Our West Coast Adventure - May 2017 - Day 1: Welcome to Disneyland!

[Lisa_Lollipop]

Index can be found here

Thursday 11th May 2017
Steps: 35,870
Miles: 15.04

Despite such a long day of travelling the day before I found myself wide awake at 4am! After a quick trip to the loo I did force myself back to bed and managed to snooze for a couple more hours, no matter how excited I was there was no way I could be getting up that early! I also used the time to catch up RedRach’s latest instalment of her trip report and have a catch up with her and Helen via Whatsapp… thanks for keeping me company in the early hours of the morning ladies!

At 6:25am I admitted defeat, the excitement was too much and I had to get up and start the day! Paul had no choice but to be awake by this point as I was bouncing around the room like Tigger on ecstasy! I got myself showered and dressed and was reminded of how rubbish my hairdryer performs in the US (because of my silly curly hair I have to bring my own hairdryer as I need a diffuser to keep this mop under control!)… I am making a promise to myself now that for our next visit to the States I am going to invest in an American hairdryer with diffuser to avoid this problem!

Feeling a little peckish I cracked open the Twizzlers we had bought last night to keep me going and we also had a quick video call with Paul’s Mum Joan to check in and let her know we had arrived safe and sound and all was well.

By 8:15am we were heading out of the room… it was time to head to Disney! (Stopping quickly outside the front of the hotel for a few necessary first morning snaps!)

One of the key plus points to choosing Hotel Ménage was its close proximity to the parks and we certainly weren’t disappointed in that regard, within 10 minutes we were on Disney property! With the sun shining brightly and a whole day of Disney fun ahead I don’t think I could possibly have been any happier!

By 8:50 am we had made our way through security and bag check and found ourselves in the central area with the entrance to Disney’s California Adventure (DCA) on our left and Disneyland Park (DL) on our right. Disneyland Resort is very similar to Disneyland Paris in the fact that it is all housed on one site, a bonus as it means once you are through security you are free to go between parks without having to be searched again! As it was just before 9am the parks were yet to be officially open so we took the time to grab a few photos out front.

Just after 9am we started to make our way into DL, this was of course the park I wanted to start in!

Walking through and entering at the top of Main Street gave me all the feelings and emotions that I have come to know and love when visiting Magic Kingdom in WDW and more recently Disneyland Paris…there truly is no feeling like it! I loved how the whole area felt familiar but yet slightly different. Even though this was my first ever time here it still felt like coming home. Truly magical.

We spent a while taking in all the sights and sounds and headed up to have a look down onto Main Street from the platform in front of the train station. One thing that definitely strikes you immediately is how small the castle looks from there! It’s tiny, barely even noticeable from this end of Main Street! Also as I was coming down the steps from the station I bumped straight into Goofy and was most excited when he started doing an aerobic workout on the steps (which I of course was obliged to join in with!) and he even gave me a kiss on the hand when he left… *swoon*

Despite all the excitement of being in Walt’s original park there was only so long we could ignore our rumbling tummies… it was time to get some breakfast! By now it was 9:30am so we headed straight down to the end of Main Street and stopped at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café in search of food.

We both opted for a grilled cheese sandwich and then a large Coke to share.

With this all paid for we headed outside to eat in the sunshine, this felt like such a novelty as in WDW it always is far too hot to eat outside and we are always desperate to stay indoors and soak up the air conditioning! It was pure bliss sitting there tucking into our food and watching the world go by! We also got the pleasure of seeing a Disney duck with her little brood of ducklings, beyond cute (sadly I got them on the video camera but have no photos!)

With bellies full we were good to go and we made a direct beeline towards the castle as I was desperate to get a closer look! Ok it may be small but it is still just beautiful and I fell in love with it instantly!

Spotting the partners statue I headed over to take a few more snaps and whilst we were there we also spotted a PhotoPass (PP) photographer so we seized the opportunity to get a few photos of us together. We hadn’t pre-bought the PP package but my thinking was that we would get all our photos loaded up to my MDE account via a PP card and then if they were any good we could buy them all at the end (it turns out we collected quite a few, 90 to be exact, over the next 3 days so I couldn’t resist but get them all once we were back home!).

