Trip Report Disneyland and Jennie's Wedding: MillerPoppins Return to the Magic

Well hello there strangers! It's been a long time since I've gotten to do one of these and I am pumped to finally report on Disneyland. Some of you may not know me or be new to the boards so I will do a brief re-introduction. My name is Karen and I am a Disney-aholic. I have a few past trip reports on here which you can see right here.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...musical-of-millerpoppins.647935/#post-4328929

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ology-deluxe-resorts-and-lots-of-rain.723908/

There are a few other trip reports that were started and unfortunately not finished. May get back to those eventually.

Me in a nut shell...I am a non-princessey, Star Wars and Pirate obsessed foodie who is a giant kid at heart and loves visiting and talking about this wonderful "World" of ours. My soft spots in Disney-dom are Mary Poppins, Up and Boo from Monsters Inc.



So let's bring everyone up to speed. I was a frequenter on these boards and then something magical happened: I moved to Disney. I got to live the dream working in Epcot as both Tim/Randy and I picked up our lives in NJ and headed down to Lake Buena Vista. For two years, I looked out the front door of my job and could see Spaceship Earth and the monorail. I watched the globe for Illuminations pass by everyday. And on days off, Tim/Randy and I went and played endlessly in the parks. That came to an end last April when I had to move to Delaware and unfortunately, things ended for Tim/Randy and I. We are still friends and I am doing really well. The fact that I actually got to "live the dream" is something I will forever be grateful for and cherish in my heart.

So now I get to come back to the trip report scene! And boy do I have a good one! Some of you may remember Jennie from previous visits and trips. Well, she was getting herself hitched! And Miss Jennie works at Disney's California Adventure. So why wouldn't her wedding take place not far from the Happiest Place on Earth?! I was lucky enough to be asked to be one of her bridesmaids and of course, I could never say no as she is one of my oldest and dearest friends.

So she will once again be my Disney hopping buddy on this short but sweet trip to Walt's park. Here is the blushing bride!



So let's go get her married and head back to Disneyland!

 

[FlaggNL]

Looking forward for the rest

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

YAY! Glad you're back! Can't wait to read all about Disneyland as I'm going there for my first time in April! SO PUMPED!!

 

[MillerPoppins]

A while ago I had started a trip report about my first trip to Disneyland. Tim/Randy and I had added a few days in Anaheim while heading out west for a friend's wedding in Vegas. We figured while we were that close we might as well visit some of our favorite people in California (Jennie and her "then" fiancé Ray) and check out Disneyland. It was an AMAZING trip filled with me crying at every corner (more on that later) and soaking in every bit of Walt's dream that I could get. It even involved a visit to Club 33. But sadly, I didn't get to finish the report due to life getting in the way and when I did get to try to revisit writing it, I found it too painful after our split. So I will reference back to that trip but look forward as I report on this one.

This excursion began after a busy day at work. I am in the Restaurant Industry for those of you who don't know and am completely obsessed with food...still. Even after being in the industry for 17 (Good LORD) years, food is still my passion and I never get tired of learning about it. Anywho, after a busy day at work, I headed off to Philly International and began my trek to Sunny California. Security was a breeze and I cozied up at the gate with Silver Linings Playbook to read while I waited for my plane. I shouldn't say cozied...I was bouncing off the walls. One of my oldest friends was not only marrying a great guy and the love of her life, Disneyland was waiting for me. DISNEYLAND! After what seemed like an eternity, I boarded the plane and made my way to my first stop, Atlanta. What a crazy airport! I raced to the building next to mine to make my connecting flight and off I went to Los Angeles. I would like to go on the record saying that was one of the most uncomfortable and most dragged out flights I've ever experienced. I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of flying. I do it to get to see what I want and not waste time, but overall, I'm not a fan. I'm a much better flyer then I used to be, but Dramamine I still involved when my anxious butt ends up on a plane. Generally two pills does the trick, but after seeing the film "Flight", it's three. And the person next to me gets the lucky privilege of trying to climb over me to go to the bathroom as I'm passed out and drooling on myself. Your welcome for that image.

