Trip Report:

Day one Sunday April 16th

Well we're back from Disneyland and Japan and thought I'd share some of the highlights of the trip. Joshua, our 2.5yr old loved Disneyland, as did my wife as this was her first time at Disney in Anaheim. We had 2.5 days at Disney on a layover before flying to Japan so we had pre-purchased a 3 day pass. The first day, Sunday April 16th was perfect! We arrived at the park at 8am and the crowds were too bad at all. After entering the main gate and avoiding the picture offers we strolled up Main and let our son (and my wife) soak it all in, and immediately they felt the magic. We continued through the castle to Fantasyland and decided to take Joshua on a few rides, starting with Mr. Toad's wild ride. We think this was a mistake as the ride is dark with scary sounds and it was clear Joshua was scared. Oops. So we then tried Peter Pan and while there are no scary sounds, it was still dark and he spent most of the ride with his eyes closed say "I don't like it". Realizing we needed to turn things around we stuck to the outside rides for awhile, taking him on the Teacups and Dumbo, which he loved and rode several times. Crowds were increasing so we headed over to Small World. However, it was roped off due to repairs and they weren't sure when it would open. Just as we turned to leave one of the staff was told she could let people in, so we jumped on the chance and were 3rd in line. Joshua and my wife loved it! It's always a big hit with young kids (I think). We then headed over to Toontown to meet Mickey and Minnie. On route through Toontown we ran into Pluto and Goofy. One frustrating note, we were in line to meet Goofy when a cast member came over to tell us in 5 minutes it's time for Goofy's water break, ok no problem. We were 4th in line at this point and 30 seconds later the cast member whisked Goofy away. Now if you say 5 minutes, make it 5 minutes. There's nothing worse than seeing the disappointment on a child’s face when something like this happens. Personally I feel they should decide a cut-off point in the line and them those people see goofy, as we (they) had been standing in line for sometime. Anyway, rant off. We stood in line at Minnie's house for probably 10 minutes before getting to meet her, not bad really. Joshua clearly enjoyed this and strolling through her house. Mickey was not available that morning, I don't know why, he just wasn't there. After meeting Minnie we let Joshua stretch his legs in Pluto’s playhouse and he loved it! We did bring our own stroller (collapsible) and while Joshua generally does really good in it, it’s good to give him a break. After this we headed over to the Roger Rabbit ride where there was almost no line up and we whipped through the line. However, shortly before we got on Joshua started crying saying he didn’t want to go on. Well the primary reason we took him to Disneyland is for him to experience it, and if he’s not ready then why push it? So we backed out of the line and headed over to Tomorrowland to explore. Now, Joshua is a big fan of Buzz Lightyear and over at the stage area in Tomorrowland was Buzz, and was he cool! Doing breakdancing moves and striking poses with the kids, Joshua, although a little timid, loved it! The line up was short also which really helps. That brings us to about noon on our first day. We headed over to Main St. and grabbed some snacks but it was clear Joshua was tired (acting out) so we decided to leave the park and take him back to the room for an hour or two nap. We were staying at the Howard Johnson which is maybe a 5-7 minute walk and a perfect location for Disney.  We were back in the park by 3pm and the crowds were terrible. It was difficult to walk with the stroller there were so many people cutting in front of you, but we headed over to Tomorrowland to grab a bite eat and then take Joshua on the Buzz ride. I think this has been mentioned in other Disney tips but the meals are huge and my wife and I could have easily shared one meal. We had forgotten this point and ordered two individual meals, of which we both only ate half. Joshua got a Peanut butter and jam sandwich with chips and seemed to like it, so on to the ride. Oops forgot to mention that just before we left the park we had picked up a fastpass for Buzz with a time between 3-4pm. This was our first time ever using fastpass and boy is it easy! I wish they had fastpass on all the rides. We were strapped into the ride and off we went, however, it was dark and Joshua was scared. So despite his love of Buzz he didn’t like the ride. Hopefully he’ll get over this in the years to come. We headed over to get a good spot for the Parade of Dreams and got a great spot. Many of the characters came right over to Joshua and blew him a kiss, it was great experience. Since it was difficult to see some of the characters at Disney we decided to book a character breakfast. I phoned and had no problem booking an 8am breakfast for the next day. After the parade we went over to Fantasyland and rode Dumbo, Teacups and the Carousel and then high-tailed it over to get a good spot for Fantasmic. We were there an hour and a half before the show and already there were big crowds. We did manage to get a good spot right at the front, against the fence directly across from laceName w:st="on">TomlaceName> laceName w:st="on">SawyerlaceName> laceType w:st="on">IslandlaceType>. One thing we found frustrating was the amount of pushing and shoving that occurring shortly before the show. People just piled in and didn’t care you were there. We had a whole family attempt to push through us and push us out of the way, and I had to tell them to back off. I hate it when this type of thing happens as it takes away from the experience. Anyway a couple of things about Fantasmic, if you stand up front you’re going to get wet – not drenched but when it’s cold at night the mist from the water makes you colder. Another thing, when it’s over, just stay in your spot for a good 10-15 minutes as attempting to leave during the mad rush…is…well… a mad rush. That was about all Joshua could handle for one day so we made our way out of the park and prepared to use our early morning entry the next day.

