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Old 18 Feb 20, 04:49 PM  
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ladyofleisure
Excited about Disney
 
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Join Date: Jun 13
Location: Cheshire
Half Term Hitting Up La La Land - Our Week In Tinsel Town COMPLETE


Hi guys it's the Berry family. Having not planned a vacation until summer plans changed (don't they always) when I came across some bargain Virgin flights to LA from Heathrow at times that worked really well for us.

I also booked a fantastic first class family ticket with Virgin trains (RIP Virgin) which worked out at £220 return. The benefit is you fix times on the outward journey only.

I finished off our day with some cheap hotel rooms at the Premier Inn at Bath Road for £32 each and we were all set.

Accommodation wise we have an AirBNB booked in Stanton and a full size SUV. My lovely husband Antony is well versed in driving in the US now although we have heard all about the horror of the LA traffic. It will be interesting to see if the hype lives up to this - all I can say is that it can't be any worse than the traffic in Manchester and London!

So who are your cast members? Antony 48, Heather 47, Tia 19, Joe 15 and Cole 14. Cole has Aspergers and we used the sunflower lanyard scheme. Staff at Heathrow were excellent and it was a big help. Onto the photos! Antony and me first then the three amigos and our beautiful dog Nellie who is on holiday herself boarding with the lovely Susan.

Star Wars fans we are, although we love theme parks generally. This time round we are looking forward to seeing Galaxy's Edge and are here just over a week for half term. We haven't been to LA before but we have been to Florida a few times and New York, Texas last year to visit Six Flags which we loved. The small folks are huge You Tube fans so it's nice they can experience a lot of what they see in the videos and maybe see a star or two. Anyways photos of travel day which was pretty uneventful. Antony and I were fairly stressed having failed to finish work the day before we were up early, everyone else at school/college. We finished up at lunchtime dropped the dog off cleaned the house (again) and picked everyone up ready to set off for the train.

We then boarded the 17.15 Manchester to Euston train. I had a quick cuppa in the first class lounge first and everyone else had a Subway as they hadn't eaten since morning (mixture of being too busy and excitement).

The journey was uneventful but comfortable. Unfortunately the family next to us had a very cranky three year old and the WiFi was dreadful but that aside the journey was uneventful. When the trolley arrived Antony and I had a celebratory wine for Valentine's Day and the children cola and crisps. Antony also had the hot special which were cheeseburger sliders (practising for US food already). I had the med salad - apologies I totally forgot food pics.

We pulled into Euston only 10 minutes late after a minor delay in Rugby and were soon waking round to Euston Square.



The lovely Nellie



Our fave carry on. As some of you will know from previous reports Antony in particular is Star Wars mad. It has been difficult not to book some of the additional offerings at Galaxy's Edge such as the droid or lightsaber builds but we keep reminding ourselves of our budgets and plans and this just wouldn't fit - not for three teenagers anyway.



Burger sliders - one of the first class options on a Friday evening.



Don't mind if I do - the Pinot Grigio was cold even if the coach was boiling!



Tia enjoying some peace and quiet



Joe and Cole working that menu...



Some of the sweet treats on offer - there were also crisps, nuts, pretzels etc.



Transfer to Paddington - we walked round from Euston to Euston Square (thankfully it was a dry evening) and caught the tube to Paddington which was straightforward.

If it had been busy or raining we would have just jumped in a black cab. We then struggled a little bit to find the platform but we were soon in the right place to catch the Express.



We were impressed by the Heathrow Express and would use the service again. It was nice to travel at a quieter time I'm sure it's not quite so easy at peak times.

On leaving the Express we followed the signs out of the terminal to the Hotel Hoppa. Unfortunately we must have missed a coach and had to wait over 30 minutes but it arrived eventually and we had our first thrill ride of the holiday.

All I can think was that this chap was missing an important occasion as he drove like Baby Driver without the glasses or tunes on. We were very relieved to pull up at Bath Road and make our way to check in. At this time it was just gone 9pm.



I was a bit worried as we had a table booked for 9pm and if was 9.30 by the time we had dropped our bags and quickly freshened up.

I shouldn't have worried the staff were fine and accommodated is.

It felt like a holiday after a long first travel day!

Finally a bit of food porn for you. I was too tired to eat but the boys and Tia were hungry so Antony and I had a drink or two while the boys polished off 3 courses at 10pm (I'm joking we all shared this lot) all were part of the meal deal at £26.99 which is amazing value with desserts being an additional £2. Cole's steak was massive! Joes ultimate brownie sundae wasn't far behind. The deal is particularly good as kids eat breakfast free so even though Cole and Joe were unlikely to eat in the morning It did mean I could plan the budget which is always a big bonus.

This wasn't the most romantic valentines meal but it was one of the best with everyone tired but happy and excited for the week ahead.



