Day one, The Departure
Today the touring party arrived early at Tullarmarine to board the plane for the USA. Nervous parents waved their children off on what will be an amazing adventure for all involved. I am Jesse Baker and I will be your online tour guide for the duration of the trip. I will be capturing our fun and letting you share what will be the most fantastic trip for these young people - me included. I am keen to hear your feedback so please send it through, along with your messages to any of the touring party and I will be sure to send them on. If you have anything specific you'd like to hear about or for me to capture on camera - please let me know.
Eagerly awaiting the first uptake from the flight. Plane has landed safely - exciting times await.
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media.
Eagerly awaiting the first uptake from the flight. Plane has landed safely - exciting times await.
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media.
Day Two, The arrival
Leaving Melbourne was such a breeze! The flight was amazing! Although many of us sleepless it was a good trip. After staring at a small plasma screen for over 13 hours and listening to Jack and Andrew giggling the whole way there we landed in Los Angeles airport around 7am local time, weary yet excited faces in front of us we caught the shuttle bus to the Annabella Hotel in Anaheim. The array of fast food and commercials around was astonishing! Even cars! Look to your left it’s a Mercedes and you right it’s a Hummer
As soon as we arrived at the lobby we sought out these comfy red sofas as we waited for our rooms to be allocated, sleeping arrangements were made and everyone had a well-deserved sleep!
For lunch we ventured down the road to this little diner called Tiffy’s Family Restaurant and ice-creamery, the food looked great! There was a lot of it though! Sam's Face lit up when the waiter said that there were free refills! We wandered down the street a little to see what was out there, with Disneyland in sight we stopped at a corner shop to get something to drink, we decided to turn around and head back to the hotel, where most of us have reverted to sitting in front of the fan and relaxing or cooling down by the pool… What a hard life!
Anticipation is increasing for Disneyland tomorrow!
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
As soon as we arrived at the lobby we sought out these comfy red sofas as we waited for our rooms to be allocated, sleeping arrangements were made and everyone had a well-deserved sleep!
For lunch we ventured down the road to this little diner called Tiffy’s Family Restaurant and ice-creamery, the food looked great! There was a lot of it though! Sam's Face lit up when the waiter said that there were free refills! We wandered down the street a little to see what was out there, with Disneyland in sight we stopped at a corner shop to get something to drink, we decided to turn around and head back to the hotel, where most of us have reverted to sitting in front of the fan and relaxing or cooling down by the pool… What a hard life!
Anticipation is increasing for Disneyland tomorrow!
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
dAy Three, Disneyland!!
After the shuttle bus picked us up from the front of the hotel, we all had our feet dangling 20 feet above the ground in a surreal flight simulator soaring over California. We played 3D shooter games, continuous circles in blow up boats and bumper cars and explored the variety of shops Disneyland had on offer. We have yet to discover half of this amazing attraction park, so we plan on completing it tomorrow.
Most of us had roast beef rolls for lunch, Pete had a salad, which quite possibly was as big as his head! We enjoyed many of the games surrounding Paradise Pier, Sam won the first prize; with his smile going ear to ear, we got many photos of him and his horse!
All of the rides were amazing! Jack, Andrew, Matt and myself all dared the Hollywood Tower. It had our jaws on the ground as we fell from a bird’s eye view to the ground floor in the matter of seconds!
Dapper Day was also around us. This is where people come to the park dressed in old time clothing. Everyone looked very sharp and they suited the scene perfectly! Unlucky for us we weren’t aware of the event.
After spending 9 hours at the park we decided it was time to head back home! Many of us went and had a relaxing swim in the pool! Sooo refreshing! For Dinner we decided to head off to the Cheesecake shop where the the meals were again gigantic! (so much for entrees). Funnily enough we finished and left without trying one of their fantastic cakes!
Tomorrow includes the old style half of Disneyland, Fireworks, many rides, lots of shopping and another famous Disneyland Parade!! Can't wait
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
Most of us had roast beef rolls for lunch, Pete had a salad, which quite possibly was as big as his head! We enjoyed many of the games surrounding Paradise Pier, Sam won the first prize; with his smile going ear to ear, we got many photos of him and his horse!
