The Disneyland Traveler Gets Packing

Well a week from tomorrow, the Disneyland Traveler will be making that 450 mile trek down to our favorite theme park - Disneyland.  The first 325 miles or so is I-5 nothingness mostly comprised of farmland and pastures broken up by pockets of gas stations and food places. Boring. Then you hit the grapevine and up the mountains that head into the land of white knuckle driving. Everybody drives in L.A. I can't think of anyone who remotely touches a freeway can enjoy it. It can be down right scary!

It should take us about 6 or 6 and half hours to make it to our hotel. Check in time is 3:00 pm. So what is the routine once we arrive? Drop of the bags and beat it over to the parks? No, as I've gotten older I've learned to pace myself. Get the bags into the room. Do some unpacking and preparation for the week and then sit down and rest a bit. There will be plenty of times for the parks. They're not going anywhere and I have a whole week ahead of me. The past couple of trips, we have found a nice place to eat dinner (Bubba Gump's over at the Garden Walk has been a popular favorite lately) then head back to the room for some relaxation and an early bedtime because come Monday morning, we are off to the races.

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler won't be coming with me on this trip. I will have my sister with me and we will be meeting up with a couple of wings of a family tribe during the week. Mrs DLT went with her son to Disneyland while I stayed home to stay with our dogs a few months back. This is a little payback. It's gotten quite expensive to board our dogs and bringing them over to someone's house for them to take care of the animals is asking a lot. I know people who will do it but would not want to make it a habitual practice. Did I mention we also have a cat? Hopefully, Mrs DLT and I will call on that favor as we get closer to the holidays.

Time goes by fast. There still is a lot to do. I use to say if you used the expression "let's go on a trip to Disneyland" my response would be "give me an hour and I'll be ready". I'm not that naive anymore. It takes more than an hour as you get the right clothes washed and packed. I need to prepare whatever cameras I plan to take. Need to go to the store to bring some drinks and snacks for the room. I also pack up a power strip and extension cord just in case. So that 's what I will be doing throughout this week and as I plan, organize, and try not to forget anything. I'll be ready. That's for sure.

Prepping For Disneyland: Let The Packing Begin

We're still a few weeks away from our trip to Disneyland. This is the time when the brain begins to kick into gear; you begin to think about things like packing lists; and you begin to think about exactly what you plan to bring with you. Like I said, I could probably get ready for a trip to Disneyland in a couple of hours and do just fine but there's a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. Somehow, there is more satisfaction in making a plan and doing things the right way rather than letting the anxiety build and doing things at the last minute.

We generally drive to Disneyland rather than fly even though we are about 450 miles away (434 to be exact). Driving allows us to bring everything but the kitchen sink which makes the packing list even longer. We bring things like a full size coffee maker and an electric fan along with plenty of snacks and beverages. Don't forget the extension cords and air freshener.

So today it all begins - the preparing. I'll dig out my suitcase even though it is far too early to put anything in it. An empty suitcase at least gets you to think about what to put in it. I checked weather.com this morning and according to statistics, the average high in Disneyland during the week we'll be there is about 75 degrees. The average low is around 52 degrees. Since all my winter clothes have been packed away for the summer, its about time to get them out and see what is a good candidate to make the trip. The Disneyland nights can get pretty cool after sunset in November - experience has taught me that lesson in various ways (lesson: do not ride Grizzly River Run unprotected at 5:00 pm - wet clothes and a setting sun are not a good combination).

So let the preparation begin. Time moves faster than expected when you get to be my age.

A Christmastime Reservation At The Disneyland Resort

We did it. Yesterday,Mrs. DisneylandTraveler called the Candy Cane Inn and made a November reservation for a week's stay at Disneyland. We like the Candy Cane Inn. If you are staying outside of the Disney's Grand Californian or Disneyland Hotel, it is the best place to stay for a trip to Disneyland. The Candy Cane Inn runs a little more in terms of price than the rest of the Harbor Blvd. "Good Neighbor" hotels but it's overall cleanliness and impeccable customer service more than make up for the few extra dollars. 

So by the time we get to Disneyland in November, Christmastime at the Disneyland Resort will be hitting its starting point and what better way is there to begin the holiday season and get into the Christmas spirit. Even the thought of it makes me smile.

Now, some things have to fall into place for us pull off this trip but it looks promising enough that making a reservation seemed like the right thing to do. And now - three and a half months of anticipation.

Return of The Disneyland Traveler

I've got to go back to work. I've been ignoring this blog too long again. Personal life is battling my Disney life and my personal life is winning. But I see the Disney life making a comeback and once again this blog will spring into action or at least I hope it will.

What triggers interest in this poor neglected blog again? Well, a trip to Disneyland is the place to start. And maybe not just one trip but possibly two. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I are thinking that just maybe we can pull off a trip for the Christmas holidays. And the extended family is talking about a larger trip next year for Disneyland's Diamond Celebration (that's 60th anniversary for most of us).

