Monday, July 11, 2016

Disneyland Trip Recap 4/28/16

My trip to Disneyland in April started with an incredibly early morning.  My flight from Portland was scheduled at 5:45 am.  Needless to say, Eliot and I didn't get too much sleep the night before.  Between packing and getting to bed, then trying to fall asleep, and then getting up really early, we only got a few hours of sleep.


Thankfully, my first flight was pretty uneventful.  Although, it was cool when I could see New York City and Manhattan off in the distance.  I landed in New York at JFK at 7:00, and my flight to Los Angeles left at 8:30.  I got a long enough break to stretch and grab some breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts.  Then, I was ready for my long flight.  I usually have a hard time sleeping on planes, but I was so exhausted that I did sleep a little.


I finally landed in LAX around noon California time, which felt like 3:00 pm Eastern time.  I navigated my way through the airport to get my luggage.  Then, I was off to find Linda, who happened to be on the completely other end of the airport.


After walking around a good chunk LAX, I found Linda!  We gave each other a big hug and then started to catch up while we waited for our bus to Disneyland.  We talked the entire bus ride over to the parks, and before we knew it, we could see the Disneyland 60th anniversary banners!  We were there!


The bus dropped us off right at the Disneyland Hotel.  I've always wanted to stay there and my inner child was literally bouncing up and down.  I was so excited!  Linda checked in to hers and Tara's room, and then I checked into mine.  We were both in the Frontier Tower only a few floors apart!


Linda and I decided that before anything else, we needed to eat.  So before we even went to our rooms we stopped to get lunch at the Tangaroa Terrace restaurant near the pool.  Linda had a delicious looking salad and I opted for a cheeseburger.  I wanted something quick and simple to feed my belly.  It did the trick!


After, we went to check out our rooms in the Frontierland Tower.  I was so excited to explore all of the Disney details inside!  Even before we got to the elevators I was blown away by the Mickey made of plants outside, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad model inside of our tower's lobby.  The little model was incredible!


Then, there was my room.  I was surprised to see that I had two beds.  Both had a pillow on them and together they read "A dream is a wish your heart makes..." "when you're fast asleep."  The carpet had hidden Mickeys in the scrolls.  There were the Mickey hand light fixtures by the sink.  And Mickeys subtlety on the bedding.  And Mickeys etched on the shower tiles.  And Mickeys on the bathroom light fixture.


But the crowning jewel to the Disneyland Hotel, is the headboard.  I was waiting for this, and it's basically the reason I was dying to stay at the hotel.  The headboard lights up with a castle and fireworks.  Meanwhile, the little music box plays "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes."  I was in heaven.  Let's just say that I probably could have stayed in my room for a good portion of the trip... but Disneyland!


We had planned to do a little bit of walking around Downtown Disney, but both Linda and I were exhausted.  Instead, we opted to relax for a bit.  Of course, for me, that meant taking a nice long nap.  Two hours later, I woke up refreshed and ready to go!


Linda and I met up after my nap.  We knew Tara would be arriving soon so we decided to hang out at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar.  The place was crowded.  Linda and I eventually found a couch outside across from a couple.  We ordered drinks and we settled in to wait for Tara.  We ended up watching Ned, one of the Disneyland cats, while he walked back and forth along the edge of the fence.


After a little bit, Tara arrived and got settled in the room.  Then, she joined Linda and me and we headed over to our dinner reservation at Steakhouse 55.  I'm so glad we dined there.  The atmosphere was nostalgic, the food was amazing and it was the perfect way to end our travel day and start our trip.


We had a delicious salad.  I ordered the steak and it was really good.  Then, the three of us girls split a piece of the famous 24 layer chocolate cake.  It. was. so. good.  24 layers of heaven stacked to perfection.  I swear; I still have daydreams about that cake.


Afterwards, we decided it was best to call it a night and head to bed early!  We knew we were in for a busy day at Disneyland the next day!  °o°

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your trip to Disneyland. I've never been before. We are huge fans of Disney World and Universal Studios.

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    1. Hi Debbie! I'm so glad you're enjoying my recap so far! Disneyland is awesome. I'm still a huge fan of WDW and the Harry Potter stuff at Universal, but Disneyland has definitely grown on me! :-)

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