Trip Report From Disneyland to Disneyworld

Travel Day – Part 1 November 19th.

Hi all and welcome to my first trip report. I’ve been back home for a few weeks now after my three week trip to Disneyland and Disneyworld with an intermission in New Orleans. I had a great time, so much so that even though I had thought I wouldn’t do another American Disney trip for at least three years the thought of not being there for Christmas next year is unimaginable and I am now planning a (shorter) trip for December 2016.


The travel day began with a sad goodbye to my lovely dog (sad for me anyway – she was none the wiser) and a handover of my house keys to Dad who dog sat while I was away. This is Sookie as a very unimpressed Christmas elf.
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She is a three year old spoodle and named after Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood.


My flight left at 4.30pm so I worked until midday and then headed to Auckland airport to check in as early as possible. I am lucky at the moment to have the option to travel on heavily discounted but stand-by airfares. I had paid extra to be upgraded if possible and was hoping that this would come through, but mostly that the flight wouldn’t be full!! A seat on the flight was confirmed straight away which was a weight off my mind. I had a couple of wines with a friend and then a few samples of duty-free liquor while waiting to board and was starting to really feel fairly relaxed about my 12 hour flight. I felt even better when I was upgraded to premium economy.
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My seat was comfortable with lots of leg room and I had no one next to me so I could put all my stuff on the seat next to me and use the extra pillows. I watched the 2nd best exotic marigold hotel, Trainwreck, Ant man (I cant remember this movie at all- but my notes say I watched it so I must have!), Frozen fever, Poltergeist and a few episodes of Modern family. I kept trying to sleep as I was arriving in LAX at around 7am and knew I had a lot of time before I could get into my room to rest, but just couldn’t get comfortable or tired enough to manage more than a few minutes here or there.

The service was great and the food was good for plane food but not great. Here is a photo of my half eaten bread and butter, appetiser and dessert.

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One of my aims for the trip was to take photos of all my food and drink as food photos are one of my favourite parts of trip reports. I failed miserably at this task, either forgetting altogether or only remembering after I had already started eating the food. When I did remember the photos were crap until I finally managed to take a food photo I actually liked on the very last day of the trip. This bodes well for any future trip reports, but you’ll have to forgive the poor and half eaten quality of many of my food photos.


The cold chicken, cucumber and coriander salad was the highlight of the meal, really fresh and tasty. The main was a beef stew and dessert was an apple and custard tart which was too cold.

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Breakfast was nice with fruit salad, yogurt, croissant and pancakes although the rhubarb compote was too tart.

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LisaBelle

Well-Known Member
Reading your report has been delightful. Loved seeing both Disneyland and WDW in the same report. Your dog is adorable! Love the collar and lead.
 

Kiwiduck

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 22: 10th of December
Today was the final day of my holiday. It was hard to believe that it was coming to an end after so much time. I looked enviously at people at the hotel who were just checking in. I would quite happily move into the Yacht Club and spend part of every day at the parks and part of it sitting on my balcony watching the happy people walking by.

This morning I had breakfast at Gastons. The interior is this place is awesome but it was a lovely day so I ate outside.
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The cinnamon roll was a bit dry and too sweet but I still liked it.
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I quickly rode the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and Small World. I tried to ride the Haunted Mansion but it broke down once I was through the stretching room and in the hallway. It seemed like they just kept loading people into the hallway and telling us to squash up, it was really uncomfortable for a little while.
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They gave everyone a paper fastpass for other attractions on the way out which was awesome. As I walked to Splash Mountain, there was a man who had been in the Haunted Mansion as well who was walking along and loudly complaining about the ride being down, how awful it was and how Disney needs to do better. I thought he was just talking to his party but after observation (from a distance) I realised he didn’t actually have a party and was just loudly complaining to everyone and no one in particular.

I took this photo on my phone on the way which ended up being one of my favourite WDW shots.
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When I got to Splash Mountain I realised that the mountain was ominously dry and was also down so I took a spin on the railroad. After this I rode Pirates of the Caribbean and then had a chicken fajita at Pecos Bills. The coriander rice that came with the meal was so nice I wish I could have asked for a double serve of this instead of the beans. After this I did Country Bears, the Hall of Presidents and then Splash Mountain. My ride on splash mountain made me sad that I hadn’t tried to ride it on my earlier visits. It's such a fun ride.

I then headed to Tomorrowland and saw some of the Castle Show on the way. It was very “dreamy”. I did the carousel of progress and then relaxed for a while with some chicken nuggets and a strawberry lemonade at Cosmic Rays.
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After this I walked by the Pooh ride at the exact moment that it was being reopened after being down so I rode this with absolutely no wait. There were no memorable differences for me between this ride and the one at Disneyland but I prefer the show building and the ride cars at Disneyland. I headed towards the haunted mansion, hoping that it would be open.

