rgoble5972
Are we there yet?
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2001
Thursday, December 9, 2004 -- Lower your head...and exit in shame.
CAST
Robin 41 Trip planner/recorder
Bill/Dad/Husband of Dianne 66
Dianne/Mom/Wife of Bill 63
Lisa/Sister/Wife of Lemuel/Mother of Michael 43
Lemuel/Brother-in-law/Husband of Lisa/Father of Michael 37
Michael/Nephew/ONLY Grandchild of Bill and Dianne 11
Paula/Sister/Wife of Wes 31 Sparkly Princess
Wes/Brother-in-law/Husband of Paula 31
My first day at Disney officially began at 12:01am since, being a rather obsessive type, I stayed up late so I could print out our boarding passes online. I did go to bed around 1:00, but was back up at 4:30 to start getting ready. The plan was for everyone to meet at the house by 6:00 so we could leave the extra cars there and to leave for the airport by 6:15.
Since there were eight of us, plus luggage, we had to take two cars to the airport. Mom, Dad, Wes, Paula and I went in Mothers car while Lisa, Lemuel and Michael went in Lemuels pickup so wed have more room in it for some of the bags. Dad and Lemuel dropped the rest of us off at the terminal and while they went to park the cars, we checked all of the luggage.
At the security check-point, Mom was the only one pulled aside for additional wanding. Shes got artificial joints in both of her knees and that always seems to trigger the alarm. Our flight to El Paso wasnt full so we spread out--two people per row of three seats. We had a couple of hours in El Paso so several of us (Lemuel, Michael, Wes, Paula and I) explored the airport. We got to see a NASA fighter plane, which was parked on the tarmac, which looked pretty cool. We all got the beverage of our choice and picked up some magazines to look at before heading back to our gate.
The flight to Los Angeles wasnt full either, so we again spread out and enjoyed the extra room. About halfway through the flight, Michael went back to watch a movie with his dad so Lisa moved up to my row to keep me company.
We landed at LAX on time, even though our plane had taken off a little late from El Paso. I turned my cell phone on and we stopped in the airport to let everyone go to the restroom. I missed the call from the limo driver while we were waiting. We went to the baggage claim and picked up our luggage and then I hit redial to call up our driver. Our driver, Frank, was very friendly. He said he was just pulling around the terminal (since they wont let you park in front of the terminal anymore unless youre loading or unloading) and that he would be right there. He said that my name would be in the window of the limo, so wed know it was him.
We all went outside and waited a few minutes until we spotted our limousine. Dad and Lemuel helped Frank load all of our luggage (some of it wouldnt fit in the trunk, but it fit up front with the driver) while the rest of us got in the limo to wait (and start playing with the buttons). We quickly settled the bill for the limo ($125.11 plus tip), and were on our way. As we were pulling away from the curb, Paula, Wes and I swear that we saw actor Jason Lee. It is, after all, Hollywood, dahling!
For whatever reason, I was the only one in my family who had ever ridden in a limousine before. Therefore, I was able to maintain my inherent air of indifference and super-coolness while everyone else went nuts exploring the surroundings and pushing buttons. Actually, eight people pretty much fill up a stretch limousine (we should have done the better make it a super stretch route as Illeana Douglas is fond of saying in the Rock n Rollercoaster pre-shownot that Im sad or anything for knowing that line or the actress who says it!), so there wasnt much room for exploring per se. Lisa was in charge of the buttons and she played with them for a while, adjusting the colors and intensity of the various lights and neon.
We did crack open the sparkling cider and had a toast and availed ourselves of the soft drinks, juice and bottled water. They had a good selection of drinks and there was more than enough to go around, and then some. Michael was all about the ride and was suitably impressed with the whole experience. I could get used to this, he kept saying. To which I replied, Well, dont. Actually, we all thought it was pretty neat.
The ride from the airport took about 50 minutes and we pulled up to the guard station in front of the Grand Californian at 12:45. The driver gave our name to the guard and she let us in to pull up outside the hotel. A CM from guest services came out to greet us and to send a Bell Services CM to get our luggage. She said I could come with her to check in while the rest of the group got the luggage settled.
The CM stayed with me through the check-in process, talking about the changes at the resort since our last visit and explaining a bit about the concierge floor, or the Craftsmans Guild as they call it. She also gave me a Craftsmans Guild newsletter which listed the services provided and also detailed some of the changes. The biggest difference was that they had expanded their food offerings in the lounge. On the last trip in 2001, the lounge served a continental breakfast in the morning, a few snacks such as popcorn and goldfish crackers in the afternoon, some light hors d'oeuvres in the evening, and cookies at bedtime.
Now, while the breakfast was still the same, from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm the lounge had its Afternoon Tea; from 5:00 - 7:00 pm its Grand Hour; and from 8:00 - 10:00 pm, its Sweet Endings (all of which will be reported later in excruciating detail--hey, if Im going to gain 5 pounds eating the stuff in my role as intrepid trip report writer, in order to bring you the latest and most up-to-date happenings, youre going to have to suffer through the minute descriptions of everything).
