Back from the House of Mouse.....
Our trip to California is sadly over. I really enjoyed it - in spite of the heat and crowds and would go back next week if I could.
Let me start with the hotel. The Grand Californian is where we stayed. I chose this particular hotel because the travel agent suggested it. We took my mother in law - who is over 70 - with us and I wanted her to be comfortable and be able to go to her room if she needed to rest. The Grand Californian, with it's private entrance into Disney's California Adventure, was the absolute best location.
The Grand Californian is an Arts and Crafts style lodge - totally my style - well, one of them anyway. Very nice and very big! The pools were great and the food was plentiful and all fantastic! Our hotel was not terribly crowded and we had two rooms with a view of Downtown Disney. Maya loved that! She could hear all of the music that was playing and watch all the people as they walked by. Owen was, as usual, indifferent to the entire Disney experience. Owen.
We went on as many rides as we could handle. They were all a lot of fun but I have to say that my very favorite was the newly reworked Pirates of the Carribean. It was great and both of the kids loved it. I will not say anything more about it because I would not want to ruin any of the details for anyone.
In spite of the crowds, we really did not wait in any really long lines for any of the rides. We used the FastPass gizmo for some things, but most of the time, we just waited in line - never waiting for more than about 20 minutes or so. I was quite impressed with that. The most fun for the kids was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters.
It was crowded at this time of the year and Maya and I were the only ones of our group to cope with that fact very well. Crowds do not bother me. Traffic does not bother me. I had a great time in spite of the complaining and lack of help from the other two adults - who were both so overwhelmed by the crowds that they were a bit out of sorts. No big deal. I am used to such things and we all got on well and had a great time in the end. The only thing I wish is that I could have done a bit of shopping for myself. That is not happening with two kids!
I also got the chance to meet my friend Sharon Lathan. She and sat in the lobby of the Grand Californian for a couple of hours and gabbed. She was lovely - very Jane Bennet like - and we were instant friends. I think she and I could have gone on for quite some time, but we both needed to get back to our respective families. Now I have the idea of taking a vacation, sans my family, and meeting up with Sharon and a few of our fellow Darcy Saga fans. That would be awesome to do some day! Someday....
When I got back, I was shocked and humbled to find that I have had a blog award bestowed upon me by my friend Jenster. I am thrilled to be the recipient a Rockin' Blogger Award. Try as I might, I could not get the graphic to load. My DSL is down again so I will have to give it another try in a day or so. Thank you Jenster! You are an awesome friend and a TOTALLY ROCKIN" BLOGGER!!!
Our trip to California is sadly over. I really enjoyed it - in spite of the heat and crowds and would go back next week if I could.
Let me start with the hotel. The Grand Californian is where we stayed. I chose this particular hotel because the travel agent suggested it. We took my mother in law - who is over 70 - with us and I wanted her to be comfortable and be able to go to her room if she needed to rest. The Grand Californian, with it's private entrance into Disney's California Adventure, was the absolute best location.
The Grand Californian is an Arts and Crafts style lodge - totally my style - well, one of them anyway. Very nice and very big! The pools were great and the food was plentiful and all fantastic! Our hotel was not terribly crowded and we had two rooms with a view of Downtown Disney. Maya loved that! She could hear all of the music that was playing and watch all the people as they walked by. Owen was, as usual, indifferent to the entire Disney experience. Owen.
We went on as many rides as we could handle. They were all a lot of fun but I have to say that my very favorite was the newly reworked Pirates of the Carribean. It was great and both of the kids loved it. I will not say anything more about it because I would not want to ruin any of the details for anyone.
In spite of the crowds, we really did not wait in any really long lines for any of the rides. We used the FastPass gizmo for some things, but most of the time, we just waited in line - never waiting for more than about 20 minutes or so. I was quite impressed with that. The most fun for the kids was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters.
It was crowded at this time of the year and Maya and I were the only ones of our group to cope with that fact very well. Crowds do not bother me. Traffic does not bother me. I had a great time in spite of the complaining and lack of help from the other two adults - who were both so overwhelmed by the crowds that they were a bit out of sorts. No big deal. I am used to such things and we all got on well and had a great time in the end. The only thing I wish is that I could have done a bit of shopping for myself. That is not happening with two kids!
I also got the chance to meet my friend Sharon Lathan. She and sat in the lobby of the Grand Californian for a couple of hours and gabbed. She was lovely - very Jane Bennet like - and we were instant friends. I think she and I could have gone on for quite some time, but we both needed to get back to our respective families. Now I have the idea of taking a vacation, sans my family, and meeting up with Sharon and a few of our fellow Darcy Saga fans. That would be awesome to do some day! Someday....
When I got back, I was shocked and humbled to find that I have had a blog award bestowed upon me by my friend Jenster. I am thrilled to be the recipient a Rockin' Blogger Award. Try as I might, I could not get the graphic to load. My DSL is down again so I will have to give it another try in a day or so. Thank you Jenster! You are an awesome friend and a TOTALLY ROCKIN" BLOGGER!!!
