Top Ten reasons you know you have a Disney Obsession:

[knitster]

YAY!!!! I'm so glad you're back! I came to the Dis, tonight, for one reason only - to check and see if there was an update to your Cali trip! Woot!

 

[estherhead]

Too bad the weather wasn't better for your trip to the beach, but it looks like you made the best of it anyway. Ugh to the crowds of people everywhere. Did you visit Hollywood on a Saturday?

I can't wait to read about your visit to Disneyland. I have no desire to visit L.A., so I will just have to live vicariously through you.

I swear Tim and I have terrible luck with California. It's always cold when we go to southern Cali. Isn't that silly? When we went last time it was sooo cold and rainy the whole time. So much for sunny Cali.

We visited Hollywood on a Sunday afternoon. So pretty much the same as a Saturday. It was ok. Hollywood wasn't really that important which is why it got the bummer day of our trip when we knew it would be crowded. Better crowded there then at the National Parks or DL.

YAY!!!! I'm so glad you're back! I came to the Dis, tonight, for one reason only - to check and see if there was an update to your Cali trip! Woot!

I just uploaded my first DL pics and will write our first morning tomorrow. At first I thought I'd just sum up on the blog like I did the National Parks. But let's get real. I want to tell EVERYTHING. Or at least everything I can remember. It was so awesome. See ya tomorrow!

 

[estherhead]

I'm very sorry for yet ANOTHER delay and excuse. My little baby blog quit working for 48 hours! Ahhhh.... I'm not very technically savvy.

But I have the first actual DL installment up! I'll post it in here when I get the chance but here is the link for you impatient ones tired on waiting on me.

Disneyland Part 1

 

[chattadisser]

I stumbled upon your TR doing some research on DL. We too are a WDW family and I would love to take them to DL but first need to figure out how to plan a trip there. I have to say, after reading your TR so far, now I want to go to Yosemite. I wanted to go before but I never realized that I might be able to combine the two! I can't wait to read along.

You're doing a great job on the blog!

Christine

 

[estherhead]

I stumbled upon your TR doing some research on DL. We too are a WDW family and I would love to take them to DL but first need to figure out how to plan a trip there. I have to say, after reading your TR so far, now I want to go to Yosemite. I wanted to go before but I never realized that I might be able to combine the two! I can't wait to read along.

You're doing a great job on the blog!

Christine

Thanks for the compliment!

California is so rich with treasures for the family tourist it was really hard to decide what to do. There are tons of other parks to see in southern California, there is the beach, there is whale watching, there is San Fransisco. Etc, etc, etc. It was HARD to pick.

Then I was worried about making my kids fly one day and then drive around the state the next few. But I'm really glad, REALLY glad we chose to do the National Parks instead of extra amusement parks. Our trip was peaceful. The whole thing. From the drive to the national parks to parking our car at our hotel in LA and walking to and from DL.

Any advice you need to get started, give me a shout. We planned this trip for years so I looked at pretty much everything.

 

[estherhead]

http://www.enchantingbeginnings.com/disney-world-family-takes-on-disneyland-part-2/

 

[estherhead]

My family LOVES Disney World. My husband has been going since he was a kid. And our kids have been going since they've been alive. We love it. So many memories I have there from each of my kids babyhoods right up to now. It truly is like a second home as I know every nook and cranny.

But what would happen if we, a Disney World family, went to Disneyland?

Would it be the same?

Is Mickey Mouse still the coolest in California?

We didn't know the answers, but we were willing to try.

This was it. This was the day. We had planned and saved and plotted and flown and driven all over kingdom come. And today was the day we would find out if we could be a Disneyland family. Excited doesn't begin to describe it.

Mind you, this was not my first time at Disneyland. I had been one time a few years before with just Tim on a cold, dreary, POURING all day raining autumn day. This day was an absolutely perfect early summer day. Perfect.

