skier_pete
DIsney-holics Anon
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2006
So, our plan for the day was to spend a little more time in the DL park (we had had enough of DCA by this point) and then come back and transfer our stuff to our new hotel. So, we passed through DTD on our way to Disneyland. We stopped to look at jewelry. I had promised DW to get her some nice Disney Jewelry, as its been a while since Ive been able to afford to buy much. (With her going back to full time has freed up our financials considerably.) She looked at some stuff and after getting passed the diamonds (some stuff running for $5000 or more) she settled on a necklace and earrings in the range I had given her. (Were talking a few hundred dollars here these expensive vacations dont leave a lot left for pretty things.)
On the way into Disneyland, we ran into the Disneyland Marching Band, who were coming down main street. I just HAD to stop for some pictures! Mickey was helping with conducting duties!
We swung by Space Mountain to get a fastpass for later, and the return time was 1:50 to 2:50 PM (we got it around 11 AM) and so we decided to try the Matterhorn. The line said like 25 minutes, so we decided to go for it. We were about 15 minutes in and probably about 10 minutes left when we noticed there was a sign for single rider. So we jumped out of line, found the entrance, and again walked right onto the ride as a single rider. (Why dont people use these single rider lines here? Lesson to all, find out what rides have single rider,and use them wherever possible.)
We headed over to Small World next, and on the way ran into to fellow ABDers from our trip. They were on the way to Small World as well, so after I got a frozen lemonade, we rode it together.
They were going to go and get seats for Mickey and the Magical Map but it was still 30 minutes before showtime and I didnt really want to wait that long. So, we headed over to Frontierland to ride the Columbia. We just missed it by a minute, so waited for it to come around again.
Heres me as I appeared on the Columbia
And heres my inner feelings of being on a boat
Some scenes from around the Rivers of America:
At least we werent these people. There was one lady who didnt even have her paddle in the water. I wouldve been splashing her with each stroke had I been near her. (Carry your own *** lady or stay on shore!)
After that we headed over to the Jungle Cruise with a stop for a Tiger Tail (not to be confused with a Tigger Tail).
The wait for Jungle Cruise was also about 20 minutes, not too bad. First time in a long time Ive waited in a JC queue really hot and really slow moving, would upstairs then downstairs. But we had a MUCH better skipper than our nighttime cruise of a few weeks before. Favorite joke of the trip Theres our Python sitting in a tree H-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!
We headed for the Tiki Room where we found "DarthVader92" standing outside a closed Tiki Room trying to stalk Disney Legends and Executives. Apparently there was an event going on inside for the 50th anniversary, and that was why Richard Sherman, Bob Gurr, Tony Baxter, Bob Iger and Im sure others. I was crushed (not because I didnt get to meet Bob Iger, but because I missed out on my favorite attraction) and really hoped it was open later.
With the Tiki room closed, we did a little shopping and I finally got my Indiana Jones hat that Ive wanted for years! Next Halloween all I need is the whip! There was some confusion with the credit card, so it took a little bit to straighten out. After that, we headed over to ride Space Mountain again. Still fun, but the damn ride upsets my stomach. It was now approaching 3 PM and we were going to try and catch Mickey and the Magical Map. We grabbed a Mickey Bar and a bottle of water and found a seat for the show. It was pretty good. The plot was sort of stupid but the sequences were mostly pretty good except what was with the Stitch segment not having Lilo or Stitch?
At that point we were ready for a break, so went back to the Grand Californian and got our bags to transfer to the Tropicana. While clearly a huge step down, the King bedroom we had was clean and spacious and you certainly cant complain about the location which is probably about the same distance from the gates of DL as the Grand for $380 a night less.
So heres the point at which I am going to slag on the Grand Californian. There is no doubt that it is a nice looking hotel, and if you like that Wilderness Lodge style it can be very appealing. However, in the three nights we were there, we didnt really experience anything that would tell me it was remotely worth the money it cost. Sure, it was super close to DCA, but the walk to DL was still about 10 minutes. Our room view was that of a parking lot. The pool area, while pretty, was crowded and impractically sized. We didnt really get to try out many of the amenities, but who had time when we were in the parks the whole time. And thats my point. Its one thing when you are traveling to Aulani and staying at the hotel for the trip, sure splurge. But for DL, theres no point. It was fine, but if you had told me I couldve saved $300 on the trip and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, I wouldve jumped at it. The ONE advantage it had that made it worthwhile (to me) was the early entry to the parks feature. (I wouldnt even say the entrance within the hotel was that huge a deal, since we were always hopping back and forth between parks anyways and there was really no convenient way for that.
