Amanda & Jeff 12/7/15 - YCG/Marina/Ariel's/France - Update 10/25: Napa Rose Chefs Counter!

Your wedding looks like it was so much fun! Disneyland at Christmas time is so magical! They really love how the theming in Cars Land comes together. All the extra treats are the parks are fantastic too. I hope you were able to get a candy cane while on your honeymoon!
 
Yay, you are going to love it! Have you stayed at the Grand Californian before? It was our first time at a Disneyland hotel, and we loved it! We used the EMH mornings and loved the entrance right into DCA!

Nope, not yet! On our last trip, we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, which was amazing! But being basically IN DCA is awesome and I can't wait to be in that close proximity to the parks.
 
Your wedding looks like it was so much fun! Disneyland at Christmas time is so magical! They really love how the theming in Cars Land comes together. All the extra treats are the parks are fantastic too. I hope you were able to get a candy cane while on your honeymoon!

We didn't get a candy cane! We thought about it, but we didn't want to miss any of the EMH mornings to wait to get one. I was a little disappointed, but I guess it means we'll have to go back during Christmas another time to get one!

Nope, not yet! On our last trip, we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, which was amazing! But being basically IN DCA is awesome and I can't wait to be in that close proximity to the parks.

Yes! The Grand Californian is sooo much closer than the Disneyland Hotel. Though I've never stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, so I'm not sure how they compare other than that.
 
December 10th - Early Morning Disneyland

We woke up early on the morning of the 10th to get ready before the extra magic hour morning at Disneyland!



This was the view from our balcony when we woke up.



Blurry Snapchat photo of us walking through the Grand Californian! I am such a talented photographer, guys.

While the Grand Californian is super close to DCA (like literally inside it), it is still a little bit of a walk to Disneyland. Or maybe it just felt that way because it was COLD. We only had to wait outside the gates for a few minutes before we were let in, right around 7 am.



Some Christmas/Disneyland Diamond Celebration decorations on Main Street.

Our first stop was Hyperspace Mountain. Space Mountain is my favorite ride in Disneyland, and Jeff was so excited to see the Star Wars updates to it.



We both loved Hyperspace Mountain! While I am nowhere near a Star Wars fan, I enjoyed the additions, and Jeff was really happy with them. I did miss the normal soundtrack a little bit, but it was still a great ride!



Jeff and I were wearing our matching “I love you” and “I know” shirts. I guess the Han and Leia thing is that the girl wears “I love you,” and the guy wears “I know,” but the opposite is true for our relationship. So Jeff has the “I love you” shirt, and I have the “I know” one. I think this is the only picture where you can actually see our shirts because we were wearing jackets the rest of the day!

Our next ride was “it’s a small world” holiday. I love “it’s a small world” to begin with, but it is AMAZING with the holiday overlay.









We rode “it’s a small world” holiday a lot more times during our trip! I seriously loved it!

Now I have a bad habit of leaving the house with wet hair, which was not a great idea in chilly Anaheim. My head was cold! So our next stop was at the Mad Hatter shop in Fantasyland, where I bought a hat.



And then we headed toward Frontierland, where we took this flattering picture…



And then ate breakfast at River Belle Terrace.



They sell Mickey Mouse pancakes! So cute!

I don’t have any pictures of our food, but Jeff says we split a pancake meal that had pancakes, eggs, and bacon. I do remember sharing because we had a fancy lunch coming up soon, and we didn’t want to be too full. After we finished eating, we grabbed some Fastpasses for Indiana Jones and then went to ride the Jingle Cruise!





Another great holiday overlay! The holiday jokes are just as great as the regular ones. We love Jungle Cruise, so we were quite happy with the Jingle Cruise version.

Next we rode Pirates of the Caribbean (the Disneyland version is WAY better than Walt Disney World’s), and then it was time for our Indiana Jones Fastpasses. For those who haven’t been to California, Indiana Jones has the same vehicles and ride track as Dinosaur in WDW's Animal Kingdom. In my opinion, Indiana Jones is much scarier than Dinosaur, but my dinosaur-fearing friends beg to differ. It’s still a great ride though.