Our hotel was the furthest walk away on Harbor Blvd. And since we were still on Ohio time it was pretty early when we woke up and it was a pretty quiet walk. I'm always slightly annoyed at how hard it is to get to MK in Florida. But walking past the every day traffic and buses right into DL, I can see why Walt wanted distance between his imaginary world and reality worlds. The monorail ride and boat create actual distance between the worlds. It does make it easier to believe in the fake.

Our first stop was bag check. I wasn't really anticipating standing there. I was imagining going right in to the gates. But we were probably 15 people behind the front of the bag check area and we stood there long enough that a VERY long line formed behind us. I was glad we had gotten there early.

Soon we were on our way (they don't check nearly as thoroughly at DL as they do at WDW. My theory was that anyone who wanted to blow up DL just needs to throw a bomb over the wall so they just don't take it seriously) and I rushed my family forward so we could get a great spot.

Yup, we were ready.

We stood here for maybe 20 minutes? I don't know. It didn't seem long. But I had butterflies in my stomach as I was worried about so many things. The thing about Disney World for me is I know where I'm going. Disneyland was a whole new thing. And later we would be switching to California's Adventure. Would I switch at the right time? Would I get World of Color FPs? Would we be able to find the bathrooms? All the silly things a person worries about needlessly.

The gates were opened and in we popped. We handed them our paper print out and they got us our tickets and we were IN! Time to show the girls Main St.

Oh yeah. Main St at DL is lame. I forgot. No time for a pic of the boring Sleeping Beauty castle, kids, contain your disappointment and lets get to the rope drop area!!!

Oh yeah. We were touching the Tomorrowland rope. We were there early. We might have stood here another 15 minutes. I don't know. I do know that we went through the plan once again. We would run to get Star Tours FP's. Then Nemo Submarines so we wouldn't have to stand in any line. Then we would split and they would do Indiana Jones and I would take Eden to Big Thunder. And by that time it would be time to grab Indiana FPs so I could ride later in the day.

And BREAK! We were ready to run with a solid plan. Look at what was behind us:

I had no idea how far that mass of people stretched down Main Street. But from what the plaza had looked like earlier, I had no doubt it stretched VERY far down Main St. But who cared? I was first!

I ran, and yes, they did actually run here, to the Star Tours area. And I didn't hear a Cast Member say a peep. It seemed that was the thing to do. And because I didn't know I should run I had started walking and people started passing me! So then I ran. Since it was just to a FP machine, my lack of DL ways didn't hurt me. Tim had gone ahead to Nemo and parked the stroller. So in no time at all we were ready for our first ride.

We had to talk Eden into walking down those stairs

We all found a seat with a view. We were the first ones of the day on the ride. I know this isn't probably a must do on everyone's list but we don't have it in Florida and I didn't really want to have to wait for it. So it just made sense to go on it first thing. We had 5 day tickets in these 2 parks. No reason to not do every little thing.

Tips for your first hour in Disneyland:

1) Get there EARLY. I know this gets said about Disney World too. But Disneyland visitors have almost all been there before and they know the park better than you. No matter how much you read before you go, 75% of the other guests will be smarter visitors than you. I thought my research had given me the inside scoop. But I was wrong. All my research had done was brought me up to an acceptable level. The only way to combat this is to get there EARLY. It's the only advantage you can gain. And trust me, the Disneyland vets are well aware that early is better. They also follow this advice. Unlike WDW that seems to be busiest from 11:00-5:00, Disneyland seemed to be busiest always. Midweek was better once we got there. But still.

2) Get over the castle. I didn't think this would matter so much to me. But the castle is very disappointing for WDW vets and it did bother me. And telling me I should get excited about Matterhorn didn't really help. I mean really, do you tear up with joy when you see Expedition Everest? No. It's just a dumb fake mountain. But Cinderella's castle is a CASTLE. And it's AMAZING. I cry when I see it and I cry when I see fireworks over it. Sleeping Beauty's castle doesn't make anyone cry tears of joy. It's best to know that before you arrive. Because even logically knowing it won't prepare you for the emotional letdown.