All of the rides were amazing! Jack, Andrew, Matt and myself all dared the Hollywood Tower. It had our jaws on the ground as we fell from a bird’s eye view to the ground floor in the matter of seconds!
Dapper Day was also around us. This is where people come to the park dressed in old time clothing. Everyone looked very sharp and they suited the scene perfectly! Unlucky for us we weren’t aware of the event.
After spending 9 hours at the park we decided it was time to head back home! Many of us went and had a relaxing swim in the pool! Sooo refreshing! For Dinner we decided to head off to the Cheesecake shop where the the meals were again gigantic! (so much for entrees). Funnily enough we finished and left without trying one of their fantastic cakes!
Tomorrow includes the old style half of Disneyland, Fireworks, many rides, lots of shopping and another famous Disneyland Parade!! Can't wait
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
DAY FOUR - DISNEYLAND TAKE TWO
Day two at Disneyland was yet again another magical experience! We arrived at Downtown Disney a little earlier than normal due to our experience pass! (The ride) Autopia was great for everyone! We all drove around a large stretch of road for about 4-5 minutes; Sam got his first license, he was pretty stoked!
Rides of the day included; Indiana Jones’ Adventure Rollercoaster, Finding Nemo Submarine Ride and Starwars Galactic Battleship Simulator, just to name a few, they were great and everyone enjoyed them!
We left the park around 2pm, headed back to the hotel and had a relax down by the pool, Matt, Jack, Pete, Sam and Andrew had a great time swimming for a good hour or two, took everyone ages to get ready and we nearly missed the bus! We had to run down the street because the guy was kind enough to wait for us, unlike Melbourne
We headed back to Downtown Disney where we found an Italian shop on the corner; you should have seen the size of the pizzas! We almost ordered the largest size before the waiter insisted that we would never finish them both! (Photos will be in the Gallery)
As we were walking out of the restaurant some lights caught Jack, Sam and Andrews attention so we walked in, this is where they built an RC car, which they got to fully customise from the chasse to the décor stickers!!
We did a little more shopping before we headed to Peaches Castle for the Firework Finale! There were people as far as the eye could see! We got there about 45 minutes early and we got some great spots! About 4-5 people from the front row!
Each scene of fireworks was representing a different scene in one of Walt Disney’s Famous productions, from Tinkerbelle to Dumbo the Flying Elephant! They were all there!! It was truly a magical experience! We all recommend it!!
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
Rides of the day included; Indiana Jones’ Adventure Rollercoaster, Finding Nemo Submarine Ride and Starwars Galactic Battleship Simulator, just to name a few, they were great and everyone enjoyed them!
We left the park around 2pm, headed back to the hotel and had a relax down by the pool, Matt, Jack, Pete, Sam and Andrew had a great time swimming for a good hour or two, took everyone ages to get ready and we nearly missed the bus! We had to run down the street because the guy was kind enough to wait for us, unlike Melbourne
We headed back to Downtown Disney where we found an Italian shop on the corner; you should have seen the size of the pizzas! We almost ordered the largest size before the waiter insisted that we would never finish them both! (Photos will be in the Gallery)
As we were walking out of the restaurant some lights caught Jack, Sam and Andrews attention so we walked in, this is where they built an RC car, which they got to fully customise from the chasse to the décor stickers!!
We did a little more shopping before we headed to Peaches Castle for the Firework Finale! There were people as far as the eye could see! We got there about 45 minutes early and we got some great spots! About 4-5 people from the front row!
Each scene of fireworks was representing a different scene in one of Walt Disney’s Famous productions, from Tinkerbelle to Dumbo the Flying Elephant! They were all there!! It was truly a magical experience! We all recommend it!!
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
DAY FIVE - MORE DISNEY, MONORAIL, SHOPPING AND ESPN
Day Five - so much action and no time to report on it!!!
Disneyland has lived up to all expectation for all of us. Sam was thrilled to master the Tower of Terror, Matt, Andrew, Sam and I went on an amazing roller coaster and then shopping after the monorail ride.
