Trip Report Go west they said. The weather is so perfect you'll never want to leave they said.

Greetings to all my Disney-fied, Pixie Dust-fried friends! Yep, it's that time again...moving on to the next adventure. This time we finally went west for our glorious (or not-so-glorious?) return to Disney parks.

The particulars:

Who? Me, Tracey (DH, @Sweetpee's Sugar Daddy), Chandler (DS18, @casutton96), & Brian (DS16)

What? Disneyland Resort family vacation

Where? Disneyland Hotel / Disneyland / California

When? April 26, 2104 - May 3, 2014


I'm not feeling extra wordy at the moment (rare, I know) so let's get started....

 

[Californian Elitist]

I have went to Five Guys twice (once in NYC) and the other in Illinois. Both times I walked away feeling jipped. It is expensive and the burgers are not that great. Though, I love the peanuts, lol. The fries are very soggy. So IDK but everyone I know loves Five Guys.

I've been to Five Guys just once, and I also felt jipped. I understand the taste they were going for, the homemade taste. California is burgerville, like New York is well known for its pizza. I wasn't very impressed with Five Guys. The burger was good in the beginning, but it lost its taste half way through, it was weird. The meal was way too expensive. I know Five Guys is an East Coast establishment, and it has made its way West. They haven't been able to de-throne In-N-Out as our favorite.

Fatburger is also a well-known West Coast burger chain. They're better than Five Guys as well, IMO.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Love the headboards at the Disneyland Hotel. I haven't stayed there since I was a tiny, little girl.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I have went to Five Guys twice (once in NYC) and the other in Illinois. Both times I walked away feeling jipped. It is expensive and the burgers are not that great. Though, I love the peanuts, lol. The fries are very soggy. So IDK but everyone I know loves Five Guys.

My boys don't really care for the fries at Five Guys either. I like them because they're good for dipping in mayo. The burgers I love. Very customizable. And they have MAYO. I get what I want in a big ol' nasty cheeseburger. It works for me. I'm thinking what's the best chain burger I've had....hmmm...probly the Hawaiian type cheeseburger at Red Robin. But then that's not a fair comparison because that's a sit-down cooked to order burger. I think the lack of mayo totally threw me with In-N-Out. Maybe I should try it again and bring mayo with me. LOL!

I think you had posted a few months back that you were sad many attractions were closed during your trip. Did this make traveling to to the resort bad or did you have a great time still?

We definitely still had a great time. The large amount of closures at DL park really did have an overall effect which I'll get into more as I go thru the report. I went to California expecting to fall madly in love with DL park. I was disappointed that did not happen. I fell madly in love with California Adventure.

 

[Andrew C]

My boys don't really care for the fries at Five Guys either. I like them because they're good for dipping in mayo. The burgers I love. Very customizable. And they have MAYO. I get what I want in a big ol' nasty cheeseburger. It works for me. I'm thinking what's the best chain burger I've had....hmmm...probly the Hawaiian type cheeseburger at Red Robin. But then that's not a fair comparison because that's a sit-down cooked to order burger. I think the lack of mayo totally threw me with In-N-Out. Maybe I should try it again and bring mayo with me. LOL!

You dip fries in mayo? How very Belgian of you.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I did get started! No move = faster trip report! I prob'ly should've been patient and waited for my Photopass CD to arrive. But since when am *I* patient?! That's right. Never. Aaaaaand NEVER. LOL! BTW, the SM shot from the ride with you wasn't on my card. Instead I got some other random family. You know what that means, right? Do-over! Hahahahahaha!!!!

Thank you. I know it's trivial at best to the rest of the world. Heck, it sounds fairly trivial and even leaning towards cliche to tell it. Dipping my toes in the Pacific Ocean was such a huge thing to me. I might as well have built a dust castle on the moon.

The headboard. Confession. The whole reason I was so in love with the idea of paying whatever it took to stay at the Disneyland Hotel for my first trip was for the headboard. And the faucet knobs on the sink & tub. Is that totally pathetic or what??? Mickey knew what he was doing when he put those things in during the recent refurb ~AND~ brought you awesome photog people out to tour and photograph them.

Well yay for us! Lol!

Okay, twist my arm. Do-over.

There's nothing pathetic about that at all!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I've been to Five Guys just once, and I also felt jipped. I understand the taste they were going for, the homemade taste. California is burgerville, like New York is well known for its pizza. I wasn't very impressed with Five Guys. The burger was good in the beginning, but it lost its taste half way through, it was weird. The meal was way too expensive. I know Five Guys is an East Coast establishment, and it has made its way West. They haven't been able to de-throne In-N-Out as our favorite.