So maybe there will be things to write about after all in my Disney blogging world. I hope so anyway.

Disneyland Starts To Prepare For It's 60th Anniversary

Disneyland turns 60 years old next year. Now being planned as the first major kickoff event according to internet stories is the keeping of the parks open for 60 hours straight over an unspecified weekend. Yes, there are "people" who make it the whole 60 hours or at least try, but crowds, lines, and tired people do not necessarily make for the Happiest Place on Earth........ "Security!!!"

Triple Digit Disneyland

An nbclosangelas.com photo

Do you know where Disneyland beats Walt Disney World almost every single time? Low humidity and generally better weather. Well that comparison can fly out the window as for several days this past week, the temperatures in Disneyland sat at around 100 degrees, give or take a degree or two. Now I'm a Disneyland fan but when temperatures hit triple digits - No Thank You. Disneyland is one of the last places I would want to be.

In the oppressive heat, tempers easily melt faster that your pineapple whip and enjoying yourself seems like a real effort as heat relief is the number one thing on your mind. But there's only so many times you can sit through the Tiki Birds singing in their beautifully air conditioned abode and eventually, you have to hit the Disneyland concrete jungle, absorbing heat like a sponge. If its a 100 degrees as the actual temperature, its probably more like a 110 inside the park as people still gather creating crowds and lines and generally sucking whatever air there is in the park right out.

And as you think about getting relief from somewhere, some place, you can think about the gem called Cars Land. Yep, Disney built a beautiful shade less replica of a desert town to enjoy sweltering weather.

My Disneyland Souvenir - Coming Back With A Cold

Mickey Mouse with a cold - A Disney character

What do you get when you are at Disneyland sharing the fun, happiness, and good times with 50,000 other people? Well if you are me, more often than not, you come home with a cold - especially if you are visiting the resort in the cooler times of the year. I can't tell you how many times I have come home from a trip to Disneyland with a cold. Seems to happen almost every time. But even down with a cold this week, it sure beats the time I came back and needed prostate surgery.

That being said, I am getting better and with time off for the holidays looming, get ready for a barrage of new posts about our latest Disneyland trip.

The Best Bad Way To Begin My Disney Day

A typical hotel coffee pot set up

"So...Mr. Disneyland Traveler sir - how do you begin your day at Disneyland?"

Oh let's not be formal here. You don't have to call me sir. I'm just some guy writing stuff about mostly Disney. Some of it makes sense, but on other matters people have differing opinions - like this...

I love to begin my Disney day with that horrid coffee they have set up in hotel rooms. Why you ask? Because nothing says you're on vacation like starting the day with coffee put together from a dozen different packets (coffee, sugar, creamer, stirrer, etc.). Does it taste bad? Well not that bad and it all says I am here and hopefully great things are going to happen. Hotel room coffee is fuel for wishing for the best day possible.

Being good coffee is irrelevant. Being here is..

The Disneyland Traveler, Kurt Russell, and the Throngs of Others

Actor Kurt Russell prepares for the Candlelight Processional
(Yes.....he put on a tux for the performance)

So the Disneyland Traveler and Mrs.DisneylandTraveler are actually in Disneyland this week and where this is being written. Here are some story lines that will be covered in upcoming posts.

• Was the Candlelight Processional with official Disney Legend actor Kurt Russell worth the 4 hour wait?
• Dang it's cold here!
• New food items on the menus and one very old one that I never tried - the Plaza Inn chicken - maybe the best fried chicken ever.
• The ruination of one of Mrs. DLT's favorite Disneyland seasonal treats - a horrid pumpkin muffin.
• A 10 minute Christmas fireworks show?
• So far, heavy crowds, even on Monday.
• Very little buzz in the resort about the World of Color Christmas show though we haven't seen it yet.

Still so much to do. Stay tuned. 

And Just Like That The Dec Disneyland Trip Takes a 180

So the plans were put in place, the reservations were made, and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I had our December Disneyland trip ready to head into high gear. EXCEPT. My sister and her husband kind of wanted to go and down deep, I think we really wanted them to go with us. So now our quiet trip for two has turned into a Christmas Festivus for the four of us. Looking forward to it actually as we discussed plans today.. As I said before, two people make Disney memories. Four people create Disney stories that will last for years and years,

The Accidental Christmas Fantasy Parade

I'm sure I have written about this topic before in this blog but now with 653 published posts, even I don't remember what I have written and too lazy to actually go and find out. My blog, my choices on what to write, for better or worse. Which brings us to one of Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and mine biggest little surprises in all our years going to Disneyland. Make no mistake, Disneyland surprises can be real gems and last for years to come.

Typically, we will leave for Disneyland early on a Sunday morning from our suburban Sacramento based location.  Once on the road, we are not people who tend to doddle when it comes to going to Disneyland. A quick stop at a McDonalds (preferably one with a gas station attached) along with one other gas stop before going over the grapevine and we dead stopped in L.A. traffic before you know it. I try to maintain a safe driving speed but even I glance down at the dashboard once in awhile and see that 95 mph number. "Oh S***, I gotta slow down". 

