Trip Report 10 hotel reservations: Has anyone in history of Disneyland trip planning ever been this indecisive!!

I have recently returned from 8 nights at Disneyland from 30th November until the 8th of December. Last year after a break of many years I took a trip to both Disneyland and Disneyworld broken up by a train trip and some time in New Orleans but this year I was looking for a shorter (and cheaper) trip.

I was originally going to go to WDW this year as I thought Disneyland would be in a bad state with both ROA and the railroad shut. I even bought my ticket and booked a room at Port Orleans Riverside, but then I started to stress about the cost. At the same time, I was hearing that Rivers of Life might be indefinitely delayed and realised that I would be missing the opening of Pandora by only a few months while hearing about how good the new Frozen show at DCA was and that Disneyland was looking (almost) like its normal beautiful self.

So, a more financially prudent trip was called for and I decided that I would get my Disney fix this year by taking a shorter trip to Disneyland and staying in a cheap offsite motel. However, financial prudence does not come easily to me and none of the off-site options seemed appealing. As time went on I became more and more tempted by the Disneyland Hotel, and once the discounts were announced for my dates I booked it. I even booked briefly at the Grand Californian. I kept an off-site reservation on the back-burner in case I decided to come to my senses. At some point in my trip planning I made and cancelled bookings at the Park Vue Inn, Grand Legacy, Hotel Indigo, Courtyard by Marriott Theme Park Entrance, Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites (cancelled, rebooked and cancelled again), Hyatt House and the almost identical Hyatt Place. So, where did I end up staying? – I will keep you in very mild suspense until my next post.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 4 (cont)
I took some photos of the Casey Junior Circus Train from the Story book boat but I never got around to riding it as it always seemed to have a long queue.

Captain Hook was walking around meeting people.

Based on Fresh Baked footage from this day they were also in Fantasy land this morning but I never saw them, although I was looking carefully all day!

I was feeling hungry by this stage as I had gotten up too early for breakfast at the hotel. I headed to the Jolly Holiday and had an egg and bacon croissant with fruit and coffee. This was my view from my table: priceless!

After lingering over my peaceful breakfast I headed through Adventureland, grabbing a Fastpass for Indiana Jones. I then rode Pirates which I think had just come up from a closure as there was almost no wait at all.

I have more pirates photos but I don't seem to be able to add any more at this point, so I will try again later.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 4 (cont)
Some more Pirates pictures continued from the previous post,

This scene is one of my favourites. I love seeing the little pig’s leg twitching.

I then rode the Haunted mansion. A funny CM was telling us all to “scooch up, scooch up – there is no personal space at Disneyland”.

When I rode Pooh one of the CMs had a key chain type thing on her back pocket that looked like a mickey head. I went to take a photo of it just as she turned around. I had an awkward moment thinking of where I could point my camera so it didn’t seem as though I had been trying to take a photo of her butt (which I was – but not for nefarious purposes!!). Around this time the crowds were beginning to get absolutely bats**t crazy so I started heading to DCA enjoying some great entertainment on my way.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 4 (cont)
In DCA I headed to Flos’ for lunch, a roast beef sandwich with pasta salad.

This had a great tangy sauce and was lovely and I got to eat it next to one of my favourite views in the world.

After lunch I waited in single rider for about half an hour for Radiator Springs. Stand-by was 2 hours. I’m so grateful for the single rider on line on this attraction.

My next ride was the Little Mermaid. I didn’t think much of this ride when I first rode it, but I like it more and more each time I ride. I just wish some of the scenes (like this one) had real water instead of fake water in them.

After this I got a gingerbread bundt cake with orange cream sauce from one of the festival of holidays stands and watched the end of Elena of Avalor’s welcome show and then Viva Navidad. I can’t say enough good things about Viva Navidad: it’s vibrant, energetic, perfectly paced, has great music, great costumes and is just a lot of fun. I saw the parade enough times last year that I recognised many of the performers. I wonder what they do the rest of the year?

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 4 (cont)

After this I watched another of the festival acts called Mostly Kosher, this was great. This band had quite a few different combos of people which I watched over the next few days but this one was my favourite. Two of the drummers from Viva Navidad also sat down to watch the show. I was so tempted to go over and tell them how great I thought their show was, but I chickened out. I’m sure they would rather have had their break in peace anyway.After Mostly Kosher finished up went back to my room for a few hours before coming back in the evening for the World of Colour dessert party.

