Trip Report We’re Soarin’, Flyin’… Into the Unknown

Hello friends!

Many of you know me, but I’ve been pretty absent for awhile. This school year was wild and left me with very little time for… well, anything. But I’m back and trying to be more present here, because you’re my people and it makes me happy to be in good company!

Some quick reintroductions since it’s been so long…

I’m Brittany! I’m a PA turned Florida girl and I love every second of my life in the sunshine state! I teach 1st grade and that will almost always be the reason for any unexplained absence from me here. This is my husband, Dylan! I drug him along (okay, okay, he came willingly) for my fairytale Florida life, and we’re pretty happy with what we’ve created here. He is also a teacher, but he teaches high school history. His cup of tea, definitely not mine. We are Disney and Universal Passholders, so you can almost always find us at a theme park. Now, on to the exciting stuff!

Where are we soarin’, flyin to?

When are we venturing into the unknown? July 7. Yep…. TOMORROW.

We had been planning this trip for summer 2020 through Adventures by Disney so we could do the Studios and Imagineering tours, but you know, Covid. But now the trip is back on, though not through Adventures by Disney. We’ll eventually live out that dream, but for now, getting to the parks is more than enough! This was a spur of the moment “book the trip!” kind of deal, but everything is set and we are EXCITED!

We have 3 park days planned with a rest day in the middle. We’ll spend some time in Downtown Disney and at our hotel pool, but it’ll mostly be a go with the flow kind of day. We’re not staying on property this trip, but our hotel is right across the road from the parks so I can pretend. Our flight back home is late in the evening, so we’re also planning a visit to Griffith Park for that day. I’m almost as excited for that as the parks! Lol.

So, there it is! I hope that you’ll follow along on our journey to the original happy place… I promise to try and keep the tears to a minimum.

 

[blreinsel]

I would like to start this trip report by saying that I have a bone to pick with @lostpro9het. First, he (and by he, I mean his TRs), forced me to book a Disney Cruise for our honeymoon, thus getting me hooked on cruising with Disney and constantly longing to be on a ship. And now, he went and forced me to experience DLR, with the exact same effects as the cruise situation. How am I ever going to have a savings? I might even forgo electric for a few months if it means another Disneyland trip (okay, kidding about this one. But... ) So thanks a lot @lostpro9het... I mean that both sarcastically and literally.

Wednesday, July 7

Our flight into LAX didn't depart until around 7pm, so we had most of the day to finish up packing and loving on our pups before heading to the airport. My friend who usually watches our dogs when we're out of town inconveniently was also going to be out of town for a few days during our trip, but fortunately my mom was able and willing to fly down and stay with them so we could go. She drove us to the airport to avoid parking costs, which was also a big help.

We got our bag checked and through security fairly quickly, so we had time to grab something from the food court before it was time to board. Before too long, we were here!

Wearing masks doesn't bother me... I taught in one all day for 10 months so I kind of forget that I have it on. But I will say that it felt strange to wear one the whole time we were at the airport and throughout our flight because they aren't required at Disney or anywhere else in Florida anymore. There were some places in California that required them, so we had to be sure that we had them on hand at all times just to be safe. Our flight was long, but uneventful... I was really happy that it was a straight shot and we didn't have a layover. The time zone change took us back in time and we landed around 9pm. I booked us a shuttle through Shuttle2Anywhere, which was basically a more official Uber lol. It was really easy to connect with our driver and he chatted with us the whole way to our hotel. In the future, I would probably have us fly into John Wayne instead of LAX because by the time we pay for transportation to and from Anaheim, the flight cost difference between the two airports probably ended up evening out. Hindsight is 20/20.

We got to our hotel around 10pm, after passing by the Disneyland entrance and the crowds returning to their hotels at the end of the day. I couldn't wait for it to be me! We dropped our bags in the room and then walked around the hotel to orient ourselves a bit. We decided on a night cap. I had white sangria and it was sooooo good! Dylan had some sort of basic beer, because he's not fancy.

We eventually made our way back to our room and unpacked before heading to bed to prepare for our first day at The Happiest Place On Earth!


Thursday, July 8

I am not a morning person.... at all. But when I'm at Disney and that alarm goes off, I pop right out of bed! We got ready and then headed downstairs a little after 7am to the Starbucks that was conveniently in our hotel lobby. The inconvenient part of this is that every other hotel guest had the same idea. I told Dylan (and myself) that it was fine if we weren't there for rope drop, because I don't love standing in the crowd of other rope droppers. Arriving a few minutes after opening and being able to walk right in is better in my book. We finally got our drinks and enjoyed them on our walk to the entrance gate! It was about a 20 minute walk, but it didn't bother us at all. Not having to rely on busses was AMAZING, and it gave us just enough time to finish our coffee before arriving!

There were a few of these with notable people's names on them along our walk. And, quick sidebar, can we talk about the California weather!? The mornings and evenings were sunny, 70s, and breezy every day that we were there. It got toasty in the afternoon, but the humidity was basically nonexistent, at least in comparison to what we're used to in Florida this time of year lol. We loved it!

Soon we were at the gates and my heart felt like it might burst! I was standing here, where Walt once stood, looking at the train station that he loved so dearly. It was so beautiful, and I know that I probably looked like a fool standing there grinning from ear to ear. But did I care? NOPE! I'm at Disneyland!

We hopped in line for some pictures, and Dylan agreed that I should just go ahead and purchase PhotoPass for our first two days. It was $20 a day, which seems inexpensive in comparison to what I know I used to pay at WDW before becoming a passholder. However I will say this... it's a good thing that it was only $20 because the amount of PhotoPass photographers stationed around the park to take pictures was minimal. So that was definitely disappointing, especially because even though CMs at WDW are now allowed to take pictures on guests' phones again, the DL CMs are not. I typically stop a nearby CM to take pictures when there isn't a PhotoPass photographer around, but that obviously wouldn't work on this trip. So it was either stop random strangers throughout the trip for every photo, or utilize the few photographers that were available in key locations to minimize interactions with strangers. It was also really strange to scan the QR code in the app each time we took a photo, rather than just tapping a magic band.

Anyway, we're at Disneyland!

Pro tip: make your own Disney shirts. Our outfits for the trip cost me a quarter of what they were going to if I ordered them online.

It was finally time to walk into the park... a moment I had been dreaming about for years! I'm just now realizing that I was so immersed in the fact that I was standing there, that I didn't take any pictures as we entered the park. Very uncommon for me, but I'm okay with it in this case. I was emotional.

I did take a few as we continued toward the castle.

I was prepared for the smaller scale that Disneyland is. Isn't that the first thing that every Disney fan says when comparing WDW and DLR? So I wasn't totally surprised, but I was still slightly taken aback by how homey and quaint Main Street felt! To me, it felt so much more like a realistic town street than at WDW. And the castle... oh the castle. How sweet is she!? We laughed a few times over the course of the week at the fact that you can't see the castle from all areas of the park. But I still loved it so much! Walt's castle.. his vision brought to life!

We paused by the Partners Statue for some more pictures!

Oh goodness. How special to be in such a happy, magical place with the person who makes my life happy and magical.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Very excited to see your report! I will be returning there in 13 days, I can’t wait. Where did you stay? Just curious as the 20 minute walk seems long. I usually stay at the Best Westerns across the street on Harbor, or the Candy Cane.

 

[lostpro9het]

I would like to start this trip report by saying that I have a bone to pick with @lostpro9het. First, he (and by he, I mean his TRs), forced me to book a Disney Cruise for our honeymoon, thus getting me hooked on cruising with Disney and constantly longing to be on a ship. And now, he went and forced me to experience DLR, with the exact same effects as the cruise situation. How am I ever going to have a savings? I might even forgo electric for a few months if it means another Disneyland trip (okay, kidding about this one. But... ) So thanks a lot @lostpro9het... I mean that both sarcastically and literally.

You're half way to lostpro9het's four pillars of success:
1: DCL...Check!
2: DLR....Check!
3: Il Mulino over every other eyetalian in WDW...?
4: Stouts with at least 10.5%ABV...?

I'm legit so happy for you. So happy, in fact, that I cannot find an appropriate gif to express said happiness. There was honestly never any doubt you'd crush on DLR.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

You're half way to lostpro9het's four pillars of success:
1: DCL...Check!
2: DLR....Check!
3: Il Mulino over every other eyetalian in WDW...?
4: Stouts with at least 10.5%ABV...?

I'm legit so happy for you. So happy, in fact, that I cannot find an appropriate gif to express said happiness. There was honestly never any doubt you'd crush on DLR.

this gif should work, just plain and simple.

 

[Darstarr]

Very excited to see your report! I will be returning there in 13 days, I can’t wait. Where did you stay? Just curious as the 20 minute walk seems long. I usually stay at the Best Westerns across the street on Harbor, or the Candy Cane.

As a kid, obviously we drove since I lived under an hour away, but I always wanted to stay at the Candy Cane!!! Is it awesome?!?

 

[Darstarr]

I would like to start this trip report by saying that I have a bone to pick with @lostpro9het. First, he (and by he, I mean his TRs), forced me to book a Disney Cruise for our honeymoon, thus getting me hooked on cruising with Disney and constantly longing to be on a ship. And now, he went and forced me to experience DLR, with the exact same effects as the cruise situation. How am I ever going to have a savings? I might even forgo electric for a few months if it means another Disneyland trip (okay, kidding about this one. But... ) So thanks a lot @lostpro9het... I mean that both sarcastically and literally.

Wednesday, July 7

Our flight into LAX didn't depart until around 7pm, so we had most of the day to finish up packing and loving on our pups before heading to the airport. My friend who usually watches our dogs when we're out of town inconveniently was also going to be out of town for a few days during our trip, but fortunately my mom was able and willing to fly down and stay with them so we could go. She drove us to the airport to avoid parking costs, which was also a big help.

We got our bag checked and through security fairly quickly, so we had time to grab something from the food court before it was time to board. Before too long, we were here!
View attachment 572456

Wearing masks doesn't bother me... I taught in one all day for 10 months so I kind of forget that I have it on. But I will say that it felt strange to wear one the whole time we were at the airport and throughout our flight because they aren't required at Disney or anywhere else in Florida anymore. There were some places in California that required them, so we had to be sure that we had them on hand at all times just to be safe. Our flight was long, but uneventful... I was really happy that it was a straight shot and we didn't have a layover. The time zone change took us back in time and we landed around 9pm. I booked us a shuttle through Shuttle2Anywhere, which was basically a more official Uber lol. It was really easy to connect with our driver and he chatted with us the whole way to our hotel. In the future, I would probably have us fly into John Wayne instead of LAX because by the time we pay for transportation to and from Anaheim, the flight cost difference between the two airports probably ended up evening out. Hindsight is 20/20.

We got to our hotel around 10pm, after passing by the Disneyland entrance and the crowds returning to their hotels at the end of the day. I couldn't wait for it to be me! We dropped our bags in the room and then walked around the hotel to orient ourselves a bit. We decided on a night cap. I had white sangria and it was sooooo good! Dylan had some sort of basic beer, because he's not fancy.
View attachment 572457

We eventually made our way back to our room and unpacked before heading to bed to prepare for our first day at The Happiest Place On Earth!


Thursday, July 8

I am not a morning person.... at all. But when I'm at Disney and that alarm goes off, I pop right out of bed! We got ready and then headed downstairs a little after 7am to the Starbucks that was conveniently in our hotel lobby. The inconvenient part of this is that every other hotel guest had the same idea. I told Dylan (and myself) that it was fine if we weren't there for rope drop, because I don't love standing in the crowd of other rope droppers. Arriving a few minutes after opening and being able to walk right in is better in my book. We finally got our drinks and enjoyed them on our walk to the entrance gate! It was about a 20 minute walk, but it didn't bother us at all. Not having to rely on busses was AMAZING, and it gave us just enough time to finish our coffee before arriving!

There were a few of these with notable people's names on them along our walk. And, quick sidebar, can we talk about the California weather!? The mornings and evenings were sunny, 70s, and breezy every day that we were there. It got toasty in the afternoon, but the humidity was basically nonexistent, at least in comparison to what we're used to in Florida this time of year lol. We loved it!
View attachment 572455

Soon we were at the gates and my heart felt like it might burst! I was standing here, where Walt once stood, looking at the train station that he loved so dearly. It was so beautiful, and I know that I probably looked like a fool standing there grinning from ear to ear. But did I care? NOPE! I'm at Disneyland!

We hopped in line for some pictures, and Dylan agreed that I should just go ahead and purchase PhotoPass for our first two days. It was $20 a day, which seems inexpensive in comparison to what I know I used to pay at WDW before becoming a passholder. However I will say this... it's a good thing that it was only $20 because the amount of PhotoPass photographers stationed around the park to take pictures was minimal. So that was definitely disappointing, especially because even though CMs at WDW are now allowed to take pictures on guests' phones again, the DL CMs are not. I typically stop a nearby CM to take pictures when there isn't a PhotoPass photographer around, but that obviously wouldn't work on this trip. So it was either stop random strangers throughout the trip for every photo, or utilize the few photographers that were available in key locations to minimize interactions with strangers. It was also really strange to scan the QR code in the app each time we took a photo, rather than just tapping a magic band.

Anyway, we're at Disneyland!
View attachment 572451

Pro tip: make your own Disney shirts. Our outfits for the trip cost me a quarter of what they were going to if I ordered them online.
View attachment 572452


View attachment 572449

It was finally time to walk into the park... a moment I had been dreaming about for years! I'm just now realizing that I was so immersed in the fact that I was standing there, that I didn't take any pictures as we entered the park. Very uncommon for me, but I'm okay with it in this case. I was emotional.

I did take a few as we continued toward the castle.
View attachment 572454

View attachment 572453

I was prepared for the smaller scale that Disneyland is. Isn't that the first thing that every Disney fan says when comparing WDW and DLR? So I wasn't totally surprised, but I was still slightly taken aback by how homey and quaint Main Street felt! To me, it felt so much more like a realistic town street than at WDW. And the castle... oh the castle. How sweet is she!? We laughed a few times over the course of the week at the fact that you can't see the castle from all areas of the park. But I still loved it so much! Walt's castle.. his vision brought to life!

We paused by the Partners Statue for some more pictures!
View attachment 572450

Oh goodness. How special to be in such a happy, magical place with the person who makes my life happy and magical.
View attachment 572448

So glad you had nice weather!!! And loving the shirts

 

[Captain Barbossa]

You're half way to lostpro9het's four pillars of success:
1: DCL...Check!
2: DLR....Check!
3: Il Mulino over every other eyetalian in WDW...?
4: White Claw!

FTFY


Or is White Claw one of @wdisney9000 ’s pillars of success? Maybe I’m getting my Jawgins mixed up.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

As a kid, obviously we drove since I lived under an hour away, but I always wanted to stay at the Candy Cane!!! Is it awesome?!?

We enjoyed the Candy Cane. I guess the people that own it took the pandemic time to renovate. It is currently close and will open in November. It should be interesting to see it updated. When I stayed in 2019 when we went to the D23 Expo, it was close to the convention center but also a fairly short walk to the Disneyland. It was clean but dated in the interior. But the morning breakfast was great, I think they used a local bakery for all the pastries which were awesome. There were even ham and cheese croissants that could go through their toaster. Also there shuttle service to the park was great, it was very prompt and even though we could walk to Disneyland from our room in 10-15 minutes (depending on our energy and how crowded the sidewalk was) it was nice to be lazy and take the shuttle sometimes. Oh and walking there was nice, the sidewalk was well lit and it was on the same side of the road so we didn't have to cross the street.

 

[lostpro9het]

FTFY


Or is White Claw one of @wdisney9000 ’s pillars of success? Maybe I’m getting my Jawgins mixed up.

You’re confusing my pillars of success with @wdisney9000 ’s food pyramid where White Claw is, in fact, classified as both a grain and a fruit.

 

[MickeyCB]

We paused by the Partners Statue for some more pictures!

This is the most awesome photo! Great combo of statue, castle and you guys and your great Disneyland gear!

 

[fizzieee]

Yay, so excited to see this is starting! Already finding your tip about the John Wayne airport & LAX to be SUPER helpful - thank you for sharing!!! Your photos are lovely and I can't wait to see more.

 

[MickeyPretzelEnthusiast]

Yay! Excited to read all the details. Totally agree about John Wayne. Actually.. I'll probably just never fly into LAX again period if I can avoid it

 

[cgersic]

Yay!!!! So excited for this and the photos of you and Dylan are fabulous!!!

 

[wdisney9000]

You’re confusing my pillars of success with @wdisney9000 ’s food pyramid where White Claw is, in fact, classified as both a grain and a fruit.

Hey now! Us TambOOO Lounge Members need to stick together! Especially since this is the TR of the President of Orlando Chapter (Brittney).

 

[amjt660]

Hello Brittany and Dylan!

So glad that you experience and enjoyed Disneyland - looking forward to reading more

People always ask me which park is my favorite and I always say it is DLR - the OG - Walt's park that he envisioned, influenced, built and continuously improved during his life.

Following along!

Max

 

[blreinsel]

Very excited to see your report! I will be returning there in 13 days, I can’t wait. Where did you stay? Just curious as the 20 minute walk seems long. I usually stay at the Best Westerns across the street on Harbor, or the Candy Cane.

We stayed at the Hilton right beside the convention center. We walked past the Candy Cane everyday! It was nice to be there and see all of the hotels that pop up when searched online so I have a better idea for next time… because there will be a next time. The Candy Cane always came up but it didn’t look legit enough for me to feel comfortable booking. I figured we were safe with a Hilton. But glad to read your review and I’ll take it into consideration in the future, especially now that it’s been renovated!

You're half way to lostpro9het's four pillars of success:
1: DCL...Check!
2: DLR....Check!
3: Il Mulino over every other eyetalian in WDW...?
4: Stouts with at least 10.5%ABV...?

I'm legit so happy for you. So happy, in fact, that I cannot find an appropriate gif to express said happiness. There was honestly never any doubt you'd crush on DLR.

I know, I know. Every time I eat at Via Napoli I can feel my fingers being slapped because I again skipped Il Mulino. I will get there! As for the stouts, Dylan will have to earn that check mark for us. Hopefully that’s allowed in the rule book.

We also went for a TiW card a few months back… only to remember they stopped sales with the shut down.

So happy we made the DLR jump! But it is truly going to be a battle deciding on a DLR trip or cruise when we vacagoing forward.

Hello Brittany and Dylan!

So glad that you experience and enjoyed Disneyland - looking forward to reading more

People always ask me which park is my favorite and I always say it is DLR - the OG - Walt's park that he envisioned, influenced, built and continuously improved during his life.

Following along!

Max

You explain my feelings about it perfectly! It’s so special.. unlike anything I’ve ever experienced at a Disney park. Non-Disney people just don’t get it.

Always happy to have you along Max!

 

[blreinsel]

Sorry for the delay! We left on Friday for a long weekend in PA.. it has been a busy couple of weeks! I should be back to reporting sometime later this week!

 

[Katiekitten]

I love your pictures in front of the train station!

 

[Gurt]

Great pictures, loving your report, the way you bring your emotions brings a smile to my face.

 

[KellBelle]

Following along! I love DLR reports, I grew up going frequently! Hope you and Dylan loved it!!