PixieDusting
The Red-headed Pixie!
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
Cast:
Me (39) true Disney fanatic. 8th or 9th DL trip in 7 years. Trip planner, lover of Pixie Dust.
Brett - DH (45) introduced me to Disney. Low key, easy to please, enjoys it all and has infinite patience.
Colin - DS (almost 11) wants to live in either S. CA or FL so that he can go to Disney whenever he wants
First Disney trip was at age 3....and he was sucked right in.
Sandy - My mother (62) has never been to Disney AND has never vacationed with us. I wasn't sure what to expect but she turned out to be quite the daredevil and a pleasure to vacation with.
Our vacation started with 5 days in San Diego to visit my grandmother and my DH's brother and his family. Had a wonderful time sightseeing (we visit every year or two) and took my mother to Sea World (which she adored) as well.
Of course we couldn't be that close to Anaheim without visiting DLR! Our plan was to spend 2 days at DL and save DCA for our next trip. We were concerned that with the Easter crowds we'd have a hard time seeing and doing all we wanted if we spent one day at each park. As it turned out we spent our first day at DL, second at DCA. Ok, enough babbling.....on with the report!
Thursday April 12
We left San Diego at 6:30, an ungodly hour according to my mother! Traffic was fine (love the carpool lanes) and we pulled into the DLR parking garage at 8:05. The park had opened at 8, so we walked right in and were getting FPs at Indiana Jones at 8:20 It always feels SO good to walk down Main Street! We decided to start out slowly (for mom's sake) at the Jungle Cruise. Had a great guide (boy they really do make or break the attraction, don't they?!?). We decided we'd like to go to the Blue Bayou for lunch, so I stopped and made a ressie for 11:30. Off to BTMRR next...a walk on On the way we ran into Chip and Dale (which are Colin's favorite characters) so we stopped for photo ops Colin LOVED that the first characters he saw were his faves! Mom did ok on BTMRR, but Colin was so mad at her afterwards. She was afraid he'd fall out and had squeezed his arm so tightly during the ride that he had fingernail marks. IT HURT :-( Personally I don't think she was afraid HE was going to fall out (LOL)...I think she was afraid SHE would!
Off to Splash Mtn next...another walk on. It was early...and chilly, but since the adults had already decided that Colin was sitting in front to take the brunt of the splashing, we were ok. Well, all of is except him! It's been several years since we've been on this attraction at DL (were on it in WDW in December), and while we do enjoy it, my DH, DS and I all decided we prefer the one at WDW better. The one at WDW is longer, better lit, and is an all around a more enjoyable ride in our opinions. Strange though, cuz most of the other attractions that are at both parks we enjoy more at DL. Anyhow...back on topic. My mother LOVED this ride. Shocked the heck out of me! I thought she'd be a mess after the drop, but other than being a bit wet, she was fine. We ended up with a terrific picture....so of course we had to purchase it!
Lets see.....after that it was time for our Indiana Jones FP's so off we went. Much more slowly than we had been...the crowds had really picked up. At that point (must have been about 9:30-10 ish) the standby line was already 50 minutes! Yikes, glad we had fast passes! This is DH and DS favorite attraction. I like it a lot as well. Several weeks ago our son rented the first movie and invited my mom over to watch it. He wanted to make sure she'd understand the ride when she went on it. This was her favorite ride! In fact we said we'd make a point of going on it again the next day...just for her Alas...we didn't get to since we decided to go to DCA instead. OK....after that we walked back to Main Street so we could get a locker for our jackets....and of course we did a weeeee bit of shoping in the Emporium as well! Added a few of the die cast attraction vehicles to our collection We love them...a great inexpensive souvenier! Oh, and the pin cart was set up, so I had to stop there as well. Seems to me there are a lot less pin traders at DL than at WDW. My son and I brought our lanyards but each of us only made one trade with a super trader at DCA...that's it :-(
Back to New Orleans Square to visit the Haunted Mansion and ride Pirates. We had to stop in the Gallery afterwards, it's one shop we never miss. Colin found a wonderful book about Imagineering, but passed on it for the time being. By now it was time for our lunch at the Bayou. DH and DS had eaten there on a solo trip they made 2 years ago, but my mom and I had never been. I had to order the Monte Cristo, and DS and I decided to share it. It was REALLY yummy!....We'll definitely be back for more! I'm glad we shared though...too rich for me to eat a whole one. DH got the Gumbo which was good, and my mom had a salad which she liked. I loved being in there.....it's so relaxing to eat away from the throngs...worry about finding a table, etc etc. We were starting to burn out (I had been up since 4:30 after 4 hours of sleep) so this was just what the Dr. ordered! Great server...really on the ball, we really appreciated it! My mom was continually commenting on the CMs in the park. She was absolutely in awe about how efficient, helpful and friendly they are I have to agree and add that the CA CMs really do produce a lot of Pixie Dust, much more so than their counterparts in WDW.