This flight however was different. I don't know if it was excitement or lack of snacks and drinks (they only did ONE round on a five hour flight...ONE ROUND!?!!), but I was as restless as Russell walking through the jungle with Carl Fredrickson. So after tossing and turning in my seat, we FINALLY landed. I was prepared for a jungle of an airport in LAX but I was out and had my checked bag in less then 20 minutes. I found my shuttle and made my way to Jennie and Ray's condo. After 30 minutes of driving through So Cal, I was reunited with Jennie and it DID feel so good! I was exhausted and before crashing was told we had an errand to run in the morning and we had to be out the door at 8:30. Yes Miss Bride! I will be ready!

We were up and out the door to wherever we were heading. I was ready to fulfill my duty as a bridesmaid and do whatever we needed to knock out. But as we were driving along one of the many freeways in SoCal, I noticed some scenery that I knew I had seen before. Immediately it clicked. I whipped my head to look at her and spitted out... "Are we going to Disney?" Jennie's face produced a huge wicked smile. YES WE WERE. So the thing is, I knew I was going to make it to the parks while I was there but I was only counting on one day. I had arrived Thursday night, Friday was whatever in the morning and then the Rehearsal and Dinner at night. Saturday was wedding day, Sunday was recovery/whatever else they wanted to do day and then Monday was Parks day. So I was NOT expecting a trip to Disneyland in less then 24 hours from arriving! Needless to say...I WAS PUMPED!

Turns out we were going into the parks with friends of hers from NJ. So we rolled up to the Grand Californian and got ready for some Disney time.



Can I just go on the record and say how flipping gorgeous this hotel is? It's reminiscent of the Wilderness Lodge back in Florida but has it's own Cali charm.

We waited for her friends to arrive and I happily snapped away.



After they arrived, we cut through the Grand Californian and made our way through Downtown Disney. What's different from the California Disney set up versus the Florida Disney set up is obviously size. Everything in Disneyland is within walking distance of each other. Whereas in Disney World, there are busses and monorails and boats that take you where you need to go. The Cali set up reminds me of Universal Studios Orlando in that you have to walk through their shopping/dining/citywalk/downtown Disney area to get to the actual parks if you are coming through the resorts. And their Downtown Disney is a bit different from Orlando. Some similarities in that there are fun restaurants (House of Blues, Rainforest, Earl of Sandwich) and great shopping (World of Disney). But there are also more mainstream stores to better suit the California crowd such as Sephora and Build A Bear.

It's still really nice though!

Catal..amazing restaurant in Downtown Disney. If you get the chance, EAT THERE.



Naples is the Cali version of Via Napoli in Epcot. It's good, but not as good.


Finally after bag check and tickets, we were there.

 

[FlaggNL]

I guess it felt like comming home Great start!! Thanks for the sharing!

 

[MillerPoppins]

And as we passed through the gates, it happened again. The tears began to fall. To backstory for those of you who don't know me...I'm a HUGE wuss when it comes to Walt Disney himself. Put him on the screen or reference him in anyway, I become a puddle of emotions. You see, when I see Walt Disney, I see everything he dreamed of and how hard he worked to entertain the world. He built Disneyland to bring families together and have somewhere to go that everyone in the family could have fun. And I think of how many families have been brought together thanks to his magic and his dreams. What his goal has become...all the movie nights watching Disney classics, all the vacations and money saved up for that one little guy to get those mouse ears or that little princess to meet her idol. Or that couple who got engaged or married in the happiest place on earth. So to go to what I call "Walt's Park", the place that was built from the ground up by Walt, is overwhelming to me. Jennie is used to it. She just hugs me and laughs.

Down Main Street USA we went and headed towards that beautiful little Sleeping Beauty Castle.



There he was.



Jennie was elated and I was as well. She doesn't get as many visitors to Cali as she did in Florida. Sidenote: Jennie is also a Disneyaholic. She worked at Disney World for 9 years and then transferred out to Disneyland in July of 2011. She is a MASSIVE Star Wars fan and a big kid just like me.



I was so happy to be in the Happiest Place on Earth for one of the Happiest Reasons ever.

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

So happy to see that you are back!!!!!!

So excited to read this! And how awesome is that, that she brought you out to Disneyland that next morning! what an awesome surprise!!!

 

[MillerPoppins]

Sleeping Beauty in all it's quaint charm actually offers a walk through option in it to see the story of Sleeping Beauty. It's quite dark and unfortunately I did not get any photos going through the castle, but it's really nicely done.