Chicken skewers



Chicken wings - everything good quality and big portions



Half chicken and fries - extra fries too!



The huge steak!



Chocolate fondant



The ultimate brownie



All that food took ages to eat and we were last to leave the restaurant at about 11.15 the staff didn't bother one bit it was so late and couldn't have been better in service or general friendliness. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. With a few rounds of drinks and tip we spent £100 so for 5 people great value all round. We then crawled back to our rooms shattered but happy and excited to fly tomorrow. I was a bit worried about Storm Dennis but trying not to let it spoil my mood. Rain, storm or shine we would have a good time!



We were soon asleep but it wasn't the best of nights. I kept waking and the room was very warm and we didn't want to put the air con on and disturb anyone else so we just braved it out until 6am then were up and showered and the children similar - it's unheard of for them to be up and messing before 8am!

I watched the breakfast news with a cuppa full of trepidation as the latest information was that due to Dennis all flights from Gatwick were off. Antony tried to reassure me and we all went to breakfast where I tried to keep a brave face.

Once again the staff were an absolute delight it was about 8am at this point and fairly busy but they soon found a larger table for us and we chilled for a little while (well as chill as you could be in there it was roasting). I stay in the Premier Inns for work sometimes and it's always the same unduly warm in the mornings. I digress.

I had the poached eggs with toast and juice/coffee. Antony and Tia had sausages and scrambled egg with juice/tea and the boys some juice then we were back in our rooms to finish prepping our bags.

We then made our way back to reception.



We caught the hotel Hoppa which I thought was good value as mentioned previously the first driver was rather manic but the second brilliant in every way very friendly bus was there dead on time (as per timetable) and he helped us on and off with a smile. Price is reasonable IMO at £11 return for Tia and £22 return for the rest of us on a family ticket. This is Tia's version. The driver even directed us into the terminal building for the Virgin desks!

Things got a bit interesting here as we had managed to find bargain flights for £250 return with Virgin - hence us deciding to try LA for the February half term.

As those who fly from Manchester will know this price is very good and we just don't have access to those fares direct from Manchester and we also don't have the option of direct flights.

There was also a glitch where although these are economy light fares, on transferring the booking to to my flying club account they were showing as economy classic - so no charge to sit together or for bags - bargain!



The bargain tickets... only problem was, on check in at the desks, they wanted £41 odd to check in a bag. I paid up, I had far more to worry about in terms of if we were flying and catching up on the news to care! We were soon in possession of our boarding passes and on our way through security. The sunflower lanyard was a godsend really good service from everyone at Heathrow - we we're soon at the entrance to the lounge.



At £125 for the five of us on a busy day in the terminal I thought this was excellent. I can only compare with the lounges in Manchester which are far too small (can't even get a booking this summer even though I tried over 6 months ago). I know the no.1 lounge takes a battering on TripAdvisor but I was impressed and we were soon seated in a calm and quiet space by the helpful check in team.



Lounge treats - as I worried on, Tia went shopping for make up (she's an aspiring MUA) Joe has a sausage buttie - we all had a voucher each for a hot breakfast or lunch option.



I had a mimosa and Antony a beer - Tia has a gin which is almost unheard of she is a very young 19 - she has to show her ID and I was laughing when they asked for mine lol...



You can see the little cards you had to hand in, in this photo. There was also a buffet table with porridge, pastries and fruit you could help yourself too there was plenty of choice and Antony liked the muffins and there were also cookies and brownies which the children liked and help yourself hot and cold drinks.



Antony after his pint doing his best karate kid impression with the sunflower lanyard! Virgin were also brilliant when they spotted it and gave us priority boarding and time to board.



My other option was a good old G&T! Antony stuck to an IPA.



Japanese crackers enjoyed by Cole and wasabi peas which made my eyes water... lots of choice of this sort of thing on the buffet.



Our brunch options (you can order these from 11am before that it's the sausage/bacon butties etc) we had a chorizo stew, a fish finger wrap and the Mac and cheese.



Return of the Mac (it even has optional truffle oil)



For the first time in my life I boarded completely full!

There was also a choice of soup and it was tomato and basil which I usually don't like, but it was amazing and Cole and Antony has a bowl too. No.1 lounge - thank you. Your team and offering were totally fantastic and kept an anxious family very calm!



Joe and Cole spent a good half an hour in the cinema room they liked the bucket seats. I liked the windows in the main room so I could see some flights were landing and taking off without too much difficulty.

By the time we left the lounge the European flights from Heathrow were largely cancelled and my sympathy to everyone who missed a much needed trip.



A lot of my worry was of course this was a very short trip of just a week and I had crammed so much into a packed itinerary. The following day we were due on a full tour of LA and even if the tour operator would let me move it, I had no other day to fit the tour in.

