Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 7 and Thoughts

Sunday February 4

Slept in til 7:00; got up and packed - We ‘slept in’ a little and packed up.  We met our group downstairs to go to breakfast.

Walked to Pixar place, cute hotel - We all walked to the newly-renovated Pixar Place Hotel.  It used to be Paradise Pier Hotel and shortly before our trip it was reopened as the Pixar Place Hotel.  It was really cute with Pixar theming and a Pixar soundtrack.  We all enjoyed the refreshed look of the hotel and agreed we would like to stay some time.

Breakfast at Great Maple American Eatery; delicious! - We had reservations at the Great Maple American Eatery for breakfast.  It was a nice restaurant, very modern farmhouse.  We were walking through the tables to our spot and noticed the portions were HUGE!  The menu looked delicious.  There were several items I wanted and I decided to get nothing.  Lisa ordered an entree and Ellie ordered an adult entree so I figured there would be enough to share.  My plan worked out great because I got to try almost everyone’s food.  I got to try the ribeye hash, the chilaquiles, the Cajun shrimp biscuit benedict, and they were all delicious.

Walked to World of Disney one last time; Grady got a skin for the spider-bot (black panther)

Anaheim Town Car Service picked us up early; Great service, wonderful vehicle, comfortable seats, even had Disney+ for the kids to watch shows; short drive

Flight delayed - Easy through security - Setup Spider Bot, pretty cool toy

Pixar Pier Hotel

Anaheim Town Car service - Great ride to airport

Flight home

Trip Review and Final Thoughts:

Grand Californian is the best - We have now stayed at the Grand Californian twice and have determined it is the best hotel to stay when going to Disneyland.  It is the most convenient and most comfortable.  We were able to pop in and change clothes if needed or easily take a break or go to the pool without losing more time than it’s worth.  The rooms could use a refresher, but overall, this hotel is the undisputed champion.

Parents on trip - Seemed better with Grand Cal convenience. We were slightly worried about my parents going on the trip because they struggled a little on the last one.  My dad had some issues with speed and stamina, but they seemed to have a better time and were able to keep up better.  I actually think the hotel helped a lot, less extra steps at the beginning and end of the day and more time to rest.  I think it helped all of us, but I think it helped my parents the most.

Worst rental car experience ever - We’ve had some questionable rental car experiences, but this one took the cake.  We couldn’t believe how terrible it was.  From the beginning of not having a van due to a “recall” even though we saw them, to the end of no late drop off, we were not destined for a good rental car experience.  Thankfully, our transportation back to the airport was great.  The craziest part was I contacted Avis after our trip and explained what happened.  The response I received was, sorry for your experience.  They gave zero retribution or sympathy for our experience.  I continue to think of the Seinfeld episode with the rental car reservation, “You know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to HOLD the reservation.”

Club 33 - I still can’t believe we were able to go to Club 33.  To say it was a bucket list experience is an understatement.  Everything about Club 33 exceeded expectations.  The food, the drinks, the service, the atmosphere, the ambiance, the merch, the history, everything was amazing.  And to be in the presence of greatness was an honor.  Spence and I are both aware of Tony Baxter’s resume and know the impact he has had on Disneyland and the Disney parks.  To be in this vaulted setting and sit close to a Disney legend is an honor and a privilege. Thank you so much to the member and friend who were able to make this happen for us.

Tiki drinks and Bengal BBQ - Lisa and I had been to Trader Sam’s in Florida, and it was fine. When we went this time, we had a blast. I don’t know if it was the Disneyland difference or the high we were on after Club 33, but we loved it. The drinks were fun and delicious and the atmosphere was so much fun. We also found Ellie loves Bengal BBQ. She loved it so much that we made a version at home for her birthday. I enjoyed Trader Sam’s so much that I have my own tiki bar setup at home and at the lake. We found some recipes online and they are quite delicious. We’ve had some fun making them this summer.

Genie+ - In DIsneyland, Genie+ is basically the same as MaxPass, which we loved.  It is significantly more expensive than MaxPass and that is the big detractor.  We have found we are able to do more with Genie+, review our last day in the parks from this trip.  But, one drawback is it will drive you to hike across the park more frequently rather than just tour the parks.  When using Genie+ you generally look for the earlies return time, which may not be the closest attraction to your current location.  This is not always a big issue, but it could be.

Kids more accustomed to travel and Disney parks - Overall, the kids we great.  There was a Grady meltdown (we’ll never eat at Carnation Cafe with him again), but they did great.  They are really becoming experienced travelers and they love and understand the Disney parks.  Ellie has certain snacks and rides she want to do and she had really taken to shopping.  Grady loves his rides and snacks and want to look at droids, lightsabers and Spider-bots.  Grady still likes the character meetings, but Ellie has pretty much grown out of them.  They are fun to travel and go to Disneyland with.

Nice to go with family group - I enjoy going on trips with the four of us, but it is also fun to go with others.  My family is a Disney family, we grew up going to Disney World every year.  Now we take our family.  We all have a love and passion for Disney so it makes it fun to travel there together.  We also enjoy having others as a buffer and the option to separate.  We all travel together very well.  We have heard stories about families traveling and not getting along, but thankfully we do not have that problem.

Overall, this was a great trip.  We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our time together in an amazing location.  We will be back, I’m sure, and that is a good thing.

Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 6

Saturday February 3

Up early, coffee at Starbucks - On our last day, we got it down.  We were all down stairs, at the security stand and we were second in line to go through security.  We got through quickly and decided to stop at Starbucks for coffee in Downtown Disney.  We got through the entry gates pretty easily too.

Walk on Snow White and Pinocchio - We made it down Main Street and were near the front of rope drop for the early entry group.  We were able to walk on to Snow White and Pinocchio.  Snow White is one of the best dark rides in the park and shows what they could do with Pinocchio, it is really showing it’s age.