Meanwhile, The Tropicana Inn on Harbor Boulevard was $120. It was literally across the street from one of the DL entrances, and probably about a 10 minute walk from the main DL and DCA entrances. We stayed here in 2012, and had an even better room location this time. IT is definitely a great hotel for the budget traveler. Is the Grand Californian twice as nice. Sure, but is $380 more dollars a night worth it? Not for us.
To be continued next post.
On the way into Disneyland, we ran into the Disneyland Marching Band, who were coming down main street. I just HAD to stop for some pictures! Mickey was helping with conducting duties!
We swung by Space Mountain to get a fastpass for later, and the return time was 1:50 to 2:50 PM (we got it around 11 AM) and so we decided to try the Matterhorn. The line said like 25 minutes, so we decided to go for it. We were about 15 minutes in and probably about 10 minutes left when we noticed there was a sign for single rider. So we jumped out of line, found the entrance, and again walked right onto the ride as a single rider. (Why dont people use these single rider lines here? Lesson to all, find out what rides have single rider,and use them wherever possible.)
We headed over to Small World next, and on the way ran into to fellow ABDers from our trip. They were on the way to Small World as well, so after I got a frozen lemonade, we rode it together.
They were going to go and get seats for Mickey and the Magical Map but it was still 30 minutes before showtime and I didnt really want to wait that long. So, we headed over to Frontierland to ride the Columbia. We just missed it by a minute, so waited for it to come around again.
Heres me as I appeared on the Columbia
And heres my inner feelings of being on a boat
Some scenes from around the Rivers of America:
At least we werent these people. There was one lady who didnt even have her paddle in the water. I wouldve been splashing her with each stroke had I been near her. (Carry your own *** lady or stay on shore!)
After that we headed over to the Jungle Cruise with a stop for a Tiger Tail (not to be confused with a Tigger Tail).
The wait for Jungle Cruise was also about 20 minutes, not too bad. First time in a long time Ive waited in a JC queue really hot and really slow moving, would upstairs then downstairs. But we had a MUCH better skipper than our nighttime cruise of a few weeks before. Favorite joke of the trip Theres our Python sitting in a tree H-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!
We headed for the Tiki Room where we found "DarthVader92" standing outside a closed Tiki Room trying to stalk Disney Legends and Executives. Apparently there was an event going on inside for the 50th anniversary, and that was why Richard Sherman, Bob Gurr, Tony Baxter, Bob Iger and Im sure others. I was crushed (not because I didnt get to meet Bob Iger, but because I missed out on my favorite attraction) and really hoped it was open later.
With the Tiki room closed, we did a little shopping and I finally got my Indiana Jones hat that Ive wanted for years! Next Halloween all I need is the whip! There was some confusion with the credit card, so it took a little bit to straighten out. After that, we headed over to ride Space Mountain again. Still fun, but the damn ride upsets my stomach. It was now approaching 3 PM and we were going to try and catch Mickey and the Magical Map. We grabbed a Mickey Bar and a bottle of water and found a seat for the show. It was pretty good. The plot was sort of stupid but the sequences were mostly pretty good except what was with the Stitch segment not having Lilo or Stitch?
At that point we were ready for a break, so went back to the Grand Californian and got our bags to transfer to the Tropicana. While clearly a huge step down, the King bedroom we had was clean and spacious and you certainly cant complain about the location which is probably about the same distance from the gates of DL as the Grand for $380 a night less.
So heres the point at which I am going to slag on the Grand Californian. There is no doubt that it is a nice looking hotel, and if you like that Wilderness Lodge style it can be very appealing. However, in the three nights we were there, we didnt really experience anything that would tell me it was remotely worth the money it cost. Sure, it was super close to DCA, but the walk to DL was still about 10 minutes. Our room view was that of a parking lot. The pool area, while pretty, was crowded and impractically sized. We didnt really get to try out many of the amenities, but who had time when we were in the parks the whole time. And thats my point. Its one thing when you are traveling to Aulani and staying at the hotel for the trip, sure splurge. But for DL, theres no point. It was fine, but if you had told me I couldve saved $300 on the trip and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, I wouldve jumped at it. The ONE advantage it had that made it worthwhile (to me) was the early entry to the parks feature. (I wouldnt even say the entrance within the hotel was that huge a deal, since we were always hopping back and forth between parks anyways and there was really no convenient way for that.
Meanwhile, The Tropicana Inn on Harbor Boulevard was $120. It was literally across the street from one of the DL entrances, and probably about a 10 minute walk from the main DL and DCA entrances. We stayed here in 2012, and had an even better room location this time. IT is definitely a great hotel for the budget traveler. Is the Grand Californian twice as nice. Sure, but is $380 more dollars a night worth it? Not for us.
To be continued next post.