The gold rush ride was so much fun! You went up and down steep slopes in a blow up biscuit; all 7 in the same one, we tipped the boat to all sides trying to get someone soaked! Unlucky for craig it was his lucky day, he walked away twice dripping in water, his face was priceless!!
For dinner we ventured into ESPN zone where we played arcade games like basketball hoops, air hockey and bowling - see the images in the gallery. The ESPN sportsbar had a TV wherever we watched many sports like; rugby and baseball, there were even Televisions in toilet and on the roof!!! - no sports action missed for a second and the boys loved it.
We all fell into bed exhausted and then up again to venture into another action packed day. Stay tuned for Day 6 - promise it will be a little longer. Keep coming with your well wishes, the boys love to know that you are watching what they are up to.
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
Disneyland has lived up to all expectation for all of us. Sam was thrilled to master the Tower of Terror, Matt, Andrew, Sam and I went on an amazing roller coaster and then shopping after the monorail ride.
The gold rush ride was so much fun! You went up and down steep slopes in a blow up biscuit; all 7 in the same one, we tipped the boat to all sides trying to get someone soaked! Unlucky for craig it was his lucky day, he walked away twice dripping in water, his face was priceless!!
For dinner we ventured into ESPN zone where we played arcade games like basketball hoops, air hockey and bowling - see the images in the gallery. The ESPN sportsbar had a TV wherever we watched many sports like; rugby and baseball, there were even Televisions in toilet and on the roof!!! - no sports action missed for a second and the boys loved it.
We all fell into bed exhausted and then up again to venture into another action packed day. Stay tuned for Day 6 - promise it will be a little longer. Keep coming with your well wishes, the boys love to know that you are watching what they are up to.
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
DAY SIX - HOLLYWOOD AND MORE SHOPPING
Just after we woke a couple of us walked down to Downtown to do some quick last minute shopping for family and friends, returning 30 minutes later to quite possibly the funniest shuttle driver ever!!
It was a great 45 minute drive, he pointed out every single car, attraction and anything else we thought was cool! Some of the freeways looked crazy, the roads twined together like nothing I have ever seen before!
We arrived at the Beverly Gardens Hotel to throw our bags down and basically run into Hollywood, there were shops everywhere!! Flashing lights; in broad daylight! It looked so different to what we all imagined! The walk of fame appeared like it just went on forever; all the stars were there (even though we couldn’t name any of them)
After being told the wrong information about the trains we arrived at the ‘central station’ of the local district, from there we caught a shuttle to the LA Dodgers game!
Arriving at the front gate we looked a little out of place, so we bought some LA gear, was a little expensive but was so worth it!
Baseball is such a different sport to anything we have in Australia; it was so intriguing the crowd was so lively and always ready to cheer! From nachos to Hotdogs dinner was pretty good!
With everyone still buzzing from the game we head towards the hotel where we jumped from channel to channel! US television is so good! So much variety everyone was wrapped
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
It was a great 45 minute drive, he pointed out every single car, attraction and anything else we thought was cool! Some of the freeways looked crazy, the roads twined together like nothing I have ever seen before!
We arrived at the Beverly Gardens Hotel to throw our bags down and basically run into Hollywood, there were shops everywhere!! Flashing lights; in broad daylight! It looked so different to what we all imagined! The walk of fame appeared like it just went on forever; all the stars were there (even though we couldn’t name any of them)
After being told the wrong information about the trains we arrived at the ‘central station’ of the local district, from there we caught a shuttle to the LA Dodgers game!
Arriving at the front gate we looked a little out of place, so we bought some LA gear, was a little expensive but was so worth it!
Baseball is such a different sport to anything we have in Australia; it was so intriguing the crowd was so lively and always ready to cheer! From nachos to Hotdogs dinner was pretty good!
With everyone still buzzing from the game we head towards the hotel where we jumped from channel to channel! US television is so good! So much variety everyone was wrapped
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
Day Seven - Universal Studio
Universal Studios was yet another Awesome Experience! We woke early at the Beverly Garlands to start our walk to the Station, from their we caught a shuttle to the Studios, We were amazed about the size of the whole park!! It was Gigantic!