While waiting for the check in time for the party I rode the Little Mermaid again. The ride always seemed to have a manageable queue even when the park was crazy busy.

There was a lot of confusion over where to queue for the dessert party. Lots of people couldn’t work out where to go for the fastpass entry vs. the dessert party. Disney could do a much better job of making if clear who should be standing where. This was my only minor complaint about the party which was a great way to watch the show. Instead of having to get there early and stand on tired feet with hundreds of other people, I got to sit down and enjoy the ever changing colours of Mickey’s fun wheel in comfort while I waited.

The dessert and cheese platter was good. The treats were Christmas themed and the little circle of brie was delicious. The CM kept my glass topped up with sparkling wine and also offered either hot chocolate or coffee. The hot coffee was great as it was double jacket cold!

I was tired and thought about leaving but decided I would race to Disneyland and try and catch Paint the Night just in case it wasn’t running the next day for some reason. These were the only two days it was running while I was there and I didn’t want to miss it. The parade route was full to the brim and I walked all the way to Small World and back again trying to find a spot. Thankfully I found a great spot just big enough for one person on the return journey. This lovely view was just behind me.

Very soon I saw lights in the distance and felt the excitement of knowing the parade was coming…… but, it was just this cart.

A while later the parade actually started. It was great, I love it and have been lucky enough to see it in both Anaheim and Hong Kong this year.

This is the back of the Monsters Inc float with my favourite little dude on the back. I bought two Mike Wazowski Christmas ornaments for my Christmas tree this year.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 4 (cont)
Some more Paint the Night pictures:

After the parade I rode Small World Holiday. I honestly think the Small World façade is at the pinnacle of Christmas decorating anywhere in world.

The most important montage in Small World – the ride should really just be this repeated over and over again.

I got in line for Peter Pan just as the park was closing but tiredness caught up with me and the line was not really any shorter than it was during the day, so I got out of the line and walked back into the room. I had been a little worried about walking back to my room so late, imagining a deserted Harbor Blvd. I needn’t have worried as there were still plenty of other parties walking back to their hotels.

 

[amjt660]

Hello Kiwiduck
I am now following along your report (as you are mine)

I agree with your difficult decision making process on hotels at DLR.
We have stayed at the Candy Cane (longer walk but only 1 traffic light) the Disneyland hotel and the Grand Cali.

In March 2015 my DW and youngest DD were going to go to DLR without me and my older DD (I know - how rude).
The issue was I had a coaching commitment and my older DD was at uni on the east coast of Canada.
So they booked the Sheraton which is further away than the Candy Cane.
Well my plans fell though so I jumped on board and then my DD felt left out so she joined too.

The reason I write this is because if we knew all 4 of us were going we would have splurged for the Grand, but with only 2 the idea was to be more cost aware. I did the similar thing in Tokyo - with it being a solo trip I booked the cheaper option that was a bus ride away.

Walking that extra distance each day (and adding another traffic light) was a bummer.
And hopefully this doesn't sound weird but being so far away from the park it was really an "outside of the bubble feeling".
If your hotel is onsite and right across the street you feel more "part of the magic"

Great report so far - looking forward to the rest

Thanks
Max

 

[Kiwiduck]

Hello Kiwiduck
I am now following along your report (as you are mine)

I agree with your difficult decision making process on hotels at DLR.
We have stayed at the Candy Cane (longer walk but only 1 traffic light) the Disneyland hotel and the Grand Cali.

In March 2015 my DW and youngest DD were going to go to DLR without me and my older DD (I know - how rude).
The issue was I had a coaching commitment and my older DD was at uni on the east coast of Canada.
So they booked the Sheraton which is further away than the Candy Cane.
Well my plans fell though so I jumped on board and then my DD felt left out so she joined too.

The reason I write this is because if we knew all 4 of us were going we would have splurged for the Grand, but with only 2 the idea was to be more cost aware. I did the similar thing in Tokyo - with it being a solo trip I booked the cheaper option that was a bus ride away.

Walking that extra distance each day (and adding another traffic light) was a bummer.
And hopefully this doesn't sound weird but being so far away from the park it was really an "outside of the bubble feeling".
If your hotel is onsite and right across the street you feel more "part of the magic"

Great report so far - looking forward to the rest

Thanks
Max

Hi Max, I completely agree with your thoughts about being outside of the "bubble" and feeling less a part of the magic when you are further away from the parks. My hotel was a very similar distance away from the parks as the Sheraton and I felt that way. I decided after this trip that I will always stay closer, even if the room isn't as nice and I will always have at least part of the trip in one of the Disney hotels. I really missed that "magic".