We headed back towards the castle and spotted another PP photographer so we stopped for some photos with him too. Despite going to put my bag down in front of him so it would be out of shot he told me to keep hold of it which looking back I find quite annoying, I don’t like having bags in photos (don’t judge me, just one of my things) and these ended up being the only shots we got directly in front of the castle, ah well I will have to accept the inclusion of my bag on this occasion!

I do particularly like the last one… I am totally channelling my inner Spice Girl whereas Paul seems to be involved in a game of rock, paper scissors!

Waving the photographer goodbye (despite the bag gripe he was a lovely old guy who was super friendly!) we made our way round the right hand side of the castle where we found some gorgeous uninterrupted views and also Snow White’s wishing well. We both threw in a quarter and made a wish, I can’t of course tell you want I wished for as then it won’t come true!

Making our way around the back of the castle we found ourselves in Fantasyland and it was certainly time to get on our first ride… and of course there was no other option than It’s A Small World! For any of you that have read my previous reports you will know that IASW is one that Paul and I hold close to our hearts (in honour of Paul’s Mum who adores it!) and as it was our first ride in DLP in January we thought it was only right to start this Disney experience the same way!

I love that in DL the ride starts outside (similar to DLP); it means you can bask in the glorious sunshine whilst queuing! Although the wait time was only 10 minutes so we weren’t queuing for long at all. As expected we both loved the ride and I really liked the inclusion of Disney characters throughout (it totally added to the fun trying to spot them all!).

Leaving IASW we walked past Matterhorn so Paul thought he would try and get on via the single rider queue (sadly this one isn’t pregnant-lady friendly!) but that queue was closed as the ride was so busy (it had only just recently opened after a long refurbishment so was constantly heaving whilst we were there!). We would just have to go back and try that one another time!

Next stop was over to Hyperspace Mountain, another one that I couldn’t ride Space Mountain is one of my absolute faves at MK so I was a little sad to be missing out on this one! We headed to the FP kiosks scanned Paul’s park ticket and were given a return time of 2:05-3:05pm (remember we are dealing with old school paper FPs here, no flashing Magic Bands like at WDW!)

Next we made our way to Haunted Mansion, one that we could both enjoy! And as it was only a 20 minute wait time we headed in. I do love this ride, as always I am amazed by the super brave little kids that seem completely unfazed…even at 32 I get a little bit frightened!

From here we found ourselves wandering past Winne the Pooh and as it had only a 10 minute wait time we went on in (it would be rude not right?!). I used to love watching Winnie the Pooh and the blustery day as a child so this ride always makes me smile!

Leaving there we were approached by a lady offering up her Big Thunder Mountain FPs, it seemed her daughter had changed her mind about riding it and she didn’t want them to go to waste… such a lovely gesture! I couldn’t ride it myself but Paul was keen to so he was happy to snap them up and as they were just opening up we headed straight in that direction. We did look to see if we could see any single riders that could use the spare FP but sadly everyone was in pairs or groups!

Making it round to Frontierland I found a good viewing spot at the back of BTM which meant I could see Paul whilst he was riding.

We found ourselves back by the castle and thought we would take this opportunity to have a better look. Making our way through the centre walk way we found a door that led us up and through the castle with the story of Sleeping Beauty told along the way.

The grilled cheese sandwiches now seemed like a very distant memory so it was at this point we decided it was time to stop for more food! With a craving for pizza (because who doesn’t love Disney pizza?!) we headed to Pizza Port which is situated right next to Hyperspace Mountain. I went for a cheese pizza and a lemonade and Paul had the pepperoni with a cherry coke. All very delicious and once again we were able to sit outside to eat!

As we still had some time to spare before Paul’s FP for Hyperspace Mountain opened up we ventured over to Mickey’s Toon Town. I have to say I absolutely loved this whole area! It was so bright and colourful with the most amazing theming!

