WDW Pro's First Time at Disneyland

[bascott75]

Nov. 5 & 6, 2008 – Howard Johnson Anaheim

Hi all. I'm still a newbie to this site. Another member turned me on to it back in the fall and I love it. I promised a trip report so here we go.
Let me warn you in advance I’m a writer and get wordy so this will be a long one. Hard to believe I'd have so much to write about a one day visit. I have broken it up into smaller segments, but still . . . you’ve been warned. If you’re up for it, please keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at all times and enjoy the ride!

Travel dates: Nov. 1 – 8 Palm Desert, CA – drove up to DL
Cast of characters: Bart: 33, Wendy: 34, Sean: (almost) 2, D: (my stepdad) 55, Mom: 56.
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: Bart & Wendy: Lots of WDW exp – first trip to DL, D went once before, 45 years ago. Mom once in mid-90’s

My parents have been members of the Marriot Vacation Club since the mid-80’s and for many years would go to Palm Desert once a year. Due my mom’s health issues (major back surgery 6 years ago and 3 (yes 3) hip replacements in the last 5 years, they hadn’t been in a long time. So they had enough points accrued that they offered to get us a room at the resort this year as well. While the prospect of a week with my crazy folks (said in love) wasn’t ideal, we really needed a vacation. And when I saw on Google maps that it was less than 2 hours to Disneyland, I said let’s do it.

We flew out of Chicago O’Hare on Sat, Nov. 1 around 4:00. Among my numerous trades, I’m a part-time DJ, karaoke emcee, and lounge lizard extraordinaire and I had worked as all three at a Halloween party for a local bar the night before. I didn’t get home til nearly 3 in the morning and was awake by 7 so I was pretty tired and cranky. Plus my wife and I were both really anxious about air travel with a 23 month old.
Check in was relatively smooth, security was a hassle but we made it through (and I didn’t even punch the guy behind us who kept huffing and rolling his eyes.) That said we won’t be flying again until Sean’s a little older and understands what’s going on and doesn’t want to run across the conveyor belt, grab other people’s luggage, etc.

I gotta say Uncle Walt was with us because the kid was an angel through both flights (had a layover in SLC.) We put on his Thomas dvd’s and he was happy and content. And D sent me a cocktail which helped me rest (although not sleep.)

I won’t bore you with details of Palm Desert except to say it was beautiful and I loved it there. I don’t golf and was unsure about spending most of a week there, but I’m now ready to move. I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed being there – the weather, the atmosphere, the laid-back vibe. Plus it sure beats Chicago in November. Plus I accidently found Shields Date Gardens, which I’d seen on Anthony Bourdain so I had to pull over and get a date milkshake, which I can now highly recommend. Though they are really rich and get chunky toward the bottom.

Our original plan was to leave Palm Desert early Thursday morning and get to DL by rope drop, spend the day at the park and then spend the night, heading back to the desert on Friday morning. We met a really cool couple from somewhere in Orange County at the pool that told us we were crazy. They said morning traffic would be god-awful and we might not get there til 10 or 11. I was concerned because I’d called DL and was told the EVC’s were first come, first serve and that we really should be there at opening. We needed one for mom. So we changed plans.

We left PD around 1:00 PM, had to stop at a Jack in the Box (we don’t have those out here but we still see commercials for them on the cable channels.) I’d always heard Jack had the best tacos. I’ll just say I wasn’t all that impressed. I found Del Taco much better (another chain we don’t have.) I’ve heard El Pollo Loco is the best, but I’ll have to find out another time. Maybe you locals can weigh in on the great taco debate. Managed to stop and take pics by the two giant dinosaurs from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (I’m a nerd, what can I say?)
http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/Albu ... _=22230274
And, as we were heading on down the desert highway I looked off to the left and saw big, bright red house in the middle of nowhere in the distance. If you driven that stretch you’ve probably noticed it just because it seems so odd. Turns out that’s my wife’s second cousin’s house. Anyway, traffic was non-existent. We made it to Anaheim in just about an hour and a half. D is a salesman in Chicago, he knows how the maneuver a highway.

We checked in at the Howard Johnson on Harbor, which came highly recommended by lots of members here and at other Disney sites. Everything was smooth til we got to the room. We requested first floor rooms (for mom) and when we got to them, the folk’s room smelled really weird, like a hospital (but mom worked in a hospital for almost 30 years so I figured she could deal with it! ï

[bascott75]

I managed to sneak some more free time so on we go . . .

Part 2: We get to the Park!

From the minute we all assembled at the van again on Thursday morning, I could tell D was not really in the greatest spirit. We all wanted to go to a little restaurant near the hotel for breakfast, Mimi’s I think. But when we got in the van, D announced “we’re going to McDonald’s.â€

[Dr. Ravenscroft]

Due my mom’s health issues (major back surgery 6 years ago and 3 (yes 3) hip replacements in the last 5 years, they hadn’t been in a long time.

Sorry to hear that. I have a friend that just had that surgery too and he isn’t doing aswell as expected either. .

Our original plan was to leave Palm Desert early Thursday morning and get to DL by rope drop, spend the day at the park and then spend the night, heading back to the desert on Friday morning..

Best laid plans right. Hehehe I don’t think I have ever followed through with a plan when going to a park, but that is just me personally. But at least you were able to get there when you wanted to and have time to relax after that drive…..you really didn’t want to wakeup Sean that early in the morning even if it was for Disneyland.

Well cue the magic of Disney, because we weren’t but 5 steps into the store when Poppa D went from ornery to “kid in a candy shop.â€

[js3901]

Best laid plans right. Hehehe I don’t think I have ever followed through with a plan when going to a park, but that is just me personally.

when we went down, we had a plan as to which parks to visit on which days, but from there we kinda went with the flow. granted, I did most (strike that, almost all) the planning based on operating hours and such, but still...

we did plan to get down there within a certain amount of time, and we met that goal (within minutes)...