Now it was around 10:30, and our lunch reservation was at 11:30. We decided it was a good time to head back to the Grand Californian to get changed before our meal. We walked back, changed, and then decided to take the monorail back to Disneyland.



Ha, another Snapchat photo, sorry!

In the next update: lunch at Club 33!
 


WHAT THE FLIP! LUNCH AT CLUB 33?!? I'm so, so, so, so jealous and I can't wait to hear about it! Its our dream to somehow be invited to Club 33 when we go to Disneyland for our honeymoon in December. I'm totally not expecting it, but hoping some pixie dust will get sent our way.

I'm also having total Disneyland envy reading your trip report. I love it so much and can't wait to go back. I hope they still have Hyper Space Mountain when we go because I'm dying to see the overlay. And Pirates is totally better in Disneyland than WDW! Also, every time we go to Animal Kingdom now, my fiancé sighs when we go on Dinosaur because he wishes it was Indiana Jones instead. Disneyland (in most cases, not all) totally spoiled us.
 
December 10th - Early Morning Disneyland

We woke up early on the morning of the 10th to get ready before the extra magic hour morning at Disneyland!



This was the view from our balcony when we woke up.



Blurry Snapchat photo of us walking through the Grand Californian! I am such a talented photographer, guys.

While the Grand Californian is super close to DCA (like literally inside it), it is still a little bit of a walk to Disneyland. Or maybe it just felt that way because it was COLD. We only had to wait outside the gates for a few minutes before we were let in, right around 7 am.



Some Christmas/Disneyland Diamond Celebration decorations on Main Street.

Our first stop was Hyperspace Mountain. Space Mountain is my favorite ride in Disneyland, and Jeff was so excited to see the Star Wars updates to it.



We both loved Hyperspace Mountain! While I am nowhere near a Star Wars fan, I enjoyed the additions, and Jeff was really happy with them. I did miss the normal soundtrack a little bit, but it was still a great ride!



Jeff and I were wearing our matching “I love you” and “I know” shirts. I guess the Han and Leia thing is that the girl wears “I love you,” and the guy wears “I know,” but the opposite is true for our relationship. So Jeff has the “I love you” shirt, and I have the “I know” one. I think this is the only picture where you can actually see our shirts because we were wearing jackets the rest of the day!

Our next ride was “it’s a small world” holiday. I love “it’s a small world” to begin with, but it is AMAZING with the holiday overlay.









We rode “it’s a small world” holiday a lot more times during our trip! I seriously loved it!

Now I have a bad habit of leaving the house with wet hair, which was not a great idea in chilly Anaheim. My head was cold! So our next stop was at the Mad Hatter shop in Fantasyland, where I bought a hat.



And then we headed toward Frontierland, where we took this flattering picture…



And then ate breakfast at River Belle Terrace.



They sell Mickey Mouse pancakes! So cute!

I don’t have any pictures of our food, but Jeff says we split a pancake meal that had pancakes, eggs, and bacon. I do remember sharing because we had a fancy lunch coming up soon, and we didn’t want to be too full. After we finished eating, we grabbed some Fastpasses for Indiana Jones and then went to ride the Jingle Cruise!





Another great holiday overlay! The holiday jokes are just as great as the regular ones. We love Jungle Cruise, so we were quite happy with the Jingle Cruise version.

Next we rode Pirates of the Caribbean (the Disneyland version is WAY better than Walt Disney World’s), and then it was time for our Indiana Jones Fastpasses. For those who haven’t been to California, Indiana Jones has the same vehicles and ride track as Dinosaur in WDW's Animal Kingdom. In my opinion, Indiana Jones is much scarier than Dinosaur, but my dinosaur-fearing friends beg to differ. It’s still a great ride though.

Now it was around 10:30, and our lunch reservation was at 11:30. We decided it was a good time to head back to the Grand Californian to get changed before our meal. We walked back, changed, and then decided to take the monorail back to Disneyland.



Ha, another Snapchat photo, sorry!

In the next update: lunch at Club 33!

River Belle breakfast! I'm so sad it is gone now :( The Jingle cruise is so much amazing. It is one of my favorite holiday overlay rides at DL. Can't wait to hear about the Club 33 meal!
 