It was a nice refresher as Sleeping Beauty is a Disney film I honestly have not watched very much. Of course everyone knows the general story but I don't remember any specific details.





As we finished up the castle, Jennie's friends stated they HAD to have a ride with Mr. Toad. We happily obliged.



Now I unlike many Disney fans do not have fond childhood memories of Mr. Toad. What I remember is that during my first trip, my Mom had me purposely avoid it because it was deemed "scary". There is no pent up resentment there cause I didn't know what I was missing. But after seeing the backlash that came when the Orlando one closed, my interest was peaked. My strongest memory of my first trip was Pirates and due to that, it holds a special place in my heart for that reason. I understand that Mr. Toad was that for a lot of people. So once we got out there for the first trip, I had to see what all the fuss was about.



Let's be honest. It is a very trippy ride. To me, it's the Maelstrom of Disneyland. Far out, slightly strange and leaves you busting out the final doors confused and saying... "What the h*^l was that!?!" At least that's been my experience.

 

[Disneygal1]

Welcome back! I remember your trip reports from the past, and I always enjoyed them. I want to visit DL, and this is the next best thing to going!

I love how you started crying, and how passionate you are for Walt Disney and his dream. That's a true Disney fan!

Oh, and I must say, I am extremely jealous that you worked in Disney for two years, wow!

Thanks for posting, and I can't wait to read more!

 

[flipadeeflop]

Yay! I am planning my first trip to DL as well! I am so excited reading yours because I know that's how I'll be at every turn as well!
I can't wait to read more!!!!!

 

[MillerPoppins]

So happy to see that you are back!!!!!!

So excited to read this! And how awesome is that, that she brought you out to Disneyland that next morning! what an awesome surprise!!!

Thank you! I'm really excited to write about it!!

Welcome back! I remember your trip reports from the past, and I always enjoyed them. I want to visit DL, and this is the next best thing to going!

I love how you started crying, and how passionate you are for Walt Disney and his dream. That's a true Disney fan!

Oh, and I must say, I am extremely jealous that you worked in Disney for two years, wow!

Thanks for posting, and I can't wait to read more!

Thank so much! It's crazy thinking that I actually did work there. Even though it happened, it's still almost surreal.

Yay! I am planning my first trip to DL as well! I am so excited reading yours because I know that's how I'll be at every turn as well!
I can't wait to read more!!!!!

Thanks! I can't wait to go back!

 

[MillerPoppins]

So we said farewell to Mr. Toad and made our way through Fantasyland towards the Storybook Land Boat Rides. I call it "Disney's Hollywood Homes" Tour.

I was just so excited...like really pumped!



Just being back was exciting. The temperature was perfect. Wasn't too hot although apparently it was hot for Californians.





This is one of those rides that is Disneyland specific. There is nothing like this in Disney World.



You cruise through Monstro's mouth to see the homes of our favorite Disney characters. Not sure how to process that you are basically heading into a whale's mouth to see the homes, but nevertheless it's cute!

 

[MillerPoppins]

And just like that, we were transported to Storybook Land and all the houses of our favorite characters were right there!



It really is a cute little ride, kids would definitely love it as these are cute little miniatures of what they see in the movies!







This always has a pretty good little line to it as boats come every few minutes and not continuous like some other rides. There's no fastpasses either so you may encounter a bit of a wait for this one but it's enjoyable as it is unique to the park.

We wandered around Fantasyland and took in the sights. I swear Fantasyland takes us most of Disneyland park. But it's cuter and more quaint then Disney World.



So we started our trek to It's a Small World, which is definitely a high light of Disneyland. There's so many differences between the Parks, some are very noticeable and some are so subtle. My original thought process going in to Disneyland was that I wasn't going to ride any of the same attractions that were in Florida. I figured, why? We already have those so let's focus on the things that are specific to California. That thought process changed when we got out there and realized that with most things have differences that are worth seeing. Space Mountain is a very different ride from what most of us know. Splash Mountain has differences that are great and I love that both of those have even different vehicles then the east coast. It's a Small World is one of those as well. Overall same ride with some really nice differences.

