SoCal Trip Report - July 15 trip

atlmgm

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 13, 2004
WOW!!! Had a great time and highly recommend for your first ABD. Before I go into details, I would like to recognize three groups that made this adventure special.

First - the guides and fellow ABD'ers. Our travel guides were Natalia and Andy - they were awesome. Our group had a total of 23 and all got along very well.

Second, I want to recognize Kevin Klose at Dreams Unlimited (DU), Kevin was our travel agent and, as a first time ABD'er and a total planner, was able to answer all of my questions and was always quick to respond and had complete and thorough answers. The DU "rebate" is well worth booking with them.

Third, I really appreciate all of the previous trip reports. I learned a lot from your experiences and was able to learn from your adventures.


PRE-TRIP - This was our first ABD and I booked thru Disney initially and then transferred my reservation to DU to get the rebate (as well as their reputation - I encourage everyone to look at their You Tube videos). My cost was $5,798 for the ABD plus $358 for one pre-night less $350 DU rebate for a total of $5,806.

After reading the previous trip reports and as a veteran traveler, I realize the time change from the east coast (we are from Florida) could impact the experience - so we spent a few days in Las Vegas before we went to Hollywood. There are many things to do in Las Vegas for kids and teens - we went to the Hoover Dam and went to several restaurants (my son is a foodie). This also enabled us to get used to the time change and we took a Saturday flight to LAX so we could see Hollywood and have a pre-day to see the area.

When we landed the driver was at baggage claim waiting for us. We went to the Loews Hotel - about 45 minutes - and we immediately got in our room at noonish. As soon as we said we were with he Disney ABD group, our room was ready (not sure if this was just luck or part of the magic).

The room was fine (not as good as the Bellagio in LV or the Grand California). After we got set in our room, we walked around Hollywood Boulevard - we wen to the Studio Store and had an Incredible Sundae and saw the Incredibles 2 movie at El Capitan. I HIGHLY recommend seeing a movie at EC - the cost was $56 for VIP seats (includes a drink and a souvineer popcorn bucket). The EC has a pre-show organ that plays Disney songs (totally awesome) and a short show (we had the incredibles - Mr and Mrs and Frozone and Edna) before the movie. There are less expensive options too.After the movie we just walked around the mall and had a relaxing evening. We also got a call from Natalia (ABD guide) who sent up a gift (a bag) and told up about the registration on Day 1 (meet at 10-11 or 2-3).


DAY 1 - we got up early and went to Roscoe's (one of the highly recommended places from the Food Channel). Was a $7 Uber ride and was good - but would not go again. Then we went to the Grove and the Farmers Market (thanks to Dis Unplugged) and had Bob's Donuts. AWESOME!!!!. If I would go again, I would go to the Farmers Market and eat there - really good. Then we took an Uber back to the Loews ($8) and got ready for the ABD dinner. We also met Andy and Natalia for the first time during registration - pretty simple and only action of significance is to pick your choice of a menu item for Tam O'Shanter.

We has the welcome dinner at 5:30 at the hotel. The welcome started with each family introducing themselves and playing a trivia game to see who gets pictures and dinner first (we were last and it took about 10 minutes - so no long wait). After dinner, we had a few "games", got instructions for Day 2 (breakfast at 7 and meet in Lobby at 8:15), got the Day 1 pin and Lanyard), and an "optional" activity to see the show at the Chinese Theatre (at 8 or 830 - they show images of movie stars on the front of the Chinese theatre - lasts about 10 minutes).
 
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Day 2 (Monday) - Breakfast at 7 - was good = at Prestons in the Loews Hotel. ABD had a private room. After breakfast we met in the lobby at 8:15 and walked Hollywood. We went to the Chinese Theatre - saw some stars, got a tour in the inside that included popcorn and water and a short movie. It was a good historical tour. After the tour, we went back to the hotel and had about 30 minutes before we got on a bus to the Henson Studio.

I don't want to give away too many surprises - if you are interested, contact me separately.

At Henson Studio (was about a 15 minute ride) - was nice and historic. Brought back memories. They have a very small gift shop.

Then we went to Tam O'shanter for lunch. Meal was good - not great. Saw where Walt and the imagineers ate.

Then we went to a surprise - the Carousel - one ride - very historic. Was great to see once.

Then back to Loews - was about 3 pm.

At 4 we met at the Disney Studio Store for Ice Cream - (if you are a pin collector it did not include a pin). We were fortunate to be there for a Disney Studio Story pin release and was able to get them separate from the ice cream event. Got the Day 2 pin and instructions for Day 3 (breakfast at 7 - 8, luggage pickup in room at 7:30 am, and meet in lobby at 8:15)

The rest of the day was on your own - most people walked around Hollywood Blvd - some went to the wax museum.
 
