5alive

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who advised on my previous post "Los Angeles Museums and OC Beaches." Our family of 5 (hence the 5alive, by the way), spent a week at Anaheim. Our children are son, 12; daughter, 10; and son, 7.

We stayed at Howard Johnson. It is a decent, basic hotel. Our room faced the garden pool, it was quiet and had a fridge and coffeepot. The beds were good, the in-room a/c worked well, and there were double sinks in the bathroom. The downside to our visit this time was that the garden pool was not well-heated like the main pool had been, and no hot tub was available. (The main pool is currently under construction to become a pirate-themed water playground.)

DISNEYLAND
We had a great time at the Disneyland parks. After years of not getting to ride the matterhorn bobsleds (always broken) I finally did! And we also did the Davy Crockett Canoes, another first! Since the parks are well-covered on many boards, here�s just a few other thoughts:

--We had a rental car and went to a grocery store one evening. We ate cereal for breakfast and we packed lunches to the parks. Besides saving money, it saved time waiting in lines for yet another breaded something or other. Also, our older DS is 12 and beginning to eat like a teenager. So we were still buying some food: this just kept it within the bounds of normal. Also, our food purchases were after the peak lunch hours.

--Finding Nemo is a really long wait and has no Fastpass. We didn�t end up doing it, as it wasn�t a high priority. If you care, do this ride first thing.

--We were there during graduation week, so the parks do close earlier. We didn�t find this problematic. In fact, it was nice to see the fireworks at 8:45 pm one night. The bigger issue was that many schools do field trips to Disneyland so it was a bit busier than I thought with school in session.

--Planning can only do so much. Rides do break down. The section you sit in for Fantasmic later turns out to be a standing-only section. A 4-hour closure of Autotopia for a media event ends up closing all of Tomorrowland and creating very tight crowds throughout the rest of the park. You can stress about it, or go with the flow and look for something with a shorter line, a show or even listen to the piano player at Coke Corner (er, Refreshment Corner). In some cases, the setback turns out to your advantage: Standing through Fantasmic, we were able to leave quickly to do the Jungle Cruise afterward, and then Pirates, before the lines began forming at either one.

More coming soon....

NatureGirl19317

Looking fwd to hearing more about your trip 5alive!

Glad you finally got to experience matterhorn!

klam_chowder

5alive, thx for posting a trip report.

I'm taking my first trip to DL in the spring (going solo), and reading your report already has given me some good tips/insights. (Well, I was there 15 yrs ago, but really can't remember any of it.)

Hopefully, you might be able to offer an opinion on how many days to spend in the parks too.

Looking fwd to reading more - enjoy-la!

5alive

Thanks, you guys, for the comments.

Klamchowder, the length of stay really depends on your love for all things Disney. Also, your tolerance for lines and kids. I would say definitely two days, but three would be fun too. I am no expert on Disney. There are actually a lot of Disney "chat boards" out there; I didn't save the urls but do some searching. A few more thoughts:

--You want to avoid spring break peaks.(early May?)There are several good books on Disney that will have a more definitive answer.
--If you buy your Disney tickets at your Good Neighbor Hotel, you can get a "Magic Morning" which is an hour earlier entrance to Disneyland on certain days. It is quieter and less hectic to go in early, but if you are not a morning person I wouldn't worry about it and just stay later in the evening.
--Disneyland has longer hours than CA. Depending on the season that can be until midnight.
--At CA, there are "single rider" lines for the roller coasters.

I will get another post going.

5alive

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
There is so much to do in Southern California beyond Disneyland that it was hard to choose. Based on the kids' interests, we took them to the Natural History Museum, to see them working on Thomas the T. Rex in a lab. I had already found out the main dinosaur exhibit was closed until 2011, but we thought this portion would be worth it. For my daughter, who loves all things dinosaur and animal, it was well worth it. You are right on the other side of a glass window and can look right at the staff member dusting powder over the bones, blowing it off with a little air tool (like at the dentist), and so on. Still, I would say this is a half-hour visit. (Note to Fodor’s Editors: If you are updating Disney and Southern California with Kids, you will want to update the Natural History Museum entry.)

