Trip Report 2018-2019 A Year in the Land (Disneyland)...a multi-trip report

Hello and welcome to my trip report for my year as an annual passholder to Disneyland. Me (Amy) and my husband (Brad) have been passholders of both Disneyland and Walt Disney World but this year we decided to be exclusive to just the Land. It was a little painful to give up going to WDW this year, we consider it our home park but we also enjoy Disneyland too. I think I have a little more fondness to it than Brad, but anyway.... So why are we passholders for DL exclusively this year instead of WDW or both parks. Well financially it didn't necessarily make sense. Brad is a big Star Wars fan and I'm a big Disney nerd so with Galaxy's Edge opening in the Land earlier than WDW that was a draw. And the D23 Expo is in Anaheim again this year so it checked boxes for both of us.

So I'm going to begin this report a little in the past, 2018, that's right so long ago! :) We traveled to Disneyland over Thanksgiving 2018 and bought our annual passes so that is where we will start the trip report.

Upcoming trips:
A. late March 2019
B. possibly (most likely) a solo trip for me over Easter 2019 (Why solo?...well Brad is a pastor and the congregation kind of expects him to be there over Easter. I'm a teacher and have a nice little break over Easter and the hubs is too busy over Holy week and Easter so he won't really notice I'm gone.)
C. Late June 2019 to celebrate our anniversary and birthdays all in June and in the same week. This trip will include Los Angeles, Sequoia National Park, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park & Palm Springs as well as Disneyland (and perhaps if rumors are true our first entrance into Galaxy's Edge)
D. our last trip late August for Disneyland and D23 Expo

By the way...if any of you are in Disneyland when our paths cross it would be cool to have any meet ups or say hi. I've met a few awesome WDWMagic members in Walt Disney World and it has been so cool. Don't be afraid to say hi if you see us walking around too!:):cool:

So let's start the first leg of the trip report: November 20-25 2018

Tuesday November 20
Brad and I both had a full day at work. My day should have been full of students but since it is Deer Hunting week (or at least the big gun hunting week) in Wisconsin and Thanksgiving week, our district gives the kids the week off and teachers report for two days of inservice. So it wasn't a hectic day for me. However there was a little kerfuffle in the plan for today. It involved our beloved and spoiled minature schnauzer Kapono.
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My boss said that we could leave at 3pm instead of 3:30pm so hubby picked me up on the way to drop off Kapono at the kennel. Kapono has only spent 2 days ever in this kennel (good experience) usually she stays with my sister but she was unable to care for her this time. So it was the first time Kapono was going to be spending an extended time in a kennel. So we arrived at the kennel and no one is there, even though it is check-in time and the main building for the kennel is unlocked. So we go inside and wait thinking that maybe the owner is just busy at the house and will be out soon. After 5 minutes no one came even though dogs were barking in her house and in the kennel. So hubs gives her a call. And in the mean time I'm concerned that she left the kennel unlocked! Anyway, the lady was surprised we were calling and had lost track of time and was an hour away from the kennel. But more importantly she was surprised that we were there because she hadn't written down our reservation!!!! Hubs had the email confirmation though. Luckily she had one run left. She said it was luckily for us, but really it was lucky for her!!!! I don't know what we would have done if that run wouldn't have been available though. Although hubs said one of our church members would have pitched in for us. So I took Kapono out into the fenced in yard area and when I let her in she happily ran into the open caged run. I was glad she seemed happy to be there but a little concerned now at the professionalism of the kennel owner. Fast forward to the end of our trip when we picked her up...Kapono had been a good girl there and was safe (and clean). So it all worked out and this over-protective dog mom was happy, and the kennel owner apologized a few times.


So anyway, after we dropped Kapono off we drove up to Minneapolis to the airport for our flight. We ended up being pretty early for our flight but we'd rather wait safely at the airport than be stressed out in traffic. Check in and security took less than 15 minutes so we had a decent meal and drinks at the Minnesota Wild (our favorite hockey team) teamed restaurant). We hadn't planned on eating here but I guess it was fate since we were wearing our Disney Minnesota Wild themed shirts.