Peter Pan was down, but we saw it open when we walked out of Pinocchio- short wait before rope drop - Before we got on Pinocchio, we saw that Peter Pan was down.  When we got off the ride, we found Peter Pan was just reopening, so we hoped in line.  It was a relatively short wait.  Good timing!!

Genie+ - We decided to add Genie+ to our day to allow us to get as many rides done as possible.

Matterhorn LL - Our first lightning lane with Genie+ was the Matterhorn.  This is a fun ride and the fast pass wait makes it much more tolerable.

Big Thunder LL - After the Matterhorn, we got a lightning lane pass for Big Thunder Mountain.  So much fun with the kids.  Ellie has always loved it and it is growing on Grady.

Progressive breakfast - started with chimichangas; mom, dad, Spence and Crosby had Jolly Holiday; then we had waffle Cristo and beignets from Royal Street Veranda - Since it was the last day, several of us had food option to check off of their list.  I tried to not over order because I never knew how the kids would eat, but they LOVED the breakfast chimichangas.  Lisa wanted the Waffle Cristo and beignets, which were good too.

Pirates - got really wet - After breakfast, we found Pirates had a relatively short wait.  For some reason, we got really wet on this ride.  We got done and our pants were really wet and shirts were a little wet.

Dole Whips and Tiki Room - We then went to see the Tiki birds for Josie.  She loves this show and dances through it.  We got Dole Whips before so we could eat them durning the show.  So good!

Jungle Cruise - same skipper - We then did the Jungle Cruise and had the same skipper from the previous day.  She was really good.  So funny!

Star Tours LL - We got another lightning lane pass for Star Tours

Indy LL - Then got a lightning lane pass for Indiana Jones.

Split off from group - We had different plans for the day, so we split up from the group.  We were ready for lunch so we decided on Tiana’s Palace.

Tiana’s Palace for lunch - shrimp and grits, muffuletta and Mac & cheese - yummy, we met Tiana too - We wanted to eat at Tiana’s because it was new to this trip.  Lisa got shrimp and grits, I got a muffuletta sandwich and Grady got Mac & cheese.  Ellie wanted something else.  It was really good.  They did a good job updating it from the French Market.  And we got to meet Tiana, she was walking around greeting everyone and making sure her food was up to par.  

Ellie had Bengal BBQ again - her new favorite - Ellie wanted Bengal BBQ.  She found she loves this place.  We stopped and got her food after we were done at Tiana’s.

Walk to DCA - After lunch, we decided to California Adventure

Guardians LL - Ellie and Grady did it, Grady did not like it, it gave Ellie a bellyache - We got a lightning lane pass for Guardians.  Lisa and I love this ride, but the kids don’t.  They decided to go on it with us and neither of them liked it.  Dang.

Avengers Campus and Spider-Man show - We walked through Avenger Campus and watched the Spider-Man show. It is so cool.

Soarin’ LL - Josie had wrong shoes - We got a lightning lane pass for Soarin’ and Josie was very excited because she got to ride it before.  This time she was too short to ride.  My brother realized she had different shoes on the previous day and now was shorter.  She was really upset.  We all still went on it and had a good time.

Churros and parade - After Soarin’, we went back to Disneyland to see the parade.  We got there in time to find a spot in Town Square, close to the churro cart.  This worked out great because we had a good place to watch the parade and we got churros.  Such a good parade.  Josie loved it, she danced and waved the whole time.

Pictures at Castle - We hadn’t done family pictures so with Genie+ we got PhotoPass included.  We found a spot close to the castle and got some good pictures of the group.

Castle Walkthrough - We decided to go to Galaxy’s Edge for a lightning lane and stopped at the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough.  We all enjoy this and are glad it’s in the castle.

Smuggler’s run LL - Next was our lightning lane pass for Smuggler’s Run.  We were glad to ride, but realized it was a long walk from where we were.

Dinner at Plaza Inn - delicious - We walked back to the hub and ate at the Plaza Inn.  We really enjoy this restaurant and try to eat here every trip.  The fried chicken is amazing.  Lisa like the chop salad.  The kids get pasta.

Started to sprinkle and radar looked bad; decided to head back to hotel; fireworks still went but we were done. Legs and feet were toast. - After dinner, it started to sprinkle.  We didn’t want to leave, but we were done.  So tired and our legs and feet were done.

Walked through Downtown Disney a little. - We walked through a couple stores in Downtown Disney, but I was done.  I waited for them close to the hotel entrance.

Bedtime before 10:00; saw fireworks from room - We got back to the room and got ready for bed.  We heard some loud booms and found we could see the tops of the fireworks from our room.  Pretty cool ending.

Disneyland Fun!!

Avengers Campus and Disneyland fun

Magic Happens!!

Family pictures and Castle Walkthrough

Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 5

Friday February 2

Another early morning; kids were really slow moving; 2nd group in line at security - Even though we were slow moving, we were near the front of the line at security for the California Adventure entrance.  We were pretty excited to be that close to the front.

Got in to park and walked through empty park to Avenger’s Campus - After security, we were standing at the rope before opening.  Once the park opened, we went to Avenger’s Campus.  It was really cool to see the park with no one in it.  We got to Avenger’s Campus and I took a picture of my mom walking by the Spider-Man show area and she was the only person there.

Webslingers - We walked on to Webslingers with no wait.  This is such a fun ride and it gets better the older the kids get.  Grady loves this one!

Radiator Springs Racers - won again; Grady loved it - Next we went to Carsland because the park hadn’t opened yet and we wanted to get on Radiator Springs Racers before the crowd got there.  Such a fun ride.  We all love it and now that Grady is big enough, he loves it too.