Before we went to the restaurant, DH and DS had walked over to Space Mtn to get FP's, so when we finished lunch we headed over there. Guys made a detour for FP's for Autopia first though. We have always loved this Space Mtn...way more than the one at WDW...but, this time we were sorely disappointed. They no longer have the music during the ride. Dang...that's what made the ride complete :-( My mom hated the ride, way too jerky for her. I think that's the only ride she really felt ill after doing on. Poor thing. She's a trooper though, she did give it a try! Next was HISTA....only had about a 5 minute wait, though it was a very full theatre. We all like this show, and it was a nice break after Space Mtn. We still had a while before the FP's for Autopia, so we decided to wander through Fantasyland. BIG MISTAKE! I knew it would be bad.....but man oh man.....it was NUTS! I had 2 rides I wanted to go on there, Peter Pan and Down the Rabbit Hole. Lines were unbelievable, so we decided to save them for the next day. Wandered around a bit, then decided to just sit and people watch while waiting for the FP time. We also decided that after Autopia, we'd head out of the park and maybe come back in the evening. This was at about 3:00. Mom and I decided to skip Autopia when the FP time came, so DH and DS went. It's a guy thing anyhow.....! DS decided to go on it again alone afterwards
By now it's close to 4, and we're heading out. DS (and the rest of us) decided to stop for ice cream on Main Street....yummm! Lots of folks waiting for the 4:45 parade to start. Then to the locker to pick up the jackets, then to the Emporium so mom could pick up gifts for the other grandkids. Colin then decided that he needed to see the parade TODAY, rather than tomorrow so he found us a spot on the sidewalk facing the train station. I then asked a CM where the parade was starting, she said at Small World, so I told Colin we'd see it tomorrow. None of us wanted to wait if it was starting at the other side of the park. Then to package pick up to get our Splash Mtn picture and VOILA.....it's now almost 5:00. My poor mom is fading FAST...we had told her we'd be heading out 2 hours ago!
SO...we get out to the plaza between DCA and DL and stop to regroup. Somehow we get started about whether we should go back to DL or go to DCA the next day. Both the guys felt REALLY strongly that they wanted to go to DCA (which was fine by us womenfolk). So, then the debate about whether we should either go back into DL now to see some of the attractions we saved for the next day...or come back later that evening, or what? If my mom hadn't been with us I think we would have gone back in, but she was really tired. This is a LOT of stimulation for anyone to take. So...we bought tickets for DCA and headed back to the garage.
Finally got to our hotel at 6 (poor mom). Due to recommendations from this board, we stayed at the Westcoast Anaheim. I had bought the nights through an online hotel discounter and thought $85 a night for what we got was a very good price considering it was Easter week. I had made a couple of room requests, connecting rooms, top floor, view of the parks. We got all but the park view. Oh well. There was a window by the elevators facing the park...if you can get a park view room....go for it...it is AWESOME! DCA is gorgeous lit up at night! Mom had a room with 2 queens, we had a king room with a sleep sofa. Nice, clean, large rooms. If anyone has any specific questions about the hotel, feel free to let me know and I'll try and help you out. Room service for dinner......quick, good but HUGE servings...we wish we had shared. We watched Survivor while we ate, and DS and I were in bed (by 10:30). I think we crashed immediately!
Best parts of the day:
Seeing things through my mother, the Disney virgin's eyes
Lunch at Blue Bayou.
Hitting the sack at night.
Seeing that you CAN do the park during school breaks (we usually take our son out of school for Disney vacations)
Disappointments, these are pretty much due to us deciding to go to DCA the next day....though if it had been off season we would have been able to fit these into our day:
Not getting to ride, Peter Pan, Down the Rabbit Hole, Matterhorn
Not seeing the parade or fireworks.
Line jumpers...I've never seen as much of this as I did this trip.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! Next....a day at DCA :-
<center>Lauren
All it takes is faith & trust....and a little bit of Pixie Dust!
