Trip Report

I've seen some trip reports that are just so boring, going into every little detail, mine is not going to be like that. As we were there for 15 days, it would take forever anyway.

The flight

We flew with Virgin Atlantic. Brilliant flight - good entertainment, wonderful staff on the ground, outstanding cabin crew and lots of food!

Los Angeles

Los Angeles - surrounded be desert, looked brilliant as we came into land. Very few skyscrapers due to earthquake risk. It surprised me how flat it all was except for the few skyscrapers. The road system at night was so beautiful to see! It was just like on the movies and TV.

Anaheim

Anaheim is very attractive. I somehow thought it would look more touristy around Disneyland/DCA but it doesn't, it's very pleasant.

The Hotel

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Anaheim at the Park. It was between the busy South Harbor Boulevard and I 5, but the traffic noise wasn't a problem. The swimming pool area was really great and the hot tub just wonderful! The room was quite nice, but I didn't particularly like the wash basin area which was in the room itself rather than the bathroom. I got us a good deal which cost $20 dollars less than the standard price (although despite many calls to Holiday Inn reservations and the hotel direct they tried to charge us the full price - fortunately I had a fax that they had sent). This price also included $12 voucher towards breakfast and we found that the kids ate free - this was considerable savings for us as we have 3 children. Although I must admit the breakfasts were terrible! I was truly tempted to go elsewhere! but we needed to save money to spend on the stuff we really wanted. There was constant hassle just to get a table for 5, they were forever trying to squeeze us round a table for 4! I would say that the staff throughout the hotel were not particularly very good and there seemed to be some sort of communication/language problem even for those who were not Mexican!

Disneyland

to come.....

Disney's California Adventure

I'd read awful reviews on Mouseplanet.com and was concerned that DCA would be a waste of time. But I really loved it, the atmosphere was brilliant, the music great - it was so upbeat! Admittedly there isn't a lot for small children there, and I personally don't like roller coasters but I was happy to sit and wait for the family cos I just really loved the music and sights. Soarin' over California was the best! I could have spent all day on that ride! I didn't think Grizzly River Run was as good as the rapids ride at Alton Towers, but still fun. Superstar Limo was awful, they take a photo at the end of the ride and when I saw my face on the screen I had to laugh - I looked totally dumbfounded at how awful the ride was! California Screamin' was my 9 year old son's favourite, he went on it 3 times in a row. I loved It's Tough to be a Bug and went into that show a few times. The Power of Blast was sheer torture, I detested it! I wasted time watching that show. It was horrible lights and noise - I've had migraines that were more pleasant! Maybe Americans like that sort of thing (it's had good reviews!) but most Brits would hate it! DCA is getting some children's rides and I really think that once that happens and possibly adding some other rides it will be really good, as it is, there isn't enough to fill a whole day but worth popping into if you have a hopper pass. It isn't worth a full day's admission fee.

 

Downtown Disney

to come...

Universal Studios

to come......

L.A. Tour

to come....

Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana

Well we thought we had better take the kids somewhere educational because we had taken them out of school to go on holiday. The Discovery Science Center was great. You could experience an earthquake at the quake zone. We watched a really amusing science magic show, and a 3D laser show. There was a bed of nails you could try out, wall climbing and loads of interactive exhibits. The kids really enjoyed it.

Food

What the heck is a corn dog supposed to be? I thought that with the way Homer Simpson really likes them, they'd be lovely. No way! It's like a hot dog with some sort of sweet bready coating and fried. YUK! The americans certainly like to mix sweet and savoury! Some of the breakfasts were odd! Pancakes, bacon & maple syrup! Eggs, bacon, fresh fruit all together and covered with hollandaise sauce! but they use the most gorgeous creamery butter - beautiful! We ate at Denny's which was okay - nothing brilliant. The kid's had a happy meal at McDonalds - you get larger portions and a lot cheaper than in the UK. We ate at Taco Bell which wasn't that good. The best place to eat was Millie's. The service was excellent and the food was out of this world! Even now my mouth is watering thinking about the gorgeous meals we had there. While we were in Disneyland we snacked on pretzels (really salty!), cotton candy (candy floss) and churros. What can I say? churros are delicious, they're long and taste llike a cinnamony doughnut. At DCA we ate at Taste Pilot's Grill which was quite nice - the onion rings were huge! We also ate at Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill - the nachos were lovely. We enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate while watching Disney's Electrical Parade - warmed us up cos it was quite a chilly evening!