A Mermaid & Shark in the Pools?!?!- A Combined DLR and Villas at GCH Trip Report

[pepe3penelope]

Just letting all of you know that I've finished my trip report on my computer. Just tweaking comments. Still need to upload the pictures and post everything! Hopefully will get to work on the 1st official post soon! Thanks for your patience!

On a side note, I've been super busy getting back to the reality of life! As soon as I got back to work, they assigned me to train a new nurse to our unit. It has NOT been going well. I knew she wouldn't make it, but we were trying to give her time. Well, she officially quit after lunch today. I'm actually quite sad now because of this whole experience. I've trained multiple nurses to our unit before and I can't help but feel discouraged! Thanks for letting me vent!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Sorry that this has been taking so long!!! My DH has been helping me and there were some "technical difficulties". He's officially uploading them onto Photobucket. It's a very slow process because there are about 230 photos to upload.

Don't fret. I've already finished typing my TR. I just have to decide which photos to include.

Warning: there will be a lot of photos! Also, don't forget that it will include our favorite couple Princess Ariel and Prince Eric following along! DH did a great job with most of their pictures. By the looks of the photos, I'd say they had an amazing vacation, too!

Thank you for hanging in there!

 

[pepe3penelope]

A Mermaid & Shark in the Pools?- A Combined DLR & VGC Trip Report:

To those of you patiently waiting: I’m sorry this has taken so long. Thank you for sticking around. Life just got in the way. Hopefully, it was worth the wait!

The Backstory:
This is a summary of my DISfamily. It includes myself the DW, DH, DD (6 ½), & DS (almost 3). We are locals and have DLP annual passes, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owners, and LOVE Disney Cruise Line (DCL). Anyway, you get the picture!

I was calling this year’s vacation a “staycation” because I didn’t want to pay for airfare and all the headaches that come with that (luggage fees, sitting on a long flight, transfers to/from the airport, etc.).

This is my 1st time doing a trip report. I love reading about other DISers’ experiences. I found lacking information about the VCG, pool cabanas, Surf’s Up Breakfast with Mickey & Friends, etc. I hope our experiences are useful and informative to you.

Day One: Sunday, July 6, 2014
I got up way too early because I was so excited beyond belief. I kept waking up at night and I believe I actually couldn’t go back to sleep at 4:30!
I had breaksfast, washed up, got things packed, woke up DH and we got DD (6 ½) & DS (2 ½) ready. We’re locals and had already packed most of the items into my trunk the previous night. Just had to pack the day bag, drink/snack bag, toiletries into the luggage, purse, DH’s messenger bag and we were good to go.



My goal was to hit the road by & 7am but I think we actually left by 7:20. There was a long drive thru line at Starbucks so we went in. Finally got on the freeway at 7:45.



We entered the parking drive of the Grand Californian Hotel at 8:08 (thanks to DH’s driving)! Dropped off luggage and 1 large bag of groceries with bell services.
Waited a few minutes at registration then the check-in process probably took about 15 minutes. Needed to confirm several things like villa room number requests (was really hoping for 6th floor for optimal WOC view), GCH and DLR cabana reservations, Surf’s Up with Mickey reservation, Build a Bear Workshop early reservation, & Vons delivery service.
So, two things happened. 1) I had a freak out moment because the CM at the registration counter could NOT find our GCH pool cabana for the next day. I gave him my list of reservation numbers and he disappeared in the back with it. A couple minutes later he reappeared and said he found it. Whew! That was close. 2) He said that based on which villas that were having departures that day that we would only get floor 1, 2, or 3 so we got floor 3.

We headed to the pools and chilled out the ENTIRE day, waiting patiently until the villa was ready.


We ate our lunch from White Water Snacks at the poolside. I called at 2:45 to check on the villa status, but no luck. I was going to call again at 4:00 on the dot, but alas I finally got the text at 3:58. Talk about cutting it close! We grabbed all of our belongings and people were already to pounce on our great lounge chairs.
We got villa 3508. Pretty view of Paradise Pier, but not optimal. Also, don't forget that Princess Ariel and Prince Eric joined us.


We booked it to the villa in pure joy and excitement. I have to say that having the one bedroom villa is what I was REALLY looking forward to and the sheer size and convenience of this villa. WOW!!! It was so spacious, impressive, convenient, and really became our new home! It was so cool. Problem is after 3 nights we are going to downgrade to a studio for the last 2 nights (points on the 1 bedrooms are so expensive!). Nonetheless, we were sooo happy.


