made me laugh. So we ran allllll the way around and down the other side of Paradise Pier again - - past Mulholland Madness and the BarifBoomer, to get my shirt. Then, we jumped in line at Mulholland – we were some of the last guests of the night!

It was park closing time, and the end of a magical day at my favorite California park. We wandered slowly back to the front of the park, out to the tram, and to the Crown Plaza.

Next up – Sunday, March 9th, 2008… Nemo, here I come!!

[chezp]

Wow, what a great day - you guys did pack a lot into your day!

[PrincessSharon]

What fun! Now I'm getting so psyched for my DL trip in October! Hurry back with more, please.