The check-in process went smoothly. They had assigned us to rooms 6305 and 6307 which were adjoining rooms. They had opened the door between the rooms so we could go back and forth between the two without having to go out into the hall to do so. While I was checking in, the Bell Services CM took our luggage up to our rooms and Paula and Wes acted as tour guides, showing everyone else around the lobby of the Grand Californian. I was thrilled to see that everyone was just as impressed as Id hoped they would be. You know, of course, deep down, that the resort is beautiful and breath-taking and all of those wonderful adjectives, but theres always that little seed of doubt that, since youre a Disney fan, your judgment might be a bit skewed and everyone else may not look at the surroundings in the same way as you. So, I was relieved to see that I wasnt completely off my rocker and that the hotel was indeed as impressive as I had led everyone to believe.
After I checked in, I spotted the Bell Services CM coming out of the elevator so I hurried over to tip him for taking care of our bags for us. I rounded up the rest of the family and we headed up to the 6th floor. As we came off the elevator we discovered that they had made another small change to the floor. The concierge CMs were stationed at desks outside the lounge area now instead of inside, in order to make more seating room inside the lounge itself.
A CM greeted us and welcomed us to the resort. She asked if wed like a tour of the lounge and we all quickly agreed. It was about 1:30 so we were in the middle of the afternoon tea. The CM explained that they had expanded the afternoon offerings to include tea sandwiches, a few pastries, fruit, and Mickey Scones. Mickey Scones? MICKEY SCONES?!?! I think it was at this point that we lost all decorum. Up until now we had been trying to maintain an air of class and respectability, nodding politely at the CMs remarks, pervading disinterest at her comments, but at the mention of Mickey Scones, that all went out the window and we quickly reverted back to our backwoods, hillbilly upbringing and went running to see the scones while the CM laughed at us.
They were, indeed, Mickey Scones. Scones in the familiar Mickey head shape and sprinkled with sparkly sugar crystals. Paula and I decided that, since we had already completely embarrassed ourselves by shrieking with delight at the scones, we might as well get rid of all pretense of good breeding and go get our cameras so we could take pictures of them, so we dashed off to the rooms while everyone else stayed behind to sample the food. And when I say sample I mean roll up your sleeves and dig in because it was almost 3:00 our time and we hadnt had anything to eat all day unless you counted a tablespoon of peanuts on the airplane and youd better remove small children and the easily offended because it aint gonna be pretty.
In the rooms, Paula and I took a minute to look around, pick which room we wanted (Paula, Wes, Michael and I were in one room and Mom, Dad, Lisa and Lemuel were in the other), check out the views, and make sure they still had the great toiletries like they had last trip. The rooms were right around the corner to the east of the lounge and they looked out onto the east end of the Brisa Courtyard and the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney. Due to the roofline we couldnt see the monorail as it passed through the courtyard like we could from our room last trip, but we could hear it as it passed by. We could also see the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain from the balcony.
We dug out our cameras and then went back down to the lounge where we found the rest of the family all hyped up on Mickey scones. It looked like wed again scored points with the family on the lounge. The offerings consisted of (and now heres some of that painful detail that I promised) three different kinds of tea sandwiches (cucumber, tomato, cream cheese and sprouts; smoked salmon and cream cheese; and turkey and cheese), fresh fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, pineapple and strawberries arranged in the shape of a pinecone), chocolate dipped strawberries, madelines, star-shaped cookies, and the Mickey Mouse scones with devonshire cream and jam.
The CMs showed us that they now had soft drinks and bottled water stocked in two little refrigerators where you could help yourself. They had the usual assortment of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate out at all times as well.
After everyone had their fill, we all went to the rooms to get settled in. After the obligatory ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the rooms we decided it was way time that we got ourselves into a park and we headed out to Disneyland. We took the walkway through the Brisa Courtyard and into Downtown Disney and then started towards Disneyland with everyone marveling at how much things had changed since the last time they were there (except for Paula, Wes, and me, no one had been there for eight years, when Michael was 3).
Since I needed to exchange my park hopper for an annual pass in order to get the AP discount, I hurried ahead of everyone, letting them take their time and soak in the sights. Michael was itching to get moving so he came along with me. There was a good sized line at Guest Services outside of Disneyland so everyone else caught up to us before it was my turn. We sent them on into the park to see about renting an ECV for Mom and I upgraded my park hopper to an AP and picked up our Holiday Time Tour tickets.
I got a voucher for my annual pass which would get me into the park. Once inside, I needed to go to the Annual Passholder center which is located right outside Space Mountain where I would have my picture made and put on a permanent card for me. It didnt have to be done right away, but sometime before I left the park that day.
Once inside the park the family gathered back together. Mother didnt want to pay $50 to rent an ECV for only part of a day, so she decided to just walk until she was tired instead. She later remembered that $15 of that was just a deposit so the actual rental cost was only $35 per day.
Finally at 2:45, we were on Main Street. Several characters were out so we had to get pictures made with Minnie in her holiday sweater and skirt and we took pictures of various groups of us in front of the big Christmas tree. Everyone laughed at Lisa, Paula and me because we took so many pictures going down Main Street that it was like stop-motion photography.