3) Don't worry about stuff. It doesn't help and you don't need stress on vacation. Yeah, I know, I didn't follow that one so well.

Coming up: The next few rides and the switch to California's Adventure.

I realize that not all my pictures transfered in this post from my blog. SORRY! I'm getting the hang of it but to see all of them, you'll just have to go there. I'm gonna do the next post on here right now too and those pictures are from Flickr so hopefully they will come over.

The story with all the pics here

 

[estherhead]

We had our first ride ridden and fastpass acquired and I was feeling pretty good. At the time Fastpass return times weren't being enforced at Disneyland. Next on the plan was to split and the big girls to ride Indiana Jones while Eden and I rode Big Thunder Mt. Railroad. Indiana Jones is such an awesome ride. I'm very jealous of it. It was one of many things that we were all very jealous about. I had ridden in before and we would continue riding it as much as possible as the week went on.

I headed over to BTMRR.

Look at that happy little girl. I take full blame for her absolute adoration of thrill rides and Mickey. I have given her my vices.

We then met up with the Indiana crowd at the end of the ride and heard them simply gush about the awesomeness of it all.

It was time to use our Star Tours Fastpasses. I grabbed IJ ones as we left it's area, but we didn't end up using them this day.

Star Tours was wonderful, as always, though I was disappointed that the Disneyland map had Darth Vader on it honoring Star Tours reopening with the new storylines. Perhaps my only family trip to Disneyland and my souvenir map has Darth Vader on it? Not really the happiest place in the world map cover I was hoping for.

After riding we had the chance to swap our first Vinylmations. Check out how cool this little trading station is:

Once Carsland opened the hours of the parks changed. But when we were there just before Disneyland opened at 8:00 am (because this was Memorial Day, it would open at 9:00 the other days) and California Adventure opened at 10:00. So with Nemo, Indiana, Big Thunder, and Star Tours out of the way, we headed across the plaza to California Adventure.

The lines were beginning to form. I know it seems that even though we got here super early, we were standing in a lot of lines. It felt that way at the time too. But I knew if I could just get some things crossed off the list this first morning, we could have a relaxing, almost no lines rest of the week. I had convinced my family of this plan. Plus, because it was all so new, even standing in lines was exciting on this morning.

We were allowed in pretty quickly. And because it was new this morning, I didn't mind the "We are renovating" walls.

But I soon came to HATE these walls. Disneyland people treat the two parks as one, walking easily across the plaza. It is quite simple and painless to do. But these walls were endless and very quickly after opening, people started going both ways on this little walkway as they move to and fro from park to park at will. It was cramped and horrible. Even at park close there would be high schoolers trying to enter and for those of us trying to exit they sometimes would direct us AROUND the people entering. And no one really knew which way traffic was supposed to flow so we were all just lumped together trying to make our way. For all you Disney World vets like me, it's like trying to exit the Lion King walkway when others are coming to the next show, only half the size and giant walls obstructing any interesting view. AND FOREVER LONG. Plus, they had workers in hard hats coming in and out of the walls. I would say they were mainly painters as they were covered in paint. But to enter a Disney park with nothing but 1/2 mile of blue wall, seas of people with no direction, and wet paint covered hardhat workers in the mix... It just sucked the amusement out of Amusement Park. I realize this was a temporary arrangement. But it was stupid. Really, really stupid. And even if California Adventure didn't have other disappointments, the walls alone would make me feel like a bit of the fantasy of Disney had been lost when this park was constructed.

