Trip Report Golden State of Mind: Our August 2017 California Adventure

11 Days
10 Nights
9 Miles walked on our busiest day
8 Months of planning
7 Days with a rental car
6 Hotels
5 Boat rides
4 Flight segments
3 Disney park days
2 East coasters
1 Unforgettable vacation​

Hello and welcome to my trip report! For those who don't know, here is the essential information:

Me (Bee): 28, opera singer/voice teacher
DW (M): 28, writer/academic administrator
We: grew up in Florida, have visited WDW many times, have been together 10+ years, have been married almost 3 years, now live in NJ just outside of NYC

Dates: August 4-14, 2017
Flights: Southwest, EWR-MDW-SMF and LAX-MDW-EWR
Transportation: Rental car, Lyft, local public transportation
Major locations: Sacramento, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Muir Woods, Sequoia National Forest, Los Angeles, Anaheim
Lodging: 6 different hotels varying from 1-3 nights in each

And here is a link to my PTR: Not our typical Disney trip

I will add the usual disclaimer about us having only smartphone cameras. I am working on uploading all my photos to a third party site which is free and allows me to easily embed them here; however, they only allow 150 uploads per day so it will take some time. All my photos are uploaded and ready to post!

The first six days (August 4-9) we toured various parts of northern and southern California. From August 10-13 we visited Disneyland, including both parks and Downtown Disney. On August 14 we flew home to New Jersey. If you'd like to skip ahead to the Disneyland part of this trip, click here. Otherwise, continue reading for the entire trip report!

 

[amjt660]

Side note: I like that you go through security before Downtown Disney and not just the parks. It makes the whole area feel a little safer.

This is a relatively recent change at DLR.
In the past ( Dec 2015 was our last trip) the security was at the entrance to the Esplande
So as you walked up from Habour , right after the bus/shuttle area was a security check , before the ticket booths.

We also enjoyed the change in location.

Max

 

[riverside]

Great trip report!! I can't wait for your next one!!

 

[Figgy1]

A great TR as always but I'm so it's over.

 

[Figgy1]

Silly side note I'm wondering if Disney ducks in Ca look as happy as the ones on Fl.?

 

[amjt660]

Great TR
Enjoyed following along and hearing about all aspects of the journey

Max

 

[deanna88]

Great TR, now I want to go to Disneyland!

 

[Tuvalu]

It was dinner time so we walked to a neat little place. You may have heard of it.

Southwest in Atlanta has self-service baggage kiosks. You could visit.....just sayin'.

 

[bee]

This is a relatively recent change at DLR.
In the past ( Dec 2015 was our last trip) the security was at the entrance to the Esplande
So as you walked up from Habour , right after the bus/shuttle area was a security check , before the ticket booths.

We also enjoyed the change in location.

Max

I didn't know that. You're always full of good information.

Great trip report!! I can't wait for your next one!!

Thank you! I'm about halfway done uploading photos, so maybe sometime next week I can start posting.

A great TR as always but I'm so it's over.

Thanks! Don't worry, there will be another one soon!

Silly side note I'm wondering if Disney ducks in Ca look as happy as the ones on Fl.?

They did look very happy!!

Great TR
Enjoyed following along and hearing about all aspects of the journey

Max

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Great TR, now I want to go to Disneyland!

Thank you! If you can make it happen, do it!

Southwest in Atlanta has self-service baggage kiosks. You could visit.....just sayin'.

You know if I'm ever in Atlanta I will calling upon my friend @Tuvalu!

 

[fractal]

Great report and thanks for sharing.

Really made me miss California and Disneyland.

Good luck with your housing issues!

 

[gdisneyfans]

Great report!! Looking forward to reading about your WDW trip!

Good luck on your apartment hunt!

 

[coachwnh]

Day 10: Sunday, August 13

Though our park days were over, our Disney fun certainly wasn't!

We actually slept in a bit today until 8:30 or maybe even 9:00. We had some donuts and coffee for breakfast so we wouldn't fill up before our brunch.

Once again we enjoyed breakfast on the outdoor terrace.

We finished packing up and brought our bags down to the lobby to check out. Then we walked over to...

Side note: I like that you go through security before Downtown Disney and not just the parks. It makes the whole area feel a little safer. Another side note: I don't remember which day it was (I think this day but who knows?) that we got stuck behind a group of three teenagers who were held up at security because one of them had a giant speaker in his bag. He was told to take it back to the car, throw it away at bag check, or leave.

We were early for brunch so we took our time walking through DD.

We arrived at Tortilla Jo's (I keep wanting to type "Trader Joe's" lol!) and checked in a little early.

We were seated shortly and looked over the menu.

If you don't already know why we picked this place, look at the orange box.

Our server brought us chips and salsa.

And we each started with a classic orange mimosa.

Okay. Best. Mimosas. Ever. They were quite strong and they were huge!! And only $10 for unlimited! Anyone who's ever brunched in NYC knows this is a steal!!

Before the food came out we finished our mimosas and the server brought us another round. This time I tried cranberry.

I liked both cranberry and orange. We were already feeling the buzz

My huevos divorciados

M's chilaquiles

The fruit plate for the table. At first it looked pretty wimpy but honestly there was no way we could have eaten any more than this!

The shared dessert plate. I think we each had ONE bite of each dessert because we were so full.

By the end of the brunch we'd each had four strong mimosas. The food was delicious and plentiful. If you like Mexican brunch I'd definitely recommend Tortilla Jo's!! $24 for a HUGE amount of food PLUS unlimited mimosas!

Up next: More DD time

Love Tortilla Joes!!!!!! Favorite in all of Disneyland! @raven24

 

[Californian Elitist]

Love Tortilla Joes!!!!!! Favorite in all of Disneyland! @raven24

Yes! Tortilla Jo's is delicious. I live for the table side guacamole. I would like to be eating there now!

 

[bee]

Great report and thanks for sharing.

Really made me miss California and Disneyland.

Good luck with your housing issues!

Thank you! I hope you, and we, get to return to Disneyland sooner rather than later!

Great report!! Looking forward to reading about your WDW trip!

Good luck on your apartment hunt!

Thank you!

Love Tortilla Joes!!!!!! Favorite in all of Disneyland! @raven24

Yes! Tortilla Jo's is delicious. I live for the table side guacamole. I would like to be eating there now!

Yay TJ's fans @coachwnh and @raven24! We went there twice in one trip soooo you know we are fans!

 

[Figgy1]

@bee I may have mentioned it before I want to come back as a Disney duck

 

[amjt660]

I didn't know that. You're always full of good information.

Hey, wait a minue - have you been talking to my family, friends or coworkers?

They all think I am full of it too

Max

 

[LisaBelle]

Day 10: Sunday, August 13

Though our park days were over, our Disney fun certainly wasn't!

We actually slept in a bit today until 8:30 or maybe even 9:00. We had some donuts and coffee for breakfast so we wouldn't fill up before our brunch.

Once again we enjoyed breakfast on the outdoor terrace.

We finished packing up and brought our bags down to the lobby to check out. Then we walked over to...

Side note: I like that you go through security before Downtown Disney and not just the parks. It makes the whole area feel a little safer. Another side note: I don't remember which day it was (I think this day but who knows?) that we got stuck behind a group of three teenagers who were held up at security because one of them had a giant speaker in his bag. He was told to take it back to the car, throw it away at bag check, or leave.

We were early for brunch so we took our time walking through DD.

We arrived at Tortilla Jo's (I keep wanting to type "Trader Joe's" lol!) and checked in a little early.

We were seated shortly and looked over the menu.

If you don't already know why we picked this place, look at the orange box.

Our server brought us chips and salsa.

And we each started with a classic orange mimosa.

Okay. Best. Mimosas. Ever. They were quite strong and they were huge!! And only $10 for unlimited! Anyone who's ever brunched in NYC knows this is a steal!!

Before the food came out we finished our mimosas and the server brought us another round. This time I tried cranberry.

I liked both cranberry and orange. We were already feeling the buzz

My huevos divorciados

M's chilaquiles

The fruit plate for the table. At first it looked pretty wimpy but honestly there was no way we could have eaten any more than this!

The shared dessert plate. I think we each had ONE bite of each dessert because we were so full.

By the end of the brunch we'd each had four strong mimosas. The food was delicious and plentiful. If you like Mexican brunch I'd definitely recommend Tortilla Jo's!! $24 for a HUGE amount of food PLUS unlimited mimosas!

Up next: More DD time

Count me in on the bottomless mimosas! That brunch looks so good that I would consider a trip to Disneyland just to eat at Tortilla Joe's lol!!
Thoroughly enjoyed your report. Definitely makes me want to head west!

 

[MinnieM123]

@bee . that was such a fun TR!!! Thank you and glad you had such a great time!!

The TRs in this (WDWMagic) forum remind me a little bit of "travelogues" from years ago on TV. Since I know so little about CA, your picture lens and your interesting commentary took me right THERE in the middle of the action. What a nice little educational escape for all of us, who followed along. I looked forward to every update you posted.

P.S.: Sending pixie dust in your direction so that you can find a good and affordable apartment soon.

 

[Trisha Lynn]

Did you sing in Candlelight? How similar is it to the WDW version (if you know)?

I did! The songs I remember the alto part the most are "Joy to the World" and something that my brain remembers as "Il est ne." Of course, there was the Hallelujah chorus at the end, and I totally forget what songs we sung in between. From what I know, I think the WDW version has more international holiday songs.

Our narrators were John Tesh for the first night and Barry Bostwick for the second. One of my favorite moments during our dress rehearsal with Tesh was when we finished one of the songs. Rehearsal was in one of the maintenance/repair buildings because it had auditorium-like acoustics and it was a large enough space for all of the performers, including the guest choirs, etc. The last chord rang out beautifully (you know what that sounds like and I can't describe it well) and then there was a silence. And then Tesh broke from the script to give us a huge compliment. It was so awesome.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

I really enjoyed your TR! My first and last visit to Disneyland was when I was 17 and my sister and I travelled in CA for 6 weeks. A day ticket cost $37 and I thought that was so expensive.

 

[75disney]

Thanks for the trip report. I enjoyed following along. It helped me get over my own post-Disneyland withdrawal. We got back on the 27th and I just reset my watch to Eastern Standard Time! You took some fantastic pictures. I can't wait to read your Disney World report. It will inspire me to begin planning our next trip there! Good luck with the apartment hunt!