Cancellation point was the Friday (night before) so having talked to Antony we decided to take the gamble and go ahead. But I am no good at taking punts!

This was proving to be a fairly stressful morning given I had all that swirling round my head. This was also a huge leap into the unknown having booked a lot of things without knowing the geography of LA in an informed way or being able to judge how the traffic might impact us. Still undeterred I kept painting on my smile and finally felt at ease when we were on board - even if I thought the take off would be interesting.

The captain and crew were fantastic they addressed the weather directly and explained they might have the seatbelt signs on a bit longer than usual but the take off and flight were actually fine! Hurrah to them all! Ready for the off!



Well no onboard photos save for this one of the menu - suffice to say I was glad to have stuffed my face at Heathrow. I am a Virgin Atlantic enthusiast and they are always my no 1 choice of airline but the food leaves a lot to be desired. The Japanese salad is bearable but no-one else in the family will touch it).

Antony ordered the chicken in mushroom sauce, It was ok. Being someone who avoids meat I would have chosen the biriyani but having faced that in 2019 and suffered the smell of curried cauliflower which was inedible due to being raw I wouldn't tempt fate again. I thought the family were going to lynch me!

I had brought some snacks and bits for the children which kept them happy and our flight soon passed. We loved the Dreamliner and the entertainment was good but the promised JoJo Rabbit wasn't available! Never mind I watched it on the way home instead.

Overall a good flight - the children had a row of 3 and I didn't take photos as Antony and I had a lady sat with us who couldn't settle and I didn't want to make things worse for her messing about in my bags for a phone.

I also had duty free from retail therapy delivered to my seat which is a great perk. We are building a bar at home so I wanted some of the bottles of spirits to take back and with a discount code Bacardi and Gordon's gin were just £13.20 each and they were the 1 litre bottles - great value!

Cole loved making his window dark too with those little dials . Great flight landed just ahead of schedule. Afternoon tea was similarly pants. I like the sandwich but no-one elsewhere the family does - too much pesto makes it a bit soggy. The next option is just as poor the scone is like a brick and the rock hard cream in an economy seat just doesn't work for me. How on earth are you supposed to fiddle about and assemble it all?



Before I forget the baggage receipt!



Disembarked from the aircraft very easily and immigration was a breeze. By this point Cole was lanyard fatigued and we always let it be his choice as to whether he wants to wear it. So we joined the normal queue which was v thorough.

A first queue for the kiosks, then another queue with your paperwork for the kiosk slips to be checked then a final sign off by another officer - all in all we landed after 4 and were through by 5pm.

We then caught the shuttle to Alamo which took a bit of finding but we got there. We had pre-booked a standard SUV but as per usual the kiosk wouldn't work. There was a huge queue but a helpful staff member took us to one side to help. The price for the week was £320 so good for a 7 seater.



After lots of messing about with Antony not able to find a credit card (which was of course in his wallet) we had our car and were on our way. Getting the car brought round seemed to take forever and it was gone 6pm by the time we finally left the car garage. As is sometimes the way there was no explanation of the car's controls just a paper map and away you go. Thankfully Antony has international Waze but epic fail - he forgot the phone holder we keep for these trips for his iPhone.

So light rapidly failing we left the airport car centre on a complete mission to make the trip to our house for the week before dark! The freeway was awful and it takes some getting used to having cars under and overtake you from both sides but we made it unscathed to Stanton. Sadly it was dark by the time we got there but here's Antony with the car the next morning on the drive. Total hero for getting us there in one piece! Thankfully we liked the house too!



There was a Jack in the Box round the corner from the house so Antony quickly drove there with the boys who were really hungry having not eaten on the flight. This was good quality and much needed - Tia and I were too tired to eat so Tia went to bed and I unpacked for everyone while they popped out which worked well. A long but great day. I pinched myself that we had made it!



Antonys burger the boys virtually inhailed their own food in the car.



We fought tiredness and finally got back in to our base and eventually went to bed about 10pm - completely shattered. All bedrooms and the main room in the house have Netflix and it has great WIFI!

Another photo of the front of the house and our car for the week - location of the house was great for Knott's Berry farm and Disney being only 15/20 mins from both. Good price too at £1602 for a 3 bedroomed home with 4 double beds. I did look at hotels in the Disney/universal area but as we need multiple rooms it just didn't make financial sense.



So first full day in LA we were headed to Disney to meet out tour which was a full day LA sightseeing tour from Anaheim. The departure time was 9am. Antony and I were both up before 5am so we took the car to Walmart for basic provisions for the house intending to wake everyone when we got back and make breakfast. The nearest Walmart opened at 6am.