Day two Monday April 17th:

We arrived at the park at 7am, headed up Main St. grabbed a coffee and croissant at the bakery (yummy!) and right over to Fantasyland where we took Joshua on his favorite rides. Then over to Small World again and back to the character breakfast at the Plaza Inn. We had no problem getting the characters to come to our table despite the business of the place. Joshua got hugs from Minnie, Pooh, Chip and Dale, Tiger, he was scared of Captain Hook, but all in all had a great time. They give you an hour and a half for the character breakfast, which is more than enough. We then left and headed over to California Adventure for the 10am opening of Monsters Inc. Joshua LOVES Monsters Inc and similarly had a great time on the ride. We walked most of California Adventure but did try anymore rides as the line ups were crazy (Easter Holiday). We’ll need to go back there next year. It was noon by this time so we took him back to the hotel for a nap and were back at the California Adventure by 3pm. Unfortunately Monsters Inc was closed due to repairs and they said it would be a couple of hours. So back to Disneyland we went. We jumped on the train and did a full circle of the park and then got off at New Orleans Square. My wife did some shopping in that area (Christmas Ornaments) and we grabbed a couple of Churros (yum yum) and headed over to Splash Mountain but the line ups were nuts, so we headed back to Frontierland and had a delicious lunch at the Mexican Restaurant where we were smart and shared a meal. Back over to Adventureland we hopped on the jungle cruise and then over to the Tikki house as you have to do that every time you visit Disneyland J Then over to Fantasyland again, which was a zoo, and on the teacups (boy he likes those teacups). We wanted to see the Electrical Parade over in California Adventure so we strolled down Main St., buying toys and silly hats along the way. We got to CA but had our timing wrong and the parade wasn’t for a couple of hours. There was a band playing and Joshua loves music and dancing so we let him loose there and he danced up a storm. Once they were finished we went back to try Monsters Inc. The line up was long but we figured we had the time so into the line up we went. We were there for 40 minutes and about 30 people from the front when they announced again that it had broken down and was going to be closed for an indefinite period. I heard lots of people in line grumbling about how this ride is always breaking down. Oh well, that’s life. I personally though the ride was “o.k” but by no means great. The door room probably was the coolest part but I was a bit disappointed in the ride overall and thought they could/should have done cooler stuff with it. Anyway, back out to the main area where we were an hour early for the Electrical Parade and got a great seat ride across from the VIP area (I think this must be reserved for resort guests). We killed the time waiting by eating popcorn and checking out the cool waterfall close by. The electrical parade was awesome and Joshua thoroughly enjoyed it. Right after the parade we high tailed it over to Disneyland and made it to Main St. when the fireworks started. It was hard to get closer due to the crowds. I’d like to find a better place to watch the fireworks from in the future. Anyway, now that we’re on Main St. my wife put on her shopping hat and we strolled through the various stores, checking out the cool stuff, before leaving and heading back over to Small World. By this time Joshua is fast asleep in his stroller so it was a leisurely pace, grabbed a coffee on the way and just spent some time enjoying the walk. We left the park around 11:30 that night and decided that although we had an international flight to catch at 4pm the next day, we would get up early and spend the morning at Disney after checking out of the hotel.

Day Three Tuesday April 18th:

Checked out of the Howard Johnson at 7:30am and they wouldn’t accept the Disney Discount coupon for 10% off the hotel – I put up a small fight but I was wasting time and I gave up. Not sure if this will affect us staying there in the future but it was a downer. Headed over to Disneyland for the 8am opening and shot right up to Autopia as Joshua loves cars. Even doing this we had a 45 minute wait, but it was worth it to see the smile on his face. Next we tried Small World, closed again for repairs L so we shot over to Toontown thinking maybe he could meet Mickey, wrong. The crowds were unbelievable and we decided it wasn’t worth the wait given our short window that morning. So we headed over to Frontierland to try and catch a glimpse of Woody as Joshua loves Toy Story, to no avail. By now it was 10am and we had to leave by 10:30 to drop the rental car and get to the airport, so we walked Main St., grabbed another coffee from the Bakery and wandered toward the gate, not wanting to leave.

