Left Las Vegas late this morning and headed thru the desert again towards the Grand Canyon, approx 4.5 hrs driving time. Stopped along the way at the majestic Hoover Dam for a guided tour thru the power plant which was really worthwhile. This took us way down deep into the area where the huge water intake tunnels were and then to see some of the 17 turbines in action. Having seen a tv documentary a few years ago on the construction of the dam, it was even more interesting. Carried on along the 4 lane highway at an average of 80 miles per hour for the next three and a half hours thru really boring countryside and long straight stretches of road till we reached the Grand Canyon just on sunset. Unfortunately it was a cloudy ... read more

Had a lovely relaxing morning beside the pool to wind down and catch some UV's. Kid's really enjoyed themselves and it was well earned. Later we headed out to explore the rest of the hotels on the Strip and what they each had to offer. First one, Excalhibur (A Medieval theme). Ashleigh & Jordan wanted to do the Spongebob 4D ride that is advertised everywhere. As it cost $10 each, Steve and I sat outside and held our breathes until they emerged - both were very disappointed and said, "it sucked". Oh well, win some, lose some... Next New York New York - an awesome facade of the New York skyscrapers on the outside and NY themed stores in the shopping area. OK, but nothing special. Further down we went into the Bellagio foyer and checked ... read more

Our last day at "The Happiest Place on Earth". Gates opened at 10am today thank goodness so we could sleep in a bit. Had assumed that because it was Monday, the crowds would be less than the weekend, and it would be a good day to go - but I think everyone else had the same idea 'cos man, it was BUSY!!! And it was drizzling slightly - I thought people stayed away in the rain (Nope!). Had a plan to revist all the favourites at least once then do some shopping, so we headed straight for Space Mountain - ooops, broken down. Back tracked to The Matterhorn to find the queue's a mile long, but moving quickly - until that ride breaks down. Not our lucky day.... Anyway the ride was soon up and running ... read more

Started the day with a Character Breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel. This treat was an unexpected bonus with our Qantas package, otherwise we would not have bothered. The Disneyland Hotel has the reputation as being THE place to stay, and the price reflects this. As far as I could tell from our very brief look around, the only benefit would be it’s proximity to Disneyland - it appeared neither opulent nor overly special to us. But the breakfast selection was extensive & yummy - you name it, they had it - even Mickey Mouse shaped waffles. It was nice to fill up on omlettes and bacon etc for a change, and the kids (including the big one) enjoyed the tons of desert treats and lollies on offer. We had Goofy, Chip n Dale ... read more

Everyone is hyper-excited this morning and bursting with energy Our first day at Disneyland! Our three day pass entitles us to have one morning where we can enter the park one hour prior to the official opening time. We decide to use this early entry today, of course. It’s a good 15 minute walk down Harbour Bvd from the Doubletree Hotel to the gates and then another 5 minutes thru bag check (fortunately we didn’t have all our lunch and drinks confiscated) and into the lines. It seems every other person decided to use the early entry day today too - there’s at least a thousand people queuing to get in with us. Disneyland is very similar to the Gold Coast theme parks (particularly Movie World) only on a MUCH grander scale. First glimpse the of ... read more