DISNEY Travelogue - Part One
OK, I just have to give this plug first off: If you’re going to take a trip to Disneyland, you MUST get the big package, stay at the Grand Californian Hotel, and get the “concierge level” accommodations. It is SO worth the extra money!
DAY ONE:
Got the girls up at 5:15 to get ready to head out and catch our 7:15 a.m. flight. Thing One didn’t want to wake up. Poppa and Auntie were 20 minutes early to get us; we just about killed them for it, but eventually we got over it. It was a little commuter plane with one seat on the L, 3 on the R. The girls were SO good on the plane. I was really proud of them. A man who sat near us made a point of telling hubby afterwards how good they were, which, of course, made us feel really good.
The girls finally really figured out where we were going when we got to the hotel (the shuttle was just a Super Shuttle; it didn’t have the hotel name on it or anything). They were SO excited! They squeezed me really hard.
The “concierge level” accommodations are killer! A guy came out and met us when we got off the shuttle, escorted us in and got us all checked in (no standing in line) and oriented us. Our room wouldn’t be ready till 3:00, so we went and hit the park for a few hours first. When the girls were on sensory overload at about 2:00, we came back and hung out in the special lounge & had snacks till we could go to our room. We attempted to rest for a bit, then Auntie & the girls hung out while hubby & I had dinner at the Napa Rose (FABULOUS). After that, we all hung out at California Adventure for a while, then we went to our “premier priority seating” for the Electrical Parade. Turns out this seating is on the patio of a winery-type restaurant, so it came with food. Girls were given PB&J, Mickey-shaped chips, sodas, and lollipops. We were given really nice individual meat & cheese platters and either a glass of wine or a soda. Having the special stuff and the terrific seats was SO worth the extra money.
After the parade, the girls really needed to go to bed, but hubby wanted to ride some “grown-up” rides, so all us females came back to the hotel and went to bed while he stayed out till Disneyland closed at 12:00.
This hotel is so great. Besides being beautiful (Craftsman-style architecture & decor), the service is amazing b/c it’s Disney. It’s nice to know someone remembers what customer service is supposed to be like! This “concierge level” thing is great. Here are some of the amenities you get with it (I’m sure I’ll forget something):
- bathrobes
- turn-down service
- access to the special 6th floor lounge, the Craftsman’s Club
- NICE continental breakfast in the lounge
- NICE afternoon tea in the lounge (stuff like salmon tea sandwiches, Mickey-shaped mini scones, tea cookies, sliced fruit, chocolate-covered strawberries)
- NICE wine & cheese reception in the early evening (includes PB&J sandwiches for the kids)
- access from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. to the computer, TV, newspapers, books, games, and refrigerated drinks in the lounge
- access to the evening “bedtime story time” in the lounge
- someone at the concierge desk 24 hours should you need something
- etc., etc., etc.
ACTIVITIES:
Here’s the rides, etc. we did on Friday:
- Snow White’s Scary Adventures (Thing Two got scared)
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (Thing Two got scared)
- Alice in Wonderland Ride (caterpillar kiddie roller coaster) — I felt like SUCH a wuss on this one when my fear of heights kicked in and I got scared!
- LOTS of general wandering around & checking things out
- Tough to be a Bug show
- Electrical Parade
- There were a couple of other things we were going to do, but when we were near the front of the line, Thing Two suddenly had to pee. We learned our lesson.