First task was to get Fastpasses to World of Color. You must have a Fastpass to see this show. This was the only time of the trip that Tim and I had some problems. I had instructed him to get the girls a breakfast snack (and me some too) and meet me at Goofy's Sky School and I would go acquire Fastpasses for WoC and Screamin'. If you know these parks at all, you know Screamin' is FAR away. And I hurried. I get back to the meeting place ready for my treat and well deserved rest. I am a hot mess as I've basically ran a mile. Or two if you include the Fastpasses I had gotten in Disneyland earlier. With a zillion other people. But they never showed up. I'm frantically texting them but no one is replying. And then I started to get worried and headed towards the front. Finally he texted back "Come to us, we are up front." By that time I was practically there and quite concerned that someone had gotten sick or hurt. But no. They were fine and unconcerned about me. The table looked at me like I was nuts for freaking out. And that is when he said his classic "first day in the parks" line, "There's no rush." And THAT was when we had our only fight of the trip. Of COURSE there is no rush. We are on vacation and here for five days. But I just DID rush. I rushed to meet you. So you wouldn't be inconvenienced by my not rushing. So you could all have a lovely day. But you decided to chill-ax and let me do all of the work and did not care that I was inconvenienced. You are also a parent. I may have even said those exact words. He was, of course, annoyed at me for being annoyed. Until he saw just how far away Screamin' was. Yeah. Shoulda met me with my cinnamon roll and coffee at Goofy's Sky School. Cause I was a super good wife. And you were lame. It was at that point, he agreed he would acquire half of all Fastpasses AND meet where I ask him to meet. He did. I chilled out. And we didn't fight again.

Being a parent is hard on vacation. Because you, as a human being, have been looking forward to this trip, working hard for this trip, deserve this trip. And you get there and you are ready to RELAX. But instead, you are still a parent. All you did was move your jobs to a new location. I find this hard to adjust to. But I find that Tim struggles even more. We have it out on every vacation at some point because he stops being a parent for a minute. And you just never can. Because then the other parent has to make up the difference. And that annoys them.

I will say that having big kids on this trip was a revelation. We had traveled with a baby, toddler, preschooler (or more than one of each) for such a long time that having basically big kids with no diapers, bottles, etc, etc was amazing. I'm pretty sure that's why we only had one, half hour fight on the subject. Because when the big girls were babies it felt like the whole trip was one big barter of who had to do what. And when. And where. This trip, after that little tiff, we really were able to share parenting time AND still have a relaxing time at a Disney park. We are finally reaping the rewards of our years of parenting hard work.

As for the "there's no rush" line, I do understand that the first hour in a park I push my family. But Tim knows as well as I that when we do it his way for the first hour the REST of the day is not very fun and relaxing. When we push early on, then there actually is no rush. Because we already accomplished everything in the first hour. But despite him knowing that logically, emotionally he feels pushed by me the first morning every trip. So I take my share of the blame. Kind of.

Once we were back together and we had our fight (does any family get through a vacation without a fight?) we headed to the carnival rides of Paradise Pier. I know this seems kinda dumb to start right off riding the not exciting rides. But we had all agreed to ride EVERYTHING in the parks. And I wanted to get this stuff out of the way before anyone else got in the lines. Who starts a Disney trip at Nemo? Or the Silly Symphony Swings? And then the rest of the trip would be one wonderful thing after another.

As you can see from our smiles, we enjoyed these rides. But that isn't to say that I think Paradise Pier is a good idea. Because I don't. A lot has been written, A LOT, about California's Adventure. And we know they are trying to fix it. But I really think Paradise Pier might be unfixable. Despite us enjoying it. The problem is that it is too literal. There are lots of carnival type rides at Disney that in reality aren't that fun. Take AstroOrbiter, for example, in Disney World (not the DL version which is also lame.) AstroOrbiter is not really very fun. Taken on its own and sat on the ground. What makes it fun is flying high and being in Tomorrowland. The context is interesting and a fantasy. You can be a kid and imagine you are on a spaceship on a faraway planet in a long ago time. Not on a spinning ride at an amusement park. It, like the rest of Tomorrowland and Frontierland, or Epcot, or Animal Kingdom, takes you somewhere other than where you actually are. And that is a Blue Sky idea.

How did Paradise Pier come to be? Clearly not from a Blue Sky session. I can imagine the non-creative conversation it came from.