WHAT THE FLIP! LUNCH AT CLUB 33?!? I'm so, so, so, so jealous and I can't wait to hear about it! Its our dream to somehow be invited to Club 33 when we go to Disneyland for our honeymoon in December. I'm totally not expecting it, but hoping some pixie dust will get sent our way.

I'm also having total Disneyland envy reading your trip report. I love it so much and can't wait to go back. I hope they still have Hyper Space Mountain when we go because I'm dying to see the overlay. And Pirates is totally better in Disneyland than WDW! Also, every time we go to Animal Kingdom now, my fiancé sighs when we go on Dinosaur because he wishes it was Indiana Jones instead. Disneyland (in most cases, not all) totally spoiled us.

Haha yes! We are lucky enough to know Club 33 members who were able to get us a reservation! It was amazing, but to be honest (spoiler alert for the rest of the trip report, haha) our meal at the Napa Rose Chef's Counter was actually better than Club 33! So I highly recommend Napa Rose Chef's Counter as a special honeymoon meal while you're there.

I hope Hyperspace Mountain is still there while you're there! Disneyland definitely has a lot of amazing things that WDW doesn't. WDW is great in a lot of other ways, but we LOVE Disneyland.

River Belle breakfast! I'm so sad it is gone now :( The Jingle cruise is so much amazing. It is one of my favorite holiday overlay rides at DL. Can't wait to hear about the Club 33 meal!

Oh no, I didn't know that River Belle breakfast is gone! Sad, we went there a few times when we wanted to eat a quick breakfast in Disneyland. I think "it's a small world" holiday is my favorite holiday overlay, but Jingle Cruise is great too! We do have Jingle Cruise in Florida too though, so it's not as unique to us as small world.
 


I agree, Pirates in Florida doesn't even come close to being as great as the one in California!

I'm also not in-the-know on Star Wars, but I loved Hyperspace Mountain (Space Mountain in general is just better at DL compared to WDW).

I definitely prefer Indiana Jones to Dinosaur, the details are so much more impressive! And the queue line is awesome!
 
I agree, Pirates in Florida doesn't even come close to being as great as the one in California!

I'm also not in-the-know on Star Wars, but I loved Hyperspace Mountain (Space Mountain in general is just better at DL compared to WDW).

I definitely prefer Indiana Jones to Dinosaur, the details are so much more impressive! And the queue line is awesome!

WDW obviously has some great rides, but of the ones that are similar but different in both parks, Disneyland usually has the better version!
 
December 10th, Part 2 - Lunch at Club 33 and evening in the parks!

According to the time stamp on the photo Jeff took, we arrived at Club 33 at 11:20 for our 11:30 lunch reservation. We approached the secret door and pressed the buzzer!



The world’s most exciting buzzer.

We gave them our names and were told that they were not seating guests until 11:30. They offered to let us wait in the Court of Angels if we wanted. We said yes, of course!



It was all decked out for Christmas!

They had a little bit of Club 33 merchandise set out near the door. We were looking at it when the hostess asked if we would like some hot chocolate while we waited (remember, it was cold!). We said yes, and she said that she had already set up a little table for us.



After about five minutes, we were the first people seated in the restaurant for the day!



When we were seated, there was a card on our table congratulating us on our wedding, signed by all the restaurant staff. So nice! Then we were given menus to look over.





I started with a champagne cocktail, pictured here with fancy Club 33 bread basket. If I remember correctly, Jeff got a mai tai. It was crazy to think that we were drinking at Disneyland!



You can choose between a three and four course menu for dinner. We weren’t terribly interested in any of the appetizers, so we chose to have three courses: salad, entree, and dessert.



According to the internet, this is the “Lafayette” garden salad with shaved radish, cucumbers, and vinaigrette maison. We both had it, and it was good for what was basically a typical appetizer salad.



Then we both got the petite filet mignon with tender haricot verts and cabernet jus. I am a big fan of any kind of steak in a red wine sauce, and this did not disappoint.

As we began to eat our entrees, the manager of the restaurant approached us to congratulate us on our wedding. He said that he had spoken to our friends who booked us the reservation, and they had set up a bottle of wine for us!