It was heaven in the quiet isles! Antony was a bit disappointed though he loves the quirky t shirts he usually gets in Florida they didn't have the anything like that though. We nevertheless spent about £120 dollars on a trolley full of cereal, milk, drinks, meals snacks and things to fill our enormous fridge and returned home to joe already up and the other two not far behind. Operation breakfast was underway and we were out of the house for 7.45 - conscious or might take longer than planned to familiarize ourselves with our route. Antony eventually managed to get the car sat back to sync with his phone which was a bonus. As was the gorgeous weather!



As this was the day before Presidents Day we expected Anaheim to be busy and we were not wrong. We were meeting the tour at the Clarion but were unsure of parking charges so identified some places nearby. However on arrival most were full so we had to hunt for somewhere which is no fun with cars up your backside so to speak! So we were worried we were running out of time as it was now approaching 8.30 so we settled on the Clarion. Parking was stated at $25 for 3 hours so we thought we will just have to suck it up. However the guide from our tour operator AMG said he would sort parking and duly went into the hotel lobby and returned with a parking exemption for the day - great service as this was an 8 hour tour! The coach was a 20 seater and also picked up from the Holiday Inn Buena Vista.

We loved the tour and even though it was expensive at $357.50 it was great and we packed a lot in. The tour guide was good and pointed out some star homes and things we wouldn't have had picked up on and gave a local perspective. He more than earned a good tip! The tour took in Downtown LA, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sunset Strip, Beverley Hills, Farmers Market, Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach. The tour includes the return transport and there were hour long stops at Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Grove/Farmers Market, Santa Monica and Venice Beach. We had a fantastic time. Here'a some of our highlights!



The main man...



Loved these there was a trail to follow right behind the Chinese Theatre



The road to...?



Blue sky we have missed you - it feels like 6 months since we've met.



Not winning any style points in my trainers today but heyho I'm here.



So many vintage restaurants and signs - loved this one.



I wish my commute involved following the Santa Monica highway... a girl can dream



I think I might guess on the Cowboy!



Lunch at the farmers market was lush!



Joe has pizza from and Italian Frank Sinatra loved and Cole fab Chinese food. All good value.



Cole's eatery of choice



Antony ended up going for the French dip. Tia does and did eat too!



This is behind the Chinese theatre and they happen to have a fab selection of shops including Sephora.



The Grove was really well styled. It's a pity we couldn't nose round the shops.



Even the trams are well dressed.



Lots of Kobe murals - so sad to see a city grieving.



So many beautiful murals on our travels - I loved this one en route to Venice Beach.



I can't see me adopting this zip code anytime soon. A lottery win and I still couldn't afford the Hills #crazymoney



Never happier than when he has a Starbucks cup waiting for a food consumption opportunity.



Ditto



Beverley Hills was mega swanky ..



Venice beach



Venice beach - much preferred that to Santa Monica



Says it all really. The only thing we didn't like was the cannabis smell which was all too prominent apart from that this place has an awesome creative vibe.



Some beautiful work.



Rip Kobe



The end of Santa Monica Pier - this got much busier later in the hour stop. We were surprised to see such a mix of families, singles and couples with lots of homeless people on the beach too.



One day we will complete all of Route 66



Don't let this man fool you - Baywatch ready he is...

































We were very lucky with a smog free clear day and a clear freeway (our driver mentioned Sundays are a great day for the tour which can be difficult to manage weekdays). We stopped in each area up to one area which was plenty to look round.

We spent very little money all day, particularly at the farmers market where our spend was $10-20 per person depending on choice and we also had Starbucks and McDonald's drinks when out and about.

We got back around 4pm then headed back to the house for some much needed rest - a brilliant day.

We had picked up a pizza at Walmart for less than $4 dollars which could have fed an army and also some TGI Friday's chicken wings, fries etc so everyone had some outdoor time and some lovely food before we all got some shut eye around 9pm - not a bad effort for our first full tour day.



One thing that struck us all very hard today was the sheer amount of homeless people we encountered. I knew far more many dreams were broken in LA than achieved and Manchester has a major homeless people problem which is very visible these days but LA had so many dirt poor desperate people most of whom were in makeshift tent cities which sprang up all over the verges of the freeways. I can't imagine how desperate you have to be to do that. This poor guy seemed one of the lucky ones and he was far from lucky.






He looks like he's about to arrest me!



As always it reminds you of your need to be grateful for what you do have and not worry about the things you don't. Tonight it was the huge pizza from Walmart which was $4 dollars as it was short dated and a cold beer - we even tried these Mexican cups which had a flavored rim.

We saved a lot of money by focusing on spending on the parks and evenings at home as the budget would only stretch so far - all good though.



Antony's face attempting to drink this chill rimmed cup (you insert beer) was a picture. This is a guy who loves a korma so needless to say he didn't like it!



I'm sure this is an acquired taste it's just not one I intend acquiring...