First on our agenda was Indiana Jones (IJ) in Adventureland. The ride was out of Fast Passes however, and the stand-by line had over an hour wait so we decided to go on Pirates of the Caribbean instead (which was a walk-on). Paula, Wes and I were in the front row of our boat and we all got pretty wet during the drop. Actually, everyone in the family got a bit damp on the ride.
Next, we headed towards the Haunted Mansion (HM). Mothers knee was hurting so she decided that she was going to slowly make her way back to the hotel and rest for a while, but insisted that we all stay and have fun.
There was about a 5 minute wait at the HM and Paula took advantage of the extra time to try and fill Dad in on the plot of The Nightmare Before Christmas so he might be able to appreciate some of the overlay. Yes, my dad is one of those people who havent ever seen the movie, but at least he doesnt profess to being a true Disney fan!
The overlay was just as good as we remembered and we compared notes afterwards to try and figure out what had been added since we saw it in 2001 (an evil nutcracker on Madame Leotas table, an Oogie Boogie doll clapping two cymbals together in the attic, a topiary Oogie Boogie in the pet cemetery, the goodies on the table in the ballroom, to name just a few). We all agreed that theres just too much to look at for one, or even fifty times through.
When we came out of the HM, we stopped at a gift cart to look at the Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise. I was delighted to find a new Scary Teddy antenna topper. Okay, delighted might be a bit of an understatement as I screamed Paula! Its the vampire teddy bear! and grabbed up and purchased three of the things before I knew what I was doing. Im still not exactly sure what Im going to do with three antenna toppers--I have *one* car and it has *one* antenna--but Im comforted in the knowledge that Paula bought five of them (she has some lame excuse about actually having friends that shes buying them for).
While Paula and I were coping with our Nightmare Before Christmas addiction, Michael was getting the first taste of one of his own. The Churro. Yes, the smell of the hot, cinnamon-y, stick of dough called to him and thus he began the downward spiral out of control into the seamy world of churro addiction.
Michael wanted to go ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds so we started in that direction, stopping long enough to look in the Le Bat en Rouge gift shop while Dad and Lemuel found a restroom. At the hub of Main Street we split up with Lisa, Lemuel, Dad and Michael going towards the Matterhorn, and Wes, Paula and I going to Tomorrowland to get my annual pass picture taken.
Paula and Wes browsed through the Star Traders gift shop while I got my annual pass taken care of. As we headed out of Tomorrowland to meet up with the others at the Matterhorn, we happened to notice that Star Tours only had a 10 minute wait. Hmmmmm. We stopped in front of the ride and debated what the right thing to do would be. Do we carelessly ride Star Tours without the others while they wait on us--tossing aside their feelings like Mickey confetti in a parade? Do we make them wait and worry about our health and safety while were gallivanting across the galaxy with little heed for their wants or needs? Or, do we take the high road and be noble and hurry on our appointed rounds? Nah! Whore we kidding? We rode the ride in a heartbeat without even feeling guilty about it. After all, its what Walt would have wanted.
When we got off the ride (never having made it to the moon of Endor, by the wayyou might want to request a different pilot than the one we had as ours wasnt very good) I checked my phone. Lemuel had called and they were waiting for us at the Matterhorn. Oops. It took us just a couple of minutes to join up with them. The line for the Matterhorn was pretty long, but Michael was insistent that he wanted to ride it. Lemuel agreed to ride it with him while the rest of us did the Holiday Its a Small World (IASW).
The sun was just starting to go down and the Christmas lights on the outside of the IASW building were all turned on making the ride just as beautiful as we had remembered.
There was a bit of a line at IASW but we chose the right hand side and breezed ahead of the bulk of the people. We were a bit worried for a minute that maybe we were in a Fast Pass line, but we werent. We were on our boat in about 2 minutes. We got on the boat right at 5:00. The giant clock started chiming and we got to watch the dolls parade about while we waited to go inside. As we passed under a bridge we heard a voice say, Keep your hands and arms inside the boat at all times. Watch your children, and have a nice trip. We looked up in time to see a little boy, maybe six years old, waiting in line on the bridge and repeating the rides spiel. I think the kid has an excellent future as a cast member.
This was Lisa and Dads first time to see the holiday IASW, and they both enjoyed the ride. I like the holiday version since it gives you lots of pretty lights, less of the annoying song, and even more to look at inside. On our first ride we were able to find the holiday addition of Flounder in the Christmas stocking and Stitch on the surfboard.
Afterwards, we met up with Lemuel and Michael who had been able to ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds twice while we were gone. This was Michaels first time to ride and he loved it.
We decided it was about time to head back to the hotel and check up on Mother and see about getting something to eat. Since we were at the Matterhorn we decided it would be easier (and more Disney) to take the monorail to Downtown Disney and walk back to the hotel from there. You forget how much smaller the monorail is in California than the one in Florida. Also, I always miss the please stand clear of the doors announcement, since there is no standing on the California version.