We enjoyed the short stay immensely and we’ve decided to take Joshua once a year, we just need to figure out the best time of year because Easter break was far too crowded. We flew to Japan after Disneyland and had tickets for Disney Tokyo that my brother (Navy) had purchased but when we got to the gate they told us the tickets he purchased were not valid during Golden Week (a one week celebration in Japan)! Very frustrating but there were many other things to see in Japan. That’s all for now, I’m sure I’ve replicated information that is already on Tink’s website as it’s full of valuable information. Sorry if the info is repetitive! Any questions feel free to email me!

First of all WELCOME HOME!  I am glad to hear you had fun.  A few questions, comments are coming though, so be prepared. lol

The first comment - regarding your statement at the end about repeating my information.  That is awesome.  We can tell people the same thing 100 times, but sometimes, it takes a new voice to agree that it IS a good idea.  Your report was awesome.

Regarding the Howard Johnson - I wish you would have told me before your trip that you were going to try to use that discount.  I would have given you another way to get a discount that they would honor.  Aside from that one problem, how did you like the hotel?  It is currently our favorite non Disney hotel.

Joshua - Thanks for realizing this trip was for him and not forcing him!  Good Job!  I am really shocked he didn't like BLAB, as that is Alex's favorite ride.  Aside from Small World, what WERE his favorites?  Writing this information down is great for other parents, but even more for yourself.  Now, you have a record of Joshua's first trip to Disneyland.

As for taking him each year - warning, warning, warning - if you let him know you have a trip planned, he is too young to understand how long it is before you go.  Alex has known for a few months that we are going in June.  He thinks June is tomorrow. lol  Finally, I made rings, and he gets to tear one off each night.  When the rings are gone, we go.  So, as he pulls of the ring, we say "one day closer" and he says "to Disneyland".  It is amazing to watch his excitement.

The fact that you didn't force Joshua on anything will also help on your next trip.  He will realize you won't make him do anything bad and you may find it easier to get him on rides.

Finally - crowds.  This year, through September will continue to be extra busy because the end of the 50th is near.  After it ends, I would expect crowds to get down to normal size.  That being said, it will probably be a good idea to look at crowds in January 2007 for an example.  January 2006 was crazy busy, and that is normally a very slow time of year.  Also, one important thing to note:  slow times mean rides are being refurbished.  That is also important, especially when traveling with a little one.

So, what you might want to do is come up with a few dates that sound good - summer or winter.  I will then give you pro's and con's and tips for each time period.  We will make sure you are happy with the time you chose to go!

Thanks again for the trip report, it was awesome to read.

Leanne

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

We thought the hotel was perfectly located, nice clean rooms, and we took advantage of the in-room fridge to store milk. We ended up with a 2nd floor room that overlooked the pool. It was a bit noisy during the day when we went back for Joshua's nap, but that didn't disturb him from sleeping. I too wish I had known about the other discount! Oh well we'll know for next time if we decide to stay there. I would like to try out one of the resort hotels, depending on the cost. We were going to book Disneyland hotel this time, but the rooms were $380 a night! A bit steep I think.

Well I really wish we hadn't started off with Mr. Toad's wild ride as I think the spookiness of it scared him. If it weren't for that I think he would have enjoyed BLAB. We ended up sticking to the outdoor rides and I'm sure as he grows he'll appreciate the other rides more. I would say his favorites were the Teacups, Monsters Inc., Carousel and Dumbo in that order.

Your ring idea is great! We haven't mentioned to him that we're going to take him again (and again and again lol) as we know he'll ask everyday. We'll tell him shortly before we leave and try to introduce a method that he can understand.

We will definitely take you up on this thanks! We want to time it so there aren't a lot of shut downs or missed shows, but so that the crowds are also manageable. Afternoons and evenings on this trip were almost too much. In fact, I saw a cast member or two at the Indiana Jones ride being downright rude to people who were 'walking the wrong way through the area' and we'd like to avoid that type of pandemonium.

Here are a few pics from our trip, just to wet your appetite

http://www.kulkarnicorp.com/images/album/index.html

David

Joshua is absolutely adorable, what a cutie you have!

In addition to the pictures, would it be okay with you if we put your trip report on our site?  Not everyone who reads our site comes to our message boards, but everyone likes to read trip reports, so let me know.

Leanne

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

thanks for your kind comments re Joshua, I(we) agree, of course You're more than welcome to use the pics and write-up on the website, let me know if you'd like higher res copies. I'll post more pics for you in the next couple of days as we took 500+ pictures so there is lots to choose from.

Regards,

David

I too agree with the Monster's Inc Ride, it was just okay (yes Tink, I'm still working on the reviews for you!! )




Jake and I hangin' with the Big Cheese, Disneyland April '06

This pics are awesome, not res changes needed.  One question though:  what camera did you use?  I am very impressed with the quality of those pictures.

Can't wait to see the rest!

Leanne

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