Honestly, from the moment the manager gave us the bottle, our wine glasses were never less than half full. Our server was consistently filling them, pretty much every time he walked by. By the end of the meal, we had finished the bottle! Oops!

For dessert, we did get different items from each other! Jeff got the apple pie with white cheddar ice cream. The ice cream really did taste like cheddar... weird but good!



And I got a citrus tart with passion fruit meringue and huckleberry syrup. Yummm.



So good!

After I finished my dessert, I went out on the balcony. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take my wine outside. I remember looking down and seeing some people looking up at me. Although I knew that I was allowed to be there, it startled me, and I stepped back until they went away.



And then we ran into some friends in the lobby area, where we posed in front of terrible lighting.



After about two hours and that whole bottle of wine, we literally couldn’t drag our meal out any longer, no matter how hard we tried. So we paid our bill and left. But not before picking up a Club 33 Christmas ornament!

Club 33 was such a special experience for our honeymoon! It was pricey, so I don’t think it will be a regular stop for us on trips to Disneyland, but I would love to visit for dinner some time.



Now sufficiently full and semi-drunk, we decided it was time for a nap. But first, we stopped to say hi to Minnie, who had done an outfit change since we saw her in Club 33.



She’s so darn cute!

We walked back to the Grand Californian for naptime, and we were hungry again by the time we woke up. We headed down to Whitewater Snacks in the resort for dinner!



I don’t remember what Jeff got, but I got these delicious nachos!

After we ate, we headed to DCA because we had gotten into a Disney Parks Blog meetup! The meetup was for the Aladdin musical. We got to see the show, and then they did a Q&A with the actors and stage manager.



I’m excited for the Frozen show that’s going to go in that theater, but the Aladdin show really was great! The genie was always so funny.

After the meetup, DCA was closed, but Disneyland was still open. We headed over to see the fireworks, but it turns out that we didn’t make it in time. We couldn’t find any decent spot. We shopped for a bit instead, until the crowds cleared out. Then we met up with a friend who happened to be in town as well, and we got churros!

After talking a while, I realized that Paint the Night started in about half an hour, and the spot that we were talking in would be right on the parade route! Score! So I sat down as we continued to talk, so I could keep our spot. Soon our friend left, and Paint the Night began. No photos unfortunately. We were too busy watching and enjoying!

After the parade ended, we were exhausted. Time to head back to the resort to get some rest before it was time to wake up for DCA extra magic hour the next day! But not before a couple good night photos at Disneyland.





In the next update: morning at DCA!
 
What a wonderful experience at Club 33!! Such a special honeymoon moment! I am excited for the Frozen show too! I wonder if it will be open in july.
 
What a wonderful experience at Club 33!! Such a special honeymoon moment! I am excited for the Frozen show too! I wonder if it will be open in july.

They're talking about opening this spring I believe. Or at least I hope so since we're headed down for our 1st Anniversary in August!
 
You're making me so excited to go back to Disneyland this summer!!

And, because I'm new/lurked for a few months, I just want to say your wedding was beautiful! :love: You guys look so happy together! And Ariel's is so pretty... I think it'd be my pick for a DFTW (it helps too that little mermaid was always my favorite :)). I think stepping on the dress must be a dad thing. I found my parents' wedding video a few years ago, and watched it. You can see my mom and grandpa waiting to enter, and she keeps telling him off for stepping on her dress. I'm preparing myself for when my dad does it :rotfl2:


And PS: I had no idea they made charms from flower petals, I'm sending some special dried petals I've had for 3+ and 10 years to them this weekend. It's just the perfect way to keep them.
 
Ahhh Club 33 is SO gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome experience with us :) We officially booked our room at the Grand Californian for our honeymoon (what can I say, your TR convinced me) and were able to get our park tickets before the price increase a few weeks ago. December can't come soon enough!
 
December 7th - Wedding Day! - Part 11

Before we knew it, our reception was almost over, and it was time for our final dance. I'm not sure if it was DJ Elliot or the Roots, it was decided that we were going to do a semi-choreographed dance where everyone was in a circle around us.