All the windows in our car were down so, as it was already a bit cool and we didnt particularly fancy a windy ride, we raised them all back up. Thats certainly another difference between the California and Florida version. The ride to Downtown Disney didnt take long at all and we all enjoyed getting a peek at DCA and passing through the courtyard of our hotel. As we stopped at the Downtown Disney station there was the usual announcement admonishing people to watch their heads (because of the lower ceiling, you have to exit the monorail a little bent over) and take small children by the hand. Lower your heads . the announcement started. Wes piped in, Lower your heads, and exit in SHAME! which, considering the early morning start, long day, lack of food, and general saturation of pixie dust, was riotously funny to us.
We exited in shame, stopping long enough to have our hands stamped at the exit, since we didnt know if wed be coming back to a park or not (the stamp said Donald, by the way). We did a little window shopping as we made our way through Downtown Disney and back to the hotel.
We found mother in the lounge on the 6th floor and, as we were all hungry by now, we joined her for hors doeuvres. Apparently they have one hot appetizer which changes nightly. Tonight they had crab cakes with remoulade sauce, which were very good. They also had an assortment of cheeses, crackers, and dried cranberries, an olive tapenade with garlic flatbread, the world-famous (and my personal favorite) uncrustables (nicely cut in half with a rosette of peanut butter piped on top and then topped with a fresh raspberry or blueberrya very nice touch), and a selection of raw vegetable crudités (carrots, celery, squash, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.).
A quartet of Victorian-dressed Christmas Carolers came into the lounge while we were there and went from table to table taking requests and singing Christmas songs acapella. They were very good and didnt seem to have any songs that they didnt know. When they got to our table, we requested The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and they did a wonderful job of singing it.
Since the park (Disneyland) was closing at 8:00 this evening (DCA had closed at 6:00), we decided not to go back there but to do a bit of shopping at Downtown Disney (which stayed open until 11:00) instead. First however, we went back to the room for warmer clothes and coats because it gets pretty cold at night and we knew wed be doing a bit of walking outdoors (and, okay, Im *very* cold naturedare you happy now? I actually had on three shirts, a fleece sweatshirt *and* a wool coat, so sue me!).
We agreed to all meet down by the fireplace in the lobby. The Christmas Carolers were in the lobby now so we got to enjoy them again as we waited. Lemuel went over and requested Feliz Navidad, and they did a good job on that one too. Santa Claus was also there, greeting the children and having pictures made. Since we were all together and I didnt think we had ever had a picture taken of all of us together, I found a Cast Member to take our picture in front of the lobby Christmas tree. The picture turned out great and Ill probably use it for Christmas cards next year.
Dad forgot something upstairs so, while he went back up to get it and the rest of the family settled into the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace, Paula and I went to the gift shop to look around. Dad finally showed back up and we went out through the courtyard (noticing that they hadnt turned on the piped in cricket sounds yetsomething we enjoyed listening to last trip) and into Downtown Disney.
We shopped for the better part of two hours or so, breaking off into smaller groups, meeting back up, changing group members, and striking back out as chance would have it. Michael was hungry so Mother and I got him a slice of pizza at the new (to us) little counter service Napolini that theyve put in next to the sit-down restaurant. When we were here last you could still get whole pizzas to go at the sit-down restaurant but now they have a separate location off to the side where you can get pizza by the slice, calzones, sandwiches, salads, desserts, and drinks, all to-go (or they have a few tables inside). Michael had a slice of cheese pizza ($4.31) which was huge. At 7:45, the fireworks at Disneyland began and we were able to see the high ones from Downtown Disney.
Most of the stores had some kind of Annual Passholder discount so I was able to take advantage of that with my new pass. After a while, Mom and Dad went back to the hotel. Lisa, Lemuel, and Michael decided they were hungry and went for more pizza to take back to the hotel with them. Paula, Wes and I joined them in line and got a slice for each of us, but we stayed in Downtown Disney to eat ours and soak up the atmosphere a bit.
After we ate our pizza, we went back to the hotel and up to the 6th floor where, wonder of wonders, we found the rest of our family in the lounge. The lounge was all set up for bedtime stories for the children with pillows and blankets arranged on the floor. The desserts tonight were chocolate chip cookies, mini cheesecakes, fruit tarts, andwill wonders never ceaseMickey Mouse Macaroons. Yep, you heard rightMickey Macaroons. Three little round coconut macaroons arranged in the shape of Mickeys head and ears, with the ears dipped in chocolate. These quickly became Mothers new favorite sweet (this is the woman whos been known to become flan-happy at the Beach Club in WDW) and I dont *even* want to know how many she consumed while we were there. Lets see, one day down and already Michael has a churro habit and Mom is right there with him with her addiction to Mickey Macaroons.
We all went back to the rooms and everyone was in bed after our long day by 9:30. Well, everyone except me. I updated my trip report notes and checked my email. I wasnt very sleepy so I wandered downstairs to the lobby around 12:20. It was nice and quiet and I had a look around and enjoyed a pleasant conversation with another late night/early morning wanderer. I stayed in the lobby until around 1:00 and then went back upstairs and to bed.
