There were a couple of drawbacks from the last trip and they made us want to go again. When we were last there, Disneyland was under a LOT of construction. Star Wars Land was getting ready to open and quite a bit of the part, including the castle, were getting spruced up for the opening of the new land. Because of this, we want to see what the part looks like at full strength.
Our last trip was great, but it felt rushed. We hit the ground running since we were there 6 days with a 5 day park pass. Our first day was chaotic. Because of this, we decided to add a day to the next trip. Our plan is to get there and get settled the first day and hang out in Downtown Disney. Then we will have 5 full days at the parks.
Before our last trip, I had noticed new entertainment was being added starting President's Day weekend. It looked like the park hours were extended at the same time. We decided to try that time of the year. Our kids have a couple days off of school and my brother's job at the time of planning wouldn't let him off before Valentine's Day.
Transportation:
We booked our airfare on Southwest when it came available. I picked a morning non-stop for our flight there and the non-stops did not have good times so we had to change planes coming home. A couple months later, I got an email from Southwest stating they changed our flight. Well they cancelled the non-stop. I called them and spoke with a very nice person who changed our flights. We ended up flying to John Wayne, arriving early afternoon, and flying home through LAX. There was not a good time through John Wayne coming home. I have checked airfare occasionally since and most of the flights are sold out.
Our airport transfers will be through the same transportation company we used last time. They were great to work with and made our transfer really easy. The company is called Best-VIP Chauffeured Worldwide.
We were going to spend the day in LA and go to Griffith Park again, but since our flight was changed, we are going straight to the hotel and Downtown Disney.
Accommodations:
Our last trip we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. This was our first stay at a Disneyland resort hotel. Overall we enjoyed the resort, but there were some things we did not like. We loved being able to get into the parks early, especially California Adventure because only resort guests are allowed in early. We liked the hotel and the grounds of the Disneyland hotel, but the rooms seemed dated and it was not any closer walk than the Courtyard that we loved.
This time we really wanted to try the Grand Californian. I contacted David's DVC Rental and after working with them we were able to reserve 2 rooms at the Grand Californian renting DVC points for the dates we wanted. We are really looking forward to this. I really like the craftsman style of the hotel and the location is amazing. There is an entrance directly into DCA and the walk to Disneyland is half as long as the walk from the Disneyland Hotel. I'm a little concerned that the rooms are smaller, but I'm sure it will work out.
Food:
For food, we didn't have to do too much. We have found that the quick service food at Disneyland is very good and we don't have to have reservations for every meal. This also gives us more time in the parks. We do like to have dinner reservations because we want a break and something scheduled to make sure we have somewhere to eat. We are eating dinner at Lamplight Lounge, lunch at Wine Country Trattoria with the World of Color package, breakfast/brunch at Lamplight Lounge and a dinner at Carnation Cafe. Other than those reservations, we are going to find food as we go.
And yes, I will be getting lobster nachos again (see picture above).
Entertainment:
There are some new attractions at Disneyland. We are very excited to see Galaxy's Edge. When we arrive, both rides will be open so we will get the full experience. I'm really excited for the Rise of the Resistance. The reviews for the version in Florida are VERY good. It is a new ride system and a whole new experience. The other ride, Smuggler's Run, puts you in the Millennium Falcon to pilot it. This will be awesome as my brother and I grew up with Star Wars and the Falcon was an icon of the franchise.
Avenger's Campus (Marvel Land) will not be open yet, but it will be cool to see the construction. I am very excited for this land. Marvel has topped my favorite movie franchises and I'm really looking forward to seeing and experiencing it.
On the flip side, there are some rides we won't get to ride. My favorite Disney ride, Haunted Mansion, will be closed. As will Indiana Jones, Snow White, and King Arthur's Carousel. I'm pretty disappointed by Indy and Haunted Mansion, but there will be plenty of other rides to go on. We will get to do World of Color again (my favorite night show). It was closed last time.
We are getting really close and our family is very excited to go. For Christmas the kids got new Disney clothes to take on our trip and Lisa and I have our wardrobes about figured out. Next up, pack and go. Yay!!!