I’m not exactly sure where this next photo is actually from but I took it on the way and it is a very pretty area;
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Thankfully the mansion was open so I happily had a final ride of this. Sadly my dream that the ride would break down while I was in front of the ballroom scene didn’t come true – but maybe next time. It was getting close to the time to leave but I took a ride on the Riverboat before walking slowly to the exit.

I was so sad when I said goodbye to the castle!!
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When I was leaving that day I wasn’t planning to go back this year. It was only once I was home and lamenting how long it would be before I could go back that I thought – “actually what’s stopping me from going again next Christmas?” and realised the answer was: nothing!!!!

I went to bed very early as I wanted to get as much sleep as possible before my 4am wake up and the absolutely massive amount of travel ahead of me, but I didn’t actually sleep until late anyway.
 

Kiwiduck

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Travel day.
My pick up time was horrifically early at 4.55 am for a 7.45ish departure. Annoyingly, I had booked a later flight at approximately 10.30am but Delta changed the time and made it earlier. I don't like them at all! When I got to the lobby the tree was brightly lit and the train was chugging around the Christmas village with no one to see it but me.
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I got to the stop 15 minutes early like my letter told me to but the bus didn’t arrive until after the pick up time and then spent ages travelling to other resorts for pick ups. We didn't head to the airport until around 45 minutes after I was picked up. This may have been less annoying at a later time in the day when I wasn’t lamenting every minute I could have remained in bed and still gotten to the airport at the same time.

The seats on my flight were tiny, the flight was full and there was no entertainment, but there were some strangely yummy cookies. It was a long five hours. I got to LAX at around 10.30am and my flight to New Zealand didn’t leave until 9pm. I got to the international terminal to find that there were no seats and only one awful little coffee stand. I couldn’t believe that that this was all there was to do check-in side at a new terminal in one of the worlds major airports.

When the Air New Zealand check in desk opened at midday to process a flight to London I went to see when I could check in for my flight. Thankfully they let me check in 9 hours early. The post-screening part of the terminal was a completely different world. It was bright and spacious with loads of comfy chairs, power points, shops, bars and places to eat. I found a comfy swivel chair by a window and put my feet up read, listened to music and settled in for my 8 hour long wait for my 12 hour long flight. I had nice pizza at around 3pm did some window shopping, although the shops were a bit high end for my budget and taste.

When I finally go to board I was lucky to be upgraded to business class which was a perfect end to my trip. On the plane I put my feet up, watched a movie and had some dinner. After dinner my seat was turned into a bed so I lay down and slept pretty well until it was time for breakfast and to land.

No matter how much fun I have while traveling it is always wonderful to see my beautiful country getting nearer as I come into land. My friend picked me up from the airport and we headed home to see my dog. The dogs greeting was less exuberant than what I get when I come from work at the end of the day or even go to the shops for five minutes to buy milk!! She may have been underwhelmed to see me but I was very excited to see her (and my humans too!).

Here she is expressing how excited she was to see me.
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Here is some of my stuff waiting to be unwrapped to see if it made it home unscathed - thanks to the very thorough Disney packaging everything made it safely.
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I actually have two Disney trips planned for this year now. I am going with my father to Hong Kong Disneyland in June to relax for a couple of days after my brother gets married in Thailand. In December I have booked 11 nights at Port Orleans Riverside through an agency, although I am hoping to convert some of these nights to the Animal Kingdom Lodge when some Disney discounts are available, as they don't currently have any discounts for Animal Kingdom. I’m excited about both, but much more so about WDW in December. I'm worried the Hong Kong park wont have the "magic" of the American parks and it will also be the hottest and most humid time of the year while I'm there. Still, it will be fun to experience a completely new (to me) Disney park!

Thank you so much those who have read along :)
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Really enjoyed your report! Also I think Riverside is a great choice for your next trip, we love it and its our favorite as of right now. Once were able to try a deluxe I'm betting my opinion will change. :)
 

Kiwiduck

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Really enjoyed your report! Also I think Riverside is a great choice for your next trip, we love it and its our favorite as of right now. Once were able to try a deluxe I'm betting my opinion will change. :)
Really excited for Riverside - it so looks beautiful and I'm looking forward to catching the boat to Disney Springs. I love the look of all the WDW resorts and I would love to try them all!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
I'm loving your report so far! Just getting to page 4 now :) Sorry I've been on a bit of a liking spree :D Just have to say that your view from Yacht Club is GREAT! I would do the same...sit outside and read and just gaze.
 

Kiwiduck

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm loving your report so far! Just getting to page 4 now :) Sorry I've been on a bit of a liking spree :D Just have to say that your view from Yacht Club is GREAT! I would do the same...sit outside and read and just gaze.

"Sorry I've been on a bit of a liking spree :D" _ Well, I certainly don't mind that!!! I'm glad that you enjoyed it, I enjoyed writing it. I'm a bit worried that my next hotels wont match up to the Yacht Club which I loved so much.
 

