City ❀ Country ❀ Beach
If you’re a Disney fan and contemplating whether to visit Tokyo DisneySea because you think it’s similar to Tokyo Disneyland or any other Disney park you’ve been to, you’re wrong. Tokyo DisneySea is like no other theme park I’ve ever been to. That’s saying a …
If you’re planning on visiting Tokyo Disneyland I am so excited for you because you’re in for a HUGE treat! I have been to Disneyland in California, Walt Disney World in Orlando (where we go the most often) and Tokyo Disneyland. I have to say …
Hilton Tokyo Bay is a beautiful & wonderfully located unofficial Disney resort located only a shuttle away from Tokyo Disneyland. That is one of the main reasons why we decided to stay here because we are huge Disney fans. In addition, it’s easy access via the subway system into central Tokyo for sightseeing. We always research reviews prior to booking any place, so we also did our due diligence and found that many people were very satisfied with Hilton Tokyo Bay. That gave us great confidence to book.
Now that I’ve mentioned why we chose this resort, let me show you why we loved our stay!
It always starts with first impressions, right? Well, this was no different. As we walk in we see the lobby area and it is gorgeous! To our right is a Disney store! The prices were comparable to inside the parks, but it makes it very convenient for last minute souvenirs.
As we go to our rooms, we booked two adjoining rooms but I only took video of our room not our sons in which they had two twin beds in theirs, we were pleasantly surprised by the nice welcome note and chocolates.
In dropping off our luggage in our rooms, I noticed how clean the rooms were. That is something I always look for first when entering hotel rooms. Overall, Japan is an extremely clean & respectful country. I will speak of that more in upcoming posts about our adventure in Japan! There were some cool features that we had never seen before, but were told about prior to our trip, specifically the many toilet buttons.
The view from our rooms were fantastic! There were some cloudy days, but that didn’t diminish the beauty of this resort’s location. We could see Mt. Fuji from our rooms!
Our rooms also came with complimentary use of pajamas & slippers. How comfy!
As we head down to check out the rest of what Hilton Tokyo Bay has to offer, we came across some wedding information. Did you know that they can cater to every part of your wedding? How romantic!
Hilton Tokyo Bay also provides a laundry room making it even better for you because you can pack a lot less. Just make sure you get the proper change from the lobby. A vending machine is there as well. However, I did find that the dryers were only capable of holding a very small load (like 3 pairs of jeans or 5 shirts) in order to dry thoroughly the first time.
I woke up very early in the morning one day to explore the pool area. No one was there yet and it was quiet. I found the pool area nice, but small. I think I found it small because I’m so used to the huge pool areas in Orlando. Japan has limited space, but they make the best of it.
Now, let’s talk about the restaurants and food at Hilton Tokyo Bay. This was my favorite part because I’m such a foodie! The resort has 2 areas for breakfast buffet, among other specialty restaurants, and they both served the same things. Our favorite was the Forest Garden.
My favorite dish was the corn soup. It was outstanding!!! I had never tasted anything like this and if I could have taken some home, I would have. I went as far as trying to replicate an authentic recipe I found online, but it didn’t even come close. If you see this on the menu or breakfast buffet while at Hilton Tokyo Bay, you must try it!
One other thing I loved about their breakfast buffet is that if the food has one of the main 7 allergens recognized in Japan, they will make it known. It’s not cross contamination friendly, but it will be listed if the actual food is made with it. This is true in many restaurants in Japan, specifically Tokyo. If it is not made known to you while traveling to restaurants in Japan, make sure you have a translated copy of the allergies you have and show it to your host/waiter BEFORE you order.
Just be aware that they may or may not be able to cater to you. Japan mainly does not have an food allergen problem, but they have catered to many tourists throughout the years and have been very good at trying their best to accommodate many who do have food allergens. One of our sons is gluten intolerant, so we made it a point to bring our own foods/snack from the U.S., just in case.