Incredicoaster- Grady just barely big enough; he didn’t like it; a lot of fun though - Next we did the Incredicoaster with a very short wait.  Grady wanted to try it because he was just barely tall enough.  He did not like it; it was a little too much for him.  The rest of us loved it and we hyped it up for Grady so he would still have a good experience.

Cookie Nom Nom’s and Carousel - begrudgingly got kids to go on carousel - The cousins were getting cookie nom nom’s and churros so I went to ride Jessi’s Critter Carousel.  The kids didn’t want to do it, but I wanted to ride it with them.

Group waiting for Toy Story Midway Mania to reopen - Ellie and Zack go on Incredicoaster - so much fun - Toy Story Mania was closed, but we heard it was about to reopen so the group wanted to ride it.  Ellie wanted to ride the Incredicoaster so I told her I would ride with her.  She loves that ride so much and she is a blast to ride with.  We had a great time!

Brunch at Lamplight - delicious but took a long time - We took a little longer than expected to ride the Incredicoaster so we ended up meeting our group at the table to eat at Lamplight for lunch.  We had a little trouble getting seated together (we were told to ask early, but it didn’t make a difference).  We also found the service was very slow, nice and friendly, but slow.  The food and drinks were delicious, but the service was slow.

Family pictures, walked around DCA and then rest time at hotel - After brunch, we took some pictures in front of the fun wheel then went back to the hotel to rest a little.  The kids were getting a little rowdy.

Back to Disneyland for Magic Happens parade - great parade! - We got ready and made it to Disneyland in time to see the Magic Happens parade.  I had heard good things about this parade and it exceeded the expectations.  This was a really cool parade with the floats, characters and great music.

Shopped Main Street - We walked through the shops on Main Street before heading to Adventureland.

Jungle cruise - great skipper! Scare away hippos like last 5 relationships, I love you, let’s get married, let’s open a joint checking account! - We decided to ride the Jungle Cruise.  We have had fantastic skippers in California, and this one did not disappoint.  She was amazing.  She was very sarcastic and dry and had some great jokes.  I little like Amy Schumer in delivery.

Treehouse - After the Jungle Cruise, we want to go through the newly updated Adventureland Treehouse.  It is based on Swiss Family Robinson, but it is not exactly the same.  It is a really cool treehouse, but not a make or break for a Disney trip.

Parade while waiting for dinner - better closer and at night - We went to check in at Carnation Cafe for dinner and got to watch the parade go by while waiting.  It was cool to see the parade transition to a nighttime parade with lights and effects added.

Dinner at Carnation cafe - good dinner, not great, sandwiches and salad - We ate at Carnation Cafe.  We were hoping to sit inside, but we sat out.  We ate with the 4 of us and my parents.  The others wanted to eat somewhere else.  Grady was starting to meltdown and wouldn’t just calm down.  Dinner was fine, but I was not in a great mood because of Grady’s behavior (reminded me of one of our trips where we bailed on this restaurant because of him).  He was better at dinner, but back at it after.  The food was fine, but not exciting.

Grady asleep in stroller; hung out in Star Wars land - We got Grady to calm down and lay down in the stroller.  Our plan was to meet my brother’s family in Galaxy’s Edge so we had a long walk to get him to sleep.  It worked!  Thank goodness.  We got to Galaxy’s Edge and walked around and hung out.

Watched Mix Magic fireworks - SO good!! - We wanted to see fireworks with Mickey’s Mix Magic show and it did not disappoint.  We love this show and the fireworks are an added bonus.  It was more fun because the kids got into it, dancing and singing along.

World of Disney and bedtime - After fireworks, we headed back to the hotel, stopping in the World of Disney (Ellie wanted to shop).

Morning fun at DCA

Toy Story Mania and Lamplight Lounge

Family pictures!!

Ironman and Ears!

Magic Happens parade!  So good!

Jungle Cruise and Adventureland Treehouse

Grady finally took a nap!

Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 4

Thursday February 1

Rainy day, slept in a little, G-“the parks should have been closed today” - We woke up the next morning to find it was raining.  We slept in a little because people to not rush into the parks in the rain..  At one point Grady said, “the parks should have closed today”.

Bundled up and headed for parks. Grady got wet, raincoat not great; kids wanted to go back to hotel; Galactic Grill - dry but not great food - When we reached the security entrance to Downtown Disney, we found it was pouring rain.  We all got our rain gear out and bundled up.  Some worked better than others.  It rained so much that it started seeping through rain coats.  We found that Ellie and Grady’s gear was not good enough.  Grady was soaked.  He stayed under the stroller cover to stay dry, which it didn’t fit the stroller very well.  We got into the park and went to Galactic Grill for breakfast.  We were out of the rain, but the food wasn’t very good.  The kids were done.  They were cold and wet and wanted to go back to the hotel.  There were no lines for rides so we talked the kids into staying.  

Star Tours - We started with Star Tours because it was close and inside.  Surprisingly, it was not super warm, but it was dry.  We had a good time on this ride.  And to make it better, Grady was the spy!!

Buzz - Next we rode Buzz Lightyear.  It was also inside, but there was no line so it didn’t take long.

Runaway Railway - so cute, great queue - We found there was no line at Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Toon Town, so we headed that way.  We got a little wet on the way, but the rain started to let up when we got there.  We had ridden this ride at Walt Disney World, but the facade and queue were completely different.  It was the El Capitoon Theater and there were “props” from Mickey cartoons.  It was sooo cute.  We enjoyed the ride.  I would have liked to have seen more of the queue, but there was no line. After the ride, we got Ellie a really cute raincoat because she was wet and freezing.

Star Wars - cold brew and Rise of the Resistance; Grady was mesmerized  - After Toon Town, we found Rise of the Resistance did not have a very long line so we headed to Galaxy’s Edge.  We mobile ordered a cold brew and got in line.  I went with the boys and they loved it.  Grady was in awe and looked like he was in a trance.  He loved it.