Al fresco dining



We even had time for a quick dip in the pool. It wasn't heated so we did as all British do - we recited the it's warm when you get in line and shivered, lots.

Thankfully the showers were warm and there were plenty of towels etc to warm back up.

We loved our yard and pool and I even saw a raccoon one morning but couldn't get a photo of the little guy before he had moved on.



Today's plan was to activate our Go Los Angeles three day passes - there were lots of choices of activity and we paid $1130 for 5 adults. Intent on getting our money's worth we decided to visit Long Beach which was a 20 minute drive from the house (a bit different to yesterday's 120 mile round trip).

We parked up at a cost of $25 dollars which appears to be about the norm in LA and walked along to the Queen Mary she is quite a beauty but we were saddened that so many repairs were outstanding - still she is impressive and we also took a ghost tour which was good fun. We were there for 10am opening so had a nice lie in today.



A 10 minute walk from the parking area enjoying the view.



Scots on tour (nearly) ...



My Clan was missing - is yours there?



One thing that we were gutted about is that just the day before the Scots festival had been taking place and it was being dismantled today. There were lots of tents and stalls and it looked like a great event. The ship was fairly quiet on our tour which may have been due to so many people going home after the festival and the whole thing looked very well managed.

We enjoyed our tour of the ship and the ghost tour and a 4d cinema history of the ship. We just didn't have enough time to take everything in. I was really impressed with this exhibit.



A lot of filming for Darkest Hour had taken place on board. I really enjoyed that movie it was a fantastic exhibit.

Unfortunately we had to leave as it was time to use our passes again on this tour.



I'd emailed a couple of months back to ensure the reservation fitted our plans. My logic was as it was Presidents Day the theme parks would be miserably busy and an American family we chatted to on the tour confirmed Disney had been horrendously busy the past couple of days.

So, we left about 12 to make sure we made our tour time and found the studios relatively easily. The parking was another story! The multi story was fine we paid our fee but with a larger car it was very stressful finding a space that would fit so that took longer than we hoped. You got one of these passes to display but no instructions whatsoever on which level to use and why. This became a recurring theme really.

We like to think we are fairly self sufficient, but compared to Florida the visitor attractions seem to have many more local rather than international guests and seem to work ok the assumption you know what you are doing with regards to pretty much everything. It felt a bit frustrating at time's when you asked which levels were standard parking and the like and got unhelpful or one word answers or just raised eyebrows like you were raising obvious points. I'm nitpicking though generally it was fine. Anyways the tour itself was amazing and this was easily one of the best days of our vacation and yes - that's a real Oscar in his hands - one from the golden era...



What's up doc?



My two hobbits!



Friends fountain.



Gibson girls tour...



The real one...



Where that proposal took place ...



Joe's loving the Big Bang Theory set as its one of his fave shows.



Amy - a style icon



I'm not sure I fancy what these two are having.



Every lunchtime should feature a loud wardrobe and a Big Bang.



Fans of the show would be in their element there were also fab friends sets, the central perk cafe for a pit stop and the star is born costumes and some old time Hollywood glamour costumes which were just amazing



My Fair Lady



Part of the A Star Is Born exhibit



Another costume we appreciated as we like the film so much - the Joker.



You have nothing without good friends.



Good to see a superhero or three...



I'm not sure I'd want to work in this.



Or this.. although it would be handy on Northern Trains for the morning scrum for a seat on a packed train.



And how thrilled Cole was to see the big fella and his movie vehicles. This was all in all a fab tour which we really enjoyed - most of the tour was in small open sided buses with about 20 people per tour with a full narration. We also toured the set of Lucifer but couldn't take photos it was amazing.



We also toured the prop warehouses which were eclectic to say the least! They were truly vast. There were also many classic cars around which were on the lot for filming a secret project - I hope I recognize them when the show airs.



One thing I'd wish I'd known was that there are few options to have anything to eat close to the studio. Joe, Cole and Tia had snacks at the ship. Antony and I did not and we were half hour early and ravenous. I just assumed there might be a coffee shop. There was, but it wasn't obvious and turned out to be the worlds smallest Starbucks!

It was inside the area the tour checks in and as such it had no food left despite it being just 2pm. Undeterred Antony and I spotted a Whole Foods 10 minutes walk away and made it there and back before the start of the tour. The area felt very happening, very arts orientated and as we were paying Cole and Tia recognized a you tuber at the till. I have no idea who it was but they were too shy to go and say hello. Edit: it was Anthony Padilla of Smosh.

Anyways, by the time we had finished the tour (the final stages you navigate in foot at your own pace) it was rush hour and the traffic was terrible. We finally got back to the house about 7pm. As it was so late and we were so hungry Antony and I had Chipotle Burritos and Tia, Cole and Joe Five guys from the local takeaway just a couple of minutes from the house.