CAST
Robin 41 Trip planner/recorder
Bill/Dad/Husband of Dianne 66
Dianne/Mom/Wife of Bill 63
Lisa/Sister/Wife of Lemuel/Mother of Michael 43
Lemuel/Brother-in-law/Husband of Lisa/Father of Michael 37
Michael/Nephew/ONLY Grandchild of Bill and Dianne 11
Paula/Sister/Wife of Wes 31 Sparkly Princess
Wes/Brother-in-law/Husband of Paula 31
My first day at Disney officially began at 12:01am since, being a rather obsessive type, I stayed up late so I could print out our boarding passes online. I did go to bed around 1:00, but was back up at 4:30 to start getting ready. The plan was for everyone to meet at the house by 6:00 so we could leave the extra cars there and to leave for the airport by 6:15.
Since there were eight of us, plus luggage, we had to take two cars to the airport. Mom, Dad, Wes, Paula and I went in Mothers car while Lisa, Lemuel and Michael went in Lemuels pickup so wed have more room in it for some of the bags. Dad and Lemuel dropped the rest of us off at the terminal and while they went to park the cars, we checked all of the luggage.
At the security check-point, Mom was the only one pulled aside for additional wanding. Shes got artificial joints in both of her knees and that always seems to trigger the alarm. Our flight to El Paso wasnt full so we spread out--two people per row of three seats. We had a couple of hours in El Paso so several of us (Lemuel, Michael, Wes, Paula and I) explored the airport. We got to see a NASA fighter plane, which was parked on the tarmac, which looked pretty cool. We all got the beverage of our choice and picked up some magazines to look at before heading back to our gate.
The flight to Los Angeles wasnt full either, so we again spread out and enjoyed the extra room. About halfway through the flight, Michael went back to watch a movie with his dad so Lisa moved up to my row to keep me company.
We landed at LAX on time, even though our plane had taken off a little late from El Paso. I turned my cell phone on and we stopped in the airport to let everyone go to the restroom. I missed the call from the limo driver while we were waiting. We went to the baggage claim and picked up our luggage and then I hit redial to call up our driver. Our driver, Frank, was very friendly. He said he was just pulling around the terminal (since they wont let you park in front of the terminal anymore unless youre loading or unloading) and that he would be right there. He said that my name would be in the window of the limo, so wed know it was him.
We all went outside and waited a few minutes until we spotted our limousine. Dad and Lemuel helped Frank load all of our luggage (some of it wouldnt fit in the trunk, but it fit up front with the driver) while the rest of us got in the limo to wait (and start playing with the buttons). We quickly settled the bill for the limo ($125.11 plus tip), and were on our way. As we were pulling away from the curb, Paula, Wes and I swear that we saw actor Jason Lee. It is, after all, Hollywood, dahling!
For whatever reason, I was the only one in my family who had ever ridden in a limousine before. Therefore, I was able to maintain my inherent air of indifference and super-coolness while everyone else went nuts exploring the surroundings and pushing buttons. Actually, eight people pretty much fill up a stretch limousine (we should have done the better make it a super stretch route as Illeana Douglas is fond of saying in the Rock n Rollercoaster pre-shownot that Im sad or anything for knowing that line or the actress who says it!), so there wasnt much room for exploring per se. Lisa was in charge of the buttons and she played with them for a while, adjusting the colors and intensity of the various lights and neon.
We did crack open the sparkling cider and had a toast and availed ourselves of the soft drinks, juice and bottled water. They had a good selection of drinks and there was more than enough to go around, and then some. Michael was all about the ride and was suitably impressed with the whole experience. I could get used to this, he kept saying. To which I replied, Well, dont. Actually, we all thought it was pretty neat.
The ride from the airport took about 50 minutes and we pulled up to the guard station in front of the Grand Californian at 12:45. The driver gave our name to the guard and she let us in to pull up outside the hotel. A CM from guest services came out to greet us and to send a Bell Services CM to get our luggage. She said I could come with her to check in while the rest of the group got the luggage settled.
The CM stayed with me through the check-in process, talking about the changes at the resort since our last visit and explaining a bit about the concierge floor, or the Craftsmans Guild as they call it. She also gave me a Craftsmans Guild newsletter which listed the services provided and also detailed some of the changes. The biggest difference was that they had expanded their food offerings in the lounge. On the last trip in 2001, the lounge served a continental breakfast in the morning, a few snacks such as popcorn and goldfish crackers in the afternoon, some light hors d'oeuvres in the evening, and cookies at bedtime.
Now, while the breakfast was still the same, from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm the lounge had its Afternoon Tea; from 5:00 - 7:00 pm its Grand Hour; and from 8:00 - 10:00 pm, its Sweet Endings (all of which will be reported later in excruciating detail--hey, if Im going to gain 5 pounds eating the stuff in my role as intrepid trip report writer, in order to bring you the latest and most up-to-date happenings, youre going to have to suffer through the minute descriptions of everything).
