Brett & Jo's Pilgrimage to Where it All Began: Day 8 - More Shopping & the World's Worst Airport

[Happyhaunt1000]

And so, my ever faithful readers, we have reached that point in the trip that everyone hates… the travel home day! We both wake up around 8:30 which is the latest we’ve slept the whole trip. With all the packing done last night, there isn’t a lot for us to do until we’re picked up from the hotel at 2pm by our Supershuttle that we booked last night. The plan is to get downstairs for about 11am, leave our suitcases at the hotel while we head into DTD for a spot of brunch and maybe a last bit of shopping.

It’s not until 10am that I suddenly remember that I hadn’t done my notes for the previous day… so whilst Jo’s in the shower, I do a quick (I say quick… it was nearly 15minutes long) voice-memo and also mention what our plan is for this morning.

During the morning, Jon & Lisa had knocked to say one final goodbye before they headed off to the airport. It was great to finally meet J&L face to face… and even though it was the first time of actually spending time with them in person… it felt like being around old friends we’ve known for years. I’m looking forward to seeing them again in September and spending some time with them in the WDW parks.

At 11am we get another knock at the door and it’s housekeeping this time. We tell them we’re only going to be another 5 minutes and they tell us no to worry, and to take our time. By 11:15 we’re all ready to leave the room for a final time and head downstairs. At reception I ask if there’s somewhere to leave our suitcases until our shuttle arrives and they direct us outside to the Bell Service kiosk. We’re given our ticket and off we go for one last look around DTD.







The first place we went into was WonderGround Gallery. We hadn’t been in here before, but was overwhelmed at the amount of amazing art they had for sale. As you’d guess, it was mostly Disney related, but it wasn’t just the normal sort of painting of characters you get at Art of Disney. Take for example the first picture… at first glance it looks like Mickey, Walt, the castle and some fireworks. BUT… on closer examination, you see that the black part of the painting has hidden characters in it! We fell in love with so much stuff, and were in there for well over half an hour… and could’ve easily spent longer in there.



















We’d each picked a few items each that we’d wanted… but then we stopped. It was just before we were about to pay when we decided that we shouldn’t buy any of them. As much as we both absolutely loved the stuff we hand in our hands, we just don’t have anywhere to hang them up. Actually, that’s not entirely true… it’s not that we don’t have the space, it’s that we want to decorate the whole house, so it’s pointless getting anything new especially since we’ve already got 5 attraction poster canvases just sat there leaning against the wall in our bedroom! So, with a heavy heart, we went and put back everything we’d picked up.

Even when we were in D-Street afterwards, all we could talk about was the paintings we’d seen and would hopefully buy one day. The only thing that took my mind off the paintings was buying a cool sweatshirt and T-shirt. (I’d seen them earlier in the trip and knew I just had to buy them.)

Next stop was Quicksilver where I’d seen some shorts I’d liked the previous evening, and when I got back to the hotel I said to Jo that I wished I’d bought them. While in there I saw a second pair I liked and was just about to walk to the till to pay my $120 when a shop assistant came up to me and said “We’ve got a special offer on at the moment… you can buy one pair of shorts, two t-shirts, one pair of flip flops and a hat for $99!”

At first I dismissed it and just said “no thank you”, but then Jo said I’d be mental to not take up that offer. For an extra $80 I was getting so much extra stuff. So off I went to pick my extra bits. The flip-flops were easy enough to choose, and although I deliberate on the t-shirts for a few minutes, (mainly because there were so many I liked) the hardest part came when I had to pick two hats! I picked was the least garish trucker cap they had (I still doubt I’ll ever wear it) and what I picked as my second hat was absolutely ridiculous as I was going to have to pack it in the suitcase… it was a giant straw hat. Jo kept telling me to put it back and just pick one of the smaller sun hats… but I didn’t like those at all!