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Day 3 (Tuesday) - most awesome day. After breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus at 8:15. We went to the Disney Studios and saw the archives. Then we had lunch at the Commissary (lunch on Disney) - think of an open food court - lots of choices - I had 2 taco's, Walt's chili, a diet coke, and a piece of carrot cake. Lots of food.

Then to Imagineering - totally awesome. Will not put out any spoilers (contact me if you want to know - I will tell) - but an imagineer met us at the from door, walked us thru a few hallways (greatly themed) and then we wen to the sculpture room - heard about the history and took pics with Snow White and the seven dwarfs original statues.

We then had 2 awesome experiences before we went to Mickeys of Glendale to shop. we each got a 40% off certificate for one item. We were able to take pictures at this point. Some folks also went to the Starbucks to get something to drink and to take pics. We also got our Day 3 pin from the imagineer.

I cannot say enough about Imagineering - was awesome.

After Imagineering, we took the bus to Disneyland (DL) - about 1.5 hours. The guides had water and snacks for us.

We got to DL about 4:30 and had about an hour before we met - the bags were brought to the room immediately. Also, since we were there for DL's 63rd birthday, the guides bought us all Sprinkles Cupcakes to celebrate.

We met at 6 in the lobby and got our 4-day park passed and headed to the French Market (in New Orleans Square) for dinner. Everyone got a drink, a meal and a desert.

After dinner, we were able to ride Haunted Mansions and Pirates as a group - the guides took us to the front of the line -after dinner each person was also given one fast pass for a ride of their choice.

We then had a special reserved section for Fantastic and watched the fireworks.

Shortly after 9 we were on our own for the rest of the night.
 
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Day 3 (Tuesday) - most awesome day. After breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus at 8:15. We went to the Disney Studios and saw the archives. Then we had lunch at the Commissary (lunch on Disney) - think of an open food court - lots of choices - I had 2 taco's, Walt's chili, a diet coke, and a piece of carrot cake. Lots of food.

Then to Imagineering - totally awesome. Will not put out any spoilers (contact me if you want to know - I will tell) - but an imagineer met us at the from door, walked us thru a few hallways (greatly themed) and then we wen to the sculpture room - heard about the history and took pics with Snow White and the seven dwarfs original statues.

We then had 2 awesome experiences before we went to Mickeys of Glendale to shop. we each got a 40% off certificate for one item. We were able to take pictures at this point. Some folks also went to the Starbucks to get something to drink and to take pics. We also got our Day 3 pin from the imagineer.

I cannot say enough about Imagineering - was awesome.

After Imagineering, we took the bus to Disneyland (DL) - about 1.5 hours. The guides had water and snacks for us.

We got to DL about 4:30 and had about an hour before we met - the bags were brought to the room immediately. Also, since we were there for DL's 63rd birthday, the guides bought us all Sprinkles Cupcakes to celebrate.

We met at 6 in the lobby and got our 4-day park passed and headed to the French Market (in New Orleans Square) for dinner. Everyone got a drink, a meal and a desert.

After dinner, we were able to ride Haunted Mansions and Pirates as a group - the guides took us to the front of the line -after dinner each person was also given one fast pass for a ride of their choice.

We then had a special reserved section for Fantastic and watched the fireworks.

aShortly after 9 we were on our won for the rest of the night.
 


Thanks for putting your thoughts together. My wife and I are doing this trip in December and are very much looking forward to it as this will be our 2nd DL trip with the 1st being 10 years ago. Our question is do you feel you have enough time to do everything in the parks for your days there or do you need to stay one extra day to use that 4th day of your park hopper to "do it all"?
 
Day 4 (Wednesday) - We met in the lobby at 7am and our guides walked us into Disneyland - it was nice to have the park to ourselves. We gathered in front of the castle and was met by the Disneyland Ambassador. After a bunch of pictures, she gave us our daily pin and off we went to breakfast at the Plaza Inn. The food was good and this has to be the best character interaction I have ever seen. After breakfast, we went to the backstage of the Indiana Jones ride. As a side note, closed toe shoes are required for any backstage activities due to safety reasons - so make sure to bring closed toe shoes or be prepared to go shopping. Afterwards we rode the ride. Then we rode 6 more rides and had a private meeting with Mickey. At about 10:45 am, we broke for about 2 hours - but before we left our guides gave each person a $20 voucher for lunch and let everyone know they each had 5 fast passes loaded on their ticket for the day. Several notes here - first, plan to go to lunch and maximize your vouchers. For example, my son and I went to lunch and spent about $25 - we used one of the vouchers and paid the additional $5. We saved the voucher for later in the trip. Second, the fast passes are good in both parks (except for Guardians of the Galaxy ride in California Adventure). Third, if you load your ticket into the Disneyland app, you can see the daily itenary for the whole trip.

