Disneyland Nov 2021 Trip Report Day One
By now, you might know us as pros at Walt Disney World. At least, we feel that we are. But despite difficult to count trips to Walt Disney World, including an entire semester's internship working there, we had never been to another Disney Park, and the United States is blessed with TWO! While we briefly considered Disneyland Paris when we traveled to the UK in 2018, it didn't come to pass.
Enter the pandemic. It threw all plans into something of a mixer, and the allure of California (and seeing my friend who moved to California a few years ago), made Disneyland suddenly irresistible. After months of essential isolation, World felt a little bit intimidating, and we thought Land might be a smaller, more digestible chunk of Disney magic. And then you have the history, and my goal to walk, as they say, in Walt's footsteps.
So it was my mother and I planned our trip to Disneyland. We had expected some things that didn't come to fruition... such as my mother being fully recovered from her knee replacement in the Spring and ready to walk miles a day with no pain (not to be... the other knee decided to act up), and that either MaxPass or Disney Genie would be in place (also not to be when we went... everything was standby). But we didn't expect other things, such as fireworks or parades, which had been absent from the park ever since re-opening but returned while we were there. And we learned overall to expect the unexpected.
Travel During the Pandemic
Although I love travel, I'm not a fan of flying on a GOOD day. Insert flying during a pandemic, and I was prepared to have full blown anxiety attacks, especially when we knew we needed to book flights with layovers despite the CDC advising avoiding them where possible. However, we booked a flight on Delta with one stop in each direction to John Wayne Regional airport in Santa Ana. We also sprang for comfort plus which we always debate, but it's almost a given we're going to do it. It makes so much difference to have that extra inch or whatever of leg room and that dedicated overhead bin space. We also each checked one bag and carried on the other (my mother did gate check her second bag at the layover because they were asking for volunteers on a very full flight).
I checked in online upon receiving the reminder on my phone (I have the Delta app... it's worth it to get whatever airline's app), and paid the baggage fees at that time. And then my daughter announced that the tickle she'd had in her throat for the past two days had turned into a full blown "cold".
The madness of scheduling a COVID test and notifying the school commenced, as well as the madness of checking the airline's actual policy of whether I, having no symptoms and being fully vaccinated, but being in close contact with someone awaiting test results, could travel. Turns out I could.... unless I became symptomatic in which case I would need at least a rapid test saying it wasn't COVID. And this is how I ended up packing 4 over the counter rapid tests in my bag just in case.
After this scare, for some reason, I was feeling pretty good about traveling. Perhaps my fear of flying was eclipsed by something else. Or perhaps I'd just thrown all fear to the wind knowing that I had at this point done everything I could reasonably do. My mother arrived later the same day and we isolated from my daughter. And we woke the next morning at 3:30 AM to head to the airport, having each slept very minimally the night before because that's what happens when we are excited about travel.
I call this one "the mountain we didn't hit". Landing in California
My airport is a nice, small one, and our flight was the first one out at roughly 5:45 AM. It's fun to be the first flight, because the jet just rolls out onto the tarmac all alone and upon hitting the runway doesn't even wait to take off. It was fast and awesome. The flights were on time, no delays or cancellations, and absolutely smooth and gorgeous. Having heard so many nightmares about flying, I had mentally prepared for a long, terrible, day, but that wasn't the case. On a layover in Minneapolis I had a lovely non-dairy matcha latte, one of my favorite things, and overall, I was already having a nice time. It just felt good to be traveling.
Delta was very good about reminding people to wear their masks on the jet (I had a good filtration mask on the entire time, which boosted my confidence that I'd be safe), but the airports were another story. So many people were just wearing their masks all wrong. Around their ears but under their chin. Or under their nose. Or hanging from one ear. It was kind of a freak show of how not to wear a mask, so my mother and I devised a game of "Mask bingo" to turn our anxiety about this into amusement.
