Staying at the top of the heap of the heap takes more effort than getting there in the first place.

Such seems to be the case of Disney’s Grand Californian Resort. I had the second opportunity to stay at the beautiful hotel this past week and I have to say I was a little disappointed this time around.

Granted, the hotel is still glorious in its pristine Frank Lloyd Wright design, amazing foyer complete with fireside storyteller, pint-sized rocking chair and a pianist tickling the ivories with famous Disney tunes, and impeccably kept grounds. The conference and catering services were reminiscent of Cinderella’s mouse friends – busily scurrying about to ensure that every detail was perfect and in its right place at the proper time.

Last year, I stayed in one of the original towers and had a lovely view of the pools where families scurried about in the sun and splashed away the day. In the background, I watched as crews constructed a new tower to house Disney’s expanding timeshare venture.

This year, I was assigned to a room in the first floor of that new tower. I was actually the first paying guest to rest my head on that bed. Given its newness, I assumed the space was ghost-free, but I should have checked their plans to see if Native American burial plans were beneath my feet. You see, things were not as they should have been, at least not by Disney’s impeccable standards.

First of all, the location of the room was a little too close for my comfort and all. I know that the Disney folks are trying to make the most out of every square foot of their valuable chunk of real estate and all, but I was so close to the Mulholland Madness roller coaster, I could nearly “high-five” the riders as they whizzed by.

I settled into the space and decided to make use of my in-room facilities only to discover the joys, uh, I mean challenges of peeing in the dark. After the hotel’s engineering crew showed up (almost 45 minutes after my call) and discovered the brand-new and energy-saving LED fixture was bad, they managed to procure the only replacement back at the shop. All was well, but I was surprised that the faulty fixture wasn’t discovered in their inspection process.

Later that evening, I opted to call room service for a late supper rather than brave Downtown Disney for a late-night, overpriced meal. After 15 minutes on hold, I finally was able to place my order for a bowl of their corn chowder soup and peach cobbler. Both arrived a half hour later lukewarm and bland. I suspect something else wasn’t right about the meal, as I spent the early hours of the morning thankful that I had discovered the faulty bathroom light upon my arrival and not then. Let’s just say that would have been insult to injury.

The following day, I headed back to my room at the noon hour to catch a quick catnap. The room had not yet been visited by the housekeeping fairies. Hmmmm. Well, they did just open this building and they’re probably working out some of the scheduling bugs for the cast members. I was willing to cut them a little slack. After all, I was sure it was an anomaly. Until I came back after 5 and the room was still unmade. When I called the housekeeping head elf desk, their quizzical response had me wondering if I was out of line for expecting daily maid service for my nearly $200/night stay. Eventually the room was made up, towels were replaced and a lovely chocolate was left on my pillow (one of my favorite Disney special touches, I might add.)

Overall, my stay at the Grand Californian was a pleasant one. I love the new pools and the customer service in general was outstanding. Unfortunately, when you set yourself to be the Prince Charming of the hospitality industry, every fingerprint on that shiny armor stands out.

Ahh beautiful, sunny San Diego.

Home of sandy beaches, beautiful blue water littered with colorful sailboats , beautiful people living beautiful lives.

It’s a frequent weekend oasis for Vegas folk needing a break from the hotter than Hades temperatures from June to September.

That’s why I packed up  and took my crew, including my awesome mom, a few weeks ago. We met up with some good friends one day for a romp around the amusement park ode-to-danish-plastic-blocks that is Legoland.  If that weren’t exhausting enough, we arose the next day and played with some new watery pals at Sea World.

Rather than give you a boring play by play, I’ll give you some tips to help you on your next foray into these magical concrete jungles. Today, we’ll start with part I: Legoland.

1. This is a summertime park. Normally I’m an advocate of the off-season, especially when it comes to amusement parks. Lines are shorter, crowds are in better moods when it’s not so hot, rates are better, and so on. But when it comes to Legoland, you really need to do this one in the heat. So much of the park features water play. From fountains to pirate ships to water slides, this place is one big drenchfest.

2. Just put them in their swimsuits and leave them there. See #1. It goes for you too. Bringing a towel is up to you. My kids were dry in five minutes, so I was glad to leave the excess bulk behind at Chez Howard Johnson. You may not be a “water” person, but trust me, you’re gonna want to get in there and play with your kids. Oh, and that white t-shirt? Wear a suit under it. Legoland is a family show – no one wants to see your boobalas a la Tampa Spring break (well, maybe some dads would enjoy the oogles on your boobles, so use your discretion.)

3. Wear shoes to walk in and be prepared to hike. This is not a flat park. If you’re hauling a stroller or a tempermental two-year-old, or (as in my case) both, you’re gonna get a workout. Keep those cute espadrilles at home. Wear shoes you can walk in and don’t mind walking in wet (again, see #1).

4. Pace yourself. One of the great features of this park is that there’s a lot to do that doesn’t require you to turn your legs into a varicose veined mess resembling a Texas road map. Stop and play at the playgrounds, water fountains and slides. Catch a break from the sun by darting into one of the building stations equipped with thousands of legos allowing kids to construct to their hearts’ content. This was a great way to have some “quiet time” for my overstimulated princess and little dude who loved the stop with the racing ramp.

"Hey Mom! Can I take HER home with us?!?!"

5. Pick your souvenirs smartly. Yes, it’s tempting to buy a realy cool lego set at Legoland, but odds are you can probably find the same set on Amazon for much cheaper. I actually managed to walk out of their plastic-crap and stuffed animal-free, well, if yu don’t count the plastic cups from their lunch and dinner kids meals. Ahh yes. That reminds me…

6. Pack it in. They say “no picnicking”, and they do check bags for security, but, in retrospect, I wish we would have packed a lunch instead of ininvesting in kids’ meals. Packing frozen Capri Suns worked well in the heat and we brought some snacks, but the $40 on grilled cheese and chicken fingers and pizza was pretty crazy.

You just can't escape the lines, even blockheads have to wait.

7. Go strolling. If you are traveling with multiple children, the park’s double strollers are great. We hauled three kids and a ton of stuff in and on ours  at multiple points throughout the day. Although 3/4 of our tiny troupe could have walked most of it, it was nice to have them all contained in one three-square foot space. Some kids that day (none of ours, mind you) even napped in them. It was easy to maneuver as well. Well worth the $16 rental + $2 deposit.

Not exactly scream-tastic.

8. Don’t expect thrills and spills. This is Legoland, not a Six Flags park or Coney Island. Granted I was here with little ones, so anything that had a height requirement of more than 45″ was out of our plan. That said, most of the screams we heard that day came from our two-year-old tantrum factory, not the the park’s “big kid” rides. If you’re looking to lose your lunch post-ride, save your pennies for a different park.

Apparently the helicopter ride was scream-tastic for my two-year-old boy.

The boat ride was much more to his liking, and grandma's too!

9. Stay for the fireworks. This is the park’s 10th anniversary and they do a great show. It’s not quite Disney drama, but my kids loved watching it from the backside of the Vegas cityscape (in legos, of course).

Come back later this week for the second half of the San Diego review  — Sea World.