2 Granddaughters and 4 Disney Days Nov 2-6

[Weber Prof]

Disneyland Trip Trip Report for Nov 2 - 6. Two grandparents taking two granddaughters for their very first visit to Disneyland. Here's our trip report along with what worked out for us, what we loved, where we failed, and what we learned. Thanks to the many folks on this sub who shared their tips and experiences to help us plan the trip of a lifetime for two sweet girls.
The trip started off very good. Grandma found a big penny for lots of good luck in Long Beach.

With a penny this big you just know good luck will be with you. Grandma had a work conference so arrived in California a few days before Grandpa and girls.
However Grandpa had some good luck of his own and scored a nearly empty flight to pick up the girls. The trip took coordinating flights from two states to get everyone to Disneyland.

Nov 2 was travel day for Grandpa and girls while Grandma finished work.

 

[Weber Prof]

While grandma worked it was time to check into the Disneyland Hotel. This was a first experience for everyone. We all loved the Mickey hands and faucets.

We had a beautiful room with an amazing pool view.

But even little princess can tire after a long travel day so the little one fell asleep quickly under a magical headboard while Grandma kept watch and relaxed after a long work day.

While Grandpa and the older one explored and had their first taste of Disney, Dole Whip by the poolside. And to check out treasures in the gift shop.



Then it was off to dreamland for everyone for Early Rope Drop!

 

[Weber Prof]

Rope Drop Friday Nov 3. Coming from states east of California it wasn't hard to wake up. AND no problem at all to wake up early if it is your first time ever to be at Disneyland! I think we actually Rope Dropped the security line. We lined up around 6:15 am at the DTD security entrance. We were about 15 families down the line.We had pop tarts, grapes, and choc milk for breakfast as we watched security set up and chatted with other folks.

We had told the girls it would be a game of hurry and wait for the first part of the morning. When security opened a few minutes before 7:00 we walked through the lines and then speed walked through DTD as the girls took in all the sights.

They were so excited to be at the gates. We got there around 7:15 am and found the shortest line we could. Harbor Blvd gates open the same time as the DTD gates so folks coming from GCH and Harbor reach the main gates first. We didn't mind though because we were happy to be looking through the gates fro the first time.

We did okay for two old grandparents by having our tickets pulled up and ready to go. Pictures taken, through the turnstiles and into the most wonderful place on earth we went.

 

[Weber Prof]

We started in Fantasyland. We didn't wait for any rides as we followed the recommendations of others. We rode Peter Pan, then Alice, and Dumbo. The girls stopped to open the White Rabbits Door after Alice on the way to Dumbo. Snow White was down so we rode Pinocchio before going to the front of the castle to get a picture before the 8:00 rope drop. Yes, that's right, we rode 4 attractions in under 25 minutes.

We then rode Mr. Toad and walked into ToonTown. We had the place pretty much to ourselves. We were the only ones on Gadget's coaster when it broke and we had to get off. Bathroom break and ToonTown Exploration were followed by walking onto MMRR and Roger Rabbit.

We had Genie+ and made our first reservation for INDY at 9:30 am. We waved to Mickey and stopped for pictures and autographs with Genie.

 

[Weber Prof]

Before getting to Indy however we hopped on Big Thunder Mtn Railroad. The little one was not so sure she was going to try big rides. Gadget was supposed to be the first introduction but it was down. BTMR is such a smooth ride and was perfect to start the adventure rides. We all laughed the rest of the day about looking at the GOAT! IYKYK. Jolly Holiday was the first treat stop of the day. The Raspberry Macaroon was fantastic but the poison apple macaroon was was too sweet for our tastes. Grandma mobiled ordered all our food for the day in the morning and we made modifications as needed.
Sadly Jungle Cruise was closed for repairs that day and all week so we never got to ride.