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The seats we were in used to be 1st class but now the company is going more the Spirit route and these seats were $45 more to the base ticket price. So for that we thought it was a deal to have slightly bigger seats and more foot space for the flight.
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Adios Minnesota!
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We flew into LAX and took an Uber to Anaheim. The traffic was a little heavy in the arrival/departure area so it took our Uber driver a little while about 10-15 minutes to get to us, but it didn't seem too bad. We made it to Anaheim in about 40 minutes (our driver was a speed demon) but that was okay with us. We checked into our hotel the Best Western Park Place Inn, literally across the street from the entrance as seen below. We went to the ticket booth and purchased/cashed in 4 day park hoppers for our annual passes with Max pass and gleefully entered Disneyland with about 40 minutes until park close!

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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

A little more of the Epcot signage. I won't bore you all with posting a picture of every single sign, although I do have them.

Brad wanted his picture with the Germany sign.
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A couple of the new symbols.
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Moving on from Epcot....there was a display with a model of the ride vehicle of Mickey's Runaway TRailway for Hollywood Studios.
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And the costumes cast members will wear at Mickey's Runaway
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

Then we saw the display for the Tron attraction. I think the ride vehicle and the costumes look pretty cool. B thought the ride vehicle looked cool too and was a little concerned that a person of his size might not fit into it. Since it was the Imagineering showcase of Parks and Resorts there were actual Imagineers working there so we talked to some of them and he asked his question about the Tron ride vehicle and fitting in it. He talked to someone who apparently is/was working on Tron and supposedly there is a seat in the back of the cycle train that should fit larger people and those with disabilities. So I guess we'll see when it opens if that is true. It was pretty cool to chat with some of the Imagineers though.
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By the time we got through the Epcot area and ready to move into the Avenger's part it was getting busier.
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Some of the Avengers stuff.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

I forgot to put this picture in earlier. There was this photo opportunity near the front of the Parks and Resorts area. We are the last two people to have a picture with the whole display intact. The guy after us leaned on one of the little tree things and snapped it off and it stayed off the rest of the time.
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There was also this fun little display for something related to an Antman ride or restaurant.
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As we left the Parks and Resorts area we walked past a Frozen II display by the Walt Disney Animation area, we didn't stop at that time.
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A couple views of the show floor. Sorry the first one is blurry.
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Our next stop was the Disney Archives display of the Heroes and Villians costumes. Our top three things to see on the show floor this morning was Mickey's of Glendale, Imagineering, and Disney Archives displays because last time those always had the longest lines. So far we had the first two done and now the Archives.
There was a small line for the Archives, but it was less than 10 minutes.
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It was neat to see the costumes used in Disney movies and shows. I like seeing the detail and craftmanship in the costumes and it is amazing to see how small the costumes are because most of the actors are so tiny!
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Cinderella crowns
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It was fun to see the 3 Mary Poppins costumes too from the original film, Broadway, and the new film. A cool trifecta.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019
The Walt Disney Archives exhibit....

Cinderella carriage
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Inside the carriage
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From Once Upon a Time
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Cruella DeVil
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I like Zorro, so I liked these sketches.
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Hocus Pocus
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I can't remember what the costume on the left is for but the middle is the Sugar Plum fairy from the Nutcracker and the one on the right is Collin Firth's suit from Mary Poppins Returns.
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Stepmother & step sisters dresses from Cinderella
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

A few more costumes from the archives display.
From the new live action Aladdin.
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Jafar!
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Live action Beauty and the Beast
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Tron
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We then left the Archives exhibit and wandered the show floor over to the Star Wars exhibit. We were both very pleased that we had accomplished our three goals for the morning: Mickey's of Glendale, Imagineering, & Archives. Now whatever else we experience on the show floor before our first panel would be gravy.