Bell services dropped off the luggage, our bag of groceries, and the Vons grocery delivery. My DH and I unpacked everything so fast and he gave DS & DD their baths.
Our good friends who happen to live down the street from the Disneyland Drive exit came to visit us in the villa. When exiting the southbound exit, you make a left to go to DLR. You make a right and their backyard’s street is Disneyland Drive! They hear the DLP’s fireworks EVERY night! She said it makes their windows rattle every night.
Their DD (8) and DS (2 ½) played with the kids for a little. It was actually their 1st time seeing the villas. On a side note, I had been trying to get dining reservations since the day before and I even walked onto Storyteller’s Café that morning. Both times I was told they were sold out for our party size. Interestingly enough, we walked by & the restaurant was empty. Our table was ready in 2-3 minutes. That was so weird. The 4 adults got the dinner buffet, the 2 year olds were free so they had the buffet, the 8 year old had the buffet, & our 6 ½ year old did the build your own pizza. That was fun and cool as well. I took my DS and the two girls to the Storytelling at the Hearth right at 7:30 pm. It was our 1st time doing this. He was neat and animated with his stories. Afterwards, the kids went to the TV viewing area to watch Disney cartoons.
Our visiting friend did a Build a Bear and the kids hung out. We went to the 6th floor WOC viewing balcony for ½ of the show then back to our balcony for the last ½. It was a weird angle to watch the show from, but you really couldn’t see the images well.
FREAK ACCIDENT: While everyone went outside onto the balcony to watch the 2nd half of WOC, our DS rushed outside as well. We had been telling him that he cannot bring any toys outside in case anything fell over. Well, you guessed it…I heard a clang/bang noise and immediately thought, “What was that?” He accidentally dropped a new toy that DH had just bought him the day before. I know for a fact that this toy was a lucky find because it was the 1st time we ever saw it. CARS is DS’s favorite cartoon and Mater is his absolute favorite Disney character. DH looked down the balcony & saw that it must have dropped into a maze of bushes near a mysterious pathway that we have never seen anyone walk on. DH was so mad and we told DS that the toy is gone forever. He kept asking DH to get it, but there was no way. Anyway, for the remainder of the trip, he kept asking for the toy, whenever we were at a Cars toy section he asked for it, whenever we were on the balcony he asked for it…he was like a broken record.
Our friends left our villa around 10:30 and the kids finally slept around 10:45. They were SOOOOO tired!  In the meantime, DH and I settled into the room and enjoyed it so we actually didn’t sleep until 12:30.
Here are some of the pictures from when they came over:

 

[pepe3penelope]

Day Two: Monday, July7, 2014:

I had kept the bedroom curtains halfway open last night so I could have that wonderful Paradise Pier view when I woke up. It was so pretty and magical. I had my breakfast in the bedroom while DH was sleeping and opened the balcony door so I could hear the awesome sounds of California Adventure in the background. By now, it was about 6:45.
Everyone got ready and we headed to DLH’s Ballroom for the DVC Royal Member Gathering at 8am. We walked in about 2 mintutes late, but they hadn’t started yet. They had water, orange juice, coffees, and a large hot tea selection. They ran out of pastries, but quickly replenished it. This was our 1st time attending and we thought it was fun. There were a lot of families…so many in fact that they had to bring several more chairs to accommodate everyone. They had trivia games and two huge DVC baskets filled with stuff that I TOTALLY wanted, but we didn’t win that raffle. We answered questions and scored 3 DVC luggage tags. We also got a Royal Member Gathering Pin and each of us got a cool DVC member baseball cap.


I didn’t tell the kids about the surprise at the end…Mickey Mouse’s arrival and a photo op with him!
We did some shopping at the DLH’s gift shop, but you will find out throughout this TR that shopping is a common theme with this family! Ok…it’s really DD and I. Wonder where she gets it from?!?!?
We headed back to the GCH Mariposa Pool for our FULL DAY cabana!!! We got the cabana we wanted: cabana #4 because it was closest to the Fountain Pool and Redwood Slide Pool. I COMPLETELY get why people do them. Soooo spacious and luxurious! Full sofa and loveseat, 2 cocktail tables, 2 end tables, large TV, ceiling fan, 2 chaise lounge chairs, and a large cabinet. The left side had a good-sized refrigerator and the right side had a large safe that was double the size of the ones in the rooms, and two shelves. The fridge was stocked with small bottled waters. There was a large basket of towels, a clock, and an in-house phone.




We ordered food for lunch and enjoyed the luxurious time we had. Jonathan was our cabana attendant & I couldn’t have asked for more. He was so friendly and accommodating. I had called before about the included “fruit bowl” because I wanted to make special requests since my kids don’t eat a lot of the ones I heard that would be included. I asked Jonathan if we can make requests for the kids. I asked for strawberries and watermelon slices and it was GRANTED! Score on that pixie dust!

Paul was our dining services attendant. Later Patrick also joined Jonathan as our cabana attendant.
We ordered lunch from White Water Snacks and one item from room service. Food was good and so easy to eat in the convenience of the cabana’s layout. So easy to charge to the room, too.
Apparently, DS was sooooo wiped out from such a busy 1st day yesterday. He fell asleep laying down on my lap while waiting for lunch to arrive. He slept from 12 noon to past 3:30!!! Wow!!!!

IT’S OFFICIAL…DD is definitely a mermaid!!! She is seriously loving the pools. DH took her to the Fountain and Redwood Slide Pools while I stayed in the shaded cabana. She only came out of the pools for late morning snack, lunch, late afternoon snack, forced drink breaks, and running to mommy pee breaks. Tomorrow the plan is to go to our 8:30 am Surf’s Up with Mickey Breakfast then go to DTD for some shopping. We will probably go to Lego Store and maybe World of Disney Store. So DH asked DD if she wanted to go to Disneyland Park tomorrow. Can you believe she said no and that she just wants to be in the pool? I knew it!
The full day cabana hours are 9:30am to 6pm. We arrived around 9:25 and left around 5:50. Gotta make good use of that $249 plus tax, right? I feel I tipped the cabana attendants Jonathan and Patrick and the dining server Paul pretty well. They did an awesome job about checking on us and providing what we wanted. However, I always question myself and think I didn’t tip enough. When we got off the elevator, we happened to overlook the view of the pools. We saw the dining server pass our cabana and pick up our dining tab that included the tip I left. Then he walked over to the cabana attendant and seemed to have asked him something. What? I’ll never know. I had tipped the cabana attendants separately so maybe he just wanted to make sure I tipped them also.
We went back to our villa and DH gave the kids baths & did a load of laundry (gotta love that in-room laundry).
I got dinner ready for everyone. Here’s the result! The kids had broccoli, quesadillas, peaches, oranges, & milk. DH and I had broccoli, & linguini and clams. He had a Red Trolley Ale and I had a bottled watermelon mimosa. I took a shower and we headed down the elevator.