"So what does California have a lot of?"
"National Parks"
"Let's do National Parks, what else?"
"The ocean."
"Hmmm... that's too hard."
"Well, amusement parks were invented right here in Anaheim."
"Perfect. Let's do an amusement park."

What??? YOU invented the amusement park, Disney people. It will only re-iterate REALITY if you have the exciting theme of your amusement park BE and amusement park.

Sigh. I never did get over this. Despite loving Screamin' and enjoying the interesting ferris wheel and enjoying all these cheesy little rides, I could not get over the fact that the supposed fantasy element of Paradise Pier is that it is mimicking an amusement park.

And when you see what's possible when smart, creative people truly use their imaginations in Bugsland and Carsland it is downright depressing.

Carsland wasn't open but it was completely done while we were there. So we never got to enjoy it, but we saw the whole thing. VERY cool. I hope someone can reinvent Paradise Pier as well. But probably not. The Mickey Wheel is pretty cool and so it will probably stay and Paradise Pier will forever be a physical reminder of what happens when you run an entertainment company and stop dreaming and base decisions on reality.



Tips for Disney World Vets in Disneyland:


1)Treat the two parks as if they are one. When we were there the walls of death made it not as fun, but now this advice would be perfect. They are very close and you can easily put in your plans switching from one to the other for chunks out of the day.

2) If you are going from the east coast and this is more than likely your one Disneyland family vacation: get a 4-5 day hopper ticket. I thought it would be way too much, there are only two parks. But the parks are jammed full of attractions and you will want to do ALL of them. Because you will want to compare the ones they have at both the World and Land and you will want to experience the ones unique to Disneyland. And it's a vacation so you will want to relax. And you will want to the ones unique to Disneyland more than once so you remember them forever. We LOVED our five days. It was the perfect amount.

3) Don't underestimate how great California's Adventure is. Yeah, the theme of Paradise Pier is stupid. But this is a great park with many, many fun things to do. Don't believe the bad press. California's Adventure is WAY more than just Carsland.

Coming up: We finish day 1 with the Awesome Aladdin show, the opening of the MadTParty, and the breathtaking World of Color.


Ha Ha!! I think I got all the pictures to transfer by re-writing the code from blog to message board format. I should rename this entire thread "Perla learns how to blog." Thanks for being patient. Every day on this TR is a new adventure for me. Kinda like the trip itself was!

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I love his thread. This is our second weekend home since our first WDW trip and the magic hasn't faded. DH and I are spending our free time rewatching videos and looking at pictures from our trip (oh and planning next years trip). The little bottles of Mickey shampoo we had left over the last day are almost empty, but the memories are still fresh. This has been our first vacation in 5 years and it has done so much to strengthen our family. Here is why I am already a Disney fanatic.

1) We started taking family walks. While I was doing research I ran across something that said you walk on average 14miles a day at WDW. I walk everyday with DS, but my husband has a desk job and hasn't had much time to exercise. We started taking a 2.5 mile walk on the weekend, and not only was it good for us but it gave us some great time to talk about the week. My husband enjoyed the walks so much he kept them up during the week even when he got home after 9 pm. Needless to say he started loosing weight!

2) I got to plan. Sounds silly but I love planning. Before becoming a stay at home mom I was in finance. II had so much fun making budgets, spreadsheets, and putting together a nice organized trip binder. It gave me some of that orderly satisfaction you don't always get as a SAHM. (Don't get me wrong I love being at home and there are plenty of other opportunities for OCD like order, but this is the most fun way to let your OCD flourish)

3) Appreciating the way Disney does EVERYTHING right (well almost). DH is an engineer, and is cursed with a very efficient mind. Situations that only slightly annoy some people REALLY annoy him because he has usually instantly figured out a much more efficient way to do it. Disney does so many things right that there was a lot on the trip (the luggage system, magic Express, resort check in, park entry machines, and the FP system etc.) were making DH positively giddy. One night in our resort he sat smiled real big and said "imagine working in procurement for disney! Look at how much of this is single sourced! Imagine the contract negotiations!" (Weird things make him giddy) I think he has a new dream job

4) our sons reaction to everything. How could I not include that! I was worried 2 would be to young, but while he probably won't remember it, I really thing, but we had fun watching him discover everything Wdw had to offer and he learned so many new words while we were there!