[bascott75]

Thanks for the comments!

Maybe you can help. I'm still a bit of a Neanderthal with these flashing boxes called computers. I have a bunch of pics saved in My Pictures. How, if at all, can I link them to my report so you guys can all see some of the stuff I'm talking about, etc?

Thanks again!

More to come . ..

p.s. Someone recommended I post them on Snapfish and then copy in the links, so I did that and went back and put a few links in throughout the posts. Hope that works.

[disneydreamer58]

Hey Bart! Glad the trip went so well, I am really enjoying your post. All this time I never knew you were such a writer! I told you, you would like the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area. I would move back there in a heart beat if I could get paid as well as I do here

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Oh in regards to:
Can someone tell me about that box in the queue with a rope? The sign says “Do NOT Pull the Rope.â€

[bascott75]

Thanks Claudia! I guess the audio must have been screwey that day. All it did was hiss. It occurred to me that maybe that was an Indy "I hate snakes" kind of joke or something. Joke's on me!

[bascott75]

So after pics with Pooh we moseyed on over to Frontierland. Mom and Wendy ducked into a shop that sold among other things Christmas ornaments and decorations. I don’t remember the name of the shop but it’s across from the shooting gallery and the Mexican restaurant.
I should briefly explain to you that in our home we have something a great Christmas tree debate. My wife believes a tree should be of uniform décor with classic white lights. I believe what says Christmas is a green tree with multicolored lights and hodge-podge of ornaments collected over a lifetime and many generations. So that’s why we have two trees.
Mine is a hot mess of colored lights and balls and Hallmark critters and Batman and whatever else you can imagine. I love it (and so does Santa so there!) It stands next to the television.
Her tree stands piously in the living room (that’s the one you don’t actually live in, right?) It is a Martha Stewart prelit special with white lights. And it is covered with silver garland and white baby's breath, and one ornamental theme: Tinkerbell in her red Santa outfit. All the way to the big Tink perched at the top. And I admit, the tree looks sharp. I’m certain if an Imagineer came to our house, they’d want to buy her tree, or hire her to recreate it in the parks. It's fun and classy.
That still doesn't mean it's Christmasy!
Anyway, the shop had a section of Tinkerbell ornaments with some new additions to the line since the last time Wendy and I were in DTD-Orlando. She picked out a couple new additions for the tree and we arranged to come back later and get them. We could have shipped them but it seemed a little costly and we already had a box of things we’d be shipping home back at the resort. As my wife was filling out something, the CM saw her name and asked: “So, Wendy . . . have you found your Peter Pan yet?â€

[disneydreamer58]

You know what you say about the CM's are true. I don't know what it is about DL but for the most part, a lot of them are sure out of sorts. I ran into that all too often on my trip there in June. To me if you were at Disney you are held to a higher standard, and we expect that. That's just my opinion. Disney/Magic/Happiness seems to be hand in hand, and I suppose I expect the CM's to be happy 24/7

Glad that you all had so much fun and that Sean had a great time and was such a little trooper!

[Dr. Ravenscroft]

You know what you say about the CM's are true. I don't know what it is about DL but for the most part, a lot of them are sure out of sorts. I ran into that all too often on my trip there in June. To me if you were at Disney you are held to a higher standard, and we expect that. That's just my opinion. Disney/Magic/Happiness seems to be hand in hand, and I suppose I expect the CM's to be happy 24/7

Glad that you all had so much fun and that Sean had a great time and was such a little trooper!

I don't want to get into a whole thing about the CM's at Disneyland, but some are sort of not with the whole Disney Mentality. The problem is that the kids they hire all seem to treat it as a job and not a roll. They need to realize that it is a acting roll and not just another job in a mall somewhere. But unfortunately that is what more and more of the CM's they are getting treat it like. I believe it has been brought up before, about the CM's current attitude, but I can't remember whether it was here or on micechat.

[disneydreamer58]

I don't want to get into a whole thing about the CM's at Disneyland, but some are sort of not with the whole Disney Mentality. The problem is that the kids they hire all seem to treat it as a job and not a roll. They need to realize that it is a acting roll and not just another job in a mall somewhere. But unfortunately that is what more and more of the CM's they are getting treat it like. I believe it has been brought up before, about the CM's current attitude, but I can't remember whether it was here or on micechat.

That's exactly my thought, its a role not just another job. Yah, it's been brought up on here and Miceage as well as other Disney forums, and I promise not to beat it to death.

I know that my whole mentality changes the minute I get in close proximity to DL and seeing the Matterhorn Mountain from the road gets me all goose bumpy! I can be having the worse day ever and then getting to DL makes everything go away! But I don't have to work there day in and day out, who knows maybe I would be grumpy too

I am so ready to go back, I can't stand it. Now if only my pocket book would get with the program for some reason when I open it moths fly out...ha ha ha

[bascott75]

Finale: Jerry Lee Has Seen Disneyland!

Ever since I saw Mike and Sully’s adventure on the big screen for the first time, I asked “why isn’t there a Monster’s Inc. ride at WDW?â€

[disneydreamer58]

You had me laughing, getting teary eyed and totally immersed in your trip! Thanks for sharing all of it. I know it took a lot of time to get it all written up.

[figment]

[quote]That ol’ Disney magic I guess you could say. Without warning, my eyes just filled up with tears – the good kind, you know? I heard a voice in my head say “this is one of those moments you’ve dreamt of, sharing this with him. Just live in the moment for once and enjoy it.â€

[jenjolt]

WOW what a great trip report!! I really hope some day I will make it to Disneyland too!!!