We got together at 1 pm and split into two groups - each group took turns going into Walts apartment and the Abe Lincoln presentation. After this, the guides tok us on Star Tours.

At this point, there were two additional activities for the day - watch the Pixar parade in a reserved space and watch the fireworks in a reserved space. The parade was great the the guide bought ice cream for those that stayed. Many people left to go use their FP's. The parade was awesome. We did not go to the fireworks for two main reasons - we saw them the night before and the reserved space did not have a good view of either the castle or Main Street to see the images.

By this time we felt that we did almost everything in DL so we went to California Adventure. I must say it was really nice to have our hotel (Grand CA) connected to CA.

Day 5 (Thursday) - We met in the lobby at 7:30 (a little extra sleep since many of us were at the parks until midnight). We had breakfast at Storytellers in the Grand CA. Good meal and character interaction. After breakfast, we went into CA and rode three rides and had a tour of Carthy Circle. We then went behind the scenes for the Cars ride and rode the ride. The guides then bought us a snack of our choice - I got a diet coke and my son got mango slices. There were many choices including bread, fruit, etc. After a short break, we rode Soarin and then went backstage to Soarin - one of the Soarin crew gave us an awesome presentation. After this, we were on our own until 5pm - but before we left the guides told us we all had one FP to Guardians (good from 1-2pm) and 5 additional FP's.

We met at 5pm in the hotel lobby and went to conference room. This was our last night as a group and the guides put together a nice picture presentation. They took a ton of pics all week. After the presentation we had dinner at Carthy Circle. The guides had a few surprises for us - good Mickey ear hats with the blinking lights, pins, and a code to get the pics from the week. Dinner was good - including wine for adults. The adult options included a pork chop and chicken (can't remember the rest but did not include steak). My son and I got the pork chop and it was great. The kids meal options included a 4 oz filet that looked awesome - I was jealous. After dinner we were on our own until 8:30 - the guides had a reserved spot for us to watch the parade. The parade was awesome and we were done by 9:30 - enough time to ride Radiator Springs with one of our FP's before the park closed at 10pm - then we went to DL to use the rest of our FP's.

Day 6 (Friday) - We met at 7 in the lobby and walked to Steakhouse 55 for breakfast. Was the best breakfast all week. The guides gave us our final pin - and one FP for the day - and we all said our goodbyes to each other. We were done by 8:15. Many people stayed the day to maximize the pass - my son and I went to both DL and CA to ride the few rides we didn't get to do on the ABD. We did all of the rides in DL except for Thunder Mountain (was closed) and Splash Mountain (ran out of time). We did everything in CA.
 
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Thanks for putting your thoughts together. My wife and I are doing this trip in December and are very much looking forward to it as this will be our 2nd DL trip with the 1st being 10 years ago. Our question is do you feel you have enough time to do everything in the parks for your days there or do you need to stay one extra day to use that 4th day of your park hopper to "do it all"?

I would recommend staying the last day to maximize your pass. My son is a foodie and wanted to try some of the food options in the parks too - with all the food included during the ABD, its hard to eat much more. On the last day, we had skewers at Bengal BBQ, a corn dog, and dole whip in DL and had lobster nacho's in CA. We are from FL and don't get to DL much so we wanted to maximize the time - I booked 2 additional nights using my DVC points and we went home Sunday. Hope this helps - if you have any more questions, let me know.
 
I would recommend staying the last day to maximize your pass. My son is a foodie and wanted to try some of the food options in the parks too - with all the food included during the ABD, its hard to eat much more. On the last day, we had skewers at Bengal BBQ, a corn dog, and dole whip in DL and had lobster nacho's in CA. We are from FL and don't get to DL much so we wanted to maximize the time - I booked 2 additional nights using my DVC points and we went home Sunday. Hope this helps - if you have any more questions, let me know.

Good thought on using DVC points for that last night or two. Did you have any issues booking at the 7 month window or is this your home resort? We're DVC at VGF and are already well inside the 7 month window but I'll look at that option. Did you have to change rooms for your points stay or could you stay in the same room as your ABD booking? Thanks.
 
Closing - after the ABD, we staying 2 additional days using our DVC points. We stayed in a one bedroom and it was really nice. On Friday, after the farewell breakfast, we check out of our room, stored our bags with the bell man, and went into the parks to use our FP, do a few rides we didn't do, and snack around. On Saturday, we did not have park tickets so we explored the other hotels. We had a small lunch at Trader Sam's (was awesome - the menu options are great - really wish our Trader Sam's had these menu items). We had dinner at Napa Rose - was really good. After this, we felt we had done it all and are ready to go home. On Sunday, the driver met us at 7am and took us to the John Wayne Airport.