After a reasonably early night today we were off to Knott's Berry Farm. This was made even more special by a message from and old work colleague to say she had been there when she was 18, (she's nearly 60) and how much she was enjoying following along. This is a fantastic and well organized theme park we all loved it.

It was a good decision not to visit on Presidents Day - the park opened at 9am and the tickets for the day sold out at 9.02! Much better today we had ridden all the major rides by lunchtime. Loved it here very clean and great theming and enough thrill for rides to keep the smalls happy.



We even brought this treat home it's delicious!



Unfortunately the festival was only running at weekends but the theming was great.



I don't know about you ladies but I'm feeling a tad underdressed...



Took me right back!



Antony getting far too friendly with the locals...



I'm underdressed again..



Bizarrely this guy has a Santa on vacation shirt on and if I didn't know better he did seem like the real deal!



For lunch as you can see the boys couldn't wait today's choice was Johnny Rockets in the park.



The onion ring portion was huge! We shared as starters.



The biggest problem was choosing what to have even with a limited menu...



Shakes were delicious... service was poor though.

It took about 20 minutes for those shakes and then another 15 for the burgers, even though the restaurant wasn't at capacity.



We asked to move outside 10 minutes into our shakes as the air con was on full blast and after sitting still so long we were frozen... Tia ordered an additional portion of dirty fries. Could have fed 2 or 3 easily.



Antony struggled to eat this it was messy with too much bacon



Obligatory chicken tenders



Joes chicken burger



My garden burger - all were pretty good.



If expensive! The little lot above with tip cost $130 dollars (we did tip even with the wait as it wasn't the waitresses fault she apologized constantly it was a disorganized open kitchen).

Happy and full we made our way back to the car, we picked up some more supplies at Walmart and decided on a pool afternoon. Here's Antony's chill spot.



We had a fab lemon tree in the garden full of ripe fruit lots had dropped so we made some home made lemonade.



When life gives you lemons you go for it don't you?



Looks empty here but it honestly was full and look at all the ripe fruit that has just fallen...



Everyone then just hung out and relaxed after pool time.



Joe and Cole were in ages messing around.



We enjoyed our chilled out evening as today we knew we would be doing an awful lot of walking at Universal Studios. What a fab day was had by all but boy was it busy...



We left the house at just before 8am hoping to arrive by 9am latest. That didn't happen, the freeway was just too busy so the journey took 1.5 hours and we parked up at 9.30ish. We then made our way to the entrance and we were happy to find out we didn't need to queue separately with our Go Los Angeles cards they were accepted at the scanners - bonus! It was fairly busy at the entrance but not too busy. Our plan was to hit the tour first then the rides. That worked well.



We had a fab day but the multi level access was a bit of a surprise. We were gutted that Jurassic World was down (it had been down all week) we heard plenty of people complaining.



The tour was fab we loved all the old movie cars and again this tour was in small group vehicles with a very professional guide and some action moments along the way. The Desperate Housewives and the Psycho sets were my personal faves and it was interesting to see how just a small fence separates the Warner Brothers Studio lots from the Universal Studios



This was so creepy!



So many great parts to this tour...



The Jaws lake...



The tour took around an hour then we headed to Springfield the Simpson's ride was already at 50 minutes so we settled for the Harry Potter area and treated ourselves to a much needed butterbear



The face of a boy who isn't sharing..



Loved the theming completely on point



I promise you we were not alone...



Marching for their snack / merch time



Didn't buy these though ..



Looking fabulous in the sunshine



Happy with riding everything within 30 minutes we moved back to Springfield for the big pink!



For anyone interested in costs parking was the most expensive of the trip at $28



Couldn't get on this ride all day didn't drop under an hour at any point.



Hello handsome!



Loved this top - go forky



Gimme gimme gimme



Didn't take me long to eat my quarter...



They had all these alternative flavours too. Antony doesn't eat sweet things so he has a beer with Barney instead...



Kindred spirits? Enjoying a catch up in Moe's Tavern



A fab time was had by all - sorry I'd forgotten to add drinks wise we had purchased the refillable cups at both Universal and Knott's Berry Farm which worked well albeit you get so fed up of fizzy drinks. At Universal they mentioned they were good for ICEE too - only we couldn't find anywhere actually selling ICEE - never mind.

Also worth a mention was at the entrance we got the hard sell about upgrading to fast pass but we just didn't need to do that. Without the major ride being open that wouldn't have been worth it for us. The only big ride we missed was the Simpsons and that was because it didn't drop below a 50 minute queue all day and it was near 90 minutes at closing.



All rides were fab and we didn't stop all day. When riding the Mummy the ride broke down and we were in different carts as we rode this as single riders. My cart was last to clear so I got a $10 dollar lunch voucher and an anytime fast pass for 6 people which was another great bonus. Everyone else got a pass to ride the Mummy again. Great customer service. The staff were also throwing out jelly bean packets to the queue which was good.