We cut through the pool gates to cut across and enter CA through our easy-peasy entrance by 8:30-8:45 pm. We couldn’t believe how wonderfully short the lines were. You see…we are local annual passholders; we work full-time; we have the deluxe passes so during mid-March to mid-August we are blocked from coming on Saturdays. When we come on Sundays, it’s so crazy busy & crowded because DL & CA allows all 4 levels of passholders on top of those visiting. We rode Little Mermaid twice without a wait at all, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Flying Tires both with a less than a 5 minute wait. We stopped by Sarge’s Surplus to find the mysterious Cars red tow truck (I think it’s called Ion/Ian) that DS previously but accidentally chucked into the bushes to nowhere from our balcony. We saw it on display, but it wasn’t in stock. Instead, he got the King from the 1st Cars movie.
We returned to the hotel before WOC finished to avoid the stampede. DH took the kids back to the villa & I went to Bell Services. I had ordered thru Amazon on Sunday at noon for an overnight delivery for a case for our new Microsoft Surface 2 (which is what I’m typing on now…love it by the way. Smaller and much more portable than a laptop computer. Don’t need apps from an Ipad since I have an iphone.). I called earlier and they said they didn’t receive the package. I asked them again and he checked the back & didn’t have it. NOTE FOR THE FUTURE: They said if you have any packages delivered via UPS or Fedex, it will go directly to the hotel. If it’s delievered via USPS (which was the case for me), it has to go through Disneyland resort mailing service & gets screened through security and THEN gets delivered to the hotel. She suggested that I call in the morning after 8am when they open.
We got the kids ready for bed. DD has been sleeping on the trundle bed and DS has been on the sofa bed. I fell asleep next to him with the intent of getting up in 5 minutes and sleep in the master bedroom. Wow! I must have been tired because I woke up at 3:30 and decided to just stay the rest of the night.

 

[pepe3penelope]

Here are some more photos of us hanging out at the pools, waiting for the villa to be ready. DD is the background on the right.

DS loves being in the water, but he is really in his element when he's kicking back on a chaise lounge chair and snacking simultaneously. He must get that concept from mommy and daddy!

Here are photos of the 1 bedroom villa. Sorry that some of the pictures are dark.






Here's a photo of DD with our friend's daughter. You can see that they are on the trundle bed below the TV media center.

We loved the large dining area adjacent to the kitchen. When our friends' family came, it was a nice place to hang out at and for the kids to play with their toys. Here's an example.

After a LONG day the first night, here are photos of the kids crashed out at night. We had DS on the sofa bed and DD on the trundle bed. They move around so much when they sleep so we had pillows to cushion them.


Trader Joe's has these amazing frozen mini butter croissants (8 in a package). The night before you lay them on a cookie sheet and let them rest on the counter overnight. The next morning you brush an egg wash and bake for about 15 minutes. They were such a hit that the kids gobbled them up the next day (for breakfast and snacks). Yummmm-oooo! Here's what they look the next morning before the egg wash.

Here's a photo of our well-stocked refrigerator. In hindsight, I ordered/brought WAY TOO MANY drinks, snacks, etc. I will definitely down-size next time.

Here's DS crashed out on my lap on our cabana day on day 2.

Here are photos of the menu in the cabana and a photo of my yummy drink! As I will post later, I RARELY drink alcohol. I'm talking a drink once a year in December at work's holiday party. During this vacation, I told myself, "Hey, I'm on vacation. We're going to be relaxing in the pools. I'm having some drinks." You know what?...I had a drink everyday at the pool AND at least 4 times for dinner that week!!!



On the first night after dinner, we went into DCA. We LOVE Carsland. Mater is DS's favorite character. This was a really cool panoramic photo that the CM took w/my iphone.


Up next: Day 3 of our trip!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Just as previously stated, I woke up on the sofa bed next to DS. I was so tired from the previous two days, I suppose. I didn’t want to wake up the kiddies so I had my daily breakfast again in the main bedroom while DH was sleeping. I kept the balcony door open ajar to hear the wonderful CA sounds in the background. Aaaaahhh!
It seems to take me so long to get ready as well as the kids ready while on vacation. Again, we seem to have been speed walking to make it to our 8:30 reservation for Surf’s Up Breakfast with Mickey & Friends. We arrived at the podium right at 8:30 (maybe 8:32). I asked for a booth and they offered the half booths. Reminded them that we were celebrating both children’s birthdays. The CM offered the birthday buttons but we already had them so declined another set.

Again, Princess Ariel and Prince Eric had to join us on our adventures!


Here’s my take on this character breakfast: OMG!!! Would TOTALLY do this again!!! Loved the character interactions, the smiles and joy in our children’s faces, the quality and variety of the food, etc. They loved the banana orange smoothie. DS even had a 2nd helping.
Stitch was so wonderful. He is who we wanted to see at heart. The other characters looked so adorable in their outfits. DD wore her Elsa dress and DS wore a blue Olaf shirt. My favorite memories are of Stitch guiding the kids to their table for signature books & photo ops. Later Pluto did the same and was holding DD’s hand. They did a dance party and DD was dancing simultaneously with Pluto & Stitch. Mickey, Minnie, & Daisy looked sooooo adorable in their beachwear! At the end, our server had chocolate birthday cupcakes served to the kids & had an additional 2 servers sing to them. They both blew out their candles. When we got our tab, it had the character breakfast buttons. I wore mine the rest of the day.





