Disneyland AEP (Day 3)

The last day of the AEP started bright and early with a delicious breakfast buffet. 

We had some learning time and then they had a special visitor to present us with our graduation certificates....MICKEY!!

We had to get a group shot with all the people from our agency!!

After that we checked out of the Grand Californian and moved over to Paradise Pier for the night. 

Here is what our room looked like. 

Then it was time to hit the parks!! 

We basically spent all day riding rides and then we hit up Blue Bayou for dinner. It was really neat...great atmosphere and the food was yummy too!! Part of the restaurant looks over the Pirates of Caribbean bayou.

It was a late night with no pictures. I was dead when I finally headed back to the hotel. 

The next morning I woke up and checked out of the hotel. My sweet friends who live in Orange County came to pick me up and we drove over to eat lunch at Huntington Beach. 

After lunch, they drove me to LAX and I flew home. I loved Disneyland and cannot wait to come back!!

Disneyland AEP {Day 2}

Day 2 started out bright and early (but not too early since we were on pacific time). It was such a treat to have a hotel room and bed all to myself and to be able to get dressed without having to multitask and have kids pulling at my legs. 

We had an organized breakfast downstairs at Storytellers Cafe. We were waiting outside and look who was staring at us through the window!

The inside of the restaurant is beautiful! We met Chip and Dale, Pluto and Koda from Brother Bear. 

The food was super yummy...a pretty standard breakfast. 

After breakfast we walked over to tour a mock up of what a room/villa looks like at Aulani. If you aren't sure what Aulani is, its a Disney resort in Hawaii! I know, right?! I can book trips to here too and I have added it to my Disney bucket list. Here are a few pics from the room. 

Next we went over to the Disneyland hotel. Here are some pictures from that. 

I love how the beds have the fireworks behind them and I won't ruin the surprise, but they do something special. 

If you stay club level, you have access to a members only lounge that has snacks and drinks and an amazing view of the park. 

Next up was Paradise Pier. 

After the hotel tours, we were free for the day so we headed into California Adventure. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a Mexican quick service and started riding. I loved the Paradise Pier area and the roller coaster was fun!! 

That night, we had a special area reserved for the Disneyland parade. It was great and there is a  rumor, its coming to Disney World!!

I also indulged in one of these yummy creations...its basically a huge block of peanut butter inside of two graham crackers and covered in chocolate. amazing!! We stayed up way too late and I fell into a deep disney slumber....

Disneyland AEP {Day 1}

Let me just start out by saying that I was slightly excited about this trip....flying on a plane by myself, having some time to myself and a trip to Disneyland....count me in!

I caught a super early plane out of Memphis, switched planes in Houston and then flew to LA.  I loved looking out the window and seeing the mountains.

I landed at 9:30 am so I had the whole day ahead of me. I had a little time before my bus came so I ended up chatting with another agent and made a good friend (Hi Tammy!). We rode the bus to our hotel (Grand Californian). 

The lobby was so pretty and definitely reminded me of Wilderness Lodge.

Our rooms were not ready so we grabbed a bite to eat at the quick service restaurant there (chicken nuggets for me)

I was so excited to check out my room and was excited to find out that I had a room by myself.  I had a few minutes before our first event so I took some pictures before I messed everything up. 

Bathroom vanity area

bathtub/shower combo

Door to the toilet/tub area

Nice big closet with ironing board/iron, bath robes and a luggage holder. There were plenty of hangers, a pack and play and also some extra blankets. 

My two queen beds. I used one for sleeping and one for throwing my stuff on. 

Tv area with mini fridge

Little sitting area

My balcony opened up to a courtyard and the monorail went right under my room

Next it was time to meet up with the group. We had a whole meeting room to ourselves. I loved all the swag they had for us at our tables.  We had an ice breaker and takes about the heritage of Disneyland. Next it was time for the fun part...

DISNEYLAND!!

They showed us Walt's apartment on Main Street. They never turn off the lamp. 

We also got to go into the VERY exclusive "Dream Suite". The only way to stay here is to win  contest. 

Elevator to the Dream Suite. 

I want to let the pictures do the talking but I will tell you that in almost every room, there was a special button that you can push to make something very magical happen. 

One of the buttons for the bedroom. 

View from the balcony of the Dream Suite.

One of our instructors showed us a hidden secret of Disneyland. If you go near the wishing well next to the castle. There is a tree with Wendy Darling and Peter Pan's initials carved into it. Those little touches make Disney so, so special!

Next we headed across the courtyard to California Adventure. It reminded me a lot of Hollywood Studios. 

We had a special welcome dinner at Carthay Circle. It was super yummy!

After dinner, we had a special roped off place to stand to watch World of Color. It was so neat and I highly recommend it!! They had a dessert party going on that also included special seating. That seems like it would be a great option for excellent viewing. 

We headed back into Magic Kingdom to ride a few rides and passed a guy sweeping leaves into the shape of Mickey...Disney magic once again!

We didnt back to our room until about midnight (2am Memphis time). I loved finding turnout service with chocolate on my pillow!

Day 2 coming up!!