The only time we stopped was to eat and that wasn't good and was v expensive but that's parks for you. We ended up taking the last of our food with us to watch the stunt show which was really good.



Never happier than when eating carbs



The only thing I struggled with was the Walking Dead exhibit I'm a total wimp horror isn't my thing - I did make it through and it was really well themed.



The Walking Dead wall through experience was a bit too realistic for my nerves...



The last tour group?



We stayed until the park closed at 6pm and had the best day we really enjoyed it we felt we had covered everything and we were shattered but really happy. Tomorrow is our first Disney day. Save the best till last I say.



Happier times before we left the brilliant Universal Studios



This was fab much better in the twilight.



Fab ride this was our last before the park closed.



City walk looked fab all lit up on the walk back to the car.



Didn't want to leave but had no room for a Voodoo Donut let alone anything else after that Big Pink.



So today is Thursday and that means only one thing. Time for our trip to see Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure.



Much better than I expected in terms of the layout but no shade if was boiling!



We had a great day but boy it was so very hot and so busy. We were also a bit disappointed that we couldn't use mobile ordering for food the concessions were too busy and the app showing a 30 minute wait to order which meant it was just as easy to queue. Still we kept going and the highlights were the incredicoaster and the brilliant theming. We gave up around 4pm and left the park as it was so busy there was no way we could actually ride anything without huge waits and we had been unsuccessful getting a fast pass for world of colour. Gutted though would loved to have stayed but everyone was tired and I knew it would be selfish to keep everyone there.



So today is our final full day and that's Disneyland day. We were so excited the boys just couldn't wait to see Star Wars land. We made the park at opening at 8am only we were stuck in traffic so it was 8.02am when we got to our app for Rise of the Resistance so of course all boarding passes had gone. The park was absolutely mobbed as well. A local remarked to Antony that everyone must have taken a random day off and kept their children off school too as it was unusually busy. We kept calm and carried on and powered through helped by sugar.



Might have managed a few of these in the holidays ...



I'm at it too...



Not too bad for a shake but no bargain especially after having to queue 25 mins for it.



There is no snack like a Disney snack!









I've included some receipts and apologies for the creases so you have an idea on costs. Antony has a beer too it was $13.



The theming in particular blew me away... I was gutted that again today I couldn't mobile order. For example there was an aloha isle dole whip place with 30 people in the queue. I checked mobile order and there was a 40 minute wait. I've no idea why the concessions were so overwhelmed. I'd love to know why my photos are so empty in such a busy park!



Joe's fave drink a blue milk and a snack cookie in one.



Antonys beer - enjoyable enough he said



My drink was the one that makes your lips tingle it was really strange. It's the orange one in the background..



Antony had a fruit cider whole he waited for us to finish.



The lip tingler... this seemed very popular in the Cantina.



This was plain weird but glad we tried the Bits.



Menu side 2



And the front - Cole also tries the Jelly stuff in the culture jar and it was indeed as awful as it looks. He loved it of course!



VIP seats it seems! So many people had no seats we did have another group join us..



Go DJ - this is so cool - 45 minute limit in the Cantina and 2 drinks limit but no regrets this was great fun. No walk in line for our visit all day was reservation only.



Main steer at night made me cry. I can only explain it as California Studios wasn't Disney enough for me. I liked the guardians of the galaxy ride but I didn't like the vibe. Being in the heart of one man's dream really did. It was beyond pretty.



We have the force and we are prepared to use it.



Hello handsome.



Amazing theming everywhere loved the land - and the falcon ride is epic!






Lots of comments about Antonys Baby Yoda t shirt.



A Star Wars fan's dream come true.



Obligatory themed coke purchase



Rise of the Resistance - maybe next time!



Met Kylo Ren nearby he was fab as were the stormtroopers but didn't get photos as he had his belt on the wrong way round - not impressed!



These two look like Rebel Scum...



Riding the Falcon - amazing.



The theming was just fantastic and we enjoyed the shops but will need a bigger budget to enjoy them properly.



It doesn't look half as busy as it was...



The MaxPass was well worth it the only ride we didn't fast pass was Hyperspace Mountain we queued an hour for it instead and we rode everything we wanted to. Shattered and cold (Cole, Joe and I had a second ride on Splash Mountain before leaving) we left at just before 8pm. The park was open until midnight with fireworks due but a cold wind had sprung up and if had started to rain so we were doubtful. We could hear the fireworks from our house but we didn't hear anything that night so we are doubtful they happened as scheduled.

Given the car park was absolutely mobbed and there were big queues for the trams a lot of people seemed to agree. However even at that time there were long queues for people wishing to come in to the park. Park attire tonight was very much hoodies and jeans it was cold!