Fatburger is also a well-known West Coast burger chain. They're better than Five Guys as well, IMO.

I really think the burgers we had MUST have been from a bad location on an off day. We thought they had so little flavor. At all. It was weird.

Five Guys is expensive. Chandler doesn't like the fries so when we go he gets 2 double burgers. How's THAT for expensive??? My debit card sheds tears when I take him. LOL!

Love the headboards at the Disneyland Hotel. I haven't stayed there since I was a tiny, little girl.

If I stay there again you're welcome to come check it out. It's really neat. Nothing earth shattering but where else do you find something like that???

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You dip fries in mayo? How very Belgian of you.

Mayo mixed with ketchup 3:1 is about right. Add black pepper for flare. Or, for a twist try mayo with Heinz 57. Oh, and for some bite go with mayo and Tabasco. Mmmmmmm!!!!!

 

[Andrew C]

Mayo mixed with ketchup 3:1 is about right. Add black pepper for flare. Or, for a twist try mayo with Heinz 57. Oh, and for some bite go with mayo and Tabasco. Mmmmmmm!!!!!

I am thinking you should make something like this and start to sell it. new business right there.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I am thinking you should make something like this and start to sell it. new business right there.

((shrug)) I know just as many people who eat fries this way as I do people who don't. It's not super uncommon. There's a chicken fingers place, Raising Cane's, that started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that has a mayo+ketchup+black pepper dipping sauce that they serve. I think you might can even buy the sauce by the bottle. Seriously mind-numbing good chicken fingers. So so good.

 

[Andrew C]

((shrug)) I know just as many people who eat fries this way as I do people who don't. It's not super uncommon. There's a chicken fingers place, Raising Cane's, that started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that has a mayo+ketchup+black pepper dipping sauce that they serve. I think you might can even buy the sauce by the bottle. Seriously mind-numbing good chicken fingers. So so good.

Yes....Raising Cane's...I am a fan.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

((shrug)) I know just as many people who eat fries this way as I do people who don't. It's not super uncommon. There's a chicken fingers place, Raising Cane's, that started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that has a mayo+ketchup+black pepper dipping sauce that they serve. I think you might can even buy the sauce by the bottle. Seriously mind-numbing good chicken fingers. So so good.

Ooh, we have Raising Cane's in Vegas! We do love it.

 

[cfry06]

Yay! LOVE your trip reports! They are the best @sweetpee_1993! Love following your beautiful & handsome family on your adventures. Haven't been to SoCal and DLR since I was 16 (that was over half my life ago now-yikes!) so vicariously living through your trip. Hope to take our little guy there in a couple yrs. Thanks again for sharing - can't wait for the rest!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Yay! LOVE your trip reports! They are the best @sweetpee_1993! Love following your beautiful & handsome family on your adventures. Haven't been to SoCal and DLR since I was 16 (that was over half my life ago now-yikes!) so vicariously living through your trip. Hope to take our little guy there in a couple yrs. Thanks again for sharing - can't wait for the rest!

Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you're joining us. Gosh, everyone is getting me so super duper excited to get started on the Disneyland part! The west coast parks are really amazing. I was thoroughly impressed. There's definitely more I want to do in SoCal, too. There's mountains and deserts and more of the Pacific Coast Hwy that I want to see. Badly!

 

[RandomPrincess]

Around here we have BRG - The Burger Joint. They have good fries and Burgers. Tried Shake Shack okay burger fries are no good, In and Out Love the Burger meh fries, 5 Guys - like the Burger, fries just okay.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Around here we have BRG - The Burger Joint. They have good fries and Burgers. Tried Shake Shack okay burger fries are no good, In and Out Love the Burger meh fries, 5 Guys - like the Burger, fries just okay.

Interesting. Okay. I think I've decided I should try In-N-Out's burgers again and bring mayo with me. I just can't comprehend a burger with no mayo. That's like peanut and not butter. Cereal and no milk. Ham, no burger. LOL!

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

Enjoying your trip report so far - makes me excited for my trip to the West Coast next year. It looks like the California parks are set up like when I was in Disneyland Paris. Hotels, Downtown and the 2 parks all side by side, walking distance to everything.

I absolutely understand your excitement for the Pacific Ocean. I cried like a baby when I got to touch the water in Loch Lomond and then later that same day, Loch Ness. I didn't get to dip my toes, but I did wiggle my fingers!