As we made our way back past Matterhorn Paul noticed the single rider queue was now open so he headed on in.

Despite being single rider the wait time ended up being much longer than either of us expected and it ended up taking him about 45mins to get on! In that time I did have a little wander over to see the teacups, I love how pretty and colourful they look!

Whilst waiting I also spotted this couple sporting these t-shirts and I had to take a photo as they did make me chuckle… I can just imagine Paul’s response if I suggested to him we wear matching ‘Together Since 2008’ t-shirts! (We did actually see quite a few couples with similar style t-shirts after these, so many romantics in Disney it seems!)

At this point my phone was seriously low on battery and despite having a power pack in my bag the cable I had seemed to have given up on life so I couldn’t get it to charge! I was a little nervous of straying too far in case my phone died and I had no way of contacting Paul so I took a seat on the floor near the ride exit so I could see him when he came out.

We were finally reunited and his review of Matterhorn was that it was good but very jerky! By this time his FP for Hyperspace Mountain had opened up so we made our way straight over in that direction.

Now I was hoping Paul would say it was rubbish so I didn’t feel like I was missing out… but no, he loved it! Even so much so that he said he preferred it to Space Mountain (yet felt guilty saying it!). I think his face in the photo says it all!

It was at this point that my phone completely died… all these photos were draining the battery at an alarming rate! We took this as a sign that it was time for a mid-afternoon rest and so we decided to head back to the hotel for a little refresh. It was 3pm by this point and it was a lovely quick walk back to the hotel enjoying the sunshine (it really was a novelty to be able to come back and forth so easily, in WDW we always stay offsite so it’s much more of a trek getting back to the villa from the parks and certainly not possible on foot!)

We headed straight up to the room to get our phones on charge and then decided to head down to the poolside bar to have a drink. Although the pool was closed the bar was still open luckily! As my phone was back in the room charging I have no photos of this little adventure but it was lovely to take the time to have a bit of a chill out and give our feet a break after such a busy morning! Paul had a Coors Light and I went for an orange juice which with tip came to $10 (Paul’s beer was only $3, goes to show that it doesn’t pay to be sober!)

At 4:40pm, with phones fully recharged (and a different cable packed in my bag), we left the hotel to make our way back to DLR. Having spent the morning in DL we decided it was time to venture into DCA!

We made a beeline for Paradise Pier as this was an area I had been so desperate to see, and wow it didn’t disappoint! I had been so excited about seeing this whole area, it is such an icon of DLR and after seeing countless photos it was amazing to stand there and take it all in, absolutely breath-taking.

We spotted a PP photographer whilst down near the water so seized the opportunity to get a few photos with him too!

Very close by from where we were taking photos was The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and as it was only a 10 minute wait we headed on in. This is one of Paul’s favourites in WDW (he loves the song ‘Under the Sea’!) so we were both pleased to see it is exactly the same ride in DCA… good, clean family fun!

Leaving there we made our way back over to Paradise Pier to have a better look around.

The whole area is so beautiful and superbly themed; it very much reminded me of being at The Boardwalk in WDW! As we walked through Paul quickly spotted a game that he couldn’t resist… Bullseye’s Stallion Stampede! I am sure you all know the type of game, the one where you roll the ball up and into a hole and each time you get your ball in the hole the horse moves along the race track (there is a similar dinosaur themed one at AK that we always end up playing!).

In order to play you had to load up money onto a card at the kiosk at the front of the gaming stalls. We loaded on 1000 points which cost $10 and for one game it cost 250 points. It was pretty busy so Paul ended up playing against a full house of 7 other players but sadly lost… he came away with some tactics for next time though so I was pretty sure we would be back here in the next couple of days!