The check-in process went smoothly. They had assigned us to rooms 6305 and 6307 which were adjoining rooms. They had opened the door between the rooms so we could go back and forth between the two without having to go out into the hall to do so. While I was checking in, the Bell Services CM took our luggage up to our rooms and Paula and Wes acted as tour guides, showing everyone else around the lobby of the Grand Californian. I was thrilled to see that everyone was just as impressed as Id hoped they would be. You know, of course, deep down, that the resort is beautiful and breath-taking and all of those wonderful adjectives, but theres always that little seed of doubt that, since youre a Disney fan, your judgment might be a bit skewed and everyone else may not look at the surroundings in the same way as you. So, I was relieved to see that I wasnt completely off my rocker and that the hotel was indeed as impressive as I had led everyone to believe.
After I checked in, I spotted the Bell Services CM coming out of the elevator so I hurried over to tip him for taking care of our bags for us. I rounded up the rest of the family and we headed up to the 6th floor. As we came off the elevator we discovered that they had made another small change to the floor. The concierge CMs were stationed at desks outside the lounge area now instead of inside, in order to make more seating room inside the lounge itself.
A CM greeted us and welcomed us to the resort. She asked if wed like a tour of the lounge and we all quickly agreed. It was about 1:30 so we were in the middle of the afternoon tea. The CM explained that they had expanded the afternoon offerings to include tea sandwiches, a few pastries, fruit, and Mickey Scones. Mickey Scones? MICKEY SCONES?!?! I think it was at this point that we lost all decorum. Up until now we had been trying to maintain an air of class and respectability, nodding politely at the CMs remarks, pervading disinterest at her comments, but at the mention of Mickey Scones, that all went out the window and we quickly reverted back to our backwoods, hillbilly upbringing and went running to see the scones while the CM laughed at us.
They were, indeed, Mickey Scones. Scones in the familiar Mickey head shape and sprinkled with sparkly sugar crystals. Paula and I decided that, since we had already completely embarrassed ourselves by shrieking with delight at the scones, we might as well get rid of all pretense of good breeding and go get our cameras so we could take pictures of them, so we dashed off to the rooms while everyone else stayed behind to sample the food. And when I say sample I mean roll up your sleeves and dig in because it was almost 3:00 our time and we hadnt had anything to eat all day unless you counted a tablespoon of peanuts on the airplane and youd better remove small children and the easily offended because it aint gonna be pretty.
In the rooms, Paula and I took a minute to look around, pick which room we wanted (Paula, Wes, Michael and I were in one room and Mom, Dad, Lisa and Lemuel were in the other), check out the views, and make sure they still had the great toiletries like they had last trip. The rooms were right around the corner to the east of the lounge and they looked out onto the east end of the Brisa Courtyard and the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney. Due to the roofline we couldnt see the monorail as it passed through the courtyard like we could from our room last trip, but we could hear it as it passed by. We could also see the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain from the balcony.
We dug out our cameras and then went back down to the lounge where we found the rest of the family all hyped up on Mickey scones. It looked like wed again scored points with the family on the lounge. The offerings consisted of (and now heres some of that painful detail that I promised) three different kinds of tea sandwiches (cucumber, tomato, cream cheese and sprouts; smoked salmon and cream cheese; and turkey and cheese), fresh fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, pineapple and strawberries arranged in the shape of a pinecone), chocolate dipped strawberries, madelines, star-shaped cookies, and the Mickey Mouse scones with devonshire cream and jam.
The CMs showed us that they now had soft drinks and bottled water stocked in two little refrigerators where you could help yourself. They had the usual assortment of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate out at all times as well.
After everyone had their fill, we all went to the rooms to get settled in. After the obligatory ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the rooms we decided it was way time that we got ourselves into a park and we headed out to Disneyland. We took the walkway through the Brisa Courtyard and into Downtown Disney and then started towards Disneyland with everyone marveling at how much things had changed since the last time they were there (except for Paula, Wes, and me, no one had been there for eight years, when Michael was 3).
Since I needed to exchange my park hopper for an annual pass in order to get the AP discount, I hurried ahead of everyone, letting them take their time and soak in the sights. Michael was itching to get moving so he came along with me. There was a good sized line at Guest Services outside of Disneyland so everyone else caught up to us before it was my turn. We sent them on into the park to see about renting an ECV for Mom and I upgraded my park hopper to an AP and picked up our Holiday Time Tour tickets.
I got a voucher for my annual pass which would get me into the park. Once inside, I needed to go to the Annual Passholder center which is located right outside Space Mountain where I would have my picture made and put on a permanent card for me. It didnt have to be done right away, but sometime before I left the park that day.
Once inside the park the family gathered back together. Mother didnt want to pay $50 to rent an ECV for only part of a day, so she decided to just walk until she was tired instead. She later remembered that $15 of that was just a deposit so the actual rental cost was only $35 per day.
Finally at 2:45, we were on Main Street. Several characters were out so we had to get pictures made with Minnie in her holiday sweater and skirt and we took pictures of various groups of us in front of the big Christmas tree. Everyone laughed at Lisa, Paula and me because we took so many pictures going down Main Street that it was like stop-motion photography.
