Wow, where to begin?! *This was, absolutely, my favorite trip to the Disneyland Resort, by far! It was phenomenal!* Originally, we were planning to go, with friends, during July, August or September . . . So, I thought, anyway! Here is my full trip report:

 Day I. Friday, June 15th, 2007

       As it was my 21st birthday, my fiancé, Landon, had reserved a table at my favorite fondue restaurant, The Melting Pot, that night. I was relieved to relax, as the pre-school graduation party had taken place earlier that day and I had spent the week writing student evaluations for kindergarten transitions and saying my tearful good-byes to my graduating pre-schoolers, some of whose younger siblings would be joining my classroom, in the fall. (I'm a pre-school teacher [and pre-schooler, at heart], if you hadn't guessed!) Upon our arrival, we were greeted by our close friends, Anton and Katya and Wyatt and Zoey. Let me tell you, I was starving! All I had eaten that day was a small bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and milk, since I had skipped lunch to ensure there were enough little grad' caps and diplomas for every pre-schooler and finalizing the finishing touches, on everything. When our hostess lead us to our table, I realized Landon had arranged for the staff to have a bouquet of balloons, red roses and a bottle of Moët and Chandon "White Star" champagne waiting for me, at our table. Our hostess snapped a digital photo of our group, before our meal, and presented it to us in a cute restaurant logo frame, later that night, as a memento. The "Amaretto Meltdown" chocolate fondue, we had for dessert, which was flambéed tableside, was amazing! It included pre-sliced bananas, pineapple, strawberries, brownies, cheesecake cubes, and marshmellows (for dipping). Landon excused himself from the table and was gone for, what seemed like, an hour! At that point, I also noticed he hadn't had one sip of his champagne, which was super peculiar since Wyatt had been appointed the "designated driver." Finally, he returned, with our coats and jackets in hand. I gave him an odd, questioning look and he just winked and asked everyone if they were all set to go. When we stepped through the doors, I noticed his car was parked in front of the restaurant. Only, something was different. Our little dachshund/chihuahua mix was in the car, happily wagging her tail, as she looked through the car window! He had gone home to pick up our dog? It just didn't make sense. Everyone began grinning and asking if I was ready to go. I walked closer and realized there was luggage in the backseat. Landon asked if I was ready to go, again. I said I didn't know and asked where it is we were going exactly. I felt my heart skip a beat when he said, "Disneyland!" I couldn't believe it! It was too good to be true! This would be our 3rd trip to the Disneyland Resort (including going with my in-laws later, this month), this summer! I had no idea how we could afford it since the last trip was, totally, spontaneous and unplanned. Landon, finally, confessed he had been planning and saving for this trip months in advance and had wanted to make it a surprise. He had arranged for my family to care for our dog, who we would be dropping off on the way there, and had pre-packed everything. Anton and Katya and Wyatt and Zoey had known the entire time! We would be staying at the Carousel Inn and Suites, directly across the street from the entrance into the Disneyland Resort and we were leaving, right then! We dropped our dog off at my family's place, around 12:00 A.M., and were on the road, again! I was, still, woozy from the champagne and fell asleep for most of the drive. We pulled into the parking lot of Carousel Inn and Suites around 5:00 A.M. (Yikes! We were, definitely, sleeping in.) With 3 queen beds and a sofa bed, our 3-room suite accomodated our group of 6 well. The suite included air conditioning, a fair-sized television, coffee maker, mini 'fridge, full-size microwave, hairdryer, toiletries, safe, iron and ironing board, and a telephone with voicemail. The television included satellite programming, which was wonderful because I am, admittedly, a fan of The Disney Channel. The view was, also, spectacular! We always enjoy our stay at the Carousel Inn and Suites and I had, absolutely, no complaints. Needless to say, we all crashed and did not bother unpacking.