So the Star Wars exhibit was....costumes! I think it was supposed to show the evolution of the stormtropper.
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Then we checked out the Marvel exhibit and it was more costumes!
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There some interesting photo opportunities on the floor including this Cars/Toy Story one.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

As we continued to explore the show floor we saw some interesting costumes by fellow Expo attendees. We aren't really into dressing up but it is fun to see the costumes of others and some are really elaborate.
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We headed towards the D23 Arena and stopped to check out the WDW Radio booth. There were some interesting balloon sculptures there.
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Then we did a Haunted Mansion photo opportunity and checked out the entries for the Haunted Mansion art contest.
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A couple of my favorite entries and some winners.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

Soon it was time to queue up for our first panel. It was the music and sounds of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. It wouldn't have been a panel I would have chosen but I knew Brad wanted to see it. It was very interesting though. A few days later we specifically went to SWGE and checked out some of the things mentioned in the panel
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One of the bands playing a song that is played in Oga's Cantina
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Another photo opportunity. I had to pose with this one, my mom had been a huge Davy Crockett fan. I loved listening to her stories of watching Davy Crockett and then of her and her friends playing Davy Crockett when she was a kid. Apparently she had the full Crockett outfit, I sure wish there had been a picture of her.
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We were going to do the Disney on Broadway display but there was a long line so we just admired a couple displays with plans to come back. We didn't stop for lunch that day, but we we had brought in snacks so we ate those at some point while waiting for the next panel.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

Our next panel was called Making Walls Talk: Disney Historical Sites and Museums in Conversations at the Archives stage. This panel ended up being about the Walt Disney Family Museum, Walt's Birthplace, Marceline Museum, and the Carolwood Foundation it was hosted by Brett Iwan who is the current voice of Mickey Mouse. It was very interesting.
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After that panel we went into the National Geographic exhibit, there was no line, and when we got inside we saw why. It was basically a room with projections to make us be "under the sea". We did a couple pictures and then headed out.
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Then we went to the Disney Voluntears area. We learned there how Disney has a program that it is starting to launch into children's hospitals to make the rooms and the patient experience more friendly. This is some of the artwork planned to put in the hospitals. The art work was super cool. And this is just a sampling.
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At the end of the experience, we helped pack a couple bags with goodies for children in hospitals.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

A few more pictures of the art work.
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This was the big Disney+ showcase and sign up area. We were in line to check out the Marvel stuff and do the video/photo opportunity, and after that we went and signed up for Disney+. And signed up a few of our friends who weren't coming to Expo but wanted in on the deal that was being offered to Expo attendees.
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After signing up for Disney+ it was almost time for the parade, so we decided to take a seat and watch. It was fun to see the characters in their 70's gear.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

A couple more pictures of the parade.
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Some celebs, I think they were Dancing with the Stars related, in the parade.
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As we waited for the parade we did see Carl
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A look at some of the costumes from the Lady and the Tramp movie on Disney+
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After the parade we didn't have another panel scheduled but we had thought of going to a few. In the end we decided to wait in line for Bill Rogers, the voice announcer of Disneyland, so he could record our incoming voicemail message. What can I say, we (I) am a nerd. There were already a lot of people in line but we made the cut, with plenty of people behind us too. We waited by the Center Stage area and while we waited Brett Iwan, Ashley Eckstein, Camille Dixon (voice announcer of California Adventure & Bill Roger's wife) and Bill Rogers came on stage to do a little Best of the Expo show, so at least we had something to watch while we waited.

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During the show Brett talked about the a special piece of art work he had done for the Expo. It was pretty cool. I took a picture of the actual thing on display later in the Expo.
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Eventually it was our turn for our voice messages to get recorded. The messages are pretty awesome. When we walked away we called each others phones and had some of our friends call our phones to hear our rad new message.
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Oh yeah, and while we were waiting, these two were in front of us and they were kind enough to let us take their picture in the awesome costumes.
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday August 23, 2019

Expo was wrapping up for us for the day. It had been a fantastic day! Yes, even with the chaos in the beginning of the day. After we had our moment with Bill Rogers Brad and I headed over to bag check to get our bags we had dropped off earlier in the day. We had plans to meet up with a friend of ours we had met on a Disney cruise a few years ago and we were really looking forward to it. It turns out she was picking up her bags at bag check too! She is the one who picked up the Dapper Dan funko pops for Brad.