After this, Jo went into Disney Vault 28 and bought two more of the Alex & Ani charm bracelets. At the time she wasn’t sure if she really liked them, but I pointed out they were brand new Disney exclusives, and if she got home and decided she really didn’t like them, we could sell them on eBay. She also picked up a cool Minnie version of the Mickey t-shirt I bought in D-Street earlier.
*Side Note: since we’ve been back she’s worn the bracelets almost every time we’ve been out and there is no way she’d sell them now!*

We also saw some really cool Haunted Mansion plates which we’d not seen anywhere else, including in the parks. I was so tempted to get a couple, but our cases were already at their limit, and we’d already bought enough crockery! Since getting back I have seen that they’re available in WDW too, so they’re now on the list of things to pick up when we’re out there in September.



Finally we had to pick up some little presents from World of Disney. I really don’t know why we hadn’t bought this stuff earlier in the week instead of leaving it until an a few hours before we were leaving!

It’s time to grab something to eat and as it’s a nice sunny day and we want to soak up the last remaining rays before we head home, we get a seat outside Taqueria at Tortilla Jo’s (which is the fast food part of the place we ate at earlier in the week). I had the Tostada Bowl with chicken and Jo had the Cobb Salad with chicken, and we both really enjoyed them.





We still had about 40 minutes until the shuttle came, but seeing as we now had some extra bits to pack in the cases we went back to the hotel and collected our bags. Then began the task of fitting all our new purchases in. I could see that Jo was getting a little stressed so I said she should go and get changed into her travel clothes and I’d do it. She was gone for about 10minutes and when she returned everything had been packed away… including my giant hat (which I’d folded in half and slid in between two towels!)

At 2pm on the dot our shuttle arrived and we were clearly the last people to board. There was one seat in the back so Jo sat there and I went up front next to the driver. The people who were in the shuttle all seemed to know each other and were talking the whole way about their holiday and how much they’d enjoyed it. I sat there just looking out the window the whole journey… which was only 45 minutes! It’s was the least traffic we’d experienced the whole holiday!



Our terminal was the first stop so after getting all four of our cases out of the van, we checked into at the Virgin counter which was totally deserted! After we’d checked in, the Virgin employee said that they were going through some renovation work in this terminal, and all they had here was a coffee shop. She said we could walk to the other main terminal and have a look around the shops there if we wanted. Seeing as we had plenty of time to kill before our flight, that’s what we did. We walked the 10minutes to the Tom Bradley International terminal.







Once inside we realised that all the decent shops were on the other side of security! So… like a couple of fools, we queued up for 10 minutes to go through all the security checks! The woman who checked my ticket said we were in the wrong terminal and I explained that we were only coming in here to do a bit of shopping. On hearing that she gave me the weirdest look… as if you couldn’t believe I was going through all the stress of security checks and full body scans just so I could buy more jerky! Once through all the checks we wandered round the shops. It became abundantly clear very quickly that there was nothing here we wanted!

We’d only eaten a couple of hours beforehand, and all they had on offer was sit down restaurant food! Even though it all looked great, we didn’t need anything now. We were looking for something nice to take on the plane and eat later. As it happened, we did find some interesting nut based snacks which we bought… along with more jerky! (Told you I was obsessed with that stuff!)



After a posting this double selfie to the DADC of me and Jo looking sad, and then having a wee break we left the terminal and walked back to Terminal 2… where once again we went through the procedure of security checks and full body scans. Looking back… I can’t believe we went through this process twice just so we could look around at some shops! Once we’d made our way through we were into what can only be described as the most hideous looking airport terminal I’ve ever set foot in! This place had a shelf along one wall that was full of perfume and alcohol (this was their duty free section) and a lone sandwich shop. Actually, I take that back, it wasn’t a shop. It was two fridges and three coolers containing the most bland sounding sandwiches in the world! And the cheeky gits were charging $12 a pop! TWELEVE FRICKIN DOLLARS!



