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.
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| Traveling with the family |
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| The Tam O’Shanter - a highlight of our trip |
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| Henson studios and Walt & Roy’s houses |