Winnie the Pooh and candy - dark chocolate marshmallow like old Tigger Tail - Next we rode Winnie the Pooh, Josie couldn’t ride Rise of the Resistance so she was looking forward to Winnie the Pooh.  It is really cute.  We then went into Pooh’s Corner and I found a dark chocolate marshmallow wand.  It was delicious, very similar to the old style Tigger Tails.  Ellie got a Rice Krispie Treat.

Snack at Bengal BBQ - Ellie loved it! - We were still hungry and we were walking through Adventureland so we got a snack at Bengal BBQ.  Ellie was obsessed.  I had to go back and get more for her.  We found a new favorite snack for her.

Tropical Hideaway - pork Bao, lumpia and chili-mango dole whip - Delicious!! - I was still hungry after our Bengal BBQ snack so we stopped at Tropical Hideaway for a snack.  The bao was delicious.  Lisa loved the pineapple lumpia and I tried the chili-mango dole whip.  It was good, but a little weird.  It was also huge.

Indiana Jones - Grady so excited; he was unsure most of the way and then at the end had a hesitant thumbs up. Then we asked him and he said ‘ten million thumbs up!’ - Before our trip, Grady found he really liked the Indiana Jones movies.  He has watched all (except Temple of Doom) and at one point wanted to be Indy for Halloween.  He was very excited to go on the ride.  There were serval spots he looked scared, but in the end, he loved it!

Shopping, flag retreat and walk back to hotel - After Indy, we decided to walk back to the hotel.  We needed to get ready for dinner and World of Color at DCA.  We walked through the shops on Main Street and happened to be at the hub in time to see the flag retreat.  This is a treat to see anytime you are at Disneyland.  My parents were very impressed, especially since dad is a veteran.  After the flag retreat, we walked back to the hotel.

Dropped off rain gear; changed in to warm gear - We had dried out, but it was supposed to be chilly.  Lisa really bundled up.  

Dinner at Wine Country Trattoria- good not great, got WoC package - We had booked dinner at Wine Country Trattoria to get reserved tickets for World of Color.  Dinner was ok.  The options were not great.  We were also outside so most of us were freezing.  

Part of group shopped; part rode Mater - After dinner, we split up.  Some of us went to ride Mater, others went shopping.  I was with the shopping group.  We didn’t have a lot of time before World of Color.

Rode Ariel, Ellie asked to ride with me; I sang some; we had fun - We had a little extra time after we were done shopping and decided to ride the Little Mermaid.  I got to ride with Ellie.  She “loves” this because I get to sing all of the songs to her.  She loves and hates it; I love it!

World of Color - found our area for the dining package tickets; great spot/view; like the show, don’t love it; Ellie almost fell asleep, Grady almost fell asleep but the Star Wars part brought him back - World of Color is one of my favorite things at Disneyland.  I was very excited to see the new version of the show titled “World of Color ONE”.  Overall, it was good.  It did not have the emotional strings of the previous version, but it was good.  It had sections with Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.  I understand they tried to include more IP’s, but it wasn’t quite the same.

Short walk back to hotel; lobby gift shop; bedtime (took kids a long time to go to sleep) - Such a great feeling to know that after World of Color it is only a 5 minute walk back to the hotel when staying at the Grand Californian.  We stopped in the lobby gift shop (I got a Tervis cup) and then went back to the room for bed.

A very wet morning at Disneyland

More rain at Disneyland

Sweets after the rain went away!

World of Color!!

Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 3

Wednesday Jan 31

Early rise again; near front of line for DCA entrance; got through security at 7:10; entrance at 7:30 - We planned it really well and lined up near the front of security and then near the front of the rope drop.  The Grand Californian rope drop is on the way to Grizzly River Run.  We headed that direction and went toward Avenger’s Campus.

Webslingers - walk on - We got to Webslingers before the crowd and got on without a wait.  It was great.  We enjoy this ride, but it is not our favorite.

After ride g-“I wish I was Spider-Man, it would be so fun”

Radiator Springs Racers - long line to walk, short wait; 2 cars for the group and we raced - After Web-Slingers, we decided to try Radiator Springs Racers because the park was just opening to the public.  We got in line just before the crowd showed up.  We all got to ride and this was even more fun because our group was split in to two cars, and we raced each other.  My car won!  It was one of the most fun times I’ve had on this ride.

Pym’s and Shwarma breakfast - yummy - After Radiator Springs Racers, we went to Pym’s for breakfast.  The kids got food from Pym’s, Lisa and I got breakfast Shwarma.  It was all good.  I also got a cold brew with an almond sweet cream foam.

Walking around Avenger’s Campus and then Monster’s Inc - After breakfast, we explored Avenger’s Campus.  We checked out the new shop at the Avenger’s HQ.  It was ok, didn’t find much we needed.  We then went to ride Monster’s Inc.  It’s such a cute ride.

Soarin’ - After Monster’s, we found Soarin’ had a resonable wait, so we went to ride it.  It’s such a fun ride.  The kids really like it.  They get a kick out of the “thrills” of the ride.

Josie/Grady rest time - The kids were starting to crash so we decided to try and get the littles to rest.  We walked around for a while to get them to calm down.

Incredicoaster broken - We tried to ride Incredicoaster and it was down.  We had some cranky kids that really wanted to ride it.

Lunch at San Fransokyo - Asian yummy - We made our way to the new San Fransokyo area, and got lunch at the Asian restaurant.  It was delicious.  Very different food from the typical theme park food.  It’s a nice upgrade to the area as well.