Day II. Saturday, June 16th, 2007

       Everyone woke up at 1:00 P.M., feeling refreshed. We all showered, unpacked and headed out. Obviously, we had missed the hotel's complimentary continental breakfast; so, we grabbed sandwiches at Quizno's Subs, which was conveniently located on-site and moderately priced. We planned to devote our day to shopping in the Downtown Disney District and relaxing, since Anton and Katya and Wyatt and Zoey had never been to Disneyland, before! (I know! Can you believe it?) We hit up the World of Disney Store, first, for the essential autograph books, pens, cameras, film, pin trading landyards, and postcards. We all had Walt Disney Travel Company, Inc. lanyards, from our Disneyland Resort package, but we found ones we liked more. We also bought Disneyland Resort "universal keepers." These little I.D./FastPass/ticket holders are very cool and easily attach to your lanyard. They also include cell phone and water bottle holders, plus extra clips (i.e., for keys or anything else you may need). I bought a Disney princess crown antenna topper and Landon bought a "Pirates of the Caribbean" shot glass. Next, we went to the Build-a-Bear Workshop. We had a blast stuffing our little bears and I, finally, got a Downtown Disney District t-shirt for my bear! Anton, Landon and Wyatt headed to the Lego Imagination Center, while Katya, Zoey and I headed to Sephora. Landon bought a really cute "Pirates of the Caribbean" Lego set. (Can you tell he likes pirates? He may be 24, but sometimes he's just 4. Haha.) On our way to check out our Disney brick, we ran into a caricaturist and decided it'd be fun to have caricatures done of ourselves. Everyone loved the Disney-themed drawings! After window-shopping at, virtually, every shop in the Downtown Disney District we decided to catch a movie at the A.M.C. theatre. Since, after all, we were at the "Happiest Place on Earth" we decided to watch "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." I liked it a lot more than "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and almost more than "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." The movie was, extremely, long and we were due for dinner; so, we went to the House of Blues. I had their Penne Pasta, which I liked, and Landon had their Creole Seafood Jumbalaya, which he did not like. He said it wasn't spicy, at all. Anton loved the Seared Rib Eye Steak, though! He said it was the best he had ever had. After dinner and snapping pictures in front of the California letters in front of Disney's California Adventure Park, we headed back to the hotel for a few laps in the roof-top pool and to unwind, while we watched the "Remember, Dreams Come True . . ." fireworks from our suite.

Day III. Sunday, June 17th, 2007

We had coffee at the hotel and walked over to the park a little before 8:00 A.M. I don't think we set the best of examples since we started running through Main Street, U.S.A. to Fantasyland. Everyone decided to ride Peter Pan's Flight, first. Katya's favorite part was sailing through the stars, on her very own Jolly Roger. When she told me, I knew she would love Space Mountain. The lines weren't very long. I don't know if it was because it was Father's Day or because there was no Early Entry that morning. We went on all of the Fantasyland rides (i.e., Alice in Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, "It's a Small World," King Arthur Carrousel, Mad Tea Party, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight [twice], Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Snow White's Scary Adventures, and the Storybook Land Canal Boats). Then, everyone got their own Mickey and Minnie ears, at the Mad Hatter. Landon and I already have our own Mickey and Minnie ears, with our names stitched in them, as well as bride and groom ears and their 50th anniversary golden ears. So, we usually go for silly hats. On our last visit, Landon got a Stitch hat and I got a princess hat. For this trip, Landon got the three-cornered brown pirate hat and I got "Pirates of the Caribbean" ears. Anton and Katya and Wyatt and Zoey all got their first Mickey and Minnie ears and Wyatt, who loves Goofy, bought the Goofy hat, as well. We took pictures in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, Snow White's Grotto and Triton Garden before Anton and Katya and Wyatt and Zoey returned to our hotel suite for an afternoon nap. Landon and I, however, stayed and hit up the Penny Arcade and Crystal Arts, for pressed coins and etched picture frames. We also went to City Hall for souvenir Disney Dollars and had our silhouettes drawn and framed at the Silhouette Studio before heading back to the hotel. At the hotel, we went for another swim in the roof-top pool and grabbed sandwiches from Quizno's, again, on our way back to the park. The lines in Tomorrowland were incredibly long, but we were determined to go on every ride! We got our Autopia Driver's licenses and had a blast singing at Club Buzz! I was sad I did not beat Landon at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters! I'm getting better, though! I was excited to get the Gemini spaceship, when we rode on Astro Orbitor. Landon and I loved seeing "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience," again! We could not stop laughing when Anton jumped up when the "mice" scurried by you. Space Mountain and Star Tours were the most popular rides, among our friends, in Tomorrowland, especially Space Mountain, which we rode twice. Next, we hit up Critter County for Splash Mountain. Landon and I, bravely, sat in front and were soaked! Our bottoms were already drenched from the wet seats, before the big splash. We ended up buying the picture from Splash Mountain because it had turned out so well.

To be continued . . .

       — Sebastian from Disney's The Little Mermaid

Happy Belated Birthday!

Leanne

May All Your Days Be Filled With Magic!  And your nights full of Disney Dreams!