Next we headed to DTD to shop at the Lego Store. OMG…it took forever for DD and DH to pick out the Mystery Figure packs that DD wanted.
DD built a custom package set of 3 mini lego figures. While she was doing that, DS made a stack of mini Lego heads! He was so proud of himself that he wanted me to take a picture of him! So cute!


We looked at a couple stores, but then DS fell asleep by 11:30. Wow! I’m seeing a pattern here (he did the same thing on Monday).

We were originally going to eat lunch at DTD, but decided to head back to our spacious villa. While preparing for lunch, DS popped up out of the master bedroom. That sure was a short nap! I made food for the kids and the frozen lasagna I was going to make for DH and I was going to take 65 minutes to cook after the oven was preheated. No, thank you! Instead, we ordered room service for ourselves. Yummy!
The children played in the room while I packed the suitcases in a frenzy. Sadly, we needed to check out the next day and switch to our studio villa. Around 3pm, DH took DD to the Mariposa pool downstairs. DS wanted to go so we followed about 15 minutes later.

We went back to the villa to change and headed to Tortilla Joe’s in DTD for dinner. We were seated right away in a booth by 5:05. It was a busy restaurant. It was our 1st time and the food was great. Yummy chips and salsa. Kids had quesadillas for dinner. We each had combination plates. DH ordered a Cuervo Viva margarita and I got a pomegranate margarita. Yummmmmyy!


You know, after all the alcohol and food that Ariel and Eric had on this trip, it's amazing that they didn't gain an ounce!!! Unfortunately, DH and I gained a couple pounds!

The kids each got custom balloons made. DS got Tow Mater and DD got Elsa.


Got the deep fried ice cream (never had one before) and while waiting to pay for the tab, DS fell asleep on my shoulders! Wow! Vacation sure is wearing him out!!!
As we were leaving the restaurant, DD showed me that her sandals were causing red marks on the tops of her feet. DH had DS sleeping in his arms. We took her to the churro stand in DTD between the Lego Store and Tortilla Joe’s. I took her sandals and walked back to the room. I returned with a bandaid and ointment, a pair of socks, & a different pair of shoes.
It was around this time that I realized that my DH’s sunblock that I applied for the afternoon pool visit gave me an ALLERGIC REACTION!!! Sooooo not cool!
Last month we went to Legoland with a couple of families and I also thought I was sunburned then. I had never had such a reaction before. So now I realized that it wasn’t a sunburn; I was getting an allergic reaction to DH’s sunblock. I had quickly developed bright redness, severe burning, and my skin was very hot to touch. It was all over my face, front & back of my neck, chest, and all over my shoulders. I kept putting sandwich bags full of ice. I was so hot that the ice kept melting and I had to refill them. It hurt so much to sleep and I kept scratching and rubbing. I brought emergency Children’s Motrin in case the kids needed it, but forgot to bring some for the adults. I used the aloe vera gel that I brought from home. (Additional side note: I woke up in the middle of the night with such severe burning, itchiness, and pain. I took Benadryl that I brought from home just in case. Then I finally fell back asleep.) I would continue to ice, take Benadryl at night, allergy medicine in the day time, and place aloe vera gel for the next couple or so days. (Even almost 2 weeks later, the outside corner of mouth became so dry and it hasn’t healed. It’s a big ugly dry spot.)
Ok…so back to the TR. We made our way to the World of Disney Store in DTD. We hadn’t been at this store in a couple of months and we immediately noticed it was different. You could tell that they remodeled with different wall artwork and rearranged certain setups of merchandise.
So, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I LOVE to shop. Yes, I admit it. It is truly a weakness of mine. What’s even worse is that my 6 ½ year old DD is about as bad as me. She had been good about accumulating money in her “vacation jar” and saved $80. I told her that this is all she would have to spend.
I had actually accumulated items that I bought on sale over the last several months for both children and placed them in a large basket. They got to open them when we finally got into the villa. The purpose was to have fun things for them to have and play with. Would I do this again? NOOOOOOO!!!! Why? Because while at Disneyland of course they’re going to want to pick out their own things. Here I thought I was being clever at buying items when I got such good deals. Now we’re going to bring back home things I bought several months ago as well as the things they’ve chosen here. They both have a certain dollar amount I was supposed to allow. Notice how I said “supposed to.” Details to come.
Sorry for the rant. Anyways…my DD decided she wanted to buy a necklace where you can add your own charms. If you haven’t seen them, the charms vary from princesses, Mickey, Minnie, Sleeping Beauty’s castle, etc. She had already chosen items from the hotel stores at the GCH, DLH, & the Lego Store. After the bracelet, she had $29 left that was supposed to last another 3 days. Yeah, right! (BTW, this bracelet is still sitting on my dresser with my jewelry…she hasn’t asked for it and has never worn it!)
She wanted to keep looking at other things, but I had to put my foot down. I told her that now it was mommy’s time to shop for herself since DD had been doing all the shopping. We bought a reusable gift bag for an upcoming birthday present, a Minnie Mouse kitchen towel set for my friend who has been coming to our house daily to take care of our cat, and a Mickey teaball (for our kitchen). After much contemplation, I got for myself a Judith Jack marcasite Minnie Mouse pair of earrings, and the Precious Moments dolls Anna AND Elsa dolls with the display stands. I just love her dolls (aren’t they beautiful?)!!! We already have three Ariel dolls.
We finally went back to the villa, gave the kiddies their baths and continued to make sure we were packed for the next day.
I finally put on the in-room spa robe and loved wearing it. My goal was to finally make use of the jetted tub. HOWEVER, I fell asleep again on the bed next to DS. I guess that spa tub will have to wait until our next VGC stay. Oh, to dream!!!