5) We are more in sync as a family. It is hard to explain but by the end of the trip we just functioned more as team. We anticipate each others needs better and DH seems more empowered as a father (he even diffused a temper tantrum all by himself)

6) Exposure to families from all over the country and world. Where else can you go and visit with so many families from so many places!

7) Everyone is so friendly! Especially the Disney employees. How to do you have a company so large and keep all the employees so empowered and happy? On a related note, the life guards were the most attentive life guards we have ever seen.

8) When DH has a frustration day we get the Disney binder out, reminisce over our past trip and day dream about our next one. It fixes everything.

9) You get to be a kids again. Everyone knows this, I don't need to explain.

10) You can let your inner geek out. Yes I went the full nine yards, matching shirts, stroller license, custom luggage tags, water bottles etc. My sweet husband humored me with all oft silliness.

We had a great Disney experience. So much so Dh said he never wants to take a non Disney vacation, and with Adventures by Disney we may not have to. I can't wait to return to AoA next May.

 

[estherhead]

I love his thread. This is our second weekend home since our first WDW trip and the magic hasn't faded. DH and I are spending our free time rewatching videos and looking at pictures from our trip (oh and planning next years trip). The little bottles of Mickey shampoo we had left over the last day are almost empty, but the memories are still fresh. This has been our first vacation in 5 years and it has done so much to strengthen our family. Here is why I am already a Disney fanatic.

1) We started taking family walks. While I was doing research I ran across something that said you walk on average 14miles a day at WDW. I walk everyday with DS, but my husband has a desk job and hasn't had much time to exercise. We started taking a 2.5 mile walk on the weekend, and not only was it good for us but it gave us some great time to talk about the week. My husband enjoyed the walks so much he kept them up during the week even when he got home after 9 pm. Needless to say he started loosing weight!

2) I got to plan. Sounds silly but I love planning. Before becoming a stay at home mom I was in finance. II had so much fun making budgets, spreadsheets, and putting together a nice organized trip binder. It gave me some of that orderly satisfaction you don't always get as a SAHM. (Don't get me wrong I love being at home and there are plenty of other opportunities for OCD like order, but this is the most fun way to let your OCD flourish)

3) Appreciating the way Disney does EVERYTHING right (well almost). DH is an engineer, and is cursed with a very efficient mind. Situations that only slightly annoy some people REALLY annoy him because he has usually instantly figured out a much more efficient way to do it. Disney does so many things right that there was a lot on the trip (the luggage system, magic Express, resort check in, park entry machines, and the FP system etc.) were making DH positively giddy. One night in our resort he sat smiled real big and said "imagine working in procurement for disney! Look at how much of this is single sourced! Imagine the contract negotiations!" (Weird things make him giddy) I think he has a new dream job

4) our sons reaction to everything. How could I not include that! I was worried 2 would be to young, but while he probably won't remember it, I really thing, but we had fun watching him discover everything Wdw had to offer and he learned so many new words while we were there!

5) We are more in sync as a family. It is hard to explain but by the end of the trip we just functioned more as team. We anticipate each others needs better and DH seems more empowered as a father (he even diffused a temper tantrum all by himself)

6) Exposure to families from all over the country and world. Where else can you go and visit with so many families from so many places!

7) Everyone is so friendly! Especially the Disney employees. How to do you have a company so large and keep all the employees so empowered and happy? On a related note, the life guards were the most attentive life guards we have ever seen.

8) When DH has a frustration day we get the Disney binder out, reminisce over our past trip and day dream about our next one. It fixes everything.