Conclusion - in my opinion, this is a must do trip. The guides and the fellow ABDers were great. This gave us a unique insight into Walt's footsteps. The ability to go to Henson Studio's, Disney Studio's, and Imagineering was inspiring. Being able to go to the front of the line with the guides in the park was special - we did get some interesting looks when we passed up the lines. I was really impressed with he guides and the ABD process - already thinking about the next trip.

If anyone has any questions, please let me know.
 
Good thought on using DVC points for that last night or two. Did you have any issues booking at the 7 month window or is this your home resort? We're DVC at VGF and are already well inside the 7 month window but I'll look at that option. Did you have to change rooms for your points stay or could you stay in the same room as your ABD booking? Thanks.

I did not have any issues booking at the 7 month window. My home resorts are Saratoga Springs, Grand Floridian, and Bay Lakes. You have to change rooms - the DVC wing is separate. I also wanted a one bedroom so that we could do laundry too. Our DVC room had a view of the back end of CA - the ferris wheel.
 
Thank you for the fantastic trip report! We are on this trip next summer. Going to Las Vegas first is a great idea!

We are foodies, too, so I love your idea of a last day food fest! We have already booked a post night. Did you have any time for the pool at the GC?
 
Loved the trip report!!! We've done BSM several times and are doing it again in December. Such fun!
 
Thank you for the fantastic trip report! We are on this trip next summer. Going to Las Vegas first is a great idea!

We are foodies, too, so I love your idea of a last day food fest! We have already booked a post night. Did you have any time for the pool at the GC?


There was definitely time for the pool - several families went to the pool.
 
One more question--we have booked a post night through ABD but we are also DVC members. I have not had great luck booking GC at 7 months. Did you book your post days at 7 months? How did it go? I would actually need a 2 bedroom.
 
One more question--we have booked a post night through ABD but we are also DVC members. I have not had great luck booking GC at 7 months. Did you book your post days at 7 months? How did it go? I would actually need a 2 bedroom.

I booked the DVC room at 7 months out - no problems. After I booked the DVC room, I cancelled my post night and changed my return flight. If you do this, make sure that Disney or your travel agent knows so that they can get you the free transfer to the airport. I would recommend going out of John Wayne instead of LAX if at all possible. Hope this helps - glad to answer any other questions. Thanks.
 
Great trip report! Sounds like you all had a fabulous time. We did this trip a number of years back and loved it as well. It sounds as if there have been quite a few changes although maybe less than there appears as I'm not sure what you are considering surprises. Thanks for doing the report. If I were going to repeat and ABD this might be it.
 
Thanks for this trip report! We are doing this adventure next year and are also DVC members. Like @acndis, we are DVC members (SSR and BLT) and would probably prefer to use points for our last night (or stretch it out to two additional nights). I'll wait and see what we can get at 7 months; if nothing is available, at least we reserved our post-stay night with ABD.
 
Thanks for this write-up. We are on the August 12 trip next month and can't wait. I've been wanting to do this ABD forever, and we've booked and deferred a couple of times now, so super excited we are finally doing it. Just a note of caution to the DVC members who are looking to book VGC at 7 months. We are DVC and own at BLT, but until a couple of years ago we lived in California and so went mostly to DL and not WDW. We became DVC members in 2009, and the first few years of our membership had no issue booking VGC at 7 months. Then things got a lot tighter. For several years, I ended up using our points for the hotel portion of the Grand Californian and not the villas (always an option, but the least efficient use of points in DL). In the last year and a half or so, we've had luck with waitlists clearing and have had a couple of stays in the villas, so maybe it's getting better. But for points budgeting purposes, you might want to take contingency plans into account if you need to use your points at Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian (hotel, not villas).
 
Thanks for this write-up. We are on the August 12 trip next month and can't wait. I've been wanting to do this ABD forever, and we've booked and deferred a couple of times now, so super excited we are finally doing it. Just a note of caution to the DVC members who are looking to book VGC at 7 months. We are DVC and own at BLT, but until a couple of years ago we lived in California and so went mostly to DL and not WDW. We became DVC members in 2009, and the first few years of our membership had no issue booking VGC at 7 months. Then things got a lot tighter. For several years, I ended up using our points for the hotel portion of the Grand Californian and not the villas (always an option, but the least efficient use of points in DL). In the last year and a half or so, we've had luck with waitlists clearing and have had a couple of stays in the villas, so maybe it's getting better. But for points budgeting purposes, you might want to take contingency plans into account if you need to use your points at Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian (hotel, not villas).
Yes, I think it might be even more difficult next summer for our trip with the opening of Galaxy's Edge. We do have a post day booked currently with ABD so we would just cancel that if we could use points.
 

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