WDW Pro's First Time at Disneyland
Posted: Nov Mon 24, 2008 5:46 pm
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
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