Once again, looking back at this I don’t know why I even contemplated buying one of these overpriced sandwiches… but I did. And not only did I contemplate buying one… but we actually ended up buying two of them! (I’m sitting here typing this and shaking my head at the fact that I paid that money for a sandwich... I can only imagine what Wizzo must be thinking!) With our expensive sandwiches bought, we looked for somewhere to sit as everywhere appeared to be off limits or under construction!

We found a quiet little area near where we had entered the terminal… and as we sat down I felt like I’d been punched in the guts… for here, tucked away in the corner of the terminal behind some construction walls, was a pastry shop selling hot mac and cheese pies, steak and blue cheese pies, and a selection of cakes! And to further add to the gut-punchiness, these things were only a few dollars each! We sat there for 10 or 15 minutes listening for our flight to be called… and during that time the smell of the pies was calling to me. I couldn’t resist, I had to buy one! I went up to the counter, asked for a mac and cheese pie, and one of the steak ones as well (as I thought Jo might get pie envy and I wasn’t going to share) and he went away and put them in his mini oven. “They’ll just take a couple of minutes” he said.

At that precise moment an announcement came over the PA system saying our flight was boarding.
Son of a b! Isn’t that just typical! Jo’s now stressing as the pies are taking a little longer than ‘a couple of minutes’. After more like 7 or 8 minutes he hands us our two little pies in boxes, and I stuff them in my hand luggage. We go round to where the gate is and there’s odd lines of people… not going through the gate but kinda standing next to the shelves of duty free items that I’d mentioned earlier. There was a security guy there asking people to step away from the duty free… but to also remain in line! Well, what is it mate? Move away or stay in line? I ask him who’s boarding at the moment, and he says “Upper Class”. Oh ok… good… we’ll be called next then.

After about 5 minutes they don’t call us… instead they are loading rows of people at the back of the plane. Oh… ok… so maybe that’s how they do it out here. Another 5 minutes and more rows get called. Hmmm… this can’t be right, we’ve heard no mention of Premium Economy at all.
“I’m sorry, but when does Premium Economy board?” I ask the guy. He doesn’t even have time to respond before there’s another announcement.
“This is our final call for all Upper Class and Premium Economy customers to board.”
WHAT… THE… ACTUAL… FLIP?

So the whole time we were being told by this jobsworth security guard to move/stay in line, we didn’t actually need to be there and we could’ve just boarded straight away. I am far from impressed and we walk to where we’re meant to be boarding. I vent a little at the two women who check our passports asking why they kept calling just for Upper Class, and not Upper Class AND Premium Economy. Just like the stupid CM outside Trader Sam’s, she didn’t really answer and just handed me back my passport and boarding pass and told me to have a nice flight.

We board on the plane, we get seated and I’m still moaning about everything that’s happened at this airport. I’ve been to some real toilet places in my time, and thought their airports sucked… but without a doubt, LAX is THE WORST AIRPORT I’VE EVER BEEN TO! From this point I made no further voice-memos, so the rest is all from memory with a few photos thrown in.











I know the flight was uneventful. I know the food was horrible. I know I watched most of Shaun the Sheep and laughed way more than a grown man should. I know that we didn’t end up eating the pies OR the world’s most expensive sandwiches! I know I panicked when there was an announcement made on the plane saying that no meat or dairy items were to be brought back into the UK, and that we should dispose of any of the food items we had by handing them to one of the cabin crew. But despite panicking, I also know I wasn’t about to hand over $25 worth of uneaten sandwiches and $15 worth of uneaten pies so I just left them in my bag! I know I crapped myself when I saw a sniffer dog on landing at Heathrow, and was worried he’d smell the food in my bag and I’d be pulled to one side, stripped naked and searched to see if I was smuggling in jerky!



I know once I got through Passport Control and into Baggage Claim I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I know I crapped myself again when the guy next to me got pulled aside by a Customs guy so they could search his bag (can’t help feeling like there was a little bit of racial profiling going on when they picked him). And I know this is the end of our Californian Adventure to where it all began!





As you can see… when we got home from the airport I was so tired that I crashed out on the sofa and Jo waited for this to arrive!