I love seeing a Tokyo report, thankyou for writing it!

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 5 Sunday

Today was my rest and recharge my batteries day. I slept really late, too late for the free breakfast at my hotel so I ate at the IHOP next door. I had the world’s largest omelette and pancakes. I wasn’t too impressed, I was seated by myself in an upstairs area with two large family groups celebrating birthdays when there were plenty of quieter seats downstairs.

After this I ubered to the Outlets and Orange to do some shopping. I bought some New Balance sneakers and three cardigans. I really wanted more stuff, last year there were more bargains but I think it was because it was closer to Thanksgiving when I was there?

I had actually booked a Paint the Night to go meal that I was supposed to pick up at around 4.30 which would give access to a special seating area for the parade later that night. I was too content resting to head to the park and tackle crowds and I had seen that parade last night, so I skipped out on it. I expected to be charged a $10 no-show fee but they never did, so I’m very pleased about that!

I had left-overs from the dessert party for dinner that night and went to bed really early – I don’t think I was even managed to stay awake for the length of a work day on this day!

Day 6 Monday
Today I planned to start in DCA in the morning. I was expecting the park to be quiet as it was a Monday and I thought lots of people would be back at work seeing as Disneyland is supposed to be a “locals park”. I WAS WRONG!! The queues to get through security were absolutely huge today, they were backed up most of the way to Harbor Blvd. It took around 40 minutes to get to the security point and after all this waiting this was the first morning that they didn’t seem to be sending everyone through the scanners.

Once in the park I headed to Paradise Pier. I took a photo of this lovely water feature on the way.

I think Paradise Pier is beautiful, energetic and fun to look around but there isn’t a lot for me to ride in this area.

I wanted to do the Toy Story ride but the line was huge so I decided to skip it. I can’t ride California screaming as it goes upside down and I also didn’t want to ride the rides that spin you round and around in circles. I decided to ride on Mickeys Fun Wheel in a non-rocking car as it had no wait. I had a moment of panic just before the CM shut the door that I had accidentally hopped in a rocking one but she reassured me it was fine. This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be, it offers great views and also was a little thrilling, especially the first time with not knowing if the car was going to make any sudden movements or drops.

I could see my hotel from the ride! As you can see I have only recently (5 minutes ago) learnt how to open up photoshop.

After this I rode the Little Mermaid. I liked this detail on the railing.

I met Oswald on the way to ride Soarin over the World.

This was my first ride on the new version of Soarin and I enjoyed it but I prefer the California version, I think it works better as a cohesive whole. I then had a look around the Grizzly Peak area; I had really wanted to ride Grizzly River Run on this trip but 4 people died on a very similar ride in Australia just before I left and it really put me off even though I know it’s actually very safe. I enjoyed watching the boats pass though, it is a very beautiful area of the park.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 6 (part 2).
There is an entrance to the Grand Californian in the park and you can catch lots of glimpses of the hotel, like through the trees in this photo. It made me so eager to stay there!

I loved this bear in his adorable Christmas sweater.

I tried this Guava drink because the Fresh Baked team had said it was delicious. They weren’t lying! It was delicious and refreshing and such a pretty colour.

I can’t remember what these guys are called but they were amazing.

After my brief refreshment spot I headed to Bugs Land.

I rode one of my favourite DCA rides, Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train.

I then headed to Cars Land to try and ride Luigi’s Rollickin Roadsters. The line was around 20 minutes which was one of the shorter waits I had seen it at. I was on a roll with taking pictures of hand rails today!

Luigis was a fun ride to look at while queueing, but I found that the ride experience was boring and didn’t add anything to the experience of just watching from the line.

Just as I was walking out of the ride thinking how boring it was I overheard a young boy saying to his dad “this is the stupidest ride in the world, it’s so stupid – why did we have to do that”. I wanted to go over and give him a high five, but wisely decided against it!

I then went and rode Radiator Springs Racers in the single rider line again, a much wiser use of 20 minutes of my time.

 

[amjt660]

Hi Kiwi
Love the fact you took a whole day for r and r.