Looking forward to your pictures of the parks. And for the record, I went to Five Guys for the first time last week - meh. I've had a better burger at Bob Evans and the fries were way too salty.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Enjoying your trip report so far - makes me excited for my trip to the West Coast next year. It looks like the California parks are set up like when I was in Disneyland Paris. Hotels, Downtown and the 2 parks all side by side, walking distance to everything.

I absolutely understand your excitement for the Pacific Ocean. I cried like a baby when I got to touch the water in Loch Lomond and then later that same day, Loch Ness. I didn't get to dip my toes, but I did wiggle my fingers!

Looking forward to your pictures of the parks. And for the record, I went to Five Guys for the first time last week - meh. I've had a better burger at Bob Evans and the fries were way too salty.

Hey howdy hey, Sherry!

Thank you! There's so much out west one could easily fill dozens of trips. I studied Google maps a lot before we went so I'd have a general lay of the land. Downtown Disney has the parks' esplanade on one end and the Disneyland Hotel at the other end. Kinda off to the side from the end of DtD where the DLH is you'll find the Paradise Pier hotel. The other Disney-operated hotel, the Grand Californian, is situated kinda behind Downtown Disney but hugged right up to California Adventure. In fact, there's an entrance directly into California Adventure from that hotel. If you ever wanted to stay in a hotel that felt like you were staying right smack in a Disney park, that's a good one to stay in. That's where I hope to stay next time. Depends on how the finances and discounts go. All the on-site hotels out west are pricy and the Grand is the most pricy. But that location. Absolutely crazy.

Wiggling fingers totally count just as much as wiggling toes. I kinda had my hands full holding my dress from flying up around my waist in the wind and holding my boots. Otherwise, I'd have probably squatted down to rub my fingers into the sand.

I've heard of Bob Evans but not sure I've ever been. Isn't this a sit-down eatery? Or no? I'm not sure. I love love love cheeseburgers so I'm totally enjoying getting all these tips on people's favorite burger haunts. I'm taking notes!

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

Hi, Kelly!

Yeah, Bob Evans is a family type restaurant that originated in Ohio. Think Cracker Barrel type menu. And I consider myself a cheeseburger connoisseur - American cheese, pickles and ketchup!

The Grand hotel looks awesome, I plan on going big on my trip to DL - it may be my only chance to go there! But it will depend on what that whole trip is going to cost. Hawaii, Japan to California - I'm saving every penny I can get my hands on!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Hi, Kelly!

Yeah, Bob Evans is a family type restaurant that originated in Ohio. Think Cracker Barrel type menu. And I consider myself a cheeseburger connoisseur - American cheese, pickles and ketchup!

The Grand hotel looks awesome, I plan on going big on my trip to DL - it may be my only chance to go there! But it will depend on what that whole trip is going to cost. Hawaii, Japan to California - I'm saving every penny I can get my hands on!

Okay. Bob Evans is on the cheeseburger list! Mmmmm...

If you're only there a short time and during a non-peak time it prob'ly wouldn't hurt your feelings as bad. That per night cost is crazy to me. If you know your travel dates far enough out I would strongly suggest looking into renting DVC points from a broker at the 7 month out mark. I'd even contact them before the 7 months to see if they can try to score you a room at the crack of dawn on the 7 month out day. The savings can be ridiculous. I tried to get a DVC rental for a studio for Tracey & I for our anniversary trip. Would've cost us roughly $1k less than the rate I *think* we'll get with our APs. There aren't that many DVC units at the VGC so they go fast.

I hear ya on the saving pennies. That's me right now because I want to stay at the GC so bad in the fall!

 

[teacherlady19]

I'm enjoying your report, and hope you include more very soon! As for the burger issue....I'm a Southern Californian. Love In-and-Out Burgers, don't care that much for their fries though my daughter loves them. Five Guys? No thanks. Overpriced!

I had similar feelings about the Atlantic Ocean on our trip to the East Coast, two years ago. We made sure we got to the Pacific Ocean before our trip (it's 30 miles from us), and then after we did WDW in Orlando, we headed for Cocoa Beach and Kennedy Space Center. I *had* to see the beach, though I honestly did not get to stick my toes in the Atlantic for another 1000+ miles up the coast in Maine. But it was exciting!

Sometime, you should plan to DRIVE from Houston to LA. It's roughly three pretty long days -- Houston to Fort Stockton is one day, Fort Stockton to the western edge of Phoenix is another day, and Phoenix to Anaheim is a third day. You'd get to see desert, mountains, and more along the way.


Donna