Me (39) true Disney fanatic. 8th or 9th DL trip in 7 years. Trip planner, lover of Pixie Dust.
Brett - DH (45) introduced me to Disney. Low key, easy to please, enjoys it all and has infinite patience.
Colin - DS (almost 11) wants to live in either S. CA or FL so that he can go to Disney whenever he wants
First Disney trip was at age 3....and he was sucked right in.Sandy - My mother (62) has never been to Disney AND has never vacationed with us. I wasn't sure what to expect but she turned out to be quite the daredevil
and a pleasure to vacation with.Our vacation started with 5 days in San Diego to visit my grandmother and my DH's brother and his family. Had a wonderful time sightseeing (we visit every year or two) and took my mother to Sea World (which she adored) as well.
Of course we couldn't be that close to Anaheim without visiting DLR! Our plan was to spend 2 days at DL and save DCA for our next trip. We were concerned that with the Easter crowds we'd have a hard time seeing and doing all we wanted if we spent one day at each park. As it turned out we spent our first day at DL, second at DCA. Ok, enough babbling.....on with the report!
Thursday April 12
We left San Diego at 6:30, an ungodly hour according to my mother! Traffic was fine (love the carpool lanes) and we pulled into the DLR parking garage at 8:05. The park had opened at 8, so we walked right in and were getting FPs at Indiana Jones at 8:20
It always feels SO good to walk down Main Street! We decided to start out slowly (for mom's sake) at the Jungle Cruise. Had a great guide (boy they really do make or break the attraction, don't they?!?). We decided we'd like to go to the Blue Bayou for lunch, so I stopped and made a ressie for 11:30. Off to BTMRR next...a walk on On the way we ran into Chip and Dale (which are Colin's favorite characters) so we stopped for photo ops Colin LOVED that the first characters he saw were his faves! Mom did ok on BTMRR, but Colin was so mad at her afterwards. She was afraid he'd fall out and had squeezed his arm so tightly during the ride that he had fingernail marks. IT HURT :-( Personally I don't think she was afraid HE was going to fall out (LOL)...I think she was afraid SHE would!Off to Splash Mtn next...another walk on. It was early...and chilly, but since the adults had already decided that Colin was sitting in front to take the brunt of the splashing, we were ok. Well, all of is except him! It's been several years since we've been on this attraction at DL (were on it in WDW in December), and while we do enjoy it, my DH, DS and I all decided we prefer the one at WDW better. The one at WDW is longer, better lit, and is an all around a more enjoyable ride in our opinions. Strange though, cuz most of the other attractions that are at both parks we enjoy more at DL. Anyhow...back on topic. My mother LOVED this ride. Shocked the heck out of me! I thought she'd be a mess after the drop, but other than being a bit wet, she was fine. We ended up with a terrific picture....so of course we had to purchase it!
Lets see.....after that it was time for our Indiana Jones FP's so off we went. Much more slowly than we had been...the crowds had really picked up. At that point (must have been about 9:30-10 ish) the standby line was already 50 minutes! Yikes, glad we had fast passes! This is DH and DS favorite attraction. I like it a lot as well. Several weeks ago our son rented the first movie and invited my mom over to watch it. He wanted to make sure she'd understand the ride when she went on it. This was her favorite ride! In fact we said we'd make a point of going on it again the next day...just for her
Alas...we didn't get to since we decided to go to DCA instead. OK....after that we walked back to Main Street so we could get a locker for our jackets....and of course we did a weeeee bit of shoping in the Emporium as well! Added a few of the die cast attraction vehicles to our collection We love them...a great inexpensive souvenier! Oh, and the pin cart was set up, so I had to stop there as well. Seems to me there are a lot less pin traders at DL than at WDW. My son and I brought our lanyards but each of us only made one trade with a super trader at DCA...that's it :-( Back to New Orleans Square to visit the Haunted Mansion and ride Pirates. We had to stop in the Gallery afterwards, it's one shop we never miss. Colin found a wonderful book about Imagineering, but passed on it for the time being. By now it was time for our lunch at the Bayou. DH and DS had eaten there on a solo trip they made 2 years ago, but my mom and I had never been. I had to order the Monte Cristo, and DS and I decided to share it. It was REALLY yummy!....We'll definitely be back for more! I'm glad we shared though...too rich for me to eat a whole one. DH got the Gumbo which was good, and my mom had a salad which she liked. I loved being in there.....it's so relaxing to eat away from the throngs...worry about finding a table, etc etc. We were starting to burn out (I had been up since 4:30 after 4 hours of sleep) so this was just what the Dr. ordered! Great server...really on the ball, we really appreciated it! My mom was continually commenting on the CMs in the park. She was absolutely in awe about how efficient, helpful and friendly they are