We started the day with Jack, Matt, Andrew, Craig and myself shaking in our boots after our visit to the Haunted House, Live actors moved in front and approached you throughout the whole walking course it was surprisingly scarier than we anticipated…Boo! After Andrew flipped one of the actors the bird he ran for his life out of the ride it was hilarious!
Every ride we went on something spat on us! 4D Theatres and Rides are amazing! It adds an effect, which is only dreamt about! Shrek, Transformers and the Mummy Rides were just to name a few, with our seats jerking left to right we all walked away fairly dizzy!
Getting Drenched was another thing our agenda and the Jurassic Park ride was our answer; with ups, downs twists and turns everyone walked away soaked from head to toe, We climbed the indoor mountain to plummet 15m (estimate) back to the ground which sprayed anyone who remained a little dry.
Lunch was next door which was everything from Hamburgers to Chinese all the meals looked good! Shortly after lunch we headed back to the Jurassic Park ride this time to cool off and switch people from the back seats to the front! All walking away with smiles ear to ear!
The Universal Tour was AMAZING!! From Current T.V. shows to the original Frankenstein film all the sets and props were there! As our shuttle drove along the 45-minute route we stoped in certain locations to have the ride of our life! The floor lifted from the ground we then drove through King Kong battling a T-Rex, Jaws eating a police diver and then an earthquake and flash flood in an underground railway.
Getting photos on the Red Carpet and in front of the Universal Globe didn’t go astray! We have all heard of downtown Disney but what about Universal City! Its just as big! With surf shops like Billabong to Ice-cream shops like Ben & Jerry’s (Tom & Jerry’s as Matt likes to call it) everything was there!
After another round of relentless shopping we headed to the end of the city for dinner where the waitress was such fun! She was sliding across the restaurant on a chair until she slipped and headed over the top of the chair and onto the floor.
We ended the night by playing some games, going shopping and finally a peaceful walk back to the Hotel Inn
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media
We started the day with Jack, Matt, Andrew, Craig and myself shaking in our boots after our visit to the Haunted House, Live actors moved in front and approached you throughout the whole walking course it was surprisingly scarier than we anticipated…Boo! After Andrew flipped one of the actors the bird he ran for his life out of the ride it was hilarious!
Every ride we went on something spat on us! 4D Theatres and Rides are amazing! It adds an effect, which is only dreamt about! Shrek, Transformers and the Mummy Rides were just to name a few, with our seats jerking left to right we all walked away fairly dizzy!
Getting Drenched was another thing our agenda and the Jurassic Park ride was our answer; with ups, downs twists and turns everyone walked away soaked from head to toe, We climbed the indoor mountain to plummet 15m (estimate) back to the ground which sprayed anyone who remained a little dry.
Lunch was next door which was everything from Hamburgers to Chinese all the meals looked good! Shortly after lunch we headed back to the Jurassic Park ride this time to cool off and switch people from the back seats to the front! All walking away with smiles ear to ear!
The Universal Tour was AMAZING!! From Current T.V. shows to the original Frankenstein film all the sets and props were there! As our shuttle drove along the 45-minute route we stoped in certain locations to have the ride of our life! The floor lifted from the ground we then drove through King Kong battling a T-Rex, Jaws eating a police diver and then an earthquake and flash flood in an underground railway.
Getting photos on the Red Carpet and in front of the Universal Globe didn’t go astray! We have all heard of downtown Disney but what about Universal City! Its just as big! With surf shops like Billabong to Ice-cream shops like Ben & Jerry’s (Tom & Jerry’s as Matt likes to call it) everything was there!
After another round of relentless shopping we headed to the end of the city for dinner where the waitress was such fun! She was sliding across the restaurant on a chair until she slipped and headed over the top of the chair and onto the floor.
We ended the night by playing some games, going shopping and finally a peaceful walk back to the Hotel Inn
Jesse Baker - Media Guru - United Youth Media