Trip Report Disneyland by way of Alaska

Hello everybody. Let me start out by saying that I have been a member of the boards for many years and post occasionally but have never written a trip report (gasp, I know!). I never seem to find the time to write it. But I have read and benefitted from so many wonderful trip reports over the years that I felt I needed to write one, especially for this trip of a lifetime. Warning before you start reading – this will be a very long trip report since our trip was 2 weeks (actually 16 days total) and may take me a while to complete. I will add pictures in as I go but some of my pictures may not be the best quality.

Ok, now for the introductions. There is me, Kris, self-proclaimed Disney fanatic and mother to a wonderful daughter.
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And my wonderful daughter, Shallon, who is 24 and was born and raised under my Disney fascination and I think she may be even passing me up with her Disney obsession.
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We are true Disney buddies. By the way, a few weeks before we left Shallon broke her foot bike riding so she is in a boot cast. It could have been a lot worse and she seemed to be moving around pretty well, although I did refer to her a couple times on the trip as hop-along-Shallon.

We have been to Disney World many times and go twice a year and usually spend a couple weeks each trip. We have been WDW Annual Passholders for quite a few years and really get our money’s worth out of those passes. A few years ago, a fellow board member and helpful planner turned me on to Disney Cruise Line. We had never cruised before and once I took the leap I was so hooked there is no turning back. So I blame (or thank) my helpful planner friend who I will refer to as “she who must not be named”. Now we have taken 5 cruises in the past 4 years which is quite a feat because I never thought I’d be able to swing taking a cruise in the first place. I have learned so much about cruising from the boards and from the trip reports that have helped me prepare in immeasurable ways. In addition, “she who must not be named” has answered so many questions for me over the years that I couldn’t have done it without her, plus she has the best trip reports ever. For those who have cruised with Disney, you probably know how addicting it can be. We have cruised on the Dream 3 times, Fantasy-Eastern Caribbean 1 time and most recently we cruised on the Wonder to Alaska. Now Alaska has always been a dream of mine since I was very little and what better way to experience Alaska than on a Disney cruise.

So once I decided to take the Alaska plunge, I figured we might as well go to Disneyland too. Since we live in Michigan and would be going all the way over to “that side of the country” we may as well go down to California too and experience our very first visit to Disneyland (makes perfect sense, right). So we spent a week cruising Alaska and a week in Disneyland, after all I didn’t know when we’d make it way over there again. This really was a trip of a lifetime. I planned the cruise 1 ½ years in advance so I had plenty of time to learn more. This was also a surprise for Shallon so as the trip got closer it became more difficult to pull things together without her knowing. Shallon has Down syndrome and is very much a kid at heart, which means I have the advantage of experiencing Disney life through the eyes of a child over and over, even though she is 24. But this is also why I can’t tell her too far in advance because she just can’t stand to wait for the next Disney fix (who can). For a seasoned WDW vet who can plan a trip there with my eyes closed, I was completely out of my comfort zone. This was a trip of firsts…. first time in Vancouver, first time on the Wonder, first time in Alaska, and first time to Disneyland. I sure did a lot of homework before this trip, thanks to all the trip reports. Even though I was very excited about this trip, there was also something completely terrifying about it. But the very things that made this trip scary were the same things that made it fantastic, discovering new territory. So let’s get started.
 

stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We weren’t planning on doing tons of rides today and wanted to just wander and explore areas we haven’t seen. So we headed back towards Buena Vista Street to check out the Animation Academy. I wanted to see the zoetrope that @Disneyfalcon had recommended and although I tried over and over I just could not get a good picture of this. This is truly amazing to see if you have not had the chance to do so, it’s definitely worth the visit there.

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We went to Muppets 3D which is always good for a laugh, no matter how many times you’ve seen it.

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Monster, Inc was down so we didn’t get a chance to ride it again but really enjoyed that one the first time.

Afterwards we headed over to see the Aladdin show which had been cancelled a few days before. It was a very hot wait to get into the building but once in we really enjoyed this show. I’m so glad we got a chance to see it. Well the heat was really kicking in today topping out at 102 degrees, what’s up with that? So we decided to leave the park mid-day and go back to the hotel for a break. On our way out we saw the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit meet-and-greet which was just debuting today. The line was pretty long but I just snapped a picture of him in between people.

