Lilo's Mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2006
The travelers:
Me, Donna, 46, seasoned WDW traveler. I have a visited Disneyland and the Southern California area a few times, but only as a layover to Hawaii.
DH, Bob, 46, loves to travel, has embraced my love of all things Disney and is willing to go along with just about anything. One of the things that I love most about my husband is he loves to explore new places and shops. Gotta love a guy who will go shopping with you!
DD, Kelly, 21, film student at Columbia. I had promised her a trip for her 21st birthday which was actually last June. Kelly opted to wait for this trip because she hadn’t been to California since she was 3 and was dying to go back.
Trip Background:
I travel three times a year for work, and my first trip of 2007 was a trip to San Diego. Since Kelly had wanted to go to California for her birthday she decided to wait until I had to travel for work and tag along with me, then extend the trip into an “All About Kelly Week” Any excuse for a trip that will include a stop at anything Disney I am all for. When I told my husband that I wasn’t going to just go and work in San Diego but that Kelly and I were going to head off to Anaheim afterward, he pouted and asked to go along. Since Bob is Kelly’s Step-Dad, I didn’t think he would want to go with “the girls”, but he surprised me and said he would. So I booked the Embassy Suites in Anaheim, rented a car, and started buying tickets for everything we wanted to go to.
I flew from Chicago to San Diego on Valentine’s Day…which was the tail end of a huge snowstorm here. When I got to the airport there were hundreds of people sleeping on cots and I was really doubtful that I would be traveling at all that day. As it turns out since I was going west and not east where the storms will still happening, I was able to fly out…and just 2 hours later than I was supposed to! Not bad for a snowstorm. I spent the next two days working and DH and DD flew out on Friday night into Orange County. They picked up the car, actually got a free upgrade, and drove to San Diego. They had to amuse themselves on Saturday while I worked…but they love arcades and found one in the mall about a block from where we were staying at the Westgate. When I wrapped up my meetings on Saturday night around 5:30, they called me on my cell phone and sang me a little ditty that they made up about vacation. What can I say? I love them both! They told me to meet them at the movie theatre in the Gas Lamp District to see the 7 pm showing of Ghost Rider…so begins the vacation! We all enjoyed the movie but were starving when we got out, so DH suggests Hooters. Everyone always teases us about going to Hooters, but we actually do like the wings! So we grab a quick dinner and walk back to the hotel. On the way back DH and DD decide that we really need to take a trip to Tijuana before we head to Anaheim. I try to convince them that we need passports…figuring if I tell them that, they will not press the matter. Boy was I wrong! These two decided to go to the concierge of the hotel and ask! Damn foiled again! Turns out for $3 roundtrip on the trolley, our driver’s license will get us into Mexico for 72 hours. So we pack the bags up and get some sleep.
The next morning we checked out of the hotel, had bell services load the car with all of the luggage and told them we would be back around 3 to get the car. They were actually very nice about it and understood why we didn’t want to take the car. So off to the trolley we go and about a half hour later we are at the border. You have to walk up and down a ramp to get over the traffic and over to the Mexico side of the bridge. From there you can either jump in a cab and ask them to take you to the shopping district or take your chances walking. We decided to walk, figuring that DH is 6’2” and will act as body guard. DH went off to find a map and I snapped this picture of DD.
When DH comes back DD tells him that she and I have been out of the country together three times now, and this is only his first trip. DD and I went to the Toronto Film Festival together and on the Disney Cruise when she graduated from 8th grade. DH pouts; he now wants to go on the Disney Cruise….twist my arm! With map in hand we are ready to explore Tijuana. Right off the bat I notice that every other storefront sells prescription medication. I remember seeing something about this on 20/20 and frankly it really bothered me that we saw a store that sold Viagra for $2 a pill and $5 a pill for the morning after pill. It sounded really dangerous to me and I was starting to get freaked out. We made our way to the large shopping district and as you are walking people are yelling for you to come in their stores, or eat their fish tacos. Everyone we talked to was very very nice, and if you want to go to a place to barter, this is the place. Still it is heart wrenching to have small children run up to you and grab your hand and repeat “money please” over and over. DD was having issues with the donkeys that were tethered to the street corners so people could take pictures with them. She kept repeating how sad they looked and that they didn’t want to be painted with strips and wear a hat that said “Tijuana 2007”. And to top everything off a woman came out of a storefront, grabbed my arm and tried to drag me in to her shop to get botox injections. DD practically freaked out since she had seen an episode of Tyra about people who had cosmetic surgeries go really badly in Mexico. Not that I was thinking of getting Botox, but since she was going on and on about Tyra we figured it was time to go. We had been walking around a good three hours anyway so we decided to head back to the Trolley. First we stopped and bought a Mexican Wrestler Mask for DS who was home watching the pets….as you can see he loved it!