First on our agenda was Indiana Jones (IJ) in Adventureland. The ride was out of Fast Passes however, and the stand-by line had over an hour wait so we decided to go on Pirates of the Caribbean instead (which was a walk-on). Paula, Wes and I were in the front row of our boat and we all got pretty wet during the drop. Actually, everyone in the family got a bit damp on the ride.
Next, we headed towards the Haunted Mansion (HM). Mothers knee was hurting so she decided that she was going to slowly make her way back to the hotel and rest for a while, but insisted that we all stay and have fun.
There was about a 5 minute wait at the HM and Paula took advantage of the extra time to try and fill Dad in on the plot of The Nightmare Before Christmas so he might be able to appreciate some of the overlay. Yes, my dad is one of those people who havent ever seen the movie, but at least he doesnt profess to being a true Disney fan!
The overlay was just as good as we remembered and we compared notes afterwards to try and figure out what had been added since we saw it in 2001 (an evil nutcracker on Madame Leotas table, an Oogie Boogie doll clapping two cymbals together in the attic, a topiary Oogie Boogie in the pet cemetery, the goodies on the table in the ballroom, to name just a few). We all agreed that theres just too much to look at for one, or even fifty times through.
When we came out of the HM, we stopped at a gift cart to look at the Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise. I was delighted to find a new Scary Teddy antenna topper. Okay, delighted might be a bit of an understatement as I screamed Paula! Its the vampire teddy bear! and grabbed up and purchased three of the things before I knew what I was doing. Im still not exactly sure what Im going to do with three antenna toppers--I have *one* car and it has *one* antenna--but Im comforted in the knowledge that Paula bought five of them (she has some lame excuse about actually having friends that shes buying them for).
While Paula and I were coping with our Nightmare Before Christmas addiction, Michael was getting the first taste of one of his own. The Churro. Yes, the smell of the hot, cinnamon-y, stick of dough called to him and thus he began the downward spiral out of control into the seamy world of churro addiction.
Michael wanted to go ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds so we started in that direction, stopping long enough to look in the Le Bat en Rouge gift shop while Dad and Lemuel found a restroom. At the hub of Main Street we split up with Lisa, Lemuel, Dad and Michael going towards the Matterhorn, and Wes, Paula and I going to Tomorrowland to get my annual pass picture taken.
Paula and Wes browsed through the Star Traders gift shop while I got my annual pass taken care of. As we headed out of Tomorrowland to meet up with the others at the Matterhorn, we happened to notice that Star Tours only had a 10 minute wait. Hmmmmm. We stopped in front of the ride and debated what the right thing to do would be. Do we carelessly ride Star Tours without the others while they wait on us--tossing aside their feelings like Mickey confetti in a parade? Do we make them wait and worry about our health and safety while were gallivanting across the galaxy with little heed for their wants or needs? Or, do we take the high road and be noble and hurry on our appointed rounds? Nah! Whore we kidding? We rode the ride in a heartbeat without even feeling guilty about it. After all, its what Walt would have wanted.
When we got off the ride (never having made it to the moon of Endor, by the wayyou might want to request a different pilot than the one we had as ours wasnt very good) I checked my phone. Lemuel had called and they were waiting for us at the Matterhorn. Oops. It took us just a couple of minutes to join up with them. The line for the Matterhorn was pretty long, but Michael was insistent that he wanted to ride it. Lemuel agreed to ride it with him while the rest of us did the Holiday Its a Small World (IASW).
The sun was just starting to go down and the Christmas lights on the outside of the IASW building were all turned on making the ride just as beautiful as we had remembered.
There was a bit of a line at IASW but we chose the right hand side and breezed ahead of the bulk of the people. We were a bit worried for a minute that maybe we were in a Fast Pass line, but we werent. We were on our boat in about 2 minutes. We got on the boat right at 5:00. The giant clock started chiming and we got to watch the dolls parade about while we waited to go inside. As we passed under a bridge we heard a voice say, Keep your hands and arms inside the boat at all times. Watch your children, and have a nice trip. We looked up in time to see a little boy, maybe six years old, waiting in line on the bridge and repeating the rides spiel. I think the kid has an excellent future as a cast member.
This was Lisa and Dads first time to see the holiday IASW, and they both enjoyed the ride. I like the holiday version since it gives you lots of pretty lights, less of the annoying song, and even more to look at inside. On our first ride we were able to find the holiday addition of Flounder in the Christmas stocking and Stitch on the surfboard.
Afterwards, we met up with Lemuel and Michael who had been able to ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds twice while we were gone. This was Michaels first time to ride and he loved it.
We decided it was about time to head back to the hotel and check up on Mother and see about getting something to eat. Since we were at the Matterhorn we decided it would be easier (and more Disney) to take the monorail to Downtown Disney and walk back to the hotel from there. You forget how much smaller the monorail is in California than the one in Florida. Also, I always miss the please stand clear of the doors announcement, since there is no standing on the California version.
