Another GRAND adventure..west coast style W/ PICS!! 11/29 DISNEYLAND! post 163/165

[MA pigletfan]

Aren't we supposed to be going to Disneyland?

QUIZ:

Some of us have BEEN (and are going to remind us how fun it was any day now... ) and some of us are GOING (But maybe with only one pair of underwear cause they're too distracted to pack ) and SOME of us just get to live vicariously through their friends and DD"s since they don't have a trip planned till .... till.... WELL THERE ISNT ONE PLANNED AT ALL!

Guess who is who!

I'm ready! Let's go!


Have a great Thanksgiving Gina!

Heeheehee...sorry gang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think the Thanksgiving craziness has finally passed and i can get back to posting...I loaded my photobucket up with a ton of DL pics so i have NO EXCUSES!!! I am about to TRY and do some shopping ( wish me luck!)..and then i will be able to post away later with at least the first DL day..i am so sorry about being such a slacker...thanks so much for hanging in there..Hope you all had a great thanksgiving!!! ....I shall return later today!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Yay for Disneyland!!!

Let's go let's go!!

 

[MA pigletfan]

DISNEYLAND!!!!!!


OK! SO after a rather short trip from Coranado Island we reached our final destination of the trip...DISNEYLAND!!!!! I seriously squeeled when we saw this:

and when Corrie pulled us into here....I definitely lost it:

As excited as I was to finally be THISCLOSE to Disneyland for the first time, a wave of sadness was going through me as well. We would have to say goodbye to Corrie. At first we thought that she was going to be able to come down one day and play with us in DL..but her boyfriend was really sick, her brother was still stuck in Iraq waiting to come home and she had already missed alot of work being our tour guide the past week..so that was not to be ....The only thing that didn't make me totally break down and cry in the lobby of the GCH was knowing that she and Bobby would be coming out our way in the winter to visit his family and we would see them again soon
After we said goodbye to Corrie we got in line to check in! It was about 11 ish I believe at this time and amazingly our room was ready!!! We were on the 5th floor..YAY..and our view was this:

SO exciting!! Here are some room pics:

we had the 2 queen size beds..VERY COMFY!!
Check out our crazy faces...esp Greg's

The cutest shower curtains EVER!

And here I am with my "first timer Pin"...2 minutes from walking out the door heading for DL!!!

On the first day I didn't take too many pictures..I really wanted to take it all in and experience DL with my eyes, and not the lens..but of course..i took some!

We headed right over to Pirates..i LOVED it..it is a bit different than what I was used to in WDW..but it was very cool..here is the one pic I took while waiting in line:

..we then headed over to the Nightmare before Christmas HM...AWESOME

the crowds were suprisingly low ( It was Wednesday and all but still, I was suprised..)
To be honest I am not sure what else we hit up on this day..but I do know that we went on Indy..which was fun, but honestly a bit of a let down because I was ridiculously excited about it..and it was really lurchy IMHO. lunch at Rancho Del Zocolo:

We split this..it was pretty good..the tacos themselves were yummy I remember..but i didn't like the rice, then again I am not a rice-ish girl anyway.
I loved the cute halloween themed cups!

I think we stayed in the park untill about 3/330 ish...we had reservations that night at Napa Rose lovestruc ) and Greg was thinking it would be a fun thing to do to get a massage or something before dinner time...so that is what he did!
He also booked a pedicure appt. for me..I desperately needed one
check out the AFTER tootsies...

Of course Greg's appointment took a lot longer than mine so I decided to go on a photo safari around DTD..mainly the World of Disney Store
( There are quite a few more pics for this day/installment so I will have to do a part 2!)

 

[UtahMama]

Am I first this time? YAYYYYY!

Ok, I marked my coveted spot, and now will go read

LOVED the San Diego chapter above, by the way. I haven't been there in years. SO beautiful!!!

Edited to add: Ohhhh!!! I feel your excitement! I totally love the NBC themed HM. It's really surprisingly well done!