So in order to get back in the US you have to go through customs and show your ID. We gladly give them our ID and they ask DH what relation to him DD is. He tells them she is his stepdaughter…they don’t get it and ask him to explain why we have a different last name than she does yet we live at the same address. Mind you they never asked us what we bought, what was in the bags we had…just why her last name was different. After about 10 minutes of explaining they let us go. They have an x-ray machine set up right before you enter the US, and they asked me to step aside and put my purse through the machine…again nobody asked about our bags, which were all bigger than my purse. They ran it through a few times and told me they had to look inside. Turns out they couldn’t figure out my keychain which is a replica of the key from Davy Jones chest! Happy that it is not a weapon they let me back in the country.
We hop on the trolley and head back to the hotel. Once back we make a quick stop at 7 Eleven for some sodas, grab the car and drive to Anaheim. Since it’s Sunday and around 3 in the afternoon, traffic wasn’t really bad and the rental car had Sirius Radio, (which really came in handy during the coming week) we had plenty to keep us all amused during the drive.
We got to the Embassy Suites Anaheim North, checked in got our room, and were all settled in time for the Manager’s Cocktail Reception which takes place every day from 5:30 to 7:30. I love Embassy Suites! Having a separate living area in your room is great, especially when you get a microwave and little fridge. The couch in the living room pulled out so DD had her own “space” and with her laptop and wireless internet she was all set!
Up Next Disneyland and a Surprise for Kelly!
Me, Donna, 46, seasoned WDW traveler. I have a visited Disneyland and the Southern California area a few times, but only as a layover to Hawaii.
DH, Bob, 46, loves to travel, has embraced my love of all things Disney and is willing to go along with just about anything. One of the things that I love most about my husband is he loves to explore new places and shops. Gotta love a guy who will go shopping with you!
DD, Kelly, 21, film student at Columbia. I had promised her a trip for her 21st birthday which was actually last June. Kelly opted to wait for this trip because she hadn’t been to California since she was 3 and was dying to go back.
Trip Background:
I travel three times a year for work, and my first trip of 2007 was a trip to San Diego. Since Kelly had wanted to go to California for her birthday she decided to wait until I had to travel for work and tag along with me, then extend the trip into an “All About Kelly Week” Any excuse for a trip that will include a stop at anything Disney I am all for. When I told my husband that I wasn’t going to just go and work in San Diego but that Kelly and I were going to head off to Anaheim afterward, he pouted and asked to go along. Since Bob is Kelly’s Step-Dad, I didn’t think he would want to go with “the girls”, but he surprised me and said he would. So I booked the Embassy Suites in Anaheim, rented a car, and started buying tickets for everything we wanted to go to.
I flew from Chicago to San Diego on Valentine’s Day…which was the tail end of a huge snowstorm here. When I got to the airport there were hundreds of people sleeping on cots and I was really doubtful that I would be traveling at all that day. As it turns out since I was going west and not east where the storms will still happening, I was able to fly out…and just 2 hours later than I was supposed to! Not bad for a snowstorm. I spent the next two days working and DH and DD flew out on Friday night into Orange County. They picked up the car, actually got a free upgrade, and drove to San Diego. They had to amuse themselves on Saturday while I worked…but they love arcades and found one in the mall about a block from where we were staying at the Westgate. When I wrapped up my meetings on Saturday night around 5:30, they called me on my cell phone and sang me a little ditty that they made up about vacation. What can I say? I love them both! They told me to meet them at the movie theatre in the Gas Lamp District to see the 7 pm showing of Ghost Rider…so begins the vacation! We all enjoyed the movie but were starving when we got out, so DH suggests Hooters. Everyone always teases us about going to Hooters, but we actually do like the wings! So we grab a quick dinner and walk back to the hotel. On the way back DH and DD decide that we really need to take a trip to Tijuana before we head to Anaheim. I try to convince them that we need passports…figuring if I tell them that, they will not press the matter. Boy was I wrong! These two decided to go to the concierge of the hotel and ask! Damn foiled again! Turns out for $3 roundtrip on the trolley, our driver’s license will get us into Mexico for 72 hours. So we pack the bags up and get some sleep.