9) You get to be a kids again. Everyone knows this, I don't need to explain.

10) You can let your inner geek out. Yes I went the full nine yards, matching shirts, stroller license, custom luggage tags, water bottles etc. My sweet husband humored me with all oft silliness.

We had a great Disney experience. So much so Dh said he never wants to take a non Disney vacation, and with Adventures by Disney we may not have to. I can't wait to return to AoA next May.

This made me tear up. This is exactly how we feel. Some of the things you said I felt like my sister could have said verbatim.

People say a Disney vacation isn't relaxing. And I can't deny that it isn't physically relaxing. Physically it actually is exhausting. But I also have a mind that craves efficiency and works overtime. To have a vacation that distracts my mind is wonderful. And when you have a two year old at the beach, for example, it is also physically exhausting and your mind isn't kept active.

And I love that they do a better job on stuff than I could do. That is very hard for me to find. A place that has systems in place that are better than the systems I would design. Decor that is more over the top themed than I would design. It's just wonderful. And Disneyland did not disappoint us. It is just as wonderful on these important things as the World.

And I agree it helps kids grow too. It's the right amount of concentrated parental attention, outside stimulation, and a relaxed environment.

 

[MeeskaMomma]

And I agree it helps kids grow too. It's the right amount of concentrated parental attention, outside stimulation, and a relaxed environment.

I couldn't have said it better! So true!

 

[Mommy2BnB]

Yikes to your Blog crash. Glad you got it up and running again. Enjoyed the 2 updates. I was sad to hear how underwhelming the castle is in DL. And I don't understand the point of Paradise Pier. There are cheesy carnival theme parks everywhere. Why would Disney waste space on that concept? Can't wait to read more.

 

[estherhead]

Yikes to your Blog crash. Glad you got it up and running again. Enjoyed the 2 updates. I was sad to hear how underwhelming the castle is in DL. And I don't understand the point of Paradise Pier. There are cheesy carnival theme parks everywhere. Why would Disney waste space on that concept? Can't wait to read more.

Yeah, the castle really does have to be dealt with before leaving home as Disneyland is AWESOME. As you will hear as we continue our little trip you will start to hear just how much I adore Disneyland. And it's superior to Magic Kingdom in almost every way. But that castle. Sigh. Best to just know going in, get it over with, and move on with excitement. Because in general, it's awesome. And if you weren't a Disney World vet, the castle would be fine.

 

[knitster]

I had been to Disneyland several times as a kid/teen before I finally made it to Disney World as an adult, and I was completely floored upon my first up close encounter with Cinderella Castle. When I turned the corner on Main Street (we got my son's first hair cut right as we walked into the park, so I didn't see the castle until we turned the corner past the barber shop), I immediately burst into tears. My husband, knowing that I had been secretly dreaming of that moment, leaned over and said, "There's your castle, honey."

Ugh - I'm getting teary just typing it out! Sleeping Beauty castle will never be able to illicit that reaction from me.

 

[estherhead]

I had been to Disneyland several times as a kid/teen before I finally made it to Disney World as an adult, and I was completely floored upon my first up close encounter with Cinderella Castle. When I turned the corner on Main Street (we got my son's first hair cut right as we walked into the park, so I didn't see the castle until we turned the corner past the barber shop), I immediately burst into tears. My husband, knowing that I had been secretly dreaming of that moment, leaned over and said, "There's your castle, honey."

Ugh - I'm getting teary just typing it out! Sleeping Beauty castle will never be able to illicit that reaction from me.

Awwww... I know. I've been to castles in Europe. I always get teary at those real castles too. There is just something that engages the imagination about a tall building full of spires with ornate landscaping and a moat. It makes you believe in daydreams.

 

[WalkingintheFog]

Wow! When you do catch up, you really come thru!!!!
Great Job! And I haven't even jumped to the blog yet!

You're my hero! lol! I'm behind on my TR as well! Life got in the way!