All the windows in our car were down so, as it was already a bit cool and we didnt particularly fancy a windy ride, we raised them all back up. Thats certainly another difference between the California and Florida version. The ride to Downtown Disney didnt take long at all and we all enjoyed getting a peek at DCA and passing through the courtyard of our hotel. As we stopped at the Downtown Disney station there was the usual announcement admonishing people to watch their heads (because of the lower ceiling, you have to exit the monorail a little bent over) and take small children by the hand. Lower your heads . the announcement started. Wes piped in, Lower your heads, and exit in SHAME! which, considering the early morning start, long day, lack of food, and general saturation of pixie dust, was riotously funny to us.
We exited in shame, stopping long enough to have our hands stamped at the exit, since we didnt know if wed be coming back to a park or not (the stamp said Donald, by the way). We did a little window shopping as we made our way through Downtown Disney and back to the hotel.
We found mother in the lounge on the 6th floor and, as we were all hungry by now, we joined her for hors doeuvres. Apparently they have one hot appetizer which changes nightly. Tonight they had crab cakes with remoulade sauce, which were very good. They also had an assortment of cheeses, crackers, and dried cranberries, an olive tapenade with garlic flatbread, the world-famous (and my personal favorite) uncrustables (nicely cut in half with a rosette of peanut butter piped on top and then topped with a fresh raspberry or blueberrya very nice touch), and a selection of raw vegetable crudités (carrots, celery, squash, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.).
A quartet of Victorian-dressed Christmas Carolers came into the lounge while we were there and went from table to table taking requests and singing Christmas songs acapella. They were very good and didnt seem to have any songs that they didnt know. When they got to our table, we requested The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and they did a wonderful job of singing it.
Since the park (Disneyland) was closing at 8:00 this evening (DCA had closed at 6:00), we decided not to go back there but to do a bit of shopping at Downtown Disney (which stayed open until 11:00) instead. First however, we went back to the room for warmer clothes and coats because it gets pretty cold at night and we knew wed be doing a bit of walking outdoors (and, okay, Im *very* cold naturedare you happy now? I actually had on three shirts, a fleece sweatshirt *and* a wool coat, so sue me!).
We agreed to all meet down by the fireplace in the lobby. The Christmas Carolers were in the lobby now so we got to enjoy them again as we waited. Lemuel went over and requested Feliz Navidad, and they did a good job on that one too. Santa Claus was also there, greeting the children and having pictures made. Since we were all together and I didnt think we had ever had a picture taken of all of us together, I found a Cast Member to take our picture in front of the lobby Christmas tree. The picture turned out great and Ill probably use it for Christmas cards next year.
Dad forgot something upstairs so, while he went back up to get it and the rest of the family settled into the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace, Paula and I went to the gift shop to look around. Dad finally showed back up and we went out through the courtyard (noticing that they hadnt turned on the piped in cricket sounds yetsomething we enjoyed listening to last trip) and into Downtown Disney.
We shopped for the better part of two hours or so, breaking off into smaller groups, meeting back up, changing group members, and striking back out as chance would have it. Michael was hungry so Mother and I got him a slice of pizza at the new (to us) little counter service Napolini that theyve put in next to the sit-down restaurant. When we were here last you could still get whole pizzas to go at the sit-down restaurant but now they have a separate location off to the side where you can get pizza by the slice, calzones, sandwiches, salads, desserts, and drinks, all to-go (or they have a few tables inside). Michael had a slice of cheese pizza ($4.31) which was huge. At 7:45, the fireworks at Disneyland began and we were able to see the high ones from Downtown Disney.
Most of the stores had some kind of Annual Passholder discount so I was able to take advantage of that with my new pass. After a while, Mom and Dad went back to the hotel. Lisa, Lemuel, and Michael decided they were hungry and went for more pizza to take back to the hotel with them. Paula, Wes and I joined them in line and got a slice for each of us, but we stayed in Downtown Disney to eat ours and soak up the atmosphere a bit.
After we ate our pizza, we went back to the hotel and up to the 6th floor where, wonder of wonders, we found the rest of our family in the lounge. The lounge was all set up for bedtime stories for the children with pillows and blankets arranged on the floor. The desserts tonight were chocolate chip cookies, mini cheesecakes, fruit tarts, andwill wonders never ceaseMickey Mouse Macaroons. Yep, you heard rightMickey Macaroons. Three little round coconut macaroons arranged in the shape of Mickeys head and ears, with the ears dipped in chocolate. These quickly became Mothers new favorite sweet (this is the woman whos been known to become flan-happy at the Beach Club in WDW) and I dont *even* want to know how many she consumed while we were there. Lets see, one day down and already Michael has a churro habit and Mom is right there with him with her addiction to Mickey Macaroons.
We all went back to the rooms and everyone was in bed after our long day by 9:30. Well, everyone except me. I updated my trip report notes and checked my email. I wasnt very sleepy so I wandered downstairs to the lobby around 12:20. It was nice and quiet and I had a look around and enjoyed a pleasant conversation with another late night/early morning wanderer. I stayed in the lobby until around 1:00 and then went back upstairs and to bed.