Also, just by chance, my older son noticed the Museum of Flight and we went in at his request. The actual space capsules and flight suits from some of the Gemini and Apollo missions were amazing! Highly recommend a stop here.

Notes: There is a third large science museum with omnimax and an African-American museum in this park that we didn’t get to. I would definitely investigate whether your hometown science museum membership would get you admission here and the other museums in this park. A common parking lot serves all the museums. It was off Figueroa.

We then headed over to La Brea/the George Page Museum. An excellent outing, and we had a very good guide, who was both funny and informative. We were here a long time, maybe 3 hours. We saw Pit 91 but the workers had not started back in for the summer yet. Our guide mentioned that there are seven sites around the world with extensive Ice Age mammal finds, and that even just one pit at La Brea has recovered more bones than the other six sites combined. Wow!

We also went to Newport Beach for one day. I had been debating about Corona del Mar and the Balboa area, and a wrong turn sent us to Balboa first. The kids thought it looked great, and we decided to stay. It was a gorgeous afternoon. Also loved the piers with people fishing; saw a sting ray come in. Just need to reapply sunscreen a little more often….

Finished with dinner at the original Ruby’s. This is a great place to eat, but is clear out on the pier and serves with paper plates. There is no bathroom at all; you have to use the public one before walking to the restaurant. (Or right after ordering, if your child doesn’t tell you sooner!) We had a sweet waitress who had our milkshake “handmixed” for allergy issues, and it was a beautiful view. Everything was good, but my son’s fish and chips was probably the best meal anyone picked.

Finally, my husband took the younger kids to Legoland for the day. The highlight by far was the Volvo Driving School. The rides in the Bionicle area, and the car building and testing area were also big hits. My older son and I went to California Adventure as a twosome, which was fun.

5alive

A NEW RIDE—MIDWAY MANIA

This California Adventure ride didn’t officially open until June 17, but we went on it during a preview day. This is a Toy-Story themed ride similar to Buzz Lightyear’s Astroblasters over at Disneyland. You wear 3-D glasses and ride up to different targets or carnival games, where you try to shoot, ring or capture various prizes. You and a partner ride in your cart to one screen and are there for a set time before being whisked to another one. The different Toy Story characters sometimes “jump out” at you during or after a game. The “gun” you use is more old-fashioned and you pull the string. Curious how long those last. Unlike Buzz, if the ride stops for some reason, you do not keep racking up points while you wait to go on, although funny stuff happens if you fire anyway. We all liked the ride and I thought it was a charmer, yet my boys still thought it was cool to do.

klam_chowder

5alive, appreciate the extra info. (= Didn't know about the good neighbor tix so I'll have to look into that.

I peruse one of those dedicated chat boards daily now. However, sometimes I find the posters know so much about it, it's hard for them to be "unbiased". Don't get me wrong, they have been wonderful and instrumental to making our first trip to WDW a great experience. I could not have done it without their generous sharing.

I was thinking I could do DL in 2 days so I'll probably stick to that - thx a mint for the confirmation. I don't really have a choice of timing as I'm going to be in LA for an event and just tacking on a couple of days to see DL. I'm a mouse-nut...LOL!

Going mid-March - I'll probably run into some crowds but if I happily survived WDW during Christmas break last year, it should be alright...LOL!

Glad your family had a fab trip - enjoy-la!

5alive

It makes total sense why you're going in March. I know what you mean about the mouse boards. Some can be a little intense.

Oh, unless you're afraid of heights, be sure to hit Soarin' Over California. A great ride....

bennnie

5alive - thank you for your report. We are headed to that same HoJos in August so I was glad to hear that you thought it was okay. We aren't looking for luxury accommodations on this portion of our trip so it sounds like we picked correctly (ie decent, clean, convenient). I believe the Pirate Ship will be completed by the time we get there.

