Originally Posted By Pollyana Hello... We (DH and myself) returned from a 2 1/2 week trip which included a stay at Disneyland. We drove from Phoenix to Las Vegas and stayed 3 nights there. I gained a new respect for the penny machines. I put in a 20.00 bill and ended up with $189. in a short amount of time. Of course, I continued to play, but saved $100. of that. After Vegas, we drove though Yosemite, which is very beautiful and onto Coulterville, where we have family. We stayed 4 nights there, and DH got some good old fishing in. Very relaxing time and you could hear the coyotes howling every night. The skies were so dark, and the stars just sparkled. We really enjoyed our time there. Then we drove down to San Francisco to visit more family and to see the Walt Disney Family Museum. I am very glad that we made that a destination. It was really nice and well worth the day we spent. Walt was a visionary that took chances that paid off. What a family!We stayed in Mountain View and enjoyed more family picnics. Again, it was very relaxing and fun. Moving on, we left and went on to Burbank. DH spent many years there, and it is always nice to go back and see how things change. A trip to Burbank would not be complete without a visit to Pecos Bill's BBQ. Yummm, the best sandwiches ever. We spent one afternoon in Hollywood where we visited Disney's soda Fountain. What a crowd, and the crowd continued to flow out to the sidewalks. We could hardly see the stars handprints due to the masses. I think this was a preview of what was to come. We finally made it to Hojo's in Anaheim on July 18th, the day after the anniversary. I was looking forward to meeting and greeting other LPers in Disneyland. We did meet up at Toy Story M. Mania and got to meet a bunch of new LPers. It was nice finally putting some faces to names I have seen on the boards. I cannot remember all, but Lulu did give me an LP button and that made it special for me. Thank you Lulu. After that meet, DH and I had to rush over to Buzz Lightyear, as it was closing for refurb the following day. We love that ride. I did lousy but keep trying. That was Sunday, and the park was not crowded. All the restaurants had plenty of seating, and it was very easy to get to any attraction. After doing more of Disneyland, we headed over to Hojo's to check in and to meet with the LP gang again at the pool area. Again, a lot of people got together and had a great time. Some even got into the water, or under the big bucket fully clothed, (Tinkeroon). Willie and Lulu put that meet together, Thanks guys. That evening, we had plans to see WOC. I ordered the picnic lunches on line and knew that we had tickets with the meal. This is where things got bad for us. The picnic was not very good. In fact, I would say it was bad. I don't like to be negative, but I cannot think of anything nice about that meal. Anyway, we got our tickets which entitled us to the blue section. Never before had we been so frustrated and defeated. We got shuffled around from here to there to somewhere else. It was not a pleasant experience. The show itself is good, I just don't like the process of getting there. I hope someday it gets smoothed out and becomes more enjoyable. The other three days in Disneyland were OK, and we bumped into more LPers as we were waiting for the Billes, which is no surprise for those who know me. Disneyland is not complete without a Billy show. We did notice that Sunday was the most pleasant day and each day after that the crowds got heavier. It was quite mobbed around the Pirates and somewhat confusing with CMs running around trying to organize the crowds of people. We had to fastpass in order to do things in a hurry without the long lines. Fastpasses are a very good idea! We no longer are AP holders, and we have decided to hold off on future Disneyland trips until we can take our grandson. I don't anticipate doing that for another 2 years. I love Disneyland and all the special memories we have made time after time. It seems apparent to us that the crowds are getting bigger with each trip. I guess we need to go off season and enjoy some relaxing Disney time! I have to say that one of the best things we did this trip was watching the fireworks from the Plaza Inn. We sat at a table and sipped coffee and hot chocolate (free refills). AT last, I felt the Disney magic!
Originally Posted By oredisneyfan thank you for sharing your trip, I always enjoy reading the trip reports
Originally Posted By WDWdreamin Thank you so much for sharing. I loved reading about all of your wonderful trip.
Originally Posted By Pollyana Your are welcome. It's always nice to hit the road and it's just as nice coming home.
Originally Posted By disneylandfan8 I was so happy to have a little one-on-one time with you for OUR favorite show, the Billys ♥! Sounds like you sure did a lot on your vacation - you were all over the place!!! I'll anxiously await your next DL arrival and will have a front row table ready for you two at our favorite show!
Originally Posted By Pollyana I felt very cheated not getting my favorite Billy table. We went back again on another day and it was the Laughing Stock...what,,,,no Billies! How rude.....it was very nice meeting you and we will meet again....
Originally Posted By iamsally I am a bit ashamed that I have not checked the Reports section in a while. I loved reading yours Pollyana. I wish we could have been there in July to meet you in person. I was shocked to see you visited Coulterville. My oldest sister had a best friend who was from there. It is not too far from us. (How many people here know where Coulterville is?) I loved your report and vow to write one on my next trip. Hopefully in December.
Originally Posted By Pollyana My BIL and his wife live there. A teeny tiny place for sure. They currently have their place on the market. They are getting to the point where they need to be closer to family. They have 5 acres in a beautiful area. It's always nice going there, especially in the summer so we can leave this AZ heat.
Originally Posted By jirishgirl I also LOVE reading the trip reports. Thank you for sharing. I especially like hearing about meeting other LPers. That sounds super fun!
Originally Posted By Pollyana I am normally very shy. It takes me a while to get comfortable with new people. Shiva and Tinkeroon helped to get me familiar with others. I miss their comments on the LP boards.