Arrival and Getting There
We arrived in Santa Ana at about 10:30 AM California time, after a total of about 9 hours of travel from the time we woke up (not air time, but just time in the process of getting there). After having done some research on the best way to get to our hotel, which was right across from the Disneyland entrance on Harbour Boulevard, we decided Lyft was the easiest. I can't believe I'd not done a Lyft before, but it was super easy. We went up to the second floor where it is clearly marked as a Lyft/Uber pickup zone, and requested one through the app. The car was there in less than 10 minutes, and we arrived at our hotel about 18 minutes after being picked up. Lovely!
Where We Stayed
Park Vue Inn & Suites 5/5
Before our trip, we'd spent some time debating between the Desert Inn, Park Vue Inn, or, if we were able to find some sort of deal, the Grand Californian. I can't speak for the others, but I was very happy we ended up at a suite at Park Vue Inn. It was a really spacious set up with two rooms on the ground floor. One room contained a pullout couch, a coffee table, one TV, a vanity area with a sink, a table and chairs, and a kitchenette area with a coffee maker, range top, microwave, and nice small fridge with a freezer (Freezers are a source of excitement when in a warm climate!). The second room was the bedroom with two LOVELY CLOUDLIKE Queen beds, a bedside table with lamps and a nice alarm clock, a desk and chair, TV, and a spacious California closet. And of course, there was a bathroom with tub and shower and another vanity and sink.
Having stayed at Disney properties, I know there is something to be said for immersion and theming, but when it comes to space and amenities, I feel our motel offered more in the way of that than even the Grand Californian would have. Add to that, the staff at the front desk always seemed happy to see us, enthusiastic to hear about our travels (which, when you think that they must hear this all day, is a really nice touch) and helpful. There was a Coldstone Creamery in the same building that we thought we'd take advantage of, but never did, and a nice little convenience store with lots of necessities like sunblock, Immodium, Tylenol, and Disney merch, which we didn't think we'd take advantage of but ended up being a lifesaver on two occasions.
The kitchenette and vanity part of our suite
So, we admired our gorgeous room, claimed our beds, and unpacked. Then we walked a few hotels down the street to pick up my mother's ECV rental.
Renting an ECV
Remember that knee surgery we talked about? Well, that knee was fine, but getting that fixed just made clear how bad her other knee was (she's getting that fixed this coming Spring!) so after some persuasion, I finally did persuade her that it was OK and necessary to rent an ECV/Scooter. I think we are BOTH so glad she did. Never once did she complain about being sore from walking. I was the complainer this time, being out of shape from the pandemic, and I even got to ride the Scooter or sit on it while waiting sometimes. It makes for a REALLY comfy seat when none other is to be had, such as when waiting for parades or fireworks.
After researching best prices and convenience, my mother landed on renting one at the Camelot Inn & Suites. As we walked there, she worried about what if she couldn't drive it well, etc etc. We got there and found a very nice and humorous man explaining how to work a different scooter to a lady who seemed just as nervous as my mom. They really had a great attitude there and were very patient and comforting explaining how to work the scooter. We didn't wait long, the ECV worked immediately, it was easy to use, the staff was very patient and answered all questions, and that thing stayed charged all day with power to spare. Highly, highly recommended if you have any discomfort walking or standing for very long, especially at Disneyland where you don't really need to worry about boarding buses between parks or, in our case, even to our hotel.
The single drawback of an ECV is its low profile and the ignorance of others around you. In a crowd, people can't see a person in a scooter because they are lower than the rest of the crowd. And the ECV makes no noise when it runs, so people can't even hear you coming and tend to step in front of you or close around you. And then you have the people who gravitate toward any sort of ramp even if they don't need it, and shut out the ECVs and wheelchairs that do need it. The worst moment in my recollection was every morning when we crossed Harbour Boulevard among the masses headed to the front gate and at the other side of the street there was just one small ramp to get back up onto the sidewalk and every single person was crowding scooters and ECVs out of that ramp leaving a backlog of those who needed it in the street after the light turned green. That was always rough. I took to just hollering "Excuse us, we need the ramp!".
Exploring Downtown Disney
Our travel day was (wisely) not a park day. Since we had been up since what amounted to 1:30 AM California time, we were exhausted by the time we arrived. At about 2:30 or so, after sorting out our room, the ECV, and visiting guest services to ask about how to get accessibility information and first time buttons (you can't until you are inside the park), we had plenty of time to explore before our dinner reservation at Tortilla Jo's at 5 PM.