I appreciate the information on the beach too because we may do a beach day or perhaps just have dinner out there one night.

ellen_griswold

Nice report 5alive! Midway Mania sounds exactly like the new Toy Story Mania at WDWs Hollywood Studios. We rode it during its 'soft opening' in march and its fabulous! Yes, similar to buzz lightyear but with more of a whimsical, childhood charm. It might be one of our new faves

Also, for anyone looking for offsite lodging near DL - the Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites is directly across the street. You can't get any closer without staying on site. Friends have stayed at the HoJo and its fine too, but a bit more of a walk down the street.

5alive

Bennnie--that is what we were looking for in a hotel too, and we were very satisfied. The front desk staff were nice people too.

Great to get another hotel rec, Ellen, and I was curious what the Best Western was like.

I have a bit more to add....

5alive

BIRTHDAY
My husband’s birthday occurred during our trip. At Disney’s City Hall you can get a Birthday Badge and cast members wish you happy birthday all day. It was fun. Later at California Adventure we came upon a singing group in the Hollywood area. They were quite good and invited people to come up and sing a few bars. When they saw my husband had a birthday pin, they stopped everything and sang to him in four-part harmony. It was a great moment. (Not the usual clapping nightmare at restaurants these days!!)

For the birthday dinner we went to the Rainforest Café. My husband and kids love tropical fish, so I thought the aquariums would be worth going. While the fish were impressive, they weren’t worth the long hike from Disneyland to get there. The food was okay, but I think we got the lame waiter (tables around us kept getting service before ours). My 7-year-old did not get nearly enough to eat from the macaroni on the children’s menu, and he has a pretty normal appetite for his age. Since we had an evening activity, I ended up giving him part of my dinner, just to save time. Also, for people with nut allergies, the exciting “I-want-that” sparkling volcano dessert is off-limits. One perk to Rainforest was indirect: the younger two kids were going with DH to Legoland later and the Legoland shop nearby had a magazine with excellent discount coupons in it for the admission.

OTHER MEALS—
The Mexican place in Frontierland was actually quite good food for dinner. There was some decent spiciness to my meal. Also no wait times although we went at full dinner time. The staff here were also exceptionally helpful about food allergies.

Our favorite dinner however was outside the park at Mimi’s (near HoJo’s). We found later that this is a local California chain. French style décor, quite pleasant. The food really exceeded our expectations: breads baked on premises, very good fresh fruit. I enjoyed the “small bites menu” quiche, spring-greens salad, fruit and large muffin. The chicken pot pie there was the only meal my 12-year-old could not finish in all our vacation. For allergy sufferers: some breads do contain nuts—you will need to ask, but our server was extremely helpful.

rjw_lgb_ca

My sympathy for you vis-à-vis Rainforest Café. I had to eat there in March when my brother-in-law brought his and my late sister's kids to southern CA. Lousy food, lame theming-- just like every other RC. Even the young twins who had begged to go there thought it was a waste of time and money. Oh well....

The shame is that we'd been eating GREAT all over the area otherwise (Enrique's in Long Beach, Tiny Thai in Lakewood, George's Greek Café in Belmont Shore, Original Fish Co. in Los Alamitos, BBQ in our back yard *blush*), and the worst food we ate the entire time was in Anaheim.

Too bad we couldn't hit Ralph Brennan's, or Napa Rose, or even Cava; those are actually good restaurants IN Anaheim.

rjw_lgb_ca

Oh yeah!! The kids LOVED Ruby's-- well, the one on the Huntington Beach Pier. This one has real plates and lots of chrome and 50s doodads to put everyone in the burger diner mood. And the burgers are really good there. And the shakes...!!!

5alive

Well, I feel a little better if we were not the only ones disappointed with the Rainforest Cafe.

I also had read good things about some of the other restaurants you mentioned but got the impression they were adult only.

I also have been to a different Ruby's, in Carlsbad, and it was decked up in lots of cool memorabilia, especially classic toys. Also, there are regular dishes in Carlsbad. This one was quite small and also has rooftop seating. I am told Balboa Pier was their first location. We've enjoyed finding local chains before they get too big and too bland!