Oh, and Nate was in the circle with us too. DJ Elliot picked the song, “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.” Elliot gave everyone instructions on the different dance moves he wanted them to do. Then, periodically, he’d tell everyone to hold hands and move inward, toward us.



We got some amazing pictures out of it!







Jensey was above, taking photos of Nate taking photos of us!



And then the confetti cannons went off!





I’m so glad we kept the confetti cannon!



After our final dance, DJ Elliot directed everyone to leave the dancefloor except for Jeff and I. He played one final song for just the two of us to dance to, “So Close” from Enchanted.



He even intercepted my mom as she tried to bother us on the dancefloor. He told her we just needed two minutes to dance, and then we could rejoin the group. This was also super convenient because all of our guests were able to get their things and get organized and ready to go to Epcot for our dessert party.

Meanwhile, Jeff and I got to spend a quiet moment together. And the Roots got these photos.



I love the way the confetti looks on the ground.







And then that was it!

We took a selfie with DJ Elliot.



(That is the last of the Root photos! So sad!)



And Elliot took a photo of us with the Roots.



And then we got ready to head to our dessert party!


I am getting married September 2016 and our reception is going to be at Ariel's as well!! Thank you for posting your wedding pictures, really gave me some inspiration for decorating the venue! I specifcally loved your table cloth and chairs. Do you remember what the up charges were?
 
What a wonderful experience at Club 33!! Such a special honeymoon moment! I am excited for the Frozen show too! I wonder if it will be open in july.

It was amazing! Sounds like the Frozen show will be open in July! :)

Loving the pics from Club 33, I'm glad you got to enjoy such a special meal. It's on my bucket list for sure!

It was so special. Definitely not an every trip thing (at least not for us), but it was awesome for a special occasion.

You're making me so excited to go back to Disneyland this summer!!

And, because I'm new/lurked for a few months, I just want to say your wedding was beautiful! :love: You guys look so happy together! And Ariel's is so pretty... I think it'd be my pick for a DFTW (it helps too that little mermaid was always my favorite :)). I think stepping on the dress must be a dad thing. I found my parents' wedding video a few years ago, and watched it. You can see my mom and grandpa waiting to enter, and she keeps telling him off for stepping on her dress. I'm preparing myself for when my dad does it :rotfl2:


And PS: I had no idea they made charms from flower petals, I'm sending some special dried petals I've had for 3+ and 10 years to them this weekend. It's just the perfect way to keep them.

Thank you so much! I think dads just get so caught up in the moment of the wedding that they completely ignore their surroundings, thus stepping on dresses. And I LOVE my flower petal bead. I highly recommend it!

Ahhh Club 33 is SO gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome experience with us :) We officially booked our room at the Grand Californian for our honeymoon (what can I say, your TR convinced me) and were able to get our park tickets before the price increase a few weeks ago. December can't come soon enough!

Yessssss. I HIGHLY recommend booking the Napa Rose Chefs Counter. It was possibly the best meal experience I've had ever.

I am getting married September 2016 and our reception is going to be at Ariel's as well!! Thank you for posting your wedding pictures, really gave me some inspiration for decorating the venue! I specifcally loved your table cloth and chairs. Do you remember what the up charges were?

Thank you! I was obsessed with our chairs and linens! According to our BEO, the purple linens were $15.75 each and the silver paisley overlays were $75 each. We also had all silver sequin linens on our cake table and our sweetheart table that were $115.50 each. Our chairs were silver chiavari with white cushions that were $9 each. Also, as a note, our napkins were silver and $2.25 each. :)
 
Club 33!!! What a dream! It looks like such an amazing meal, and such a beautiful restaurant! I think it's so funny you felt like you weren't able to be on the balcony - I would have done the same thing haha.
 
Club 33!!! What a dream! It looks like such an amazing meal, and such a beautiful restaurant! I think it's so funny you felt like you weren't able to be on the balcony - I would have done the same thing haha.

It was so awesome! And yes, I was specifically told I could go out on the balcony. But when those people looked up, I was like, AH they can see me! Hahaha
 
December 11th - A Day at DCA!

