The Adventures of Duffy - Disneyland & Club 33 at Christmas Time

[luaulei321]

Ho Ho Ho – Merry Christmas!! Ok, so perhaps I’m several months late. "Better late than never" is starting to become a bit catchphrase for me, huh?

During Thanksgiving dinner last November, I received a hot tip that the big guy himself (Santa, of course!) was headed to Disneyland for the pre-Christmas holiday season. I immediately made plans to pack my bags and head south for a few days. I absolutely LOVE going to Disneyland when it’s decorated for Christmas! I wanted to check out some of the unique things that Disneyland does for the Holidays, and I had important things to discuss with the jolly old man in the red suit.

My lack of advance planning meant that I was not going to be able to secure reservations with my DVC points at the Grand Californian – bummer. Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel still had rooms available with an Annual Pass discount, so I booked 4 nights there – checking in on December 1st, and checking out on December 5th.

A very good friend of mine heard that I would be in town, and she invited me to join her and her family for lunch at Club 33 on December 1st. I had been DREAMING of going to Club 33 for as long as I can remember – I simply could not believe my fortune, nor could I decline such a generous offer to join them! I immediately altered my original plan to arrive on December 1st and made plans to arrive in Anaheim a day sooner (I booked a night at the Howard Johnson at an incredibly good rate).

I left my home in Northern California early in the morning on Wednesday, November 30, and I made it down to Anaheim by 1:30 pm. My room at the Howard Johnson was ready upon my arrival, so I quickly dropped my things off in my room and made my way over to the Parks.

I spent the afternoon walking around Disneyland and going on various rides. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, so I have nothing to share at this point (not to worry – I took TONS of pictures over the next few days!). I walked over to Tortilla Joes in Downtown Disney for dinner.

I think these are chicken flautas:



Dinner was good, and I left extremely stuffed.

After dinner, I strolled around Downtown Disney for a bit before deciding to call it a night. I was exhausted from the drive down, and I wanted to be fully rested for my big day at Club 33 the next day!

[luaulei321]

I woke up early on Thursday, December 1st. I wasted no time checking out of my room at the Howard Johnson and checking in at Paradise Pier. I lucked out again – it was barely 8:30 am, and my new room was available. Excellent! Bell Services assisted me with bringing my things up to my room on the 9th floor, and I got myself settled before making my way to California Adventure.

I stayed in this hotel years ago when it was still the Pan Pacific Hotel – years before the property was purchased by Disney. I’ve also stayed in the hotel a couple of times after Disney took over. My most recent stay prior to this past December was in 2006, and I could tell that the rooms had been refurbished since then.

Here are a few pictures of the room:

[luaulei321]

Pool under refurbishment:



This couch is a daybed that converts to an additional sleeping space for a 5th person:

[FauntleroyDuck]

ohhhhhhhhh AM here am here !!!

[kzrooster]

Could it be???? Really?????? A Duffy TR????? Yea!!!!!!!!

[jrbdad]

Looking forward to more

[Brian5581]

Always great to hear from you, Duffy! Looking forward to much more...

[beansprout]

Just in time Duffy, I have relatives heading to PP Hotel tomorrow, thanks for the photos. Okay, I have my coffee, continue...

[Disney4metoo]

Yay, it is a Duffy report! Excellent start as usual, I can't wait to read more.

[Yogi3323]

Yippeeee

However, that is a LOT of luggage for such a small bear!