I miss DL soooo badly!

 

[MA pigletfan]

First day in DL ...part 2!

Ok so as you know we stayed at the GCH...and you can walk right into DTD from it..which was FANTASTIC by the way. Every day I would walk by this window and sigh...

We are getting married next October..and I am obsessed with wedding gowns! I haven't even tried one on yet..whoops! But i just loved this window that was attached to our hotel on the way to DTD..i love the dress on the left..i think that is one of the "Belle" collection...
anyway here are some pics of DTD and fun pics I took in the world of Disney while Greg got his pre-dinner massage:

I loved the twinkle lights on everything...it looked so pretty at night.

Warning...i went nuts on taking pics of all the cute Halloween stuff they had..it was TOO CUTE!

Gotta love Zero with his light up pumpkin nose

OH NO >>>>>Alice!!

I just love all the Lenox Disney figures they had! ( side note..we got an awesome deal on a cute pooh Lenox at that Dept. 35 ( whatever) store..later on in the trip..i was excited!)
Prince Piglet!

And of course..how could I resist:

After spending a good 30 min. or so there..I headed back to the room to get ready for dinner at Napa Rose!
This is the entrance way from DTD to the GCH:

When I got back, Greg was not back yet BUT turn down service had been there!

adorable.
Ready for dinner!

not the best self-pic ever, but check out Soarin' looming in the background! And here is what Mr. Grizzly looks like at night...

Napa Rose.....was amazing. Our waiter/sommelier was terrific and we had perfect pairings with our meals as well...I highly reccomend trying different wines when you are there..they have a great selection.
For an appetizer we had the Our Signature Pizzetta - Shaved American Prosciutto, Black Mission Figs, Caramelized Onions and Cambozola cheese..AMAZING!

up close and personal:

It was seriously so good I could have high fived the chef! I paired the appetizer with a Shaffenberger, Brut..a sparkling white..absolute perfection. Greg is a fan of red, so he went with the Tantara Pinot Noir, from Santa Maria Valley...another spot on choice.
here is a pic of me with that AMAZING bubbly..note the cool open kitchen!

For our entrees we both chose the Angus Filet Mignon "au Poirve" - topped with Melted Brie, Roasted Walnuts, Sun-Dried Cherries and Cabernet Sauvignon-Cherry Essence. We both went "light" on the Au Poirve part though...

YUM! I paired mine with the Pinot that Greg had with the appetizer and I think he chose a bolder cab of some sort. We also split the farm fresh veggies as well...it was ALOT of food!
But of course we had dessert with cappucino:
I had the pineapple upside down:

Greg had some chocolate trio:

The cappucino gave this meal the best ending ever..because they also included a rock candy stirrer! The only other time I got one of these for my capp. was at the Capital Grille..I just love it!

After an amazing dinner we waddled around DTD for a bit

then went back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep...we had a big day ahead!!

 

[mommaU4]

And here I am with my "first timer Pin"...2 minutes from walking out the door heading for DL!!!

I love your first timer pin! How exciting!!!!
That's a cute bag btw. What is that?

 

[mommaU4]

Ooooooooh, fancy food porn!! Yum! Glad enjoyed your meal. It looks so good.
Love all the DTD pics. Especially the Halloween stuff. Don't you love how close everything is? The hotels, parks, and DTD are all just right there. That's one thing I really enjoy, the ease of it all.

Can't wait for more!!!!!!!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

Loved your new updates........I am very excited for San Diego now! GCH looks really nice.......you had a great view too! Dinner looked AMAZING!!! Wow.....if it tasted half as good as it looked...I'm so wishing that I had another trip booked to DL sometime soon.

 

[travelmel]

not the best self-pic ever, but check out Soarin' looming in the background! And here is what Mr. Grizzly looks like at night...

Not only Soarin, but the Golden Gate AND Tower of Terror! Nice job!

up close and personal:

It was seriously so good I could have high fived the chef!