Directly opposite was the entrance for Mickey’s Fun Wheel and being such an icon of DCA I knew this was one we couldn’t miss! For those of you unfamiliar with this ride it is basically a big ferris wheel but with a slight twist as it has both swinging and non-swinging gondolas. Now pregnancy or no pregnancy there was no way you would have got me on one of the swinging gondolas… they looked terrifying! Luckily the non-swinging version had a much shorter wait time of 15 minutes so that made the decision even easier! (If you look at the photos you can see the swinging gondolas are on the inside of the wheel and slide down that oval track as the wheel turns, they certainly came down with some speed and very forceful swinging!)

Now I love a thrill ride and there isn’t much I say no to when it comes to rides but I am not going to lie, this was terrifying! It was so high! I honestly think it I had been in a swinging gondola I would have had a heart attack! The views from the top were just stunning though so I was glad we braved it but it was certainly one I wouldn’t be in a hurry to try again! (It was also amazing to see how much sits under the water to make World of Colour happen!)

With a serious case of the jelly legs we made it off the fun wheel in one piece and headed away from Paradise Pier and through to Pacific Wharf, a lovely lively area that has lots of food and drink options! This photo was of course necessary…

We also couldn’t help but stop into Ghiradelli to pick up a freebie (but then of course leaving without actually buying anything!)

Next stop was Cars Land, another area of the park I was super excited to see! I have seen the first cars movie but I certainly wouldn’t put it up there as one of my favourites but that was totally irrelevant as soon as we stepped in, whether you knew the film or not it would be impossible not to be blown away! Once again the theming was spectacular; it truly was like we had been transported straight into the film. I took so many photos but they will never do this area justice, all I will say is that if there is one thing that WDW is missing its Cars Land!

Walking to the far end we found ourselves in front of Radiator Springs Racers and it was with a little sadness I had to wave Paul off as he went off to find the single rider queue. There wasn’t too much I was sad to be missing out on but this was one I had really been looking forward to when we had originally booked at the end of last year (what is does mean is that a return visit in the future is an absolute must!)

Knowing Paul would probably be a while I went for a wander and found myself around the back where the final part of the ride takes place, it looked so cool! Also why I was standing there Mator drove past too so that was a nice little bonus!

It took Paul about 40 minutes to get through, which wasn’t too bad considering the standby queue was about 85 minutes! He absolutely loved it and said that the theming was brilliant (his official rating was 9.5, pretty impressive!). It doesn’t have the interactive queue like Test Track (where you design your car) but he thought the final race outside at the end was much better than what you get on Test Track!

As it had now reached early evening we decided it would be a good time to get some dinner so we would have time to get back into DL later on so at 7:25pm we were heading back out of the park and making our through to Downtown Disney as we were firmly set on Rainforest Cafe!

There was a huge queue outside but as we have a Landry’s card we went straight up to the desk and were seated in the upstairs area within about 15 minutes (I hate to think what the wait time would have been without it, the place was mobbed!)

We are big fans of RFC in WDW so it was lovely to be trying out DLR’s offering… to be fair it was pretty much like for like! We both decided to order the jungle steak and shrimp (mine with rice and Paul’s with fries) and then I had a lemonade and Paul went for a Coors Light.

Despite the food being delicious I really struggled to get through mine, pregnancy has really played havoc with my appetite that’s for sure and I go from being absolutely starving to completely full within a matter of mouthfuls! Most frustrating when you have a plate of such yummy food in front of you! Paul did a sterling job in helping me out though so at least none of it went to waste!

The service was outstanding too, having a Landry’s card meant we had our standard visit from the manager to check everything was ok with the meal (I love how you get treated like a VIP when ultimately all you have done is sign up for a free dining card!) and our waiter even went to the effort of letting us know when he was heading off on his break and introduced us to the waitress who would be looking after us from then on. A* service all round it has to be said! And as an additional perk we also got $25 off the meal as I had my birthday bonus waiting for me on my Landry’s card (yes when in the US my birthday is in May!)