We had a lot of fun in California… but at the same time there were things we weren’t so keen on. We’d definitely go back to DL, but I can’t see that happening for many years. We’re so used to going to WDW out of season, that we’re used to short wait times and low crowds at the parks. The crowds at DL and DCA were definitely something we weren’t expecting. The same could be said for the weather. We assumed that going to California in mid may would mean we’d experience nothing but sunshine and blue skies. Unfortunately… we only had a couple of days of that. The rest of the time it was chilly and raining (something we really hadn’t prepared for and meant we ended up having to buy jumpers! JUMPERS… IN MAY… IN CALIFORNIA!)

For me personally, the highlight was staying at the Disneyland Hotel. It was a lovely room with a great view… but that headboard just wormed its way into my heart and I loved it so much. It was great to see Walt’s original park, and standing there on the last night we were in DL… looking up at the window to his office was… well… let’s just say it was a ‘moment’.

Quite a few of you have been asking about all the merchandise we bought when we were there… so here’s some pictures of all the bits we bought!


















Just to give you an idea of scale!





Ok, so this wasn’t exactly a ‘purchase’… I may have ‘borrowed’ it from the hotel room. I do of course intend to return it one day! (Basically it’s the Disneyland Hotel directory/information folder, but I fell in love with it because of the old pictures in it.)











Anyway, unlike the last trip report where when I’d finished writing the TR itself, I then waffled on for another 8 pages(!) I'm going to end this one rather quickly.

I just want to say a massive, heartfelt “Thank You!” to all the Dibbers (and Non-Dibbers) who took the time to read this Trip Report… especially if you’ve never ventured over into the west coast TR section and only went there because you enjoyed my other TR! To everyone who’s ever left us a comment on here, on Twitter or on Instagram… we love reading them all and knowing you’ve enjoyed reading about our adventure really does spur us on to keep writing.

I know its weird thanking her… but the biggest thanks goes to Jo. Without her you’d all have no TR to read. I know this has been hard for you, and there were MANY times when you just didn’t want to edit or post anything. Thank you bumface!

And that’s it for us and this TR. We’ll be back soon with Brett & Jo’s As Yet Unnamed September 2015 Trip Report (Pre-Trip Report is here). We’ll obviously be posting stuff on Twitter and Instagram while we’re out there, so feel free to follow us if you don’t want to wait till the end of October to see some of the things that went on!

We love you byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee xx

#dibbafterdarkmagpies

[Nesbits]

Great trip report, as always. You bought so much stuff!

What happened to the pies and sandwiches you bought in the airport? Did you eat or bin?

Looking forward to the next one

[babybear11]

another great day guys,
Looking forward to the next one. We may cross paths next week and il keep my eye out for you both...
#titanofthedibb

[Buffton]

The picture at the end is brilliant! Thanks so much Jo and Brett! Loved reading every detail and laughing along with your trip. Excellent purchases! I love seeing all the disney things people have bought. Have a brilliant time at wdw, look forward to hearing all about it!
Lizzie

[vics18]

Really enjoyed reading your trip report. I'd love to visit Disneyland one day and see where it all started, but ideally as well as, rather than instead of going to wdw ! EPCOT is my fave park so feel like I'd miss it if we went to california. Best keep my fingers crossed for a lottery win ha. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Jesslydevie1]

Fantastic , can totally understand why you "purchased" the directory it's lovely .

[debojahh]

That Haunted Mansion walk plaque is amazing.

I just got some custom Haunted Mansion ears from Etsy myself!

Great report as always and have a lovely trip to Florida!

[emmabanana]

Another great trip report. Love the haunted mansion plaque!

Enjoy your next trip

[disneylover]

Thanks Brett and Jo for taking the time to post your report. I'm an avid follower of you both on IG too so I'm looking forward to hearing all about your next trip. Don't it make you annoyed when you feel like a captive audience at airport terminals and you get striped up paying for crap food! The not to eat it either, I'd be raging!

[ely3857]

Awesome report! Now get some rest before the next one!