That gave me the ole Pavolovian, right there. :drool:

here is a pic of me with that AMAZING bubbly..note the cool open kitchen!

Your hair looks so pretty!

The food looks so amazing. I'm so cheap I'm always doing "sour grapes" to fancy food porn (Ohh, it doesn't look that good) but that DID! Wow, yum yum.. and BTW, just FYI, pineapple upsidown cake is my favorite... and with that, I am drooling again!

 

[dwheatl]

Love the pics. Mr. Grizzly has never looked better!

 

[punkin413]

oh, i can feel your excitement about being at DL!!!! i can't wait to wear one of those first time pins when i go one day. how fun to be in a disney park and everything to be completely new to you! dinner looked great.

 

[MA pigletfan]

Am I first this time? YAYYYYY!

Ok, I marked my coveted spot, and now will go read

LOVED the San Diego chapter above, by the way. I haven't been there in years. SO beautiful!!!

Edited to add: Ohhhh!!! I feel your excitement! I totally love the NBC themed HM. It's really surprisingly well done!

I miss DL soooo badly!

awww..i can see why you would miss it! It really is an amazing place..and YES San Diego is gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!

I love your first timer pin! How exciting!!!!
That's a cute bag btw. What is that?

I love my first timer pin! I am staring at it on the cork board above my computer right now
Thanks about the bag! Its actually a Vera Bradley mini-hipster. I forget the pattern, but its one of the newer ones she came out with..i love it..its super super light and actually holds alot of essentials

Ooooooooh, fancy food porn!! Yum! Glad enjoyed your meal. It looks so good.
Love all the DTD pics. Especially the Halloween stuff. Don't you love how close everything is? The hotels, parks, and DTD are all just right there. That's one thing I really enjoy, the ease of it all.

Can't wait for more!!!!!!!!!

MMMMM it was delicious fancy food porn let me tell you!!! I did love how we could walk to everything...what a nice change from bussing it everywhere like in WDW..although we HAD to take the monorail just for fun now and then!

Loved your new updates........I am very excited for San Diego now! GCH looks really nice.......you had a great view too! Dinner looked AMAZING!!! Wow.....if it tasted half as good as it looked...I'm so wishing that I had another trip booked to DL sometime soon.

Thank you!!! I am excited for you about San Diego!! I wish we had more time there!

Not only Soarin, but the Golden Gate AND Tower of Terror! Nice job!



That gave me the ole Pavolovian, right there. :drool:



Your hair looks so pretty!

The food looks so amazing. I'm so cheap I'm always doing "sour grapes" to fancy food porn (Ohh, it doesn't look that good) but that DID! Wow, yum yum.. and BTW, just FYI, pineapple upsidown cake is my favorite... and with that, I am drooling again!

hee hee..YAH 3 rides in the background
THanks about the hair...one thing i LOVED about CA..the lack of humidity..I don't know if its always like that..but the weather was very kind to my hair when we were out there

Love the pics. Mr. Grizzly has never looked better!

hahah he is photogenic that MR. Griz!!

oh, i can feel your excitement about being at DL!!!! i can't wait to wear one of those first time pins when i go one day. how fun to be in a disney park and everything to be completely new to you! dinner looked great.

It was so cool Dawn. At first it sort of felt like I was in bizzaro land--because it felt like MK, looked like MK..but i was still kind of turned around where everything was, unlike the real MK where I can pretty much navigate blindfolded. It took some getting used too.but i loved it!!

 

[dwheatl]

It was so cool Dawn. At first it sort of felt like I was in bizzaro land--because it felt like MK, looked like MK..but i was still kind of turned around where everything was, unlike the real MK where I can pretty much navigate blindfolded. It took some getting used too.but i loved it!!

For me, that's just the opposite. I always feel like I'm dreaming at MK, because it feels like DL, but things aren't where they should be. Definitely like an alternate universe.