Up next...Day Four of Six

 

[crystal1313]

Loving your TR! Your kids are just adorable! I love the photo of your DS with the tower of lego heads he made. Too cute! Can't wait to read more. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Cheshirecatty]

I'm loving your trip report, as well!(especially enjoying the details of using the Cabana).

You have a beautiful family!

The picture of your DD and DS with Daisy, at the "Surf's Up" breakfast, is absolutely adorable!(the look on your DS's face is priceless)!

I am cracking up at the Ariel and Prince Eric, and their random "Appearances"---what a fun idea!

Can't wait for more!

 

[pepe3penelope]

I'm loving your trip report, as well!(especially enjoying the details of using the Cabana).

You have a beautiful family!

The picture of your DD and DS with Daisy, at the "Surf's Up" breakfast, is absolutely adorable!(the look on your DS's face is priceless)!

I am cracking up at the Ariel and Prince Eric, and their random "Appearances"---what a fun idea!

Can't wait for more!

Thank you so much for your very kind words! It's been very fun finding photos to attach to the TR. It's been very fun reliving our vacation; better than scrapbooking.

My DH was such a good sport about posing Ariel and Eric. He would grab them from my bag and walk away to take pics. He did a great job!

The cabanas are such a great splurge. Highly recommend it!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Loving your TR! Your kids are just adorable! I love the photo of your DS with the tower of lego heads he made. Too cute! Can't wait to read more. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you so much for hanging in there! W had such a wonderful fun vacation! We went to DLP and DCA a week and a half ago. While waiting in one of the lines, my DD was saying, "I miss our vacation. I miss the pools. I hope we can do that again someday." Awwwww!!!!

 

[petals]

luvin the trip report.

 

[pepe3penelope]

luvin the trip report.

Thank you for sticking around! I've been having a lot of fun reliving the memories!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Day Four: Wednesday, July 9, 2014

I again prepared the coffee and ate my breakfast in the bedroom while DH was sleeping. Again, I opened the balcony door to hear the wonderful CA sounds in the background. I worked on updating the TR and woke up DH. I’ve been waking up at what I think is an early enough time, but apparently not.

Each day we have some sort of reservation and I feel at the end we’re rushing to make it. I told my DH that I need to add an additional 30 minutes to whatever time is in my head.

My plan was to make bacon and blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, have fresh fruit, OJ for everyone, coffee for DH & I, and have DH make fried eggs for the kids. Again, do you see that? I said my “plan.”

Here’s the reality and my 2 cents about the 1 bedroom villa. I LOVE it for its sheer size, convenience of 2 bathrooms, the trundle bed as an additional sleeping space, huge dining area, full sized kitchen, huge master bathroom, washer/dryer, etc.

I HATE, HATE, HATE the cookware!!! I don’t care that DVC doesn’t provide premium or expensive basic kitchen tools, cutting board, etc. What I DO mind is being expected to cook on such cheap cookware. It was a CHEAP stainless steel set and a SMALL set. I nixed the idea of fried eggs. I made the scrambled eggs and pancakes with enough margarine to make sure nothing would stick. I used the baking sheet on a low to low medium setting on the electric stovetop. Horrible outcome!

After we ate like speed demons, we rushed over to Build a Bear Workshop for our private session that I arranged through the hotel. A CM was there to confirm the parties present. We waited a couple extra minutes for the doors to open then we were let loose to shop.

Here's a photo DH took of us while we were waiting to go inside.


It was soooo awesome to shop in an empty store! There were only 2 other families. DD built a dolphin wearing a mermaid outfit. Turned out to be so beautiful. DS built a Spiderman bear with a Spiderman outfit.


Here they are giving their Build-A-Bears their "baths".



Since we had time to look around, DD and DS were being such silly goofballs. They grabbed the Build-A-Bear versions of plush chairs. They sat on them so I decided to put their new creations with them as well! I LOVE these photos!!!


We went back to the villa to clean up. Called Bell Services to retrieve our items until the studio was ready. We bid a sad goodbye to our 1 bedroom villa. We were already missing the extra space. Went to Registration to check out then check in for the studio. Sadly, the studio was going to be on the 1st floor. Really???? Again, there goes my requests to stay on the 4th, 5th, or 6th floors.

While waiting for the hotel text that the room was ready, we headed over to California Adventure. We went on Little Mermaid, watched the end of the Green Army band, the Phineas & Ferb show, then had lunch at Flo’s Café. We had a 20% off coupon that was going to end in 30 minutes. DH wanted to switch his messenger bag to the Disneyland Resort backpack that you can get for $19.99 after spending a certain dollar amount. We only had to pay an additional $7 to get it personalized. I was just surprised they don’t have a Walt/Disney font. It came out great and the backpack itself is soooo spacious. I can tell DH really likes it. Money well spent! Darn it...I forgot to take a picture of it!

