# Bring Back HYPERSPACE Mountain! Sept 2016 TR - NEW 3/17 COMPLETED! THE END!



## chunkymonkey

*Bring back HYPERSPACE Mountain!*
*A September 2016 Disneyland/DCA Trip with*
*Chunkymonkey, Chubbyhubby, and Chunkysis*

Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting on the Disneyland Trip Report forum. I am usually posting on the WDW TR forum, but I hope this won't be my only DLR TR!






Myself along with my DH and my sister just got back from a week in California where we spent 5 days at the Disneyland Resort! We stayed at the Grand Californian which was super convenient. Our trip was awesome but it was also pretty crazy - we caught the tail end of the *Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration* and the beginning of the *Halloween *festivities. We ate a lot and we got a lot of fastpasses! In fact, my DH was not satisfied unless he was holding a bunch of them at a time.

*Who went on the trip?*

*



*

*Me!* (I'm the one with the ears!) - *Su-Lynn*, aka *Chunkymonkey*, an avid Disney lover who just bought annual passes to WDW! I turned 40 earlier this year (click to see my epic *Star Wars Day at Sea Disney Cruise* and *Walt Disney World vacation* birthday Trip Reports). I work in IT for financial services and love to travel and eat. I also write a *travel blog *on the side, mostly to Hawaii but also some Disney and other exotic locales thrown in. I love all things Star Wars, and my favorite characters change all the time but Minnie is always on the list! My favorite Disneyland ride was Hyperspace Mountain (hence the TR title) - but since that is seasonal, I guess it's just Space Mountain then! I also really liked Indiana Jones. At DCA, my favorite ride was Radiator Springs Racers! We went on it a bunch of times, and it was just awesome!







My *DH*, *Steve *aka *Chubbyhubby*! He's also 40 and works in financial services. He's actually a So Cal boy having grown up in Riverside County so he knows California fairly well. We currently live and work in the NY/NJ Tri-state Area. He loves gardening, movies, and indulging my Disney obsession (well, he agrees to go on these trips but doesn't plan a thing!). He also loves Star Wars! His favorite rides are anything that is challenging and thrilling - Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, California Screamin' but he loves loves loves Toy Story Midway Mania! He doesn't really have a favorite character but he had a good time with Chip n Dale on this trip!







My younger *sister*, *Su-Queen*, aka *Chunkysis *(from now on, she'll be known as CS), the most character-picture obsessed person I know! She has special outfits for the days she knows she's going to see specific characters and will go out of her way to go meet them. She found it challenging at DL/DCA as the characters didn't stay out that late during most of the days we were there (we'll get to that later) so she really had to step up her game during the day! She loves all characters, and surprisingly her favorite ride out of everything was...Tomater's Junkyard Jamboree, which she kept riding solo! She's got the creative gene in the family. She works in custom printing (wedding invitations and stuff like that) and you can also visit her Etsy store: *The Paper Crown* for some handmade cards!

*When?*

Our dates were *September 5-10*! We caught the last day of the *Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration* on Sept 5th. Then the park kinda shut down (no Space Mountain, no Paint the Night, no Disneyland Forever Fireworks, no Haunted Mansion) and closed at 8pm every day!  Then on our last park day (the 9th) the *Halloween *festivities began, and Ghost Galaxy was open as well as Haunted Mansion, and we got to see a small fireworks show, Disney's Fantasy in the Sky. So our trip was pretty much sandwiched between these two big events. That was going to be the other title of the Trip report, the Sandwich Trip...but that made it sound as if we ate at Earl of Sandwich all the time (we ate there once). 

*Where?*

We stayed in the heart of it all, at the *Grand Californian* for 4 nights! Then on our last night we moved off property to the new *Hyatt House* (it was lovely) about half a mile away. We wanted to experience staying on site as well as off site, and for our last night of the trip the price for the GC skyrocketed so we moved to the Hyatt.

*Why?*

Why? Because we love all things Disney!! This trip was initially to visit DH's parents over labor day weekend. Then Season of the Force began and I heard all about *Hyperspace Mountain*. DH and I had not been to DLR for about 8 years so we thought it was about time to go back, especially since I really wanted to ride Hyperspace! My sister, CS, hadn't been back for about 15 years, so she wanted to go too! We tacked on 5 days at DLR beginning on labor day, we bought flights, park tickets, and booked the Grand Californian. We got a great deal because it was labor day and also through a CM discount from a college friend who's lovely wife let us use one of their discounted passes. Our trip was set!

Then the news came that Hyperspace was going to close to make way for...Ghost Galaxy.* WHAT! NO! *
Then Paint the Night was ending. 
Disneyland Forever Fireworks were also ending. 
The last day for everything was on September 5th, which was our first day at the parks. *Yikes. *

Our first day was supposed to be a leisurely half day sorta, as we were driving 2 hours from Riverside County, so I thought having breakfast with the family and getting a late start would allow us to spend more time with them. But no. *Hyperspace calls!* So we got up and made our way to Anaheim super early, because we had a lot of stuff to do that day. I was worried we wouldn't get to do anything! I was worried we wouldn't get fastpasses for Hyperspace...or get a good spot for the fireworks...and I needed a Churro.
#firstworