Disneyland Trip Log

[TheShadowKnows]

Well, the wife and I are officially one day into our anniversary vacation to Disneyland! I worked yesterday from 5:30am to 4:00pm, and we've been on the road since about 7:30 last night. We're at a Cracker Barrel now for some breakfast. The Cracker Barrel was a good surprise; I love this restaurant and thought I was going to have to settle for a Waffle House or something. Ten and a half more hours to Anaheim! Been a good drive so far; I've only gotten about 3 hours of sleep total since I went to work yesterday but I'm going strong. I really enjoy driving, and my wife is a car sleeper so it really works out when we take road trips together.

Anyways, I thought I'd keep a log in case anyone is interested or wants to share any Disneyland or vacation stories or tips. And it gives me something to do in rest stop bathrooms, heh.

 

[jimLE]

have a great and safe trip to and from the anniversary vacation to Disneyland..and i hope that yall have a great time there

 

[jontte]

Have a safe drive and enjoy Disneyland

 

[Silent Bob]

Well, the wife and I are officially one day into our anniversary vacation to Disneyland! I worked yesterday from 5:30am to 4:00pm, and we've been on the road since about 7:30 last night. We're at a Cracker Barrel now for some breakfast. The Cracker Barrel was a good surprise; I love this restaurant and thought I was going to have to settle for a Waffle House or something. Ten and a half more hours to Anaheim! Been a good drive so far; I've only gotten about 3 hours of sleep total since I went to work yesterday but I'm going strong. I really enjoy driving, and my wife is a car sleeper so it really works out when we take road trips together.

Anyways, I thought I'd keep a log in case anyone is interested or wants to share any Disneyland or vacation stories or tips. And it gives me something to do in rest stop bathrooms, heh.

Shadow,

If I only knew you were heading to Disneyland...I was lucky to have a Dad, who thought of his kids when he was home, so as a youngster, I was able to grow up with Disney...my kids just don't get me when it comes to Walt's dream of a perfect utopia. I must say it is not to far long before we head East for my Disneyworld pilgrimage, possibly the final one with my two kids until they have children...then the mission will continue.

I've been lucky to be at Disneyland in the 60's, 70's, and 90's . Disneyworld in 70's, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011 and now this year. Been to Tokyo and Paris...so we could say I am a Mouse Snob! Of course, my wife and the kids are a bit tired of the experience, but for me, its about the people and food. Not to mention the Pirate of the Caribbean! Gone are the days of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and now with the new Mine Rollercoaster opened at WDW, Snow White and the Seven Drawfs ride is no more.

Hope you brought your wallet, its like being a kid again and I normally spend way to much on things that I could do without, but well that is half the adventure of being at Disney Parks.

If your a pin collector, look for the one of a kinds...sadly, I am going to miss out on the Star Wars weekend this year...but those are big collectibles. Also don't forget to hit the California beaches while your there...some really nice ones.

As for you driving...well get some rest. For me this year it will be a 19 hour drive, but then I also plan to get sleep at 1PM and wake at 11, before pulling out in the early mornings to avoid the heat of the day. Safe drive. Look forward to hearing from you and your stories when you get back.

 

[Dani]

Sounds like you enjoy your road trips with the family. . . just cant replace that time spent together. It has brought many a families closer together.

 

[Roninsensei]

You'll only be an hour from me!! If you need help I'll be available!!

 

[TheShadowKnows]

Found what looked like a cool place in Arizona called "Knife World" advertising knives, extended magazines, and first aid gear. I saw a few pistol mags, not so sure that any of them were high capacity. A few taser and pepper-spray products, a very small first aid section, and a TON of knives and swords from all different manufacturers. Had a good selection of Ka-Bar and Cold Steel among many others but everything was waaaay overpriced. (Saw, for example, the SOG Trident folding tanto with the belt cutter slot on it for 110, and I can get it at my local Dick's for 60.) It was kind of a cool place to stretch our legs though, as opposed your typical trading post and dirty gas station fare.

Then we made it to the hotel in Barstow, and then this morning we finished the drive to Anaheim. Got lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and we're about to to walk around Downtown Disney and get dinner to celebrate our anniversary, which is tonight. The drive totaled at about 22 hours, and looking back, I probably could've done it all at once if we'd had too, without stopping in Barstow. Could shave a day off a future trip, potentially, which makes it easier to get off work.

We're lifelong Disney fans after the honeymoon in Disneyworld last year; the entire experience at a Disney park is just unbeatable. You're right, the people do make all the difference in the world. We live pretty close to Fiesta Texas but none of the Six Flags parks come even close to Disney Magic. Tomorrow will be our first day in the park. Probably going to make a beeline for Indiana Jones and then wing it from there.

 

[Silent Bob]

Found what looked like a cool place in Arizona called "Knife World" advertising knives, extended magazines, and first aid gear. I saw a few pistol mags, not so sure that any of them were high capacity. A few taser and pepper-spray products, a very small first aid section, and a TON of knives and swords from all different manufacturers. Had a good selection of Ka-Bar and Cold Steel among many others but everything was waaaay overpriced. (Saw, for example, the SOG Trident folding tanto with the belt cutter slot on it for 110, and I can get it at my local Dick's for 60.) It was kind of a cool place to stretch our legs though, as opposed your typical trading post and dirty gas station fare.

Then we made it to the hotel in Barstow, and then this morning we finished the drive to Anaheim. Got lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and we're about to to walk around Downtown Disney and get dinner to celebrate our anniversary, which is tonight. The drive totaled at about 22 hours, and looking back, I probably could've done it all at once if we'd had too, without stopping in Barstow. Could shave a day off a future trip, potentially, which makes it easier to get off work.

We're lifelong Disney fans after the honeymoon in Disneyworld last year; the entire experience at a Disney park is just unbeatable. You're right, the people do make all the difference in the world. We live pretty close to Fiesta Texas but none of the Six Flags parks come even close to Disney Magic. Tomorrow will be our first day in the park. Probably going to make a beeline for Indiana Jones and then wing it from there.

Have a Magical Day tomorrow Shadow!

 

[jontte]

Happy Anniversary

 

[TheShadowKnows]

Thanks y'all, we've been having a blast so far. Space Mountain is closed until July 4th, which is a bummer 'cause that's definitely my favorite ride, but the Matterhorn was much more exciting/fast than I remember as a kid, which to me means they improved it, so I'll have to come back and see what they did to Space Mountain next time.

All of the Cars stuff in California Adventure is pretty impressive, and I haven't even seen Cars all the way through. The Ridgeway Racers ride was a lot of fun but it ran out of fast passes by noon! Not sure if it's quite that good but we hit it twice this morning so no worries there. Soarin' Over California and the Hollywood Tower of Terror are always a good time too. Had dinner last night at the Blue Bayou, which is located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Always wanted to eat there and it didn't disappoint, the atmosphere and the food were both incredible.

 

[TheShadowKnows]

Quick post from the park to mention the Lucky Fortune Cookery quickserve Asian restaurant at California Adventure. Delicious stir fry. Definitely worth a visit.

 

[rudyc]

look for the hidden mickey mouses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Mickey

 

[Silent Bob]

Quick post from the park to mention the Lucky Fortune Cookery quickserve Asian restaurant at California Adventure. Delicious stir fry. Definitely worth a visit.

You keep this you might start working as a Disboard commentator! We've been members for a while now, we never leave for Disney without consulting Disboards. Hopefully you have the app Undercover Tourist...it gives you the times for ride waits on your phone.

Later...since I haven't been to Disneyland since my daughter was 2...can't even begin to think of the changes, but know the park is still small compared to MK. As for the Asian foods...well I have to admit my stir fry is not to bad and well my Japanese culinary skills, minus making sushi...is not half bad, but then my portions are much larger than the typical Japanese steak house.

Oh...as part of my preps....over 200 lbs of Japanese Rice, 30 gallons of Japanese Kikoman Soy Sauce, 1 gallon of rice wine vinegar, seaweed, sesame seed, about 10 packages of tofu, host of Asian spices, plug several bottles of Tonkatsu sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, not to mention Thai Chili Paste...also several cloves of garlic. I have a larger propane gas grill, so that is being loaded onto the truck too, if SHTF. Did I say, with a good size deer, we will be eating good!

Have fun Shadow! Keep the post coming!

 

[TheShadowKnows]

Gotta love a good stir fry. We're having a great time, the Cars ride and the Toy Story Midway Games were both really cool, and new additions since I'd last been.

We honeymooned at Disneyworld in Florida, and I have to say that overall we liked that more. It's not just that it's so much bigger; we've decided that the service was more consistent in Florida as opposed to here in Cali. It's not like we're getting bad service, but about 10% of the staff that we're encountering just aren't quite as nice, helpful, conversational, etc as our experience in the Florida parks. We're not having a bad time by any means, but we'll likely visit the Florida parks in the future and not come back to 'Land for a while.

And you guys better believe my preps are back in full swing once we get back, haha. Had to save up but it's moneymaking time at my job when I get back. Gonna be a good summer all around, and this trip is putting it off to a great start.

Oh, and rudyc, we've seen a few around the park. My wife and I like trying to find them. Apparently there's a whole book about where to look.

Silent Bob, I'll have to check out Disboards. We've been using an app called Mousewaits that gives user-submitted wait times; in my experience it's more accurate than the official Disney wait apps. I bet Undercover Tourist works the same way.

 

[TheShadowKnows]

That last one was cool, I've always seen ASIMO on TV so it was really cool to see him in real life.

 

[Gazrok]

Take advantage of the tickets for faster ride access. If you really work it right, can spend a LOT less time waiting in line. My wife and I are pretty much theme park gurus, having learned a lot of tips and tricks (though mostly for FL parks). Still, lots of Disneyworld tips apply to Disneyland as well. Biggest tip, bring a small cooler bag in a backpack, with your own water bottles and snacks. Can really save on the wallet when you just need a little.

 

[Silent Bob]

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That last one was cool, I've always seen ASIMO on TV so it was really cool to see him in real life.

Way to nice Shadow...hope your having fun...won't be long before we travel to Florida...thanks for the pics..love Matter! To bad they don't have that at World..

Thanks again for sharing...

 

[TheShadowKnows]

My pleasure. Had quite the adventure getting home; I got crazy airsick on the first flight and lost my phone in the Salt Lake City airport. Was sick all the way home on the second flight, had to get my phone shipped back to me. Kudos to the flight attendants at Delta, they went over and above to make me more comfortable on that flight; brought me extra bags, and one of them even made me a cold cloth for the back of my neck. Even their sympathy helped.

Apart from the end, yes, it was a really great trip. The Cars stuff is great, and the Indiana Jones ride is one of my favorites, but we decided we do prefer Florida. It's a little bit closer too.