The 7 main food allergens recognized in Japan are: egg, milk, wheat, peanut, buckwheat, shrimp, and crab.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our experience at Hilton Tokyo Bay located at 1-8 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba 279-0031, Japan. Check out everything they have to offer and we hope you enjoy your stay! Stay tuned for more articles coming soon of our Japan family adventure!
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
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I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’re reading about the new Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios. I’m sure you’ve heard all the hype. People have been raving about it. Well, rightfully so! In my opinion, it is awesome!
If you haven’t been to Hollywood Studios in a while, it’s time to go back. Many things have changed such as the Fantasmic hat is not there anymore, the Great Movie Ride is making way for a new Mickey & Minnie Runaway Railway adventure ride, Toy Land, and of course, there is Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
Even if you’re not a huge fan of Star Wars, and I don’t know why not, you will be impressed on the massive displays and how realistic everything is. You really feel like you’re a character in the movie.
The ships are so detailed and you’re going to wish you could just walk in and fly in one. However, they are strategically placed so you don’t touch them.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is a place where I strongly recommend that you get to early in the day. The crowds will gather more as the day goes on. This is the line we were in at 7am!
I can’t stress it enough — get there early! Our experience was that we got boarding #42 for the Rise of the Resistance ride. That means we were the 42nd group to board. Unfortunately, the ride broke down closed twice and we were finally able to board about 4pm. If we would have gotten there later in the day, past 7am, we probably would have never been able to go on the ride that day. Boarding groups fill up VERY fast!
Now, let’s talk about the actual ride & I’m also including the Millenium Falcon ride. They were both AMAZING!
I was going to include a gallery of photos, in other words, a group of very small photos, but these are worth displaying entirely on their own and they really speak for themselves.
Star Wars doesn’t stop with just those two rides. The Cantina serves two breakfast items and is a place that you have to make reservations far in advance. It is more of a bar, but we had to experience it at least once. The vibe is just like the movie and it was a cool experience!
Grab a cool souvenir with a refreshing drink! This is a Sprite.
Character sightings are everywhere so have your camera ready at every moment! Sometimes I wonder what cast members go through on a typical day. They seem to always have so much fun!
Make sure you stay for the night time Star Wars show. It is spectacular! It is the perfect way to end a fun-filled day at Hollywood Studios!
Here are other things we did at Hollywood Studios:
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
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It was the roaring 20’s when Hollywood first started it’s empire of movies & TV businesses along these two seemingly timeless streets located in Hollywood. Ever since then, Hollywood just keeps growing and growing with more talent from generation to generation.
One of our first stops is a city known for it’s boutiques, star studded beautiful homes, and, of course, palm trees. Palm Springs doesn’t necessarily have a nickname, but if I were to give it a nickname I would say that Palm Springs is the city of charm. It is secluded, quite (depending what time of year you go), has many shops that are uniquely divided in character, and is rich in history.
During our vacation, we did not do a lot at Palm Springs because our main focus was Hollywood. However, we did stay at the beautiful Palm Canyon Resort and there is no shortage of activities to do there with or without children.
One very interesting tour you could take is to Elvis Presley’s honeymoon hideaway home that is worth over $9.5 million. We did not tour this home, but we did make it a pit stop to see the outside of it. It is located in a cul-de-sac and it truly is stunning even from just the outside. Unfortunately, I did not get the best photo of it, but I did have my husband take a photo of me taking a photo of the home! Pretty funny.
I have to rate this tour as one of our favorite places we visited because we are huge movie & TV fans. We are specifically fans of many of Warner Bros. shows. Some of our favorite film stages that you can visit are “The Big Bang Theory,” “Young Sheldon,” and “The Ellen Degeneres Show.” If you’re a 1980’s child, then you might recognize the set from “Friends.” You can literally sit on the sofa and be a “friend.” Photos were not allowed inside certain studios and sets.
If you love movies as much as we do, you’ll recognize props & costumes here from many well known movies such as Batman & Harry Potter. Warner Bros. Studio, as you can see, has a full day’s worth of exciting sites to see and experience and is suitable for all ages.