I agree with your Soarin assessment - will comment in my report in more detail later

I laugh out loud at the "i can see my house from here" picture - we do that all the time

Loving the report

Max

 

[amjt660]

Day 6 (part 2).
There is an entrance to the Grand Californian in the park and you can catch lots of glimpses of the hotel, like through the trees in this photo. It made me so eager to stay there!
View attachment 186604

I loved this bear in his adorable Christmas sweater.
View attachment 186605
View attachment 186611

I rode one of my favourite DCA rides, Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train.
View attachment 186610 View attachment 186609

The Grand Cali is just that... Grand - I hope to get to stay there someday
The Christmas sweater is cute
My family loves Heimlich and his train - we have ridden it alone (4 adults) and do not care - it is great
I have not been in the park since the opening of the new Luigi's - the old one with the tires was pretty lame
Gotta love single rider lines!!

Max

 

[Kiwiduck]

The Grand Cali is just that... Grand - I hope to get to stay there someday
The Christmas sweater is cute
My family loves Heimlich and his train - we have ridden it alone (4 adults) and do not care - it is great
I have not been in the park since the opening of the new Luigi's - the old one with the tires was pretty lame
Gotta love single rider lines!!

Max

Heimlichs is such a fun ride. It always makes me chuckle how they insist on you wearing your seatbelt on this tamest of tame rides and across they way at Splash Mountain they send you over a giant drop with no restraint at all!

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 6 (part 3)

After yet another meal at Flos (turkey sandwich) I left Cars Land and went hunting for some dessert from one of the Festival stands.

I decided on a Christmas log cake which I think is just a smaller version of the cake from Plaza Inn but it was very pretty and very delicious.

As I was eating I saw the Bolliwood dance group walking by holding trays so I followed them to where they were going and watched their show. It was excellent as usual.

A country bear!

After this I watched the suitcase and a dream show. I love this song so much and found myself hearing it in my head at random times throughout all of last year! Mickey’s outfit is adorable and he is great in this show.

After this I went to Disneyland in what I thought was plenty of time to find a Christmas parade spot on this “quiet” Monday (more than half an hour). Again, I was wrong and wandered around for ages trying to find a spot, any spot good or bad, before eventually finding one against a fence between two benches where I could be out of the way of the people who had been waiting on the benches for a long time.

More parade photos to follow as I have reached my maximum in this one.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 6 (part 4)
More parade photos

After this I headed toward the outdoor theatre to see Mickey and the Magical Map.

Mickey and the Magical Map grew on me in comparison to last year, I enjoyed it a lot especially the Jungle Book section.

After this I went to Toontown and picked up a fastpass for Roger Rabbit and had a little look around in the meantime.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 6 (part 5)
Roger Rabbit is a great looking ride but I don’t quite get what I’m supposed to do with the wheel, I’m not sure if it is decorative or supposed to be turn-able, but I can never get the car to do what I want!

The shop in Toontown is very cute.

I found this costume in the shop and really wanted to buy it but I don’t know anyone with a baby boy. My brother recently married but there isn’t any hint of an imminent arrival!

After this I headed to Tomorrowland and queued for a monorail ride but while waiting I realised that there would be no time to ride and then walk all the way to New Orleans Square for dinner at Café Orleans. I made the right decision as the pathways were packed solid with people all the way to the restaurant.

Outside the shop in Adventureland I saw something I’d never have expected to see inside a Disney theme park – dog poop!!! I told the CM at the counter about the “present” outside her shop which I’m sure made her day to know! I walked on a little way further to come across a puddle of vomit by the Treehouse. A guest was trying to part the crowds around it but a distracted man holding his baby stepped in it. This was undoubtedly the worst walk through this lovely land that I have ever had, but with the huge crowds as well as the volume of service dogs and overstimulated children in the park it is probably not surprising. All bodily products were gone by the time I walked through again after dinner.


Once in NOS I loitered around for a while waiting until my reservation time. I planned to eat at the French Market on another day.

I wasn’t feeling hungry enough to order the monte cristo which was the thing I had made the reservation for so I ordered the french onion soup and the parmesan fries. These were both seriously amazing.

After dinner I headed back to the hotel. Crowds or not Main Street at night is stunningly beautiful.

At the hotel there was a letter waiting for me from management apologising for a less than ideal check in and giving me a $50 food credit. There were no issues with my check in at all, in fact I was quickly in my room even though I was early and there were no payment problems even though I booked through ORBITZ. My better self said “call them and say there was no issue”, my thrifty self said “yay, $50!!!” Also, I had this tableaux of pirate Stitch and Pluto on my bench when I left in the morning:

but when I came back at night they had gained a companion.