Just planning 2 more DisTrips (Nov for 50th Bday + Wine&Dine Half, and Jan for the Dopey)..... thinking I've got to finish the Oct 2012 TR before I can start asking too many questions for the Nov & Jan trips
(Never been to Florida/Disney during those "colder months"...heck, never been outside Newfoundland Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb, unless you count a weekend in late Feb in Nova Scotia!)

 

[estherhead]

Wow! When you do catch up, you really come thru!!!!
Great Job! And I haven't even jumped to the blog yet!

You're my hero! lol! I'm behind on my TR as well! Life got in the way!

Just planning 2 more DisTrips (Nov for 50th Bday + Wine&Dine Half, and Jan for the Dopey)..... thinking I've got to finish the Oct 2012 TR before I can start asking too many questions for the Nov & Jan trips
(Never been to Florida/Disney during those "colder months"...heck, never been outside Newfoundland Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb, unless you count a weekend in late Feb in Nova Scotia!)

I'm glad I'm not the only one!!

Sounds like you have the same pressure as me. More trips!

You've never left in the winter? We don't always get away in the winter, but when we do we always say we'll do it every year. It's so wonderful to take a break from hats and gloves.

 

[chattadisser]

I LOVE the tips that you are putting at the end of each update. This is especially helpful for us WDW vets.

I am tentatively planning a trip for October 2014 to DL. My oldest has been asking to go to DL for years. The youngest will be 5 by then and I think she, or we, will be able to handle a cross country flight with her by then! We, my DH and I, noramlly do red eye flights when we have travel to the west coast so that we don't miss a minute of time out there but that's probably not wise with little ones.

Before reading your TR I had thought about flying to LA doing DL and then driving up the coast to San Francisco for a few days and then coming home. But, after seeing Yosemite, now I want to go there too! I even pulled up MapQuest to get a handle on where it was in relation to the rest of the state. Being from the East Coast you never really know how big mountains are until you go out west. I am just in awe of the natural beauty of the west, I guess because its so different than anything that we normally see.

I love the research part of planning the trip as well. Doesn't any good DISER?? Thanks for entertaining us as we read along!

Christine

 

[estherhead]

I LOVE the tips that you are putting at the end of each update. This is especially helpful for us WDW vets.

I am tentatively planning a trip for October 2014 to DL. My oldest has been asking to go to DL for years. The youngest will be 5 by then and I think she, or we, will be able to handle a cross country flight with her by then! We, my DH and I, noramlly do red eye flights when we have travel to the west coast so that we don't miss a minute of time out there but that's probably not wise with little ones.

Before reading your TR I had thought about flying to LA doing DL and then driving up the coast to San Francisco for a few days and then coming home. But, after seeing Yosemite, now I want to go there too! I even pulled up MapQuest to get a handle on where it was in relation to the rest of the state. Being from the East Coast you never really know how big mountains are until you go out west. I am just in awe of the natural beauty of the west, I guess because its so different than anything that we normally see.

I love the research part of planning the trip as well. Doesn't any good DISER?? Thanks for entertaining us as we read along!

Christine

We didn't do a red eye flight. And I'm glad. It was good to just get there and go right to bed. I know it seems like a wasted hotel night, but it helped a lot. Even with the night's sleep we were still cranky by 4:00 pm that day.

We originally wanted to do San Fran. It got dumped because it was just too expensive. The downtown family friendly hotels are outrageous. And to drive in every day wastes a lot of time. With the Disney portion being our priority, I just didn't have the money leftover to do San Fran too. But the actual stuff to see and activities there seem REALLY family friendly.

 

[stacy~**]

Soooo I just found your report and it wan't until page 2 or so that I realized this was LAST year! I was very confused.

I haven't gotten very far but wanted to say hi. I love finding TR's from fellow Ohioians! (central Ohio...not sure where you are). I love the Disney names you gave everyone. I wish I would have done that in my PTR.

Can't wait to read more....