Wendy Pleakley

Well-Known Member
Great trip report! Very readable with just the right balance of photos and descriptions.

I was in Hong Kong last month and I didn't find that park any less magical. It's smaller, but has it's own charm. Mystic Manor is worth the price of admission alone. The open water Jungle Cruise is a different experience too.

Are you staying in one of their hotels? I didn't but I know they have some decent package deals that include your room, admission, and meals.
 

Kiwiduck

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great trip report! Very readable with just the right balance of photos and descriptions.

I was in Hong Kong last month and I didn't find that park any less magical. It's smaller, but has it's own charm. Mystic Manor is worth the price of admission alone. The open water Jungle Cruise is a different experience too.

Are you staying in one of their hotels? I didn't but I know they have some decent package deals that include your room, admission, and meals.
Thank you :) We will be staying at the Hollywood Hotel which I really like the look of, but I don't have a package. I'm looking forward to Mystic Manor so much - I have resisted looking at anything "spoilerish" but have read enough to be excited about it.
 

jessfriends

Active Member
Thank you for your amazing trip report! :)I really enjoyed it and it got me excited about my upcoming trip next month! I liked to be able to see it from your point of view since you are not from the US. Thank you for taking the time to share your trip with us! Your dog is so cute too!

I enjoyed all of the photos especially the food photos and seeing the holiday decorations. I only went to WDW in December once about 8 years ago and missed out on the resort decorations as I was not staying at a deluxe resort and could not make it to all of the resorts that had the decorations so I really enjoyed seeing those photos!

I am spoiled as I have been staying at Epcot area resorts on my last few trips and my upcoming trip I will be staying there again. In the fall I will be staying at Port Orleans French Quarter for the first time so it will be a change but I wanted to stay everywhere at some point but it will be hard to beat the Epcot area since you can walk or take a boat to two of the four parks. I am also taking the train part of the way. I am up in the Northeast and will be driving down the east coast of the US part way and then will be taking the train. It will be a change and a different trip. Your report has helped me see that it will be a lot of fun!

At one point you mentioned about returning a wallet you bought. I believe at Disney you can return anything Disney with a receipt within 30 days at any Disney owned store. As for other stores in the US you can typically return items at any any location even if it is not the one where you initially made the purchase.

I hope some day I make it to New Zealand and the other non-US parks. Do you plan to do trip reports for Hong Kong DL and your next December WDW trips?
 

Kiwiduck

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thank you for your amazing trip report! :)I really enjoyed it and it got me excited about my upcoming trip next month! I liked to be able to see it from your point of view since you are not from the US. Thank you for taking the time to share your trip with us! Your dog is so cute too!

I enjoyed all of the photos especially the food photos and seeing the holiday decorations. I only went to WDW in December once about 8 years ago and missed out on the resort decorations as I was not staying at a deluxe resort and could not make it to all of the resorts that had the decorations so I really enjoyed seeing those photos!

I am spoiled as I have been staying at Epcot area resorts on my last few trips and my upcoming trip I will be staying there again. In the fall I will be staying at Port Orleans French Quarter for the first time so it will be a change but I wanted to stay everywhere at some point but it will be hard to beat the Epcot area since you can walk or take a boat to two of the four parks. I am also taking the train part of the way. I am up in the Northeast and will be driving down the east coast of the US part way and then will be taking the train. It will be a change and a different trip. Your report has helped me see that it will be a lot of fun!

At one point you mentioned about returning a wallet you bought. I believe at Disney you can return anything Disney with a receipt within 30 days at any Disney owned store. As for other stores in the US you can typically return items at any any location even if it is not the one where you initially made the purchase.

I hope some day I make it to New Zealand and the other non-US parks. Do you plan to do trip reports for Hong Kong DL and your next December WDW trips?

Thank you for reading. It sounds like you get to go to WDW quite a lot, I'm a bit jealous!!:) I will miss the convenience of walking to parks from the Yacht Club but am still excited about seeing lots of other resorts and also so save some money - Yacht club was expensive!!
I hope you enjoy the French Quarter and the train. I found it so relaxing and a much better way to travel than flying or driving. I hope you do as well.
I plan to do trip reports for my next trips, they are a great way to help remember the trip.
 

jessfriends

Active Member
Thank you for reading. It sounds like you get to go to WDW quite a lot, I'm a bit jealous!!:) I will miss the convenience of walking to parks from the Yacht Club but am still excited about seeing lots of other resorts and also so save some money - Yacht club was expensive!!
I hope you enjoy the French Quarter and the train. I found it so relaxing and a much better way to travel than flying or driving. I hope you do as well.
I plan to do trip reports for my next trips, they are a great way to help remember the trip.

Yes, I'm fortunate to have been able to go twice a year for the last few years but with the price increases I'm not sure if I will be able to do it in 2017. Thanks, looking forward to having some relaxing time with the train! Looking forward to your next trip reports!
 

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