We also got DS a Planes Fire & Rescue book & DD got a Frozen figure playset (BTW, she now only has $7 left in her vacation fund).
Now is mommy’s turn: DH was kind enough to watch the kids in the toy section while I went to the women’s section. Honestly thought I might just get a piece of jewelry again. But, alas…it called to me and I had to get it. It was the new line of the Disney Dooney & Bourke and the shopper tote is called Downtown Pink. It’s soooo pretty and the design is so cheerful. It has classic Mickey and Minnie with I think a Main Street theme. It has a white background and mixed with light green and pinks. I’ve been using it as my purse since on and off since then! I plan to use it when we go on future Disneyland/CA visits.

I took the kids for a roundtrip ride on the Red car trolley ride. While we were on it, DH got some alone shopping time. He got some pins for himself and DD (he likes to collect and she likes to do pin trading). He bought her a Star Wars lanyard to use for trading. He got himself a new Jack Skellington passholder, too.

After our ride, we went to Clarabelle’s ice cream shop in Buena Vista street. DD got a huge ice cream bar w/multicolored mickey head sprinkles. I got a double scoop (cookies and cream for DS and I to share and strawberry for DH) in a waffle cone. After I ordered & paid, I finally noticed that they changed the trolley triple scoop container. It was changed to a new adorable red mickey sink with a faucet and mickey white glove knobs. Gotta get one next time! It’s so cute! Just realized I forgot to take a picture of it.

We took some character photos of Pluto, Goofy, & Mickey!!!




While Pluto was signing DD's autograph book, Mickey was dancing with DD! Awww! It was such a fun memorable moment for her!


DS fell asleep so I took him back to the Grand Californian, waiting until the villa was ready. By now, it’s about 2:50 so DH and DS stayed at DCA.

Photos with Minnie!


BTW, do you see how all the swimming in the pools has made DD sooooo dark?!?!

Apparently, DH & DD tried to go to Monsters, Inc. but the wait was about 40 minutes. We rarely go on if the wait is more than 15 minutes. Since the Disney Junior Live On stage show wasn’t about to start yet, they went to the store next door for window shopping then the show.

I decided to look at the gift shop in the GCH. I was already carrying a large shopping bag from DCA & left it at the counter while shopping. (DS was still sleeping on my shoulders). I got some chocolate covered pretzels and chocolates for work. I got a GCH magnet & a DVC clip magnet for our refrigerator. I got myself a white zip up thin jacket w/the GCH logo. I got DH a pair of black swim trunks with a white mickey on the bottom corner and a black Hawaiian mickey shirt. (Later he decided to keep the Hawaiian shirt, but didn’t want the swim trunks.)

I took DS and me to the lobby fireplace bench to lay him down. Played w/my phone and finally got the text that the villa was ready. Got villa 1510 (1st floor, boooooo!!!). Positives are close to pools and laundry and no elevator rides. Got our luggage and groceries back from Bell Services, unpacked, & we got ready to dinner.









We decided to try Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in DTD for dinner. So yummmmy! We were seated in the courtyard near the fountain. I forgot to note what drinks DH and I ordered, but they were delicious. DS had strawberry lemonade and DD tried their watermelon soda. Her drink was super yummy. In fact, I’d probably order that for myself next time!!! DD ordered a cheese French bread pizza with French fries with ranch for dipping. DS ordered crunchy chicken tenders with French fries.

DH had the jambalaya (said it was really good).


I had the fried chicken with braised collard greens (yummy, especially cuz it had a sweetness to it) and adult mac and cheese.


I considered getting their famous double chocolate soufflé. BUT THEN WE SAW ANOTHER FAMILY eating their even more famous BEIGNETS!!!! I asked DD if she wanted them. Then she said her wish was always to try beignets. I told her that the building was like the ones in Princess and the Frog because of the city New Orleans. Then she was the one to tell me, “Beignets are what Tiana made in Princess and the Frog.” I asked her, “Do you think Tiana is back there making them?” The moment was so cute because she had such a big smile that I wondered if she really thought Tiana was back there.

Anyway, we ordered them and they arrived not long afterwards. There were sooo pretty! There were 5 beignets in the bowl. They were completely smothered in a mountain of powdered sugar.

DD’s eyes lit up in excitement; she couldn’t wait to eat it. She loved it, but could only eat half of one. However, she kept licking the powdered sugar off that poor beignet. Gross! We kept telling her to stop, but she thought it was the funniest thing. We couldn’t get DS to try it. He was so busy playing games on my phone. Oh, well! More for DH & I to eat. HA, HA, HA!!!

DH wanted to look at the Pin Traders at DTD so he took the kids while I “window shopped” at the Pearl Factory. Ok…so do you think I just window shopped or do you think I actually bought something. OF COURSE I bought something! I looked around the cases. Pedro helped me & finally decided on the rose gold plumeria (famous Hawaiian flower) earrings. The family came back & I offered DD to do the oyster opening experience. She loved it. We bought a sterling silver open shell cage to put the pearl into with an adjustable sterling silver necklace in a boxed chain. I bought DH a sterling silver necklace with a sterling silver pendant with shark jaws. Very cool! He really likes it. He has actually been wearing his EVERY day!!!

Since we bought quite a bit of stuff, Pedro gave us another pearl experience for free! Score! He drilled holes in the pearls in case we decide to make them into earrings.