Not to be discouraged we stopped at the gift shop in Adventure land and rubbed the magic lamp (remember we had just seen Genie) to get our fortunes. I watched a youtube video on things you can buy for a quarter in Disneyland. We bought a bag of quarters with us just for these opportunities. In the back of the shop there is a magic lamp. You put in two quarters, rub the lamp, poof some smoke arises from the lamp and your fortune is told. It was great fun and we all laughed.
Then on to Indy where the oldest girl got to drive the jeep. By now the youngest is gung-ho for any big ride. So far success! I book Haunted Mansion. We go to Pirate's next. The girls were not happy about being splashed. We didn't foresee that being a problem but we all quickly dried. Mobile order of beignets and mint julep took care of any leftover sadness. Even better, Tiana stopped by for a visit while we were snacking.

Haunted Mansion was next up. For us buying Genie + was the way to go. We walked right into the mansion but just as we were boarding the doom buggies the ride stopped and was down for about 15 minutes. It then went down again as were were in the graveyard and then again in front of Oogie Boogie. Next up was Winnie the Pooh and a wave to Tigger along the way. No one was ready for another treat so we just looked at the Tigger tales. But everyone was ready for lunch even though it was only 10:30 am. Feeling the love of Tiana we had Mac and Cheese and ham sandwiches for lunch.
Edit: spelling

 

[Weber Prof]

The park was now crowded so it was time to relax and take our time to enjoy the park. Along the way the girls noticed the pop corn stands and how each stand had a different character. As we walked back towards Fantasy land we stopped to watch the characters. We toured the Castle then played the music box by the FairyTale Theater before watching Rapunzel. The girls loved the play and comedy and we loved sitting down.

The girls took a try at Excalibur's sword and then we walked to Main Street to see about silhouettes. The line was about an hour wait and we had Genie+ stacked for Tomorrow land so we rode Autopia, Nemo, and Space Mountain. In between rides we got popcorn because after admiring the carts and characters we just had to try the popcorn! We then rode the train back to Main Street to the Silhouette studio. Grandparents loved sitting down on the train!

 

[Weber Prof]

By 2 pm we had ridden 11 attractions, watched one performance, and walked through the castle. We had planned to go to the hotel at this time the the Silhouette Studio was going to close at 4 so we got in line. The girls' mother had a silhouette made at Disneyland when she was a little girl so asked if we would do the same for the girls. After the experience I have to admit I think a silhouette is the best souvenir you can get at Disneyland.
The artist, Bob, was gifted in both cutting and storytelling skill. For $11.99 you get a unique individualized souvenir, a memory, and a nice seat to rest.

 

[Weber Prof]

While waiting for the silhouettes to be mounted and framed we walked across the street into the Penny Arcade. There are a few machines in there for a quarter. We tested our strength on the Grip Challenge. Grandma and the girls only scored as butter fingers but Grandpa got Iron Gripper.

At the back of the arcade is a one man band instrument. It plays every 7 minutes. We were mesmerized by the moving parts and all the instruments in the machine. If you haven't seen it make sure to take a minute to enjoy it. Even without a place to sit down it is worth it.
I learned about the many quarter machines in the park by watching one of the youtubers. We talked with a annual pass holder who said they could also make the machines work by using their phones. We had fun putting in quarters and then giving a quarter to other kids who gathered around so they could try too.

 

[Weber Prof]

We are really ready for a hotel break now. We take the monorail back to to DTD and our room at the DLH. We were in Adventure Tower so grateful for the proximity. We had apples, juice, and cheese sticks for a snack before taking a nap. Naps are a necessity for grandparents and the granddaughters indulged us by falling asleep too.


Grandma kept stacking and modifying Genie+ all afternoon so we were primed for an excellent evening of attractions. We booked Star Tours when we noticed it was down that morning so quickly snagged an MEP early in the day. The evening Genie+ lineup included Smuggler's Run, Matterhorn, BTMR, Roger Rabbit, and Star Tours in addition to the MEP.

 

[Weber Prof]

The monorail back to the park was busy at 6 pm so we had to wait for a few trains until we could get on. From the Monorail we took the train to New Orleans Square to have dinner at Harbor Galley. The little one really enjoyed her potato soup in a bread bowl until we told her it was clam chowder. She was wary of us for the rest of the night and wouldn't try the blue milk in Galaxy edge. The girls were suprised by Galaxy edge in the night. They had never seen the Star Wars movies so everything was surprising to them. We rode Rise of Resistance and Smuggler's Run. Grandma and the oldest were pilots while Grandpa and little one were engineers. Grandpa get's motion sickness so engineer is the best spot for him. Thee little one said she worked so hard to push all the buttons to keep up from crashing. We took the train from Fantasy land to Tommoroow land to ride Star Tours and Matterhorn. Star Tours was down again. The girls loved the matterhorn, even the splashing and grandparents creaked in thier bones exiting the ride.

