Hello, from Disneyland!

[JenDisneylandlver]

Hey, thought I'd say hi from Disneyland. Well the Disneyland Hotel to be exact. Kinda neat being able to use the ole lap top here!

Anyway our first day has been a fun one. We had about a 7 1/2 hour drive down. No traffic, and with my lead foot of a husband we were here by noon. Check in was awesome. We got a free pool view upgrade, that I had been hoping for! Were staying in the Marina tower, the view of the pool is blocked slightly by a tree, but hey since I only paid for a standard view, I ain't complaining! It is still a beautiful view! We can only see DTD to the left of us. So I'm quite happy about the room!

We didn't go in the park as planned. Today was a day to lounge by the pool, take a nap from a long drive, and mess around DTD. We ate at Croc's Bites for lunch, which was good. Got some great ice cream in DTD. Went through the shops. The pool was sooooo warm, much warmer then what it was last year. It wasn't very crowded at all either, which I was happy to see on such a hot day. I think my son could have stayed in there the entire day. He just loves that pool!

Well I am off to bed! EE tomorrow, gotta get up VERY early! But were very excited to hit the parks. Both DH and I will be having those Dole whips tomorrow! Will write more tomorrow night as time allows. Thinking of all of you!

 

[Rella Bella]

They have Dole Whips at Disneyland!!! Where?? Please tell!!

Sounds like a great trip! Keep having fun!

 

[Dis Ohana]

How'd you score a free room upgrade? Did you call ahead or did you just ask when you checked in?
Have a great time!

 

[Califgirl]

The Dole whips are by the Tiki Room. Yummm!

Thanks Jen for the updates. Can't wait to hear how Disneyland is on Monday!

 

[4girlsmom]

Yay, what a great start! Have a magical day tomorrow.

 

[arliepooh68]

when you check in ask for an upgrade, if they have it they will do it. I have scored everytime. . .

 

[eatmypixiedust]

Hope you have lots of fun! I was at DCA yesterday and it was really hot! Those dole whips should keep ya cool in DL!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

way cool ...have fun

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

Hey had a quick minute since were back at the hotel resting for a bit. You know we didn't have to do anything to get the free view upgrade. She said our room was ready, and that we would be overlooking the pool. I was honestly really surprised, I didn't think we'd get it in busy July!

Anyway, I'm living proof of how great this site is and how the tips help. I mean we have come here every year for YEARS and have not had this great of a time. We were first in line this morning for EE. Getting in line at 6:30 am. That was a killer! LOL But oh so worth it. DH and DS went on Space Mountain first. Granted I told them that wasn't the best idea with FP and all, but they were too excited about it to wait. Cool thing was they RAN over there and not only were first to go on it for the day, but got a "car" all to themselves. They were in Space Mountain HEAVEN! LOL Then we went on Buzz, Toad, Alice, Dumbo, Peter Pan (which gets crowded fast, even during EE). At this point we had about 20 minutes left of EE. We made our way over to Frontierland where a crowd had built up to get in. At 8 am we all made a bee line for Pirates. We got to walk right on. It was awesome, the new stuff was just great. We also got to sit in the front row, which made the Davy Jones effect really cool. Afterwards we walked on to Haunted Mansion, went over and walked on to Pooh, and then because Splash had been down for a bit, they had opened it back up so DH and DS got to walk right on that too! Which was really awesome for that line! Back on Pirates for a second time! This time we didn't walk right on, but like others have said it moves very fast. I'd say we were in line about 10 minutes. But once we got off we noticed the line was a lot larger. But still only about 25 min I bet.

Then we hopped over to DCA. And got to go over for the Visa Rewards Card Meet and Greet. There was NO one there, well besides Goofy and Mickey. That I must say was the highlight of the morning. Having them all to ourselves! They really interacted with my DS for a while. Then took pics, as well as a family picture. That was really a great tip, and obviously it's not something many people know about!

Then we went over and rode the new Monster's Inc. ride. Very cute. At this point we'd been in the park for over 4 hours and we were hungry. So we had an early lunch at Rainforest Cafe.

Really the EE made the difference, we did more in those first few hours then some people get to do all day! Well our break is about done, gonna head back in the park! Thanks everyone for all the tips here, it's making it one of the best vacations we've had!

 

[lulubelle]

Sounds wonderful Jennifer, keep the posts coming!
Your vacation is going great so far, thanks for sharing.
Did you guys like Rainforest? We really like it there. A lot of people complain about the prices, but I think you pay for the scenery and overall it's a pretty good deal - and very enjoyable.
Looking forward to the next day

 

[Disney Fans]

Nice to here you are having a GREAT time. I wish we were there

 

[ItzKaren]

Hi Jen
Your review is GREAT! And now we're counting the HOURS before we'll be there, too! Our first 'mother-daughter' trip.......myself and DD13 (turning 14 end of this month)

We're arriving Wednesday and staying at DLH. How's the weather? I checked the weather report.......looks like it's pretty humid there.......we live by Modesto.........just dry and HOT here!!!

Thanks again for the reports........gets me even more excited! Now, if I can just through tomorrow at work........I can start packing tomorrow night! My daughter has been packed for days!

 

[deekaypee]

Great review, and thanks for all the up-to-date info. DH and I will be there in about a week and it's great to know what to prepare for. 6.30 a.m. Ugh, not a morning person. But like you, I know it's worth it!

 

[disney-super-mom]

Love your reports! It sounds like you're having a wonderful time!

Keep 'em coming!

 

[heidimn]

Just one thought on EE that worked for us. We were there last week July 3-4-5. We just missed getting their on time at 7am on the 3rd (which was quite busy by 10-11) getting their about 7:05. The thing was we seemed to be just behind all the "in crowd" which helped. No lines for getting in, no line for Peter Pan. Did PP, Snowwhite, Mr Toad, Pinnochio, Alice in Wonderline and Matterhorn 3 times - and then it was 8:05 and walked to Pirates and walked on - missing the first group again. It was quite surprising. Don't know if we just were lucky, but being that extra 35 minutes late payed off for us - so if you want to sleep in for a bit it might be ok! I will admit it helped that my kids are know 12 & 14 - but we walked not ran anywhere.

 

[disneycutie84]

yay!
I'm so glad you had fun.
Great posts too!!