We have a lot of friends in Los Angeles and a lot of friends who perform for Disney's Aladdin. We were excited for our "mini" reunion and to see the show that we missed last time. First and foremost, it was the deal we received for our trip to Disneyland. Through conversations with other moms, they all suggested www.getawaytoday.com . They said it was the best place to get great package deals for Disneyland. I gave it a try and with my many charts on comparative pricing, they WERE the best! For a great price, we received 5 nights at a hotel across the street from Disneyland and a 5 day pass to the parks. But wait.......included is also hotel parking ($14/day) and transit passes on their bus/shuttle system AND 2 backpacks for the kids, lanyards, and 2 pins. My kids love to collect pins. The BEST was the breakfast buffet included every morning. When there are children involved, I always seek for that "breakfast included" deal. It makes everything so much more convenient and less expensive.
We chose to stay at the Red Lion Inn which was at the suggestion of my cousin. They were there over Memorial Day and said that the renovation was very nice. We decided to give it a try since it was only a 5 - 10 minute walk to the front gate of Disneyland. The rooms were very clean. The beds were really wonderful. The front desk was really helpful. To my surprise, I received a call the next morning after check in from GetAwayToday and they just wanted to know if everything went well and if I had questions I could call them anytime. Now THAT's hospitality!!!!
As before, we did the ridemax.com program. We originally were only going to spend 3 days at Disneyland, but the package included 2 extra days for the price of 3 so we didn't have to rush as much. Nonetheless, the World of Colors was the place to be at California Adventure. This is similar to Fantasia on the Disneyland side. However, ridemax informed us that a fastpass was needed. We waited in line at the gate of Ca. Adv. starting at 9a.m. I know that that park opens at 10a.m. so we decided to sit and eat some more of our breakfast snacks. Lo and behold, one of the employees said they were going to open the gates at 9:30a.m. We didn't know this was going to happen and after I asked the employee, they said they will do this on occasion. So, I don't have a method or pattern as to when they do this, but it cut our 1 hours wait at the gate to only 30 minutes and this was worth it since our kids are 9 and 6y.o.
Apparently, everyone else was there to get the fast pass for World of Colors. Now, we wanted the 1st show because our kids wouldn't be able to stay up for the later showtimes. As we entered the gate, 3 Disney employees yelled, "If you want a fast pass to World of Colors, please stay behind us!!! Anyone who passes us for the fast pass will be refused." My initial thought was: 'really? how will they know?' Well, Disney always has their magic even with security. By the time we arrived at the fast pass booths for the World of Colors, there were 8 other Disney employees monitoring the crowd and was turning away a bunch of high school kids who "jumped" the line. A parent behind me kept clapping. I didn't blame her as we followed the rules and stay contained for safety purposes and for our kids.
Then it was Ca. Adv. for most of the day. We were able to go on just about every single ride with not much longer than a 15 minute wait. It was really a good day and our kids had a great time. We went over to the Disneyland side and had a great time with not much wait as well. Then after dinner it was back to Ca. Adv. to line up for our entry time. Our suggestion: go to the area that says "you will get wet here". No one goes there and the wettest you get are a few sprinkles from the fountains. I can't even say they were sprinkles. It was like a mist. You will be up close and personal to the pyrotechnics and Bellagio-like water dancing.
The next day was spend at Disneyland since we had a Magic Morning pass (you get in an hour earlier than the public). This is when you are so thankful that the breakfast is just downstairs. We spend the whole day there and I have to say, we didn't really follow the ridemax.com protocol. Since we had so much time there, we didn't feel rushed. We did spend the WHOLE day there. Yup, something like16 hours? Crazy, eh? We had our picnic blanket with us so we would have our boundaries when we plopped ourselves down for the Fantasmic 3 hour wait. I know it sounds crazy, but what is even crazier is that there were people before us setting up for the wait for the Fantasmic show. While one waited at the picnic blanket, I went and ordered dinner to go and brought it back to the blanket for a great dinner. People squeezed their way in no matter what boundaries you had up, but in the end it was great. We all enjoyed Fantasmic and we thought it was better than the World of Colors.
The following day was spent as our "mini" reunion with friends in L.A. and friends in the Aladdin Cast. The show was very well done and the theater was beautiful. My husband who is a techie even thought the automation was very good for a 45 minute show. We had VIP passes and that was only because we had our friends in the show. However, I think every seat in the house would have been great! We did go on the new Toy Story video game/ ride in Ca. Adv. I think this is the ride to hit first when you are there. There is no fast pass for this ride and the line is long and slow. It is a fun ride. It's just a long wait.
By the end of the week, we were done with Disneyland. The shuttle bus passes came in handy on those nights when the kids were just too tired to walk anymore. We didn't blame them. Our feet were tired! So, it was nice to have the shuttle available to us when we needed it.
Then we were off to see a very good friend of the family down in Palm Springs, Ca. Yes, we know it's hot, but we love it because the kids love swimming in the hot weather and our friend is such a talented pianist that we are always entertained.
We also went on the tram up to Mt. San Jacinto National Park. This trip was definitely worth. It is a bit pricey for an 11 minute tram ride, but it is absolutely breath-taking. The kids loved it!!! The tram rotates as well so you get a full 360 degree view. Show your AAA card if you are a member, and you get a discount. They won't ask you for it. You will just have to show it to them. It was at least 35-40 degrees lower than Palm Springs (113 degrees in the summer in Palm Springs). A lot of fun and we had a great picnic while we were up there.