So we usually end up in Disneyland at our hotel between 1 and 2 o'clock, usually after about a 6 and a half hour trip. So someone out there is asking "why don't you guys just fly like normal people?" Well it goes like this. We usually stay a week at a time. We bring a lot of stuff and not just clothes. We bring oscillating fans, coffee makers, snacks, laundry detergent,fabric softener,assorted electronic devices, an extension cord and power strip, our own soaps and shampoos, paper towels....the list is endless. We have an SUV. We just load up the back and hope that our hotel parking spot is right in front of the front door of our room. Goodness knows I don't want to drag this crap up a flight of stairs. The other thing is rather packing her clothes, Mrs DLT rather lay them flat in the back of the SUV on hangers. No wrinkles I guess. Kind of like Seifeld episode.

If we can get into our room before check in time (usually about 50 -50) we can unpack in about an hour and head over to the park and be in the front gates by 3:00. And it just so happened in that in December 2008, quite by accident, we walked right into the start of the Christmas Fantasy Parade. Now admittedly, Mrs. DLT and I are not really Disneyland Parade people. Mrs. DLT is a Disneyland Shopper and I'm pretty much a Disneyland bench sitter. But on this particular day in December (probably around the 10th), we hit the timing of this parade exactly perfect. The found ample unobstructed views from the train station as the parade joyfully marched right on by us. It couldn't have been a more delightful surprise.

And did I mention the temperature was abut 75 degrees? So the parade went by and we were enraptured by the Christmas Fantasy Parade to the point that the sometimes questionable brain trust at Disney ever tried to remove this parade (and there has been that rumor for years, I'd be the first to sign the protest petition. (Apparently, they replaced the cute teddy bear with commercially disastrous Duffy the bear - that's bad enough).

So this was about 20 minutes of a joyful surprise and we just entered the main gates. There are other tales to tell of this December trip including REAL snow but I'll hold on to that for awhile. If you get a chance to see a Christmas Fantasy Parade which officially starts next weekend - DO IT!. It's a Christmas joy.

After the parade, we made it over to the Carnation Cafe and had a bowl of loaded baked potato soup. Is there a better way to begin a trip to Disneyland. When we leave for Disneyland in a couple of weeks, we are aiming for the exact same experience. Fingers crossed.....

Around Disneyland - September 12, 13 - Pictures - Part 3

Steamboat Mickey appears in Fantasmic

This is the last installment of pictures of Disneyland from a week ago that my friend gave to me. This segment covers Fantasmic, a quick look at the Haunted Mansion, and maybe a firework or two.

Fanstasmic Is Disneyland's Best Nighttime Show:  Say what you will about a parade at night or World of Color or the regular fireworks display, the best show Disneyland puts on at night is Fantasmic which is close to 20 years old I believe. And judging by the crowds that continue to see it, the popularity of the show has not waned a bit through the years. Now that the infamous Murphy the Dragon is able to make his regularly scheduled appearance, the show is better than ever.

I can hear the opening music already

The boom of a cannon, the appearance of sailing ship Columbia, and the battle
between Captain Hook and Peter Pan - a great Disneyland moment for everyone.

The stunning animatronic drag on was a great addition to the show

Another great show Mickey

That Fantasmic show was from Friday the 13th. Earlier in the day.....

Haunted Manstion Holidays Returns:  The Haunted Mansion die hard Disneyland traditionalists lament the 4 month appearance of the Halloween / Christmas edition of the Mansion set up against Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. I love the overlay which brings some much appreciated color to a great ride normally shrouded in shades of gray. 

Since this was the opening of the 2013 Haunted Mansion Holidays -
Check out the mob waiting to get in. About a 40 minute wait.

Hello old friend

Color!

Fireworks:  I'm terrible at fireworks shots.  These are some good ones to finish my friends trip. He had a great time and did an awful lot in two days.

Around Disneyland - September 12, 13 - Pictures - Part 2

Aladdin 

Continuing on with my friend and his wife with the photos he passed on to me from his Disneyland trip a week ago.

Aladdin - Wonderful Show Still Going Strong:  Aladdin has been showing to packed houses in DCA's Hyperion Theater for about 11 years or so. There was a bit of down period when the show's best sequence - the Whole New World, flying carpet ride segment - had to be tamely altered following an accident with the carpet. But the flying carpet is back and the show is restored to its total glory. These really are some good pictures.

I know - Jafar is the bad guy - but he really is a good bad guy

We could all use a magic lamp, a genie, and 3 wishes

The Genie - Still the best part of the show and the movie

Cars Land at Night:  As regular readers know, I spent so much time in Cars Land during my week at the Disneyland Resort last spring that by the time I left, I was sick of the place - crowded and over hyped, lacking in any substance other than one really great, great ride. But even I have to admit, the place makes for beautiful pictures at night glowing in neon and accented by the gloriously lit mountains.

Sun going down - lights coming on at Cars Land