With the bill settled and a very well-deserved tip left we made our way out of the restaurant at 9:15pm. Making it outside we were both surprised by how cold it had gotten! Being the wimp that I am I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry on in just a t-shirt so we headed into World of Disney so I could pick up a jumper, a perfect excuse for a bit of shopping in my opinion! I opted for a very lovely navy Disneyland sweater ($42.99) which was actually from the men’s section but I managed to get away with a small, it was slightly big in the arms but not too bad! (Photo coming up later)

Feeling much warmer in my lovely new jumper we made our way over to the entrance to DL, it was pretty busy so we had to queue for a bit to get in.

Once inside our first stop was Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster which was only a 5 minute standby wait, perfect!

The ride is exactly the same as WDW and DLP’s offerings and it is one of our faves there so it of course was very well received here too! Paul of course won, he always does!

It was now approaching 10:30pm which was a very exciting time… the Main Street Electrical Parade was about to begin! Now this was particularly exciting for Paul as he absolutely loves this parade (I totally do too, but Paul is like a super fan!) and when he heard it was leaving MK all I can liken his reaction to is that of a toddler having a tantrum (he even uttered the words ‘never going back’ at one point!) so when we booked this trip we were both pretty excited that we would be getting to see the parade one last time.

We managed to snag a great spot down near the front of the castle which gave us a perfect view as the floats came through making their way into Fantasyland. Let’s just say we were not disappointed and there were big smiles, head bobbing and foot tapping aplenty!

Once the parade had passed by us we started walking back through to Tomorrowland to see if we could get another ride in but we had got completely confused with closing times as the park actually shut at 11pm not 12am like we thought so all the rides had already shut up shop for the night! Instead we followed the crowds down Main Street stopping in some of the shops along the way to have a browse.

By 11:30pm we had made it to the top of Main Street and it was time to head out and back to the hotel (stopping quickly for a photo of me in my lovely new jumper!)

We were back in our room by 11:45pm… I loved how close out hotel was to the parks and how quick it was to get back! After such a long day it’s fair to say I was feeling pretty exhausted at this point! And despite wearing my super comfy Nike trainers I had still managed to get a blister (although probably not surprising as we had clocked up over 15 miles of walking today!). After pottering around for a bit we were into bed by 12:20am and asleep very quickly after that!

And there ends our first day at Disneyland… tune in for day 2 were we do it all over again!

Day 2 can be found here

[HelenJNT]

I can't believe Paul did all that sleeping. How can you sleep in with day one of Disney stretching out in front of you?

Can't believe how much the park entrance looks like DHS! Home from home.

I love this photo. Your ears, and Paul's... ornate antlers!

Ahhh you didn't include the Goofy video! Still smiling at that.

The Haunted Mansion building looks epic! Was the ride the same?

Ummmm I don't love Disney pizza...but that stuff looks a world away from the little ones you get I. WDW QS places.

Cannot believe P loves The Little Mermaid ride so much? I think Rach and I are going to have to politely disagree with him on that one!

Wahoooo for the electrical parade! I can't believe what a long day you had - 15 miles too! Glad you had good grub and a rest stop too "bacv at the goth". Brilliant day! 😽

[jocat]

I'm so relieved to see that you survived a full day at Disneyland, despite it being your first full day. We're doing the same thing as you when we arrive and I have to see that this was worrying me slightly, whether I'd be able to stay up late enough to see the parks at night, or whether I'd be flagging by about 7pm! I think I'll follow your lead and go back to the hotel mid afternoon for an hour or two's rest.

Love the jumper by the way - it's very tasteful.

[Disney Wishing]

Brilliant day with some super photo's.

[EJSakaAnna]

Ahh Paradise Pier looks beautiful, such a cool area. And Cars land too! You're getting me in the mood for a west coast trip, I'll add it on to my list...behind the Paris one you made me want with your last report!
Love the new jumper, sometimes emergency buys like that end up being my favourite things! Looks really comfy.
Can't wait to read more xx

[i love jack]

Wow what a packed day, it looks amazing, I went to DL years ago but don't remember it at all 😏 I need to go back!
With you on bags in photos and lol to the rock, scissors, paper 😂

[Guest]

What a lovely first day! Bringing back all the memories when I visited there many many years ago! what temp was it when you guys were there? It looks perfect. That is one thing about Orlando I'm not too keen on but needs must!