I have no idea where Spiderman came from and I was a little creeped out when I first saw it, but hey, $50 and a free spiderman all on the same day!

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 7 (part 1)

Today I started at Disneyland with a ride down main street on a carriage drawn by a horse named Val. Val had a delightful plaited tail and festive bells.

I had a quick ride on Pirates before my reservation breakfast reservation at Carnation Cafe. I requested and received an outdoor table. I was one of the last people to be seated for the breakfast setting so this may have helped. This location was amazing, I could watch all the life of Main street going by; all the vehicles, horses and happy people.

I got the chicken fried steak and I didn’t really like it, but I hadn’t properly understood what I was ordering. Chef Oscar was spreading happiness throughout the restaurant and he also came and said hi to me which was great.

After this I did the Tiki Room, went for a monorail ride, then rode buzz.

I enjoyed watching the subs while I waited for the monorail but didn’t ride this time as it is boring and claustraphobic.

While in Tomorrowland I saw a line of all the major characters wandering past me. Not sure where they were off to.

There is fruit and vegetable garden near the entrance of Tomorrowland. No idea on earth why it exists, but it’s a lovely area to look at (that’s probably why!).

After this I got a pumpkin tart from Plaza Inn and watched the Christmas parade with an imperfect but lovely view. This is a great option for a parade that you have seen before, you get a good view of the tops of the floats and a comfortable seat.

 

[amjt660]

Hi Kiwi
I totally agree on the Subs
They were being refurbed in 2005 when I first went to DLR.
When they reopened we (the whole family) went to ride them and waited over 70 min
What a major let down - we have gone back 8 times - and never rode it again.

Max

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 7 (part 2).

After the parade I headed towards the entrance to do the Abraham Lincoln attraction before going to DCA. There is a very impressive model in the foyer.

At DCA I caught Mickey and the Suitcase of Dreams show just as I arrived, and then caught the Toy Drummers.

I then went and rode Radiator Springs Racers again and wandered around Cars Land.

I don’t remember if I actually went into Flo's because I had stopped taking proper notes by this stage, but I really like this shot of the signage against the darkening sky. Cars Land is at it's most beautiful at this time of day.

After this I did Little Mermaid again and then got a hot drink, a Christmassy bourbon cider concoction which was amazing and got ready to see Viva Navidad in the dark. Unlike most Disney drinks this one tasted like it actually had alcohol in it.

When I sat down to wait for the parade I tweaked my hip somehow on the way down and I was really worried that I wasn’t going to be able to stand up again unassisted. I somehow managed to get up again when the parade started and really enjoyed it as per normal.

After this I limped back to my room, got some free food using my dining credit and hoped I would be able to move the next day, which was my last full day.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 8 (part 1).
I woke up feeling great this morning, all trace of yesterday’s hip pain gone. I strangely felt more spritely than I had most other mornings. When I got to Disneyland I caught a ride with Val, the same horse as yesterday. I started off in Fantasyland with Snow White. I took some photos from the queue.

Peter Pan was coming back from a breakdown just as I got out of Snow White. I wasn’t one of the first people in the queue but I only ended up waiting around 15 minutes which is short for this ride and a bonus as I hadn’t thought I would ride it again this time. After this I rode Toad and then Alice. Pinocchio was down so I had to leave it off my dark ride rotation.

I then headed to Adventureland/NOS and rode my big three, Indiana Jones Pirates and the Haunted mansion. I saw some nuns wandering around NOS just like* in the Herb Ryman concept art of NOS.

*Using the most broad interpretation of the phrase “just like”.

After this I went to the French Market for lunch and had a delicious French dip sandwich and toffee cheesecake. It was a lovely place to eat and great to be able to enjoy the scenery of the area without fighting the crowds for a little while.

They were working on the Sailing Ship Columbia while I was eating.

I’m really looking forward to seeing all these beautiful boats back in action soon.

I then headed towards DCA and found a great spot on Main Street for part of the Christmas parade that I wasn’t even looking for.

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 8 (part 2)
Some more parade photos.

I love the Reindeer more than anything!

After this I went to Radiator Springs again. I saw this magnet in one of the shops, definitely the best piece of incontinence themed Disney merchandise I have ever seen.

After another ride on the Little Mermaid I grabbed a pomegranate margarita and checked out the Festival of Holidays entertainment again. The margarita was shockingly sweet even for someone with a very sweet tooth but the entertainment was good. There was a very cute baby Dumbo waiting for the parade.