 

[MillerPoppins]

So over we went to It's a Small World. I really love the differences between the Florida and California versions of this ride. Most of them are small, but some of them are blatant and surprising the first time you see it. One of the first things that you notice is that the entire queue is outside the building. This is actually pretty common in Cali. They just don't deal with the heat that Orlando does or the amount of rain storms. So they can get away with this and it's actually nice since the weather out there is so nice!







So we loaded our boat and made our way to the happiest little cruise. The weirdest thing to me was that the boat is in it's own canal. And then everything else is just basically on stages around you. No floating lake like in Orlando. It's all just around you. But it's adorable!



I'm not going to give away all the surprises in this version of Small World because honestly, they are just so great to see in person. But I will give a sneak peak...hehehe!



That's all you get! If you are however looking for more details, I know Tom Bricker's Disneyland trip reports are more extensive with this ride as I know he was/is a big fan of Disneyland's SW.

 

[MillerPoppins]

We then said goodbye to Jennie's friends and left them to play in the parks for the rest of the day. We had wedding things to attend to! As we were making our way out, Jennie stated that she was hungry and wanted to grab a bite to eat since we weren't going to be eating til later that night. So I told her to pick and much to my joy, she chose my absolute favorite counter service in Disneyland.



Clearly... I'm biased.

Obviously my screen name is a giveaway that I'm a Poppins fan but for those who don't know me, I'm obsessed. It's my hands down favorite Disney movie of all time. I adore everything and anything that has to do with it. Saving Mr. Banks was basically Walt Disney Pictures saying "Here Karen, give us your money". Julie Andrews is my idol. And I was fortunate enough to meet her four years ago and cried like a baby. So needless to say, this restaurant is made for me.



We popped in and of course I went to town taking photos.







We ordered our lunch and I of course informed the cast members that Jennie was getting married the next day. They made a huge fuss over her which I loved and she happily enjoyed. We grabbed our lunches and headed out to their outdoor seating.



I love the little detail on her cup! Jennie opted for the "Jolly Holiday Combo" which was a grilled cheese and tomato soup and I got the caprese sandwich.



The practically perfect punch is a fantastic! It's like a tea/punch combo that is tart but really refreshing! I LOVED everything about this place!



So out we went from the Happiest Place on Earth and had to run some errands. We stopped at a few stores at Downtown Disney to look at a few things for Jennie. We then made our way out to Target and then headed to the gorgeous resort the wedding was being held. We had the rehearsal and then the dinner which was great! Next up though, a few wedding shots and then a full day at the Disneyland Parks!

 

[Maggie Mae]

Following!! Lovin' it so far!

 

[pumpkin7]

It's my dream to go to Walt's Disneyland. This is epic! We need more Disneyland Trip Reports!
See, I find IASM queue weird at WDW, because it's outside in Paris aswell. And looks similar to DL. But if I remember it's a bit more colourful and garish.

 

[mrdrift]

Great report so far with very nice pictures. I'm probably a little late but give my best wishes to Jennie on her wedding day . Will be watching for more from Disneyland Cali.

 

[MillerPoppins]

Following!! Lovin' it so far!

Thank you!

It's my dream to go to Walt's Disneyland. This is epic! We need more Disneyland Trip Reports!
See, I find IASM queue weird at WDW, because it's outside in Paris aswell. And looks similar to DL. But if I remember it's a bit more colourful and garish.

That's exactly what I wanted to see Disneyland...it's Walt's park. There is such an element of History out there that doesn't exist in Disney World and I love it. It's smaller yes and more compact but it's just adorable.

Great report so far with very nice pictures. I'm probably a little late but give my best wishes to Jennie on her wedding day . Will be watching for more from Disneyland Cali.

Thank you!

 

[MillerPoppins]

You could not have asked for a more gorgeous wedding day then what Jennie and Ray got. Everything was perfect and the weather was gorgeous. The venue, a Hyatt in Newport Beach was absolutely stunning. I'm seriously still in love with that resort. Here's the link to the hotel if you ever want to be in love with it too.

http://newportbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

I won't post every detail from the wedding but here are a few of my favorite photos!



After hair was done.







And because she is the biggest star wars fan in all the galaxy...



And the best part is that the wedding was FULL of Disney enthusiasts like us! They had dueling pianos and people could get up and sing so there was a lot of Disney songs being sang. And their last song of the night was, We Go On from Illuminations. I seriously could not have been more happy for one of my dearest and oldest friends. It was an amazing day!