[clochette]

What a great day. The parks look beautiful and not too crowded either. I can't believe how small the castle is but it is still beautiful.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

[Lisa_Lollipop]

Originally Posted by HelenJNT

I can't believe Paul did all that sleeping. How can you sleep in with day one of Disney stretching out in front of you?

Can't believe how much the park entrance looks like DHS! Home from home.

I love this photo. Your ears, and Paul's... ornate antlers!

Ahhh you didn't include the Goofy video! Still smiling at that.

The Haunted Mansion building looks epic! Was the ride the same?

Ummmm I don't love Disney pizza...but that stuff looks a world away from the little ones you get I. WDW QS places.

Cannot believe P loves The Little Mermaid ride so much? I think Rach and I are going to have to politely disagree with him on that one!

Wahoooo for the electrical parade! I can't believe what a long day you had - 15 miles too! Glad you had good grub and a rest stop too "bacv at the goth". Brilliant day! 😽

See more...

Pahaha I totally didn't notice Paul's antlers... how dare he upstage me and my ears with such extravagant head wear?!

Apologies for not including the Goofy video, my technology skills do not extend as far as knowing how to do that... but happy you have vouched that you have seen it and it did actually happen!

Haha yes Paul is a sucker for The Little Mermaid ride... he loves it almost as much as the Main Street Electrical Parade!

A trip 'bacv at the goth' did us the world of good... definitely a great tactic to last the whole day!

Originally Posted by jocat

I'm so relieved to see that you survived a full day at Disneyland, despite it being your first full day. We're doing the same thing as you when we arrive and I have to see that this was worrying me slightly, whether I'd be able to stay up late enough to see the parks at night, or whether I'd be flagging by about 7pm! I think I'll follow your lead and go back to the hotel mid afternoon for an hour or two's rest.

Love the jumper by the way - it's very tasteful.

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I can predict now that the excitement of being there will totally carry you through, if the park had been open later we would have totally kept on going! I think the pit stop back at the hotel in the afternoon was the key, and something we adopted in the following two Disney days too! You are going to absolutely love it!

Originally Posted by Disney Wishing

Brilliant day with some super photo's.

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Thank you so much, it was such a fab day... the perfect start to the trip!

Originally Posted by EJSakaAnna

Ahh Paradise Pier looks beautiful, such a cool area. And Cars land too! You're getting me in the mood for a west coast trip, I'll add it on to my list...behind the Paris one you made me want with your last report!
Love the new jumper, sometimes emergency buys like that end up being my favourite things! Looks really comfy.
Can't wait to read more xx

See more...

Haha my trip reports are going to end up costing you a fortune! I would apologise but I can promise you both would be worth every single penny!

Totally love that jumper, so comfy and being a little big I am hoping it will accommodate my expanding belly for a while yet!

Originally Posted by i love jack

Wow what a packed day, it looks amazing, I went to DL years ago but don't remember it at all 😏 I need to go back!
With you on bags in photos and lol to the rock, scissors, paper 😂

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I am so wanting to go back already, I absolutely loved it there!

It's the first time a PP photographer has ever told me to keep hold of my bag... most odd!

Originally Posted by orlandolover04

What a lovely first day! Bringing back all the memories when I visited there many many years ago! what temp was it when you guys were there? It looks perfect. That is one thing about Orlando I'm not too keen on but needs must!

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It was around the mid-twenties mark which was just perfect! Such a welcome change from the crazy humid heat we are used to in Orlando, it made walking around a much more pleasurable (and less sweaty) experience!

[Lisa_Lollipop]

Originally Posted by clochette

What a great day. The parks look beautiful and not too crowded either. I can't believe how small the castle is but it is still beautiful.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

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I was really surprised by the crowd levels as I was expecting it to be so much busier, it really was all-round perfect! And as for the teeny, tiny castle... small but perfectly formed and just beautiful