Tour/Tip/2 cent: Hollywood Max Factor MuseumMany people don’t know about this museum, but if you have a few hours to kill you must make a visit. It is located within walking distance of the Chinese Theatre so if you’re already out and about, it won’t take you long to get here. It is a historic building that carries many movie and TV props, scripts, and artifacts.
Tour/Tip/2 cent: Hollywood BoulevardThis is the place to be when visiting Hollywood for the first time. There is so much life here! There are many tour companies that will want your business. We decided to go with a walking audio tour to get more of an in-depth perspective to the old/classic & newer Hollywood. Here you will be provided with headphones and as you walk you will be given information on everything at a reasonable pace. You may even ask questions, if you desire. Here are some of our family’s favorite stars!
I grew up in Anaheim. True story: My family met John Wayne at the LA airport and John Wayne held me as a baby!
From the Oscars, Academy Awards to American Idol, Dolby Theatre is a gorgeous 640K sq.ft. theatre auditorium in the heart of the Hollywood Distric in Los Angeles. You can only tour with a ticket in hand. Tickets are purchased through their website. I was very surprised how ordinary the outside staircase entrance to the theatre was. Did you know it’s located in a shopping mall? On any given day it looks ordinary, but on award nights the entire entrance is transformed into a red carpet event. Store signs are covered with fabric. Seats are provided for spectators/fans. Giant Oscar statues are lined up at the entrance. The entire street of Hollywood Boulevard is closed off for the event. Our tour guide showed us a photo of how the place is transformed verses how it is on a daily basis.
This is how it looks on a daily basis:
You won’t see these stairs adorned in all of their red carpet splendor on a daily basis, but on Oscar night it will be! Entered from the first level going upstairs, is the entrance to the Dolby Theatre. I was pretending to pose like a wannabe movie star! I think I may have been a bit under dressed! By the way, do you notice the shop signs?
If you go to the second level, you’ll be able to see the entire mall’s courtyard. And if you move to a certain location, you’ll see a far off view of the famous Hollywood sign.
Our tour of the Dolby Theatre was about to begin as we waited patiently for our guide. We were ready to go with ticket in hand. We were very excited!
To our excitement, once you’re in, it is spectacular!!! It is all about glamour and glitz! The staircase inside is where the stars go to get their seats. In addition, there are private VIP rooms!
The inside is impressive!
Sony Pictures Studio is a place where many stars film their shows and/or movies. It is a wonderful place for the entire family! There are sitcom sets and game show sets. If you look and book ahead of time (plenty of time), you could even be in an audience!
“Who you gonna call?” That’s right! GHOSTBUSTERS!
Getting our Spidey sense on!
If you were a big “Desperate Housewives” fan, you would recognize this entire neighborhood. I was a fan and it felt surreal to be IN Wisteria Lane. That was an awesome experience!
Knott’s Berry Farm during the holidays is so merry. The last time I was here was when I was 5 years old! This was a long overdue trip and to enjoy it as a family made it even more special. This theme park is has things for the entire family. They have awesome rides, shows, and great food! It is an old world feeling walking about the grounds with fun all around.
The Reagan Library is the Reagan presidential museum and the resting place for former President Reagan. This library is Located in the city of Simi Valley which is southeast of Ventura County. It is an absolutely beautiful place to visit and perhaps stay a few days. We really wanted to visit the Reagan Library and I was stunned on how beautiful it was out there!
Santa Monica Pier is a lovely place to spend a fun time with your family or just relax on your own on the beach. It’s also a great place to people watch or grab a bite to eat. It’s got the best of both world’s: thrills and chills (thrill=rides, chills=chillax on the beach). The best time to go is during sunset and that’s when we went. It can be very chilly depending on when you go and very windy so bring a light jacket!
There are innumerable things to do in Hollywood as a family.
I hope you enjoyed this guide to serve you in any future visits to Hollywood, California.
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
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