Another of Brett Iwan's Mickey drawings, I like the National Park theme of this one.
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A couple selfies at some photo ops.
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My Bill Rogers autograph on the back of the card that had some info about me so he could craft my phone message.
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So we all walked back to the Candy Cane to drop off bags and head to Downtown Disney together. All three of us decided to take Candy Cane's shuttle to Disneyland and I will say the shuttle ride was so fun. It seemed like everyone on the shuttle had just come from the Expo and we were all chatting away about the day.

Dinner with our friend was fun too, it was great catching up with her. We had dinner at Naples and I was glad we had a reservation because it was packed! On the way there we passed Jon Favreau, it was my first celebrity sighting in the Disney wild. I never look around for them, but I heard our friend gasp as she saw him so that's how I noticed. It was so quick there wasn't any time for a picture, even as a walk by. I really wish I could have gotten a picture because he was wearing the same D23 shirt as me! I guess I am just as fashionable as a celebrity.

None of us had really eaten anything of substance all day so we were famished! Apparently only Brad remembered to take a picture of his food. He got the pizza. Naples pizza is almost (probably completely) the same as Via Napoli because it is owned by the same company.
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I got the lasagna. I got this picture from the internet. It was good, it needed a bit more garlic and salt though. I wished I had gotten the pizza too.
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Our friend got the chicken parm, again a picture scammed from the internet. She enjoyed it.
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I also ordered these cheese filled fried bread things, picture also compliments of an internet stranger. These were delicious!!!
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So we ended up having a great meal but called it a night fairly early. B and I thought about going into the park for at least a train ride, but we had another early morning so we headed back to the Candy Cane. It was a fun but exhausting Expo day.

Coming up soon: Day two of the Expo! Will there be more chaos?
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
Friday August 23, 2019

Expo was wrapping up for us for the day. It had been a fantastic day! Yes, even with the chaos in the beginning of the day. After we had our moment with Bill Rogers Brad and I headed over to bag check to get our bags we had dropped off earlier in the day. We had plans to meet up with a friend of ours we had met on a Disney cruise a few years ago and we were really looking forward to it. It turns out she was picking up her bags at bag check too! She is the one who picked up the Dapper Dan funko pops for Brad.

Another of Brett Iwan's Mickey drawings, I like the National Park theme of this one.
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A couple selfies at some photo ops.
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My Bill Rogers autograph on the back of the card that had some info about me so he could craft my phone message.
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So we all walked back to the Candy Cane to drop off bags and head to Downtown Disney together. All three of us decided to take Candy Cane's shuttle to Disneyland and I will say the shuttle ride was so fun. It seemed like everyone on the shuttle had just come from the Expo and we were all chatting away about the day.

Dinner with our friend was fun too, it was great catching up with her. We had dinner at Naples and I was glad we had a reservation because it was packed! On the way there we passed Jon Favreau, it was my first celebrity sighting in the Disney wild. I never look around for them, but I heard our friend gasp as she saw him so that's how I noticed. It was so quick there wasn't any time for a picture, even as a walk by. I really wish I could have gotten a picture because he was wearing the same D23 shirt as me! I guess I am just as fashionable as a celebrity.

None of us had really eaten anything of substance all day so we were famished! Apparently only Brad remembered to take a picture of his food. He got the pizza. Naples pizza is almost (probably completely) the same as Via Napoli because it is owned by the same company.
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I got the lasagna. I got this picture from the internet. It was good, it needed a bit more garlic and salt though. I wished I had gotten the pizza too.
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Our friend got the chicken parm, again a picture scammed from the internet. She enjoyed it.
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I also ordered these cheese filled fried bread things, picture also compliments of an internet stranger. These were delicious!!!
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So we ended up having a great meal but called it a night fairly early. B and I thought about going into the park for at least a train ride, but we had another early morning so we headed back to the Candy Cane. It was a fun but exhausting Expo day.

Coming up soon: Day two of the Expo! Will there be more chaos?
You saw Pete?!?!
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