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We walked back through DTD (in the shaded area again) back to the hotel. We had planned to go back to Disneyland later in the afternoon/evening for the last day but it was just too darn hot so we just hung at the hotel and enjoyed ourselves. We had dinner again at Tangaroa Terrace and they lit the tiki-torches while we were there.

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Shallon got a chicken sandwich and I got a flatbread but they made me the wrong one. So when they made the right one they just told me to keep both. We wrapped up the second one and put it in the room fridge later and that was our lunch the next day.

I stopped by the front desk later because I needed to print our boarding passes for our flight home the next day. They were not so helpful and just pointed and said there is a Business Center down the hall and sent me on my way. When I got in there it was one of these “pay-to-use” computers and I just couldn’t believe that Disney would make you pay to print a boarding pass so I walked back to the front desk to ask them. I was told in a very rude manner that all I had to do was click on the EZ-board button and I would not have to pay for it. Well I hadn’t noticed that button when I was first in there and they could have been a little more polite about it. Actually it would have been nice if they would have just briefly explained the process to me to begin with instead of just pointing and sending me away. Oh well, got them printed and now we’re all set. I can’t believe that we're going home tomorrow.
 

stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 16 - Monday, September 15
This is it, the last day of a most wonderful trip and sometimes it’s hard to believe it’s already over and then other times I feel like we’ve been gone for 2 months instead of 2 weeks.

Well I realized late last night that Delta had changed our already reserved seats on the airplane and we were no longer sitting together in the same row, so I got on the phone with them this morning to straighten it out. I spent 25 minutes on hold before I got through to an agent. She was in the middle of switching our seats to be together and the phone call got disconnected, ugh! So I got back on the phone and waited another 25 minutes and got another agent who was so sweet. She not only put us both in the same row together but also gave us the bulkhead row which has a lot more foot room. This was a good bonus for a 4 ½ hour flight and Shallon’s broken foot.

So we got up and showered and headed to breakfast down at Tangaroa Terrace (I loved this place). I got the Mickey waffles which is one of my favorites, but was a little disappointed that they didn’t have any strawberries (or even any jam) to put on them. I am not a syrup eater so I just ate them plain but it was definitely not as good. I went back inside to get another napkin and then spotted it, the coconut cake that @sweetpee_1993 wrote about in her TR. I had been thinking about it ever since I read about it. Either they didn’t have it before today or I didn’t notice it, so of course I bought a piece. Now the decision was should I take it with us to the airport or just eat it right now? Since my waffles were not completely satisfying, I decided we should eat the cake now, who cares if it’s morning. I love all things coconut and this cake had pineapple too, yum. It was like heaven on earth (I really wish I had some right now because just writing this is making me crave it). It was a great way to top off breakfast on the last day after all we were on our way back to reality where eating cake for breakfast is simply not allowed.

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We went back to the room to do some last minute packing and got ready for our 10:00 shuttle pick-up. By the way, I did call the shuttle service and although they were still on strike they guaranteed to have our ride ready for us to get to the airport at the correct time. And they actually did this time. The big tan suitcase didn’t even get opened in California because it had all of the layers of clothes (pants, jackets, sweatshirts, gloves, etc) that obviously weren’t need in this California heat.

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When we got to the airport, the check-in line was huge but they were cranking people through pretty quickly. We got to our gate and ate a quick lunch of the extra flatbread and some leftover munchies. It was a pretty uneventful flight back home to Michigan where the weather was quite a bit cooler that the 102 degrees we just left.
 

stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well this truly was a trip of a lifetime for Shallon and I. We really appreciated all of our firsts on this trip and now have these spectacular memories to treasure from it. Was it a long vacation? Yes! Was it a tiring vacation? Yes! Would we do it again? In a heartbeat!!!!

Next up for us is a trip back to our “home” at WDW next spring with a quickie DCL add-on. Yes, the DCL bug has got me good thanks to “she who must not be named”.

Thanks so much for following along on this long and drawn out trip report. I know it took me a while to complete but there was so much to include. I hope you enjoyed the journey along with us. And thanks to all who have written the wonderful trip reports I have read and enjoyed over the years. :)

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stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I've loved every installment of this report!! You guys seem to have had a fantastic time, and done so, so much!
Thanks for following. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. We did have a fantastice time.

