jabead
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2000
Cast - DH, 3 kids (ages 6, 9, and 12) and myself
Dates - June 21 - July 3, 2002
Day 3 (6/23) - Thanks to advice received on these boards, I had a couple of months ago obtained on the internet VIP tickets to see Lilo & Stitch at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. This was the first of about 5 surprises (and ended up being their favorite) that I had planned for the kids. We left the San Diego Hampton Inn (which was located right by Interstate 5) right after an early breakfast there and drove to Hollywood (it took us about 2 hrs. on a Sunday morning). We arrived in Hollywood with enough time to look at the hand & footprints in front of the Chinese Theater as well as have lunch at Johnny Rockets. The kids didn't know yet that we had tickets to see Lilo & Stitch and since they saw that it was showing at the theater right across the street (the El Capitan) they were begging DH and I to take them. DH told them that the shows were all sold out (which they were except for the last one at 9:30p.m. or so) but he would see what he could do (he was milking this for all it was worth, LOL!) Anyway after lunch we told them that we were going to see Lilo & Stitch and they exploded with excitement! We still had a little time before we could enter the theater so we spent some time (and money, LOL!) at the Disney Store next door. Then we got into the VIP line and were soon allowed in. We each got our container of popcorn and drink (included with our VIP tickets) and headed to the balcony to our assigned seats. I had gotten first row center balcony seats as recommended by someone on this board and the location was fantastic (I truly think they were the best in the house). We sat and listened to the wonderful organ player while we waited for the show to start. We then all really enjoyed seeing Lilo & Stitch in this lovely theater. After the show we went next door to take part in the activities there. They had a meet & greet area with Lilo & Stitch (in his Elvis costume), the kids all made leis, there was a Polynesian show with hula dancers, and several other activities so we spent quite a bit of time here. When we finally left there we drove to Huntington Beach (took about 45 min. on early Sunday evening) and checked in at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. We are Hilton Honors Gold members so were given a complimentary upgrade to their concierge floor, which was nice. We had just missed the hors 'doerves in the concierge lounge but grabbed some sodas and went back to the room to munch on leftover popcorn and other snacks that we had. The room was nice but not really large enough for a family of 5. It had two double beds and we could have gotten a rollaway bed but it cost an extra $15 so we opted to use the twin size air mattress that we had brought with us. There was barely enough room for it but it was just for one night so it was no big deal. Otherwise the room was nicely decorated and had a pretty large bathroom area with double sinks. The room had a great view of the pool and the ocean could be seen. We went to bed early as tomorrow we planned to hit the beach in the morning and then head to Disneyland!
Dates - June 21 - July 3, 2002
Day 3 (6/23) - Thanks to advice received on these boards, I had a couple of months ago obtained on the internet VIP tickets to see Lilo & Stitch at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. This was the first of about 5 surprises (and ended up being their favorite) that I had planned for the kids. We left the San Diego Hampton Inn (which was located right by Interstate 5) right after an early breakfast there and drove to Hollywood (it took us about 2 hrs. on a Sunday morning). We arrived in Hollywood with enough time to look at the hand & footprints in front of the Chinese Theater as well as have lunch at Johnny Rockets. The kids didn't know yet that we had tickets to see Lilo & Stitch and since they saw that it was showing at the theater right across the street (the El Capitan) they were begging DH and I to take them. DH told them that the shows were all sold out (which they were except for the last one at 9:30p.m. or so) but he would see what he could do (he was milking this for all it was worth, LOL!) Anyway after lunch we told them that we were going to see Lilo & Stitch and they exploded with excitement! We still had a little time before we could enter the theater so we spent some time (and money, LOL!) at the Disney Store next door. Then we got into the VIP line and were soon allowed in. We each got our container of popcorn and drink (included with our VIP tickets) and headed to the balcony to our assigned seats. I had gotten first row center balcony seats as recommended by someone on this board and the location was fantastic (I truly think they were the best in the house). We sat and listened to the wonderful organ player while we waited for the show to start. We then all really enjoyed seeing Lilo & Stitch in this lovely theater. After the show we went next door to take part in the activities there. They had a meet & greet area with Lilo & Stitch (in his Elvis costume), the kids all made leis, there was a Polynesian show with hula dancers, and several other activities so we spent quite a bit of time here. When we finally left there we drove to Huntington Beach (took about 45 min. on early Sunday evening) and checked in at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. We are Hilton Honors Gold members so were given a complimentary upgrade to their concierge floor, which was nice. We had just missed the hors 'doerves in the concierge lounge but grabbed some sodas and went back to the room to munch on leftover popcorn and other snacks that we had. The room was nice but not really large enough for a family of 5. It had two double beds and we could have gotten a rollaway bed but it cost an extra $15 so we opted to use the twin size air mattress that we had brought with us. There was barely enough room for it but it was just for one night so it was no big deal. Otherwise the room was nicely decorated and had a pretty large bathroom area with double sinks. The room had a great view of the pool and the ocean could be seen. We went to bed early as tomorrow we planned to hit the beach in the morning and then head to Disneyland!