Avengers Campus - Spider-Man (couldn’t see it) - After lunch, we walked over to Avenger’s Campus and the Spider-Man show was about the start.  We found a spot to sit, but it was not the best spot and we couldn’t see very well.

Met fam at San Fran; decided to go back to hotel to relax and swim. GREAT DECISION! Pool and cocktails. Very refreshing. Get ready for evening. Grady while getting ready ‘I’m not missing ANY fun!!’ - Lisa and I decided we needed a break.  The park was busy and we didn’t have time to go to Disneyland.  We knew we had a big night planned, so a little rest sounded good.  This was the best decision.  The kids got to swim and we got to sit with our feet up and have a cocktail.  We should do this more often.

Club 33 - got into the park and went to New Orleans Square. We found the door and rang the bell. Told them our name and they let us in. All of the cast members were amazing. Everyone that greeted us knew our name. They let us take pictures in the Court of Angels, then we went upstairs. We took the stairs up and were walked around and given a tour of the restaurant. We were in awe. It was so cool to be there. Then our host said to leave any notable guests alone and mentioned that Disney legend Tony Baxter was dining there that night. Spence and I platzed. They took us to our table and there a couple tables away was Tony Baxter!! The wait staff was amazing and the food was unbelievable. We had some cocktails and were able to go out on the balcony. That was really cool. After dinner, we bought some merch and took some more pictures. We took the elevator down and left. When we were walking out of the door, a couple tried to go in. Lisa closed the door and they said they wanted to go in. Lisa told them they had to ring the doorbell. They walked away and Spence heard say ‘bitches’ because we wouldn’t let them in. We walked to the monorail to go to Downtown Disney. Mickey’s Mix Magic started and the girls were singing and dancing on the way to Tomorrowland. We took the monorail to downtown Disney and went to Trader Sam’s. We had a blast and the drinks were delicious. What a cool bar. It was an amazing night. - There is not much to add to this description.  We had an amazing night.  It was a bucket list experience.  Tony Baxter was a huge surprise.  We did not get to talk to him, but it was cool to see him.  He was a Disney Imagineer responsible for creating some iconic rides and parks (Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure and Disneyland Paris, among others).  Trader Sam’s really sparked something in me.  We loved our night at the bar, but since being home I have started making tiki drinks with our mugs.

Kids with Bamaw and Papa - The next day we found the kids and grandparents had a good night too.  They ate dinner and hung out in DCA for a little while then went back to the rooms to watch a movie.  My dad raved about how good all 5 of them were and how they listened and helped Bamaw and Papa.

Radiator Springs Racers, Spider-Man and donuts.

Pym’s Test Kitchen and Avengers Campus

Churro snack and more Avengers fun

Relaxing time at the Grand Californian pool

Club 33 - Entrance and Court of Angels.  We got in!!

Club 33 - Table from Mary Poppins, bench for purse/bags and Lillian Disney’s harpsichord

Club 33 - We had alcohol in Disneyland!

Club 33 - Balcony, merch store and guest book

Club 33 - More photos and Lisa got 2 ear headbands from the merch store

Trader Sam’s - So much fun, we started outside and then got a table inside.

Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 2

Tuesday Jan 30
Woke up early - 5:45 - The part opened at 8:00, but we could get in 30 minutes early since we were staying at the Grand Californian.  We knew security could take a while, and they did not open the security lines until 7:00, but we wanted to be ready.
Security good - pretty quick, dad argued with lady that ‘cut’ - We got through security pretty easy and then on to the park entrance lines.  The lines were not clearly marked, but we got in a line.  A lady stood between lines and turned around to look for her people.  They showed up right before the gates opened, and she moved into a new line with her group.  My dad wasn’t happy so he argued with her about it.  I wasn’t either, but I didn’t want to make a big deal.  We moved on (Dad didn’t) and got into the park.  We found the entrance for early entry at the rope drop area and headed to Fantasyland.
Started with Peter Pan - We were near the front of the early entry rope drop and got to Peter Pan with the line relatively short.  We only waited 15-20 minutes.  What a great ride and great way to start the day.
Toad - There was no line for Toad, so we did that next.  I went by myself.  There was a lot of discussion on this trip about who would ride together and it started with Toad.  I still can’t believe they have a ride that takes you to hell.
Dumbo - We got in line for Dumbo next as the lines wasn’t busy yet.  Still a great ride.  The kids loved it.
Churro and ronto wraps - Next we were gonna go find breakfast, and the kids wanted churros.  I said no to my kids, but Crosby was told yes by his parents.  Everyone ended up with churros.  We then went to Galaxy’s Edge to get breakfast ronto wraps.  They were delicious.  We were visited by Chewbacca while we ate too.
Take rental cars back - genius shuttle idea - After our transportation debacle the day before, Spence and I had to take the rental cars back.  We took the monorail back to Downtown Disney and found the cars to return.  We left the parking area and were not charged.  We got one break.  Then we drove to Avis and dropped the cars off.  There were no issues with drop off.  Then we had to figure out how to get back.  Spence had the idea to go into the Toy Story parking lot, which was next to the rental car office, and take the bus back to the park.  This was genius.  We walked in, went through security before boarding the bus, and then took a relaxing bus ride to the park.  We were dropped off at the front and did not have to go through security again.  It was great.
Chimney sweep cold brew - On our way to meet with the group, we walked down Main Street and decided to stop for a Chimney Sweep cold brew at Jolly Holiday.  It was delicious.  It did take a little while. 
Popcorn and churros - We met our group in Frontierland and had a popcorn at churro snack.
Pirates - store meltdown Grady - We found Pirates wasn’t a long line and it was close, so we headed over there.  Love this ride.  In the store we found some cute stuff and Grady found a sword he wanted.  This sounded like.a terrible idea, there would have been a lot of fights with a pirate sword.  I said no and he completely melted down.  It was epic.
Wanted toy sword G-“you guys won’t get me what I want. You guys are making me frustrated. You’re the problem, it’s you”
Walk to DCA - Grady rest time. - After the meltdown, we needed a break.  Grady had some rest time and we walked across to DCA.  It took a lot to calm him down.
Ellie lunch at Smokejumpers. Carrot cake churro - We got in to DCA and Ellie was hungry. We stopped at Smokejumpers and got Ellie some chicken fingers.  The churro cart close to Smokejumpers had carrot cake churros.  They were really good.  
Walk through shops,Avengers Campus - We enjoy the shops on Buena Vista street in DCA.  Ellie and Lisa have found they enjoy the jewelry/women’s shop near the end of the row of shops.  They remind me of the shop in MGM/Hollywood studios.
Back to Disneyland - We found DCA was really busy so we decided to go back to Disneyland.
Toontown - kids played, met Mickey (really short wait, Steamboat Willie) - One of the things we were looking forward to seeing was the newly renovated Toon Town.  It was really cool.  We met the rest of our group there.  They had been playing around Goofy and Donald’s houses.  I really liked the updates.  It is much more interactive and more accessible.  Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway fits perfect in Toon Town as well.  We found Mickey’s house had a short line, we went to meet Mickey.  We had a bad experience in the past when the wait time was short, but the line was long.  This was not the case.  It was only 15 minutes or so.  The kids were really excited because we got to meet Steamboat Willie Mickey.  Crosby and Grady really like Steamboat Willie.
Small World - After meeting Mickey, we found Small World had a short line, so we hoped on.  This was the regular version, which we hadn’t seen for a while.  Such a great ride.
Back to DCA - We had dinner reservations at Lamplight Lounge, so we decided to head across to California Adventure.
Walked around before dinner - I have found that I really enjoy just walking around and taking in all of the different atmospheres in DCA.  Walking through Avenger’s Campus, then Carsland, then the new San Fransokyo, on to Pixar Pier and around to Paradise Gardens and the Grizzly Peak area.  Such wonderfully themed areas to explore.
Grady got Spider Bot - On our last trip, Grady ended up getting a lightsaber, but I wanted a Spider-Bot too.  This trip he planned on getting a Spider Bot so we went ahead and got it early in the trip so he could enjoy it.  He got the Black Panther armor to go with it.  It is a pretty cool toy and solid quality compared to most Disney parks toys.
Lamplight was delicious, more lobster nachos - We got to Lamplight and they were nice enough to combine our reservations and put us at one table.  We really enjoy this restaurant.  The food is delicious, the drinks are yummy and the ambience is unmatched.
World of color - Moana part best, Star Wars and Marvel - Wold of Color is one of my favorite parts of going to Disneyland.  I love the regular version of World of Color.  It got me in all of the feels the first time we saw it back in 2017.  Since then, I make sure to see it every trip (unless it’s under refurbishment).  We have even seen the Holiday version several time even though it is not as good.  On this trip, there is a new version called World of Color One, which we heard included all Disney brands, not just Disney/Pixar animation.  We were looking forward to it.  After dinner, the show was about to start and we were gonna stand on the bridge to Pixar Pier to watch it.  We found right before the show, they opened up a large are and we moved down the stairs to a section close to the water and next to the reserved section.  It was a great spot.  The show was good, but not as good as the show from 2017.  The original song at the beginning was not as good and the “story” did not flow as well.  We enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite.
Grady asleep - walk to Downtown Disney to World of Disney to look for blanket - Grady was asleep in the stroller during World of Color so after the show we left the part and walked through Downtown Disney.  Since we were staying at the Grand Californian, it was very convenient to walk through Downtown Disney and then go to our room.
Bedtime - We were beat.  It was a full day.  Time to get rested for another day of Disney fun.

Riding Dumbo!

Tea Cup Time! Always a highlight of my trip.

Big Thunder Mountain

Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 1

Monday Jan 29

Didn’t sleep - We spent the evening finishing packing and then went to bed at a decent time.  We had to leave our house by 4:45am so it was going to be short night.  The kids went to sleep pretty easily and so did Lisa.  I tossed and turned most of the night.  I might have dozed off a little, but it didn’t last long.  I couldn’t turn my brain off between the excitement and worry of forgetting something.  At 4:00am, I decided to get up and start getting ready.

Flight was good. Love the new airport. Passed mom and dad on the highway. SO much luggage. Wait a little while for rental car shuttle - We left on time and passed my parents; car on the drive.  We parked at the Parking Spot and had no problems.  They are the best.  We got check in and through security with no problem.  Our new KCI is amazing.  Such a great update to our city.  We all got on the plane and sat together.  I sat with Grady and Crosby.  They did pretty good; mainly just played Nintendo and watched movies together.  It was a non-stop flight and arrived early.

Rental process sucked, ended with 2 minivans - We got off the plane and got our luggage no problem.  We actually were late getting luggage and they had moved it to the pickup desk.  We went out to look for our rental car shuttle and had to wait a little while.  We reserved a car with Avis this time.  We all got on the shuttle and had no problems.  It was a little bit of a clown show though because there was 11 of us and all of our luggage.  We got to the rental car office and had to wait at least 30 minutes before talking to someone.  They only had 2 or 3 people working and none were speedy.  We were finally called over to help and we gave our info.  We had reserved a 12 passenger van and were informed they did not have any 12 passenger vans.  They were on “recall”.  While our discussion with this person, we saw multiple vans drive by.  They offered 2 minivans, which was not what I wanted.  We were not happy.  I was at the desk with my dad and brother and we tried all negotiation tactics and couldn’t get what we wanted.  We ended up with 2 minivans and wasted over 2 hours of our vacation at the rental car office.