I have to agree and add that the CA CMs really do produce a lot of Pixie Dust, much more so than their counterparts in WDW.Before we went to the restaurant, DH and DS had walked over to Space Mtn to get FP's, so when we finished lunch we headed over there. Guys made a detour for FP's for Autopia first though. We have always loved this Space Mtn...way more than the one at WDW...but, this time we were sorely disappointed. They no longer have the music during the ride. Dang...that's what made the ride complete :-( My mom hated the ride, way too jerky for her. I think that's the only ride she really felt ill after doing on. Poor thing. She's a trooper though, she did give it a try! Next was HISTA....only had about a 5 minute wait, though it was a very full theatre. We all like this show, and it was a nice break after Space Mtn. We still had a while before the FP's for Autopia, so we decided to wander through Fantasyland. BIG MISTAKE! I knew it would be bad.....but man oh man.....it was NUTS! I had 2 rides I wanted to go on there, Peter Pan and Down the Rabbit Hole. Lines were unbelievable, so we decided to save them for the next day. Wandered around a bit, then decided to just sit and people watch while waiting for the FP time. We also decided that after Autopia, we'd head out of the park and maybe come back in the evening. This was at about 3:00. Mom and I decided to skip Autopia when the FP time came, so DH and DS went. It's a guy thing anyhow.....! DS decided to go on it again alone afterwards
By now it's close to 4, and we're heading out. DS (and the rest of us) decided to stop for ice cream on Main Street....yummm! Lots of folks waiting for the 4:45 parade to start. Then to the locker to pick up the jackets, then to the Emporium so mom could pick up gifts for the other grandkids. Colin then decided that he needed to see the parade TODAY, rather than tomorrow so he found us a spot on the sidewalk facing the train station. I then asked a CM where the parade was starting, she said at Small World, so I told Colin we'd see it tomorrow. None of us wanted to wait if it was starting at the other side of the park. Then to package pick up to get our Splash Mtn picture and VOILA.....it's now almost 5:00. My poor mom is fading FAST...we had told her we'd be heading out 2 hours ago!
SO...we get out to the plaza between DCA and DL and stop to regroup. Somehow we get started about whether we should go back to DL or go to DCA the next day. Both the guys felt REALLY strongly that they wanted to go to DCA (which was fine by us womenfolk). So, then the debate about whether we should either go back into DL now to see some of the attractions we saved for the next day...or come back later that evening, or what? If my mom hadn't been with us I think we would have gone back in, but she was really tired. This is a LOT of stimulation for anyone to take. So...we bought tickets for DCA and headed back to the garage.
Finally got to our hotel at 6 (poor mom). Due to recommendations from this board, we stayed at the Westcoast Anaheim. I had bought the nights through an online hotel discounter and thought $85 a night for what we got was a very good price considering it was Easter week. I had made a couple of room requests, connecting rooms, top floor, view of the parks. We got all but the park view. Oh well. There was a window by the elevators facing the park...if you can get a park view room....go for it...it is AWESOME! DCA is gorgeous lit up at night! Mom had a room with 2 queens, we had a king room with a sleep sofa. Nice, clean, large rooms. If anyone has any specific questions about the hotel, feel free to let me know and I'll try and help you out. Room service for dinner......quick, good but HUGE servings...we wish we had shared. We watched Survivor while we ate, and DS and I were in bed (by 10:30). I think we crashed immediately!
Best parts of the day:
Seeing things through my mother, the Disney virgin's eyes
Lunch at Blue Bayou.
Hitting the sack at night.
Seeing that you CAN do the park during school breaks (we usually take our son out of school for Disney vacations)
Disappointments, these are pretty much due to us deciding to go to DCA the next day....though if it had been off season we would have been able to fit these into our day:
Not getting to ride, Peter Pan, Down the Rabbit Hole, Matterhorn
Not seeing the parade or fireworks.
Line jumpers...I've never seen as much of this as I did this trip.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! Next....a day at DCA :-
<center>Lauren
All it takes is faith & trust....and a little bit of Pixie Dust!