We were hungry today's sweet treats included funnel cake. This was a seasonal special with strawberry shortcake it was very sweet! As with yesterday everywhere was so busy we were lucky to find anywhere to eat as tables were packed and all quick service very busy.



We will be back at some point this is such a beautiful park and in such a rush to see it in one day we missed a lot of the detail. Loved the steamer at night.



So happy to be here so sad it's only for a day!



So tired but happy with our day we went home to eat Joe was so tired by the time his chicken was ready he was fast asleep. After a hectic couple of day's the rest of us were not too far behind! Castle looked lovely at night too.



So our final day, we deliberately didn't want to take on too much and didn't need to leave the house until 11am so we work up naturally and packed away. I have missed this little place so much it was really homely.



One of our neighbours had this fab car the neighbours were very friendly.



When we were all parked and sorted we headed off to shop at the Mall. I chose Westfield Culver City to make it easier to get to the airport afterwards. Tia wanted to spend her money on make up and the boys look at the usual trainers etc. First up was the food court Joe and Cole both filled their boots with some Panda Express and a Burger Place. We then went to catch up with Antony and Tia who were in Sephora. As this mall is well over 150 stores I thought it would keep us busy!



It turned out some girl You Tuber has been trying to prank Antony asking him to sing to her and then Cole spotted another two guys he has watched on the internet who also do pranks. Enough is enough we thought we actually want to shop not feature on people's videos. So we looked in a couple of stores and left, not in the mood to be silly or fall for their nonsense. Off to Five Below and Hobby Lobby was the plan as we always buy things in both.

Well today really wasn't the day for shopping as we had an hour looking round and bought nothing significant!

Antony and Tia were hungry now so we drove to the nearest place I knew they would like. Sorry this is a late snap of Coles Panda Express he ate every bit. Great value at $12.99



And I was wrong! Joe actually had a huge slice of pizza almost the same price as Cole's meal. He enjoyed which is the main thing.



And finally their next meal which is In and Out burger. They were all fascinated with the kitchen it was like an army of well drilled soldiers it was so busy but everyone worked in unison. They liked the burgers too but prefer Five Guys.



In-an-out - a budget hit!



I had a shake really nice. This was roughly half the price of Five Guys so I know which I prefer! Reluctantly we then made our way to the car rental place and eventually the airport for our flight home. All went fine. Thanks to you all for reading along.



And just so you know Antony and I had one last airport drink to finish our break and toast the DIBB thanks to everyone who has posted SOCAL trip info it really helped my research. Joe and Cole had another feast before boarding too - Joe an individual pizza and Cole another Panda Express type meal. I had truffle fries too and our bill ended up approx $150 so do eat before the airport won't you it's expensive for what it is in there! Until next time...



A happy end to our trip - for those interested we paid £1112 for our two day Disney tickets and the rest of our activities were covered by the Go Los Angeles cards. Parking was average of $25 each and every stop. Worth every penny. Bye from these two food magnets!


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Old 20 Feb 20, 12:32 AM  
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Michyloulou
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Great photos! Love the food ones - we stay at Premier Inns quite a lot when visiting my elderly in-laws, the food is always lovely.
Looking forward to your trip report! Have fun!
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Old 20 Feb 20, 06:03 AM  
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Looking forward to reading your trippy. I have exactly the same blue case and Disney tag😳, did you get the case from Costco?
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Old 29 Feb 20, 02:07 PM  
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Hi we managed to get a good bargain in the Tesco sale and have two of these they are great cases I wouldn’t mind some more!
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A link to my 2020 trip to Los Angeles:
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A link to my 2017 trip to POR and HRH is show below:
Star Wars, Bar Bores, Car Tours and No Chores!

A link to my 2015 trip to CBR and RPR is shown below:
https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...me+the +power
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Old 1 Mar 20, 08:30 PM  
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New Photo Added by ladyofleisure - 1 Mar 20 7:30 PM.
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Old 2 Mar 20, 11:49 PM  
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Thanks so much for sharing!
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What an amazing trip you packed so much in! I love all your different meals and snacks thank you so much for sharing
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Old 9 Mar 20, 01:56 PM  
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Mobile Thanks for reading along

It means a lot when people comment so thanks and really appreciate you reading along.

Enjoy Texas we loved our trip to Sam Antonio in 2018 - have promised a return to see Austin one day as we only skirted it and also a trip to Dallas. Have fun!
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A link to my 2020 trip to Los Angeles:
https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho... php?t=1161735

A link to my 2017 trip to POR and HRH is show below:
Star Wars, Bar Bores, Car Tours and No Chores!

A link to my 2015 trip to CBR and RPR is shown below:
https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...me+the +power
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