Drive but short, drove Wilshire, Bedford, coldwater canyon, mulholland, hwy by studios - We started off on our sightseeing adventure and realized we did not have a lot of time before our lunch reservation.  We ended up taking a very different route to the Tam O’Shanter, but it was a cool drive.  We drove through Beverly Hills and then up through the hills of Coldwater Cayon and Mulholland.  We ended up on the north side of Griffith Park and drove by the Disney Studios.  We got a great view of the animation building this time.  I was pretty disappointed because I had some good stops planned on this tour.

Tam was delicious!! Had prime rib; great spot, loved the awstht, ambiance and history - We made it to the Tam O’Shanter a little late for lunch, but we called and they were ok with it.  They were not super busy so that’s probably why it wasn’t a big deal.  We were seated in the main dining room, which seemed small, but it also reminded me of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.  It was a very cool, old school Scottish restaurant with ties to most of LA’s history.  We found multiple pictures of Walt Disney and near the end of our meal we were able to see Walt’s preferred table.  The table still has carved images from when the animators were working on Snow White and Fantasia.  The food was great.  Kind of a throwback menu, but very tasty.  There was a variety of items ordered, Lisa got a wedge salad, Ellie shared a salad and fish and chips with Crosby and Grady got Mac and cheese.  I got the Tam O’Shanter cut of their World Famous Prime Rib.  Not only was it HUGE, but it was amazing.  The spinach was not my favorite, but the potatoes and steak were fantastic.  We all really enjoyed this stop, and the service was very good.  This was a highlight of the trip.

Did a quick tour while kids slept - Walt and Roy’s house, Paramount and Henson Studios - After lunch, there were a few spots on my planned tour not too far away.  We drove by Walt and Roy Disney’s houses then went by Paramount and Henson Studios.  Both were in the middle of Hollywood, just south of Hollywood Blvd.  Paramount was pretty large, but Henson was very small.  

Drove to hotel - a lot of traffic, over hour drive from Magic Castle - We were all tired and getting cranky (and since it was Monday, we wanted to avoid rush hour), we decided to head to Anaheim and check into the hotel.
Got checked in - easy - Traffic was ok (never great in LA), and we got to the Grand Californian at a decent time.  We got unloaded and checked in pretty easily and quickly.  The service in this hotel is amazing.  

Love the hotel, pool view room, Lunar New Year decor - We were all so excited to be at the Grand Californian.  Most of our group had stayed there, but it was the first time for my parents.  They loved it.  The lobby is so inviting and comfortable.  They also had some very cool Lunar New Year decor in the lobby including a giant hanging papier-mache Dragon.  Our rooms were close together in the DVC wing.  We got a pool view room and my parents and brother’s family got park view rooms.  All nice; we actually really enjoyed the pool view and could see fireworks from the room one night.

Kids wild. Lisa and kids unpacked. Went to Target with Spence, Bamaw, and Riley. Spence and I tried to take minivans back, no after hours drop off. Parked in self-parking - The kids were pretty wild going from room to room.  We had to explain what we were doing to them and tone it down a little.  I ended up going to Target with Spence, Riley and my mom.  We got some snacks, drinks and things we forgot.  We went back to the hotel and then got both vans to return.  The Avis drop off was not too far away so our plan was to go drop them off and walk to downtown Disney to meet our group for dinner.  Spence and I pulled into the Avis office and there were signs saying no after hours drop off.  This was the rental car day from hell.  We got back in the vans and drove back to the hotel to figure out where to park.  They offered valet parking, but it was $70 so we opted for self-parking.  I’m not sure what it was supposed to cost but no one checked us in or out so we assume it was free.  We a cluster of a day with cars.  Not sure we will rent cars again for a while.

Met family in Downtown Disney. Went to Disneyland Hotel and ate at Tangaroa Terrace. Had a delicious poke bowl. Ellie and I shared a Dole Whip. - Spence and I met the rest of our group at the entrance to Downtown Disney from the Grand Californian.  We went through a couple shops then made our way to the Disneyland Hotel to eat at Tangaroa Terrace.  It was a little slow, but pretty good.  I thought my poke bowl was delicious.  Ellie and I got Dole Whips next door, a great start to our Disneyland tour of snacks.  We went through the shops in the Disneyland hotel (Ellie got a cute jacket) and then walked through the new Disneyland Hotel DVC Villas.  They looked really cool and the lobby had some great art.

Walked back to hotel and crashed - After we were done at the Disneyland Hotel, we walked back to the Grand Californian and crashed.  I was beat.  It was a full day and a good start to our vacation.

Traveling with the family

The Tam O’Shanter - a highlight of our trip

Henson studios and Walt & Roy’s houses

Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Planning

    Our Christmas trip to Disneyland in 2022 was great.  We had a wonderful time.  As usual, the next topic of discussion after our trip was;  When is our next trip.  Our biggest concern from the last trip was endurance.  We love the Courtyard, but it is quite a walk after a full day at Disneyland.  We decided we wanted to go again and try to stay at the Grand Californian.

    Our family had some discussion of vacations other than Disneyland.  We talked about going on a Disney cruise, but they are so expensive.  We decided if we were going to spend that much, we would rather go to the parks.  We also love Grady’s age at the parks, Josie (my niece) is 3, which is a great age for Disney parks, and Ellie still loves going to Disneyland.  We thought we would go again before the kids got too old and didn’t want to go.

Time of Year and Hotel

    Our first decision was to determine time of year to go.  We have been at Christmas several times now and we want to maximize the possibility of getting a reservation at the Grand Californian.  We landed on the end of January and beginning of February.  I reached out to David’s Vacation Club Rentals to check on availability of the Grand Californian.  We found the time we wanted to go was full, but we were put on a waitlist.  I asked if we could adjust our days to give us a better shot, and that did the trick.  We moved from a Sunday through Saturday to a Monday through Sunday.  We were SO excited!  My parents are getting older and a full day at Disneyland really takes a lot out of them so a quick walk back to the Grand Californian is going to be great for them (and for everyone).  It is also SO convenient.  We can just pop in if we need a break or something, especially from DCA.