 

[Weber Prof]

We found places to watch the fireworks in front of the Small World facade. There were just enough room for us to sit on the steps. After the fireworks we rode Storybook Canal where the girls got to sit up front as whalewatchers and get a sticker for doing so. We then rode Teacups (without grandpa, motion sickness), Snow White was down, the carousel and Tiki Hut. We had 3 remaining reservations and 2 MEPs but the girls voted for beds so we picked up Gibson girl ice cream cones and walked back to the hotel with full tummies, hearts, and memories.

 

[Weber Prof]

We think it was a very successful day. We didn't experience Jungle Cruise, Small World, or Tree House because they were closed. We didn't ride Gadget Coaster, Star tours or Snow White because they were down when we tried to ride. We didn't ride canoes or Columbia or Tom Sawyer or Mr Lincoln or Main Street Cinema because neither of the girls had them on their must do list. But we did do so many experiences. We took time to stop and see the oldest and biggest palm tree, hidden Mickeys, Little houses, Christmas and fall decorations, window shop, and try an assortment of treats. Coming up Saturday Nov 3, or as we like to call it, Rest Day.

 

[alohamom]

Sounds like an incredible day for all of you!

 

[milieu_mouse]

What a heartwarming report. Thank you!

PS. I aspire to your skills in LL stacking - way to go!

 

[Pluto468]

Thanks for the detailed report and all the wonderful pictures. I'm glad you had a great trip! I'm going to try the Genie lamp next time I'm in Adventureland. Also—so cool you saw Genie! I've never seen him at the park. I love the giant penny

 

[Weber Prof]

Welp, We just noticed there is a special sub thread for trip reports. If we can figure out how to move we will. Sorry for posting in the wrong place.

 

[Weber Prof]

Saturday Nov 4 was planned as a well deserved rest day. We all slept late and took our time getting moving. Goofy's kitchen for brunch was first up. We had the autograph book our children used from trips to Disneyland and Disneyworld in the 1990's so brought it along with us. At bruch the girls were able to get more autographs as well as try fun foods. The cast handler's also enjoyed looking at the old school autograph book and noticing how some character signatures have remained constant over the years and how some have changed.

 

[Weber Prof]

After brunch we explored the hotel memorabilia displays, artwork in the convention hallways, and the gardens around the hotel. The display of The Big Mountain Thunder Railway ride in the Frontier Tower is especially fun to look at. If you stop by be sure to go down the hall to the restrooms and see the historic posters on the way as well.

Having so many benches to sit in the shade was divine! The girls played on the stages and gazebo's. We explored the unfaithful geyser, the chessboards,

Then we hit up the pools. We successfully completed the DLH pool crawl and visited all 4 pools, 4 hot tubs, 3 slides, and 2 splash pads. We even hit the pools at night!

Time to go to bed early and rest up for another rope drop morning.

 

[Weber Prof]

What a heartwarming report. Thank you!

PS. I aspire to your skills in LL stacking - way to go!

Grandma really came through for us. She watched alot of youtube videos and read the posts here to learn how to make it all work.

 

[LKing]

Not to be discouraged we stopped at the gift shop in Adventure land and rubbed the magic lamp (remember we had just seen Genie) to get our fortunes. I watched a youtube video on things you can buy for a quarter in Disneyland. We bought a bag of quarters with us just for these opportunities. In the back of the shop there is a magic lamp. You put in two quarters, rub the lamp, poof some smoke arises from the lamp and your fortune is told. It was great fun and we all laughed.

If you download the Play Disney app, you can get your fortune from Esmerelda the Fortune Teller in front of Candy Palace, and the Tall Tales of Fortune Red next to Port Royal Curios (near Pirates), for free. It even works if there is a sign saying "out of order."