I see you have an upcoming goal. Can't wait to hear about that one.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Wow what a wonderful trip. Thank you for sharing. I am tired just reading along, and could only hope to attempt such a trip. Great photos and commentary.
 

disneyfan28

Member
Great trip report! We are doing the Alaska cruise in June so I'm trying to get all the info & tips I can. Thanks for all the details-I took notes!!
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
Wow, what a great trip! Now I am even more determined to take an Alaskan cruise AND make it out to Disneyland! Hope you have just as much fun on your next cruise and in WDW!
 

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
Disneyland! Yay!

There's no way one person can finish a Monte Cristo. I have tried and failed miserably. And I had to pass up the beignets too!

Wow, you found the best photopass guy ever! How awesome he spent so much time with you!

Don't feel bad, I Iike coasters but I'm a little nauseous after Screamin these days. I ride it once every trip. Just once. :)

I'm so glad you had a great World of Color spot! Seeing does make a huge difference!

Ice cream dinners are totally allowed on vacation. Encouraged even.

That pre parade duck "show" sounded hilarious.

I can't believe you were next door to @Cesar R M !! That's crazy!

I love Shallon's Rapunzel dress!

I was just about to ask what you thought about the headboard when you found the lights and music! :)

Toes!! Yay! Thank you!!

The Zoetrope, while one of the coolest things I've seen in a DIsney park, is also the hardest to photograph.

Excellent trip report! You wrote it like a pro, you made us feel like we were there! Thank you for sharing! :)
 

stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great trip report! We are doing the Alaska cruise in June so I'm trying to get all the info & tips I can. Thanks for all the details-I took notes!!
Glad we could be of assistance. I read other TR and that's how I learned so much before we left. If you have any other questions, just let me know.
 

stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wow, what a great trip! Now I am even more determined to take an Alaskan cruise AND make it out to Disneyland! Hope you have just as much fun on your next cruise and in WDW!
Try Alaska and DL in the same trip. It's an experiece you'll never forget. As far as our next vacay, we'll have just as much fun, after all it's Disney. They create all the fun and excitement for us, we just show up!
 

stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Disneyland! Yay!

There's no way one person can finish a Monte Cristo. I have tried and failed miserably. And I had to pass up the beignets too!

Wow, you found the best photopass guy ever! How awesome he spent so much time with you!

Don't feel bad, I Iike coasters but I'm a little nauseous after Screamin these days. I ride it once every trip. Just once. :)

I'm so glad you had a great World of Color spot! Seeing does make a huge difference!

Ice cream dinners are totally allowed on vacation. Encouraged even.

That pre parade duck "show" sounded hilarious.

I can't believe you were next door to @Cesar R M !! That's crazy!

I love Shallon's Rapunzel dress!

I was just about to ask what you thought about the headboard when you found the lights and music! :)

Toes!! Yay! Thank you!!

The Zoetrope, while one of the coolest things I've seen in a DIsney park, is also the hardest to photograph.

Excellent trip report! You wrote it like a pro, you made us feel like we were there! Thank you for sharing! :)

We did get a ton of PhotoPass & magic shot pictures. It was totally worth the price.

I sure felt like such a wimp after riding Screamin, especially with the real young and the real old folks just breezing through it like it was nothing, oh well.

Thanks for reading and sharing our adventures. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
 

SharonD

Well-Known Member
Just read all about the Disneyland portion of your trip while enjoying my morning coffee. Love all the photos with you and Shallon - your first Photopass photog was a sport! taking you all around and doing the magic shots.

You've inspired me to figure out a DL trip - I grew up in So Cal, so spent time there as a kid, but haven't been back in 30 years.

I hope you do a report for your next adventure with Shallon.
 

stillgoofy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just read all about the Disneyland portion of your trip while enjoying my morning coffee. Love all the photos with you and Shallon - your first Photopass photog was a sport! taking you all around and doing the magic shots.

You've inspired me to figure out a DL trip - I grew up in So Cal, so spent time there as a kid, but haven't been back in 30 years.

I hope you do a report for your next adventure with Shallon.
Thanks so much for the kind words. I loved DL especially since it was my first trip there. I'm sure it's a whole new world since you've been there 30 years ago. Thanks for following and I hope to do more TR in the future.
 

mrdrift

Well-Known Member
Thank you for sharing the wonderful trip of yours. All of the pictures were terrific. Many things to add to the Disney bucket list. Thanks again.
 

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