We woke up at around 6:30 am on the 11th to go to EMH morning at DCA!



The entrance into DCA from the Grand Californian is awesome, but it’s not particularly close to where we wanted to start: Cars Land.



We walked over to Cars Land and, of course, headed first to Radiator Springs Racers. While it’s not my favorite ride, it is one of the most amazing rides I’ve been on in any park.



After Radiator Springs Racers, we rode Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (a very underrated ride… it’s so fun!). Then it was around the time that the park opened to non-resort guests, so we got in line to get a Fastpass to ride Radiator Springs Racers again! Then we decided it was time for breakfast.

The time before this that we were in California, they had breakfast at the bakery in Pacific Wharf in DCA. This time, it looked like they no longer offered breakfast there, so after checking Pacific Wharf, we went back to Cars Land to eat in Flo’s V8 Cafe.

Jeff had the brioche French toast with caramel sauce and bananas.



And I had the chicken tamale with scrambled eggs.



It was all quite good! It was nice to eat a breakfast at a Disney park that wasn’t your typical eggs and Mickey waffles.



After breakfast, it may not have been the smartest move, but we headed to Paradise Pier to ride California Screamin’. Thankfully neither of us got sick!



I think we may have also ridden Mickey’s Fun Wheel before headed back to Cars Land for another ride on Radiator Springs Racers with our Fastpass.

Up next for us was Monsters Inc: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue.



Roz was feeling the Christmas spirit!

I’m not sure if we rode a few more things or headed back to the room to relax after this, but soon we were back on Buena Vista Street before our Carthay Circle lunch!



Love the 5 & Dime!



We browsed the cocktail menu while we waited to be seated at Carthay Circle, but we were called pretty quickly and brought upstairs to a table. I started the meal with a pear martini.



Then we shared the Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits. They’re stuffed with white cheddar, bacon, and jalapeno. They were good but very rich! I didn’t get a picture, but they are very small (think Dunkin Donut Munchkin size). Still, they were so rich that I could only eat two.

For my entree, I got the trofie pasta with smoked chicken.



I ordered this because I wanted to try something new. I’m usually pretty picky/boring and order a steak everywhere we eat, so I’ve been trying to get out of my comfort zone a little lately. That said, I wasn’t a huge fan of the pasta, but it may have been because it was out of the ordinary for me.

Jeff had the Carthay angus burger, and he said it was good! No photo of the burger, unfortunately.



For dessert, I got this peppermint chocolate thing (I can’t remember exactly what it was, but I liked it!), and they put a candle in it as a congratulations for our wedding. I believe Jeff got the chocolate cookies and cream cake, but I don’t have a picture to confirm.

After lunch, we decided to leave DCA and check out the Disney resorts. Our first stop was Paradise Pier!



Paradise Pier Christmas tree.

I think Paradise Pier is a fine hotel, but I’m not sure I would stay there over the Grand Californian or Disneyland Hotel.

Speaking of the Disneyland Hotel, that was our next stop. And look who we saw in the lobby!



Love their gingerbread display!



Then we walked through Downtown Disney, past this ice skating rink and Christmas tree.



I believe we headed back to the room for a nap, and afterwards, we had pizza from Napolini for dinner. It was nice to be able to grab it from Downtown Disney and then turn around and walk right back to our hotel to eat it.

Soon it was time for World of Color, and we had Fastpasses for both shows that night! First was World of Color: Winter Dreams and then World of Color: Celebrate. Personally, I preferred Celebrate to Winter Dreams.



Before each show of World of Color, they have a memory game on Mickey’s Fun Wheel that you can play on your phone. I am a huge Fun Wheel fan, so I was trying SO HARD to win. I didn’t win any of the rounds before the first show, but I did win one before the second! I got to control the lights on Mickey’s Fun Wheel for 60 seconds! It was amazing.

Here are some World of Color photos that Jeff took:



“Happy Holidays” after World of Color: Winter Dreams



Walt and Mickey in World of Color: Celebrate



And then we ended the day with a delightfully short and incredibly cold walk back to our hotel room.



You could see the Fun Wheel from our bed!

In the next update: an amazing, VIP day!
 

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