The next morning we checked out of the hotel, had bell services load the car with all of the luggage and told them we would be back around 3 to get the car. They were actually very nice about it and understood why we didn’t want to take the car. So off to the trolley we go and about a half hour later we are at the border. You have to walk up and down a ramp to get over the traffic and over to the Mexico side of the bridge. From there you can either jump in a cab and ask them to take you to the shopping district or take your chances walking. We decided to walk, figuring that DH is 6’2” and will act as body guard. DH went off to find a map and I snapped this picture of DD.
When DH comes back DD tells him that she and I have been out of the country together three times now, and this is only his first trip. DD and I went to the Toronto Film Festival together and on the Disney Cruise when she graduated from 8th grade. DH pouts; he now wants to go on the Disney Cruise….twist my arm! With map in hand we are ready to explore Tijuana. Right off the bat I notice that every other storefront sells prescription medication. I remember seeing something about this on 20/20 and frankly it really bothered me that we saw a store that sold Viagra for $2 a pill and $5 a pill for the morning after pill. It sounded really dangerous to me and I was starting to get freaked out. We made our way to the large shopping district and as you are walking people are yelling for you to come in their stores, or eat their fish tacos. Everyone we talked to was very very nice, and if you want to go to a place to barter, this is the place. Still it is heart wrenching to have small children run up to you and grab your hand and repeat “money please” over and over. DD was having issues with the donkeys that were tethered to the street corners so people could take pictures with them. She kept repeating how sad they looked and that they didn’t want to be painted with strips and wear a hat that said “Tijuana 2007”. And to top everything off a woman came out of a storefront, grabbed my arm and tried to drag me in to her shop to get botox injections. DD practically freaked out since she had seen an episode of Tyra about people who had cosmetic surgeries go really badly in Mexico. Not that I was thinking of getting Botox, but since she was going on and on about Tyra we figured it was time to go. We had been walking around a good three hours anyway so we decided to head back to the Trolley. First we stopped and bought a Mexican Wrestler Mask for DS who was home watching the pets….as you can see he loved it!
So in order to get back in the US you have to go through customs and show your ID. We gladly give them our ID and they ask DH what relation to him DD is. He tells them she is his stepdaughter…they don’t get it and ask him to explain why we have a different last name than she does yet we live at the same address. Mind you they never asked us what we bought, what was in the bags we had…just why her last name was different. After about 10 minutes of explaining they let us go. They have an x-ray machine set up right before you enter the US, and they asked me to step aside and put my purse through the machine…again nobody asked about our bags, which were all bigger than my purse. They ran it through a few times and told me they had to look inside. Turns out they couldn’t figure out my keychain which is a replica of the key from Davy Jones chest! Happy that it is not a weapon they let me back in the country.
We hop on the trolley and head back to the hotel. Once back we make a quick stop at 7 Eleven for some sodas, grab the car and drive to Anaheim. Since it’s Sunday and around 3 in the afternoon, traffic wasn’t really bad and the rental car had Sirius Radio, (which really came in handy during the coming week) we had plenty to keep us all amused during the drive.
We got to the Embassy Suites Anaheim North, checked in got our room, and were all settled in time for the Manager’s Cocktail Reception which takes place every day from 5:30 to 7:30. I love Embassy Suites! Having a separate living area in your room is great, especially when you get a microwave and little fridge. The couch in the living room pulled out so DD had her own “space” and with her laptop and wireless internet she was all set!
Up Next Disneyland and a Surprise for Kelly!