On the way back to the GCH, we stopped by Ridemakerz (BIG EXPENSIVE MISTAKE!!!) Lucky DS chose the red fire truck Tow Mater with monster truck wheels. We splurged on the high octane battery pack. 1) An employee gave us DH what he thought was the stock monster wheels (Wrong!), 2) Another employee told us about the super octane package was a certain amount…wrong again! An additional $7 more. I told the cashier that it wasn’t our fault that the previous employee gave the slip for cheaper amount & that I only agreed to that particular price. She wouldn’t budge so I reluctantly paid for it. DH had already left DD to go back to the room. I saw the additional $4 per tire and thought DH had wanted these extra tires. When I talked to him about it later in the room, I grumbled, but didn’t want to go back to the store since it was late. Actually, I don’t even remember what time it was. NOTE TO SELF: If you decide to do the Ridemakerz purchasing experience, be very aware of high fast your total adds up!!! Let’s just say that no one in the family is getting one for a VERY, VERY LONG time! After all that, you think I would have taken a picture. Oh well!!!

BTW, boo for the limit of 25 pictures per post. I was over by 12 so I had to delete that many...sorry! I know everyone wants pictures!

We all got ready for bed pretty soon after that.

Up next...Day Five of Six!

 

[petals]

Luvin the build a bears. I want to get a Disneyland exclusive one when I go Big child love my plushies!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Luvin the build a bears. I want to get a Disneyland exclusive one when I go Big child love my plushies!

When are you going and for how long? Are you sticking to the parks or are you doing anything else? Where are you staying? Wow... you must be soooo excited!

We loved staying onsite. If you are, the BABW experience was free. It included a free photo that included a paper photo frame. I loved how the DTD has so many Disney-related outfits and accessories.

 

[pepe3penelope]

DAY FIVE: Thursday, July 10, 2014

Before I forget, here are some pictures I had to delete on the last post.
My new Dooney and Bourke Downtown Shopper in pink...sooo cute, sooo pretty!



I love how classy the rolls of toilet tissue are in the villas.


Now back to our regularly scheduled program:

Today was our opportunity to pool hop at the DLH because we had a FULL DAY CABANA booked!!! I had set my alarm, but I had a hard time getting up this particular morning. I woke up and heard DD and DS waking up on the sofa bed and talking to each other. I don’t remember what they were saying, except thinking their conversations were so cute that I was giggling out of joy in my head.

I could feel that DH was still asleep next to me. I decided to finally open my eyes. I noticed the time and it said 8:39am!!!!! Aaaaaaagggghhhhh!!! We were supposed to get ready and get from the VGC and get to the DLH pool by 9:30! NO WAY!!!

I slapped DH on the belly & said, “OMG!!! Get up! We have to get ready!” I have to say that I’m pretty impressed that we get everyone ready so quickly. Luckily, I always lay everything out the previous night so we have a smooth morning.

We finally realized it was quicker to pretend like we’re going to PPH then swing right to get to the DLH. Takes you to the Monorail Slide pool. There’s an outdoor fireplace area with a large seating area. I had DH stay with the kids there to start putting sunblock on everyone.



I went to the hotel guest services to retrieve our 2 pool passes. When I went back to the family, I inserted the day pass key card and both DIDN’T work. I went to our cabana host at the E Ticket Pool and he said he would notify engineering to fix it. I went back & it still didn’t work. After a couple more minutes, it finally did.
I had received a call the night before from the DLH cabana department to confirm our reservation. Since I had her on the phone, I asked her if we could have the cabana next to the Monorail slides that is furthest from the gate (worried about the constant gate slamming, especially when DS takes his afternoon nap). I also asked if it were possible to have the fruit bowl include strawberries and watermelon and that the GCH cabana had it. She said she would put the request it, but that dining was different at the DLH.

When I met the cabana attendant Felipe about the gate, he also told me that we got the cabana location I wanted. We saw our family name on the sign and immediately started taking pictures. Unfortunately, DS and DD did NOT want to go into the splash area NOR ride the slides! WHAT?!??! I suddenly realized they both wanted to be in the deeper pools. I hunted down Felipe and asked to make the switch. We got cabana #6 (SCORE!!!).

Here's the original one by the Monorail slides furthest away from the entry gate.


These are photos of the one we kept!





DD immediately got into the pools while DH finished getting DS ready with the sunblock.


I love this following pic...DH and DD look so happy & relaxed with their drinks!


We ordered breakfast for ourselves through our initial dining server Veronica. DD loved the fact that her name was Veronica because my coworker friend coming to our house daily to take care of the cat is also named Veronica. While we waited for the food, I went to the coffee shop near Goofy’s Kitchen (got red eye for DH and an iced vanilla soy latte for me, milk for kids to share, and chocolate croissant for DD).
We ordered from the Tangaroa Terrace menu: DH got the breakfast platter that had scrambled eggs, homestyle potatoes, a minicup of fruit, and Portuguese saugage and I got the French toast with some yummy caramel type sauce and also Portuguese sausage (double yumm-o on the sausage; we rarely have it and it gives us yummy Hawaiian memories). I brought Yoplait yogurts from our studio fridge, fruit snacks, & other snacks from the room.
As soon as DD finished eating, she was in the pool. We loved being in the pool. Later I ordered lunch for everyone. I ordered a cheese quesadilla from room service for DD.


DS got chicken tenders w/French fries. DH got the ahi poke w/aioli sauce, I got the kalua pork with bbq sauce flatbread, and we shared their sweet and spicy wings.
After DS finished eating, he fell asleep on the loveseat next to me. He continued to sleep for an amazing 2 ½ hours!!!



Up next...additional photos of the DLH pools and slides, Trader Sams, & Tangaroa Terrace!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Thursday, July 10, 2014:

When we first arrived at the DLH cabana, DH took the camera and disappeared to take several photos. Later when DS was taking a nap, I took several more. Here are the results:


















Sorry, but we didn't get to visit Trader Sam's at night. I only have exterior photos.

 

[pepe3penelope]

Thursday, July 10, 2014

If given the chance and if we were willing to spend the money, would we book a cabana again? DUH!!!! Definitely yes!!! Would we do it again at the GCH and/or the DLH? Another DUH!!! Both definitely yes!!!

We bid a sad goodbye to the cabana.

DH took the backpack of dirty clothes and bag of shoes back to the VGC hotel by going across the street next to PPH. I took the kids with me to return the day pool keys to guest services.

This is when DD noticed in the lobby the half tea cups from Alice in Wonderland.


As you enter from bell services at the driveway, there is a pair of pretty statues of Mickey and Minnie. That Eric and Ariel are always trying to sneak themselves in the pictures...they sure are such hams!!!


As you enter the lobby from the driveway near bell services, there is a greeter and a HUGE MASSIVE old fashioned map of DLP. So coooool! It had some backlit features on some of the attractions. It’s hard to tell in the photos, but awesome to see in person. Notice how DD is such a good sport (she's holding Ariel and Eric!).


When I took the kids to the restrooms opposite the lobby, I was amazed when I opened the door. It was sooooo beautiful! There was a mosaic tile pattern on the wall over the sink. What was more beautiful was the retro wallpaper background!!! Loved it so much!



Outside the large gift shop is a miniature of Disney Cruise Line’s (DCL) latest ship Fantasy. The kids wanted to look at her. Our vacation last June was on Disney Fantasy. They also have one adjacent to the GCH lobby. DD always wants to see which cabin was ours and I point it out every time. Wow...just realized that my cup of coffee snuck itself into the picture!


I love this photo. It's between DTD and the entrance to DLH.


We left the lobby to meet DH in DTD’s Tortilla Joe’s. We loved their food so much the other night and secretly I think DD wanted another art balloon made. Ha!!! I was right! The host said the wait was about 15 minutes and maybe longer for a booth. Asked him to text us when it was ready.
In the meantime, mama wanted to look at the Pearl Factory and consider a pair of earrings to go with the oyster pearls we opened or possibly a pendant. I can’t help it….I love to shop. Hmmm…have I mentioned that before? DD opened another oyster and she got a champagne colored pearl. It looked really pretty against the yellow gold items.
Within 3-4 minutes, we got the text that the table was ready. Boy, that was super fast! DH took the kids to the table and let me stay behind. I started off looking at a pair of earrings, but decided against it (especially since I got a pair of rose gold earrings last night). Instead, I was looking at an assortment of pendants. The one I was truly longing for was of course the most expensive one. Forget about the ones I really wanted (those were in the $700-1000 range). The one I was longing for now was a yellow gold cage of a Hawaiian turtle and it looked prettier with the pearl inside it. I told him I couldn’t make a decision until DH saw it. He said ok and that when we come back after dinner he will still be there. I paid for the pearl oyster opening & went to Tortilla Joe’s.
Wow! There were soooo many people waiting outside, standing in line for the host stand, & in the lobby! I found my family and DD was dying to tell me that the balloon artists hadn’t come yet. The two employees (a man and a woman) were standing on the staircase that overlooks the restaurant. I walked over and asked if they wouldn’t mind coming over. The young man asked where we were seated. I was trying to describe which booth we were at then I saw DD kneeling and peeking her head over the booth. I said, “See that girl staring at you with anticipation? That’s her!” He laughed and he came over within a minute or so. She decided on a pink girl monkey on a palm tree with bananas. DS got Spiderman. They were very cool. Actually, I was very impressed with these balloon artists that we had this trip (actually, I’m not really certain what their titles are, but I just like calling them that). We’ve had some done and they get untwisted, the air deflates quickly, or the designs are not creative enough. At this point, this is 3 and 4 days after the balloons were done and they are still intact and almost the same sizes! Pretty impressive, huh?
After dinner, we went back to the Pearl Factory. Pedro showed DH the final two designs I was considering. He agreed he liked the Hawaiian turtle design. I looked at some other designs I didn’t see earlier. I bought the turtle and he threw in for free another oyster pearl opening. Luckily, all the places in DTD accept the 10% off discounts for annual passholders and DVC members.
We decided to go back to the studio. After all, it was our last night. I needed to finish packing & get things ready for our last day. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this. On this vacation, all of us went to sleep soooo late. This is a clue for the next morning!

Up next...the VERY LAST DAY of an awesome vacation!

 

[Lucky Puppy]

I love your report, it looks and sounds like the perfect staycation! I am wondering how you were able to rent a cabana at DH when your were staying at the GCH. Is that a DVC benefit?
Thanks!

 

[pepe3penelope]

I love your report, it looks and sounds like the perfect staycation! I am wondering how you were able to rent a cabana at DH when your were staying at the GCH. Is that a DVC benefit?
Thanks!

Thank you so much for following along. I saw that my TR was your very first post!!! Wow! I feel so honored!

Pool hopping is NOT allowed even while staying on property. The only exception is if you book a cabana. You can book 1/2 day or full day. I think you can book the cabana 2 weeks before. If I'm wrong about that booking window, someone can correct me. Or you can just call the hotel to find out ahead of time.

We really love the pools so it was worth it to us to do the full day booking. I booked it directly through GCH and they checked availability. Just make sure you write down whatever reservation numbers you have. They will link all of them to your room reservation.

Are you a DVC member? Or an annual passholder? If yes, you can get the dining discount even at the pools/cabana.

If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help. This was our 1st on property stay, but we are seasoned DLP passholders and locals. Pretty familiar with the DTD as well!