I was hungry... I always am after a flight because I don't eat much at airports or on the plane... and a little warm because the California sun, even though it was only about 67 degrees that day, was bright and hot, so I insisted on ice cream, which is how we stumbled upon Salt & Straw. We were unfamiliar with this brand, but quickly learned it was a unique ice cream place, and at the moment, they were having a Friendsgiving menu. I offered to go inside so mom could keep her mask off, and order a little something, so I got a pumpkin pie and gingersnap ice cream from the Friendsgiving menu, and grabbed the Friendsgiving menu for mom to look at. We shared that one, liked it, and then mom got really adventurous and decided to go get the caramelized turkey and cranberry sauce ice cream which, while sounding absolutely atrocious, was actually nice. It had pieces of caramelized turkey bacon, pralines, and cranberry chutney in it.
Disney balloons, I don't know why you make me so happy, but you do.
We continued all the way to the far end of Downtown Disney, and mom was getting cold. We learned that I was often hot because the sun and the walking was enough to keep me warm, but mom was always cold because she wasn't putting in the physical effort of walking. So she scooted back at rabbit speed to the hotel to get her cardigan while I hung out taking pictures for a bit. There's something about Disney balloons that just brings such joy to my heart that I snapped about a gazillion pictures of this person selling balloons, but I was having a great time just chilling and snapping pictures and enjoying the sounds and smells of Downtown Disney.
When mom got back, we still had time to kill, so we thought we might find a drink somewhere and landed on seeing if we could get a drink at the Disneyland Hotel. We went over to Tangaroa Terrace, which is really the outside part of Trader Sam's which we went to later in our trip, and were seated right away and had some lovely drinks amid the sunshine, and sounds of the resort's pool, and tropical greenery. I have to say, it was hitting me at about this time that I was on vacation and I was beginning to relax. It was just lovely enjoying our drinks there and laughing. I had a Pago Pago punch and mom has a Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum. While there, I got my daughter's test results: Negative. Big sigh of relief.
Pago Pago punch in foreground, Tiki Tiki Tiki rum behind it. We forgot to snap before drinking some
We explored the Disneyland hotel a little, looking for history, and we were not disappointed. In the main lobby of the Fantasy Tower, there are tons of pictures of Walt and his family and many of the famous people who visited Disneyland, especially in the early years when it first opened. That was what we came for, so it was really nice to see this. There was one other place, in the Disneyland park in the Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln waiting area, that had lots of history, which we visited later.
At about this time, we made our way to Tortilla Jo's. We had some delicious guacamole, I had a vegetarian burrito which was just okay, and mom had the mole which was GREAT. I had my heart set on a drink but by the time we got there, I could not drink another drink between the jet lag, fatigue, Dramamine I took earlier in the day, and strong drink I'd had at Tangaroa Terrace. But oh well.
Weather was gorgeous all day and would remain so for the entirety of our trip. It was the second week of November, so I don't know if that's normal or not... It was my first time in California... but every day was piercingly blue skies, mild breezes, and temperatures that never seemed too cold and rarely seemed too hot for me (though one of our days did reach 97 degrees!).
Disneyland so far had delighted by having all the magic. Upon walking past the tall hedges as you enter via the main gate, the whimsical music you expect to hear at a Disney park kicks in. And hearing the train pulling into the Main Street USA station actually brought a tear to my eye because that toot toot is such a comforting and familiar sound. It was strange when emotion would strike us... after 18 months of uncertainty, I think we were allowed our moments, but so far, it felt so nice to be "back" even if I'd never been to this particular park, and I felt at ease and safe, as Disney often makes me feel.
But we were beat, so we took showers and were in bed by 7 PM, asleep probably by 8 or 8:30 PM.
Next time: Disneyland morning, a brief trip to California Adventure, and then a very hectic Disneyland evening.
We hope you like our trip report so far! If you do, follow us over on our Facebook page where you can see when new articles are available each week. Until next time...
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