Transportation and Length of Stay

    After we got out hotel reservation, we needed to find airfare.  This was an adventure.  We found great rates on Delta to California and Southwest back home from California.  A month or two after we booked it, we got a message from Delta saying our flight was changed.  They changed us to an afternoon flight, so our first day was shot.  We were on a morning non-stop and they moved us to an afternoon.  We could have changed to a morning flight, but it wasn’t non-stop so half of the day was lost.  My dad told us we could cancel because they changed our flight and get a full refund, if we wanted.  I ended up finding a cheaper, better flight on Southwest.  We were able to cancel the Delta flight and get.a full refund.  We then borough the Southwest flight, which was about half price.  Ended up being a pretty good deal.  Our original plan was to go an extra day and do more around LA.  When the Delta flight change occurred we decided to drop the extra day and only have 6 nights rather than 7.

I had some issues booking ground transportation.  On our arrival, I got lucky and we are going to have a 12 passenger van from Avis.  We will use it the first day to get from the airport, drive around LA and go to Anaheim.  It will be fun to have all of us in one vehicle to explore LA and the area.  Coming home, I was able to find a company to get us all in a sprinter van with car seats for the two little ones.  I wanted to use Lansky, which we used last year and they were great, but they did not have any available vehicles.  I tried multiple others who either didn’t have reservations, were too expensive or didn’t provide car seats.  We ended up booking Anaheim Town Car Services.

Park Tickets and Entertainment

    We had an interesting time getting park tickets as well.  I looked at buying park tickets early, but then decided to wait because there was no urgent need to buy them.  We were going to wait until park reservations opened up.  Because of that, Disney announced a price increase.  Dang it!  Not long after the price increase, they announced a seasonal discount for kids tickets.  It ended up being a great deal for the kids ticket ($50/day), and was cheaper than if we bought tickets early.  We then found that my dad’s AAA account got a decent discount on top of the Disney discount.  Ended up being a pretty good deal, but it was a long journey to get there.

Outside of our Disney park days, we are going to do another driving tour of the LA area and we are going to the Tam O’Shanter for lunch.  We originally wanted to do the Warner Bros Studio Tour because they had the Friends set, Big Bang Theory set, Batman and Harry Potter exhibits and other studio related exhibits, but we decided the kids would be too young and not enjoy it (my 3 year old niece is actually not allowed on the tour).  I have not found an alternative activity.  There are some closures for our Disney parks days.  Fantasmic and fireworks will not be shown.  My favorite ride, the Haunted Mansion, will be closed for a significant refurbishment and expansion.  World of Color, my favorite show, was announced to be closed when we planned the trip.  Disney announced around Christmas that it will be open, so we are very excited to see it.

Dining

Food at Disney parks is always one of our favorite parts.  We have come to love the Disneyland food, even above the Disney World food.  It is consistently high quality, fresh menus including seasonal additions, great plant based options and overall, it’s delicious.  

When laying out our game plan to get reservations 60 days before our vacation, we had a little trouble.  The early park entry for Disney hotel guests was changing, but they had not announced to what.  We had to guess which park to go to each day, but it’s gonna work out.  When reservation dates started opening up, we found the app had been revamped and was much easier to find reservations.  There also seemed to be more avaialbility.  We able to get everything we wanted.  It was great.  We got Lamplight for brunch and dinner, Carthay dinner, Carnation Cafe dinner and an extra Lamplight dinner (as a placeholder).  We even got an Oga’s Cantina reservation, which we are all excited for since we have not been there before.

Back to the placeholder.  Lisa went to her high school reunion this fall with some friends she hadn’t seen in a while.  One of them had been to Disneyland not long ago and mentioned they had been able to go to Club 33.  Lisa asked how.  Well, come to find out, her friends’ friend is a member and got them in.  Lisa asked if the friend could get us in.  After some back and forth, we found out New Year’s Day that we got reservations to go to Club 33 for dinner on our vacation!! We were/are SO EXCITED!  We only got reservations for 4 so we are taking my brother and sister-in-law and my parents are going to watch all of the kids for us.  We told my brother and his wife about it Christmas Eve Eve, when we were at their house and then I called him with the confirmation right after I got it.  They were so excited they teamed up when we told them we were trying and waiting on confirmation.  Club 33 was a pipe dream for me.  I have heard of Adventures by Disney trips that get to go to Club 33 and I thought that would be my only way.  I still can’t believe we got a reservation.  I got the pdf with the rules and restrictions and they are thorough with a very specific dress code.  I can’t wait, but I’m not sure what I’m gonna wear.

After the amazing news of Club 33, we got more amazing news that World of Color would be showing while we are there.  Because of this, we changed one of our Lamplight dinner reservations to Wine Country in anticipation of getting World of Color dining package.

Final Thoughts

This trip has been a roller coaster of planning, but it has come together in amazing fashion.  We got the hotel we wanted.  We lost a favorite ride, but gained a favorite nighttime show and added a parade.  Not only did we get all of the transportation worked out, but we saved money.  We got all of our dining options and the unbelievable icing on top we got a Club 33 reservation.  It should be an amazing trip.  The kids are at great ages, Riley 12, Ellie 9, Crosby 7, Grady 5, and Josie 3.  Grady is going to be tall enough to ride all of the rides, we’ll see how many he does.  Ellie can’t wait to ride the Incredicoaster.  We can’t wait to see the kids love life.  Only 3 weeks now, and then it’s vacation time.  We’re going to Disneyland!!