 

[Disneygrl36]

QUIZ:

Some of us have BEEN (and are going to remind us how fun it was any day now... ) and some of us are GOING (But maybe with only one pair of underwear cause they're too distracted to pack ) and SOME of us just get to live vicariously through their friends and DD"s since they don't have a trip planned till .... till.... WELL THERE ISNT ONE PLANNED AT ALL!

Guess who is who!

I think I am the only one pair of underwear girl...........darn books. Got about a 1/3 of Eclipse left to read & going to see the movie with my dear brother today.

 

[Disneygrl36]

QUIZ:

Some of us have BEEN (and are going to remind us how fun it was any day now... ) and some of us are GOING (But maybe with only one pair of underwear cause they're too distracted to pack ) and SOME of us just get to live vicariously through their friends and DD"s since they don't have a trip planned till .... till.... WELL THERE ISNT ONE PLANNED AT ALL!

Guess who is who!

we are at Disneyland. I your view at the Grand Californian. I don't think we get a theme park view, but I am sooooo excited to be staying there!!!! SOON!!!!!!!!!! I will have to get my DH a 1st visit button. I had a very brief visit in 2001 so I don't get one.

Loved the Napa Rose food pics. We didn't book Napa Rose. We decided on Steakhouse 55 instead. Next time maybe. It looks sooooo good.

 

[DisneyLaura]

Gina just caught up with your TR. San Diego looked really cool. Did you love the Soda Fountain? Some day I hope to go CA. I was there for about 4 hours on our honeymoon because we were flying to Hawaii and our plane was delayed in LA for about 4 hours but the only thing we saw was the airport. Disneyland looks even better. I love that street sign - Disney Way, very cool. Napa Rose looks really yummy. Your hair did look really cute. I have curly hair and hate it. I acutally never have been real curly until I had my DD . Great view from your balcony . Can't wait for more.

 

[MA pigletfan]

For me, that's just the opposite. I always feel like I'm dreaming at MK, because it feels like DL, but things aren't where they should be. Definitely like an alternate universe.

yes perfectly said " alternate universe"...but its a great alternate universe!!

we are at Disneyland. I your view at the Grand Californian. I don't think we get a theme park view, but I am sooooo excited to be staying there!!!! SOON!!!!!!!!!! I will have to get my DH a 1st visit button. I had a very brief visit in 2001 so I don't get one.

Loved the Napa Rose food pics. We didn't book Napa Rose. We decided on Steakhouse 55 instead. Next time maybe. It looks sooooo good.

Steakhouse 55 looked great too! We thought about going there as well..i can't wait to hear about it when you go

Gina just caught up with your TR. San Diego looked really cool. Did you love the Soda Fountain? Some day I hope to go CA. I was there for about 4 hours on our honeymoon because we were flying to Hawaii and our plane was delayed in LA for about 4 hours but the only thing we saw was the airport. Disneyland looks even better. I love that street sign - Disney Way, very cool. Napa Rose looks really yummy. Your hair did look really cute. I have curly hair and hate it. I acutally never have been real curly until I had my DD . Great view from your balcony . Can't wait for more.

I loved the soda fountain..it was so cute and a great break from the hustle n' bustle of hollywood blvd.
yah i have a love/hate relationship with my hair...and when it really gets me mad..i take a straightening iron to it!

 

[kabuki]

Gina - I just read your report and it was great. I grew up on Coronado and it's strange to see pictures of the Vons I used to shop at on a travel blog! (behind the Coronado Fire Truck!)

You took great photos! Thanks!

 

[charmama4]

Gina - I just read your report and it was great. I grew up on Coronado and it's strange to see pictures of the Vons I used to shop at on a travel blog! (behind the Coronado Fire Truck!)

You took great photos! Thanks!

I just got finished reading also and seeing the skyline of San Diego made me very homesick. We'll be there soon for a brief 2 hours to catch a train (to Anaheim/DL) from deboarding the plane. Thanks for posting the pictures!!

 

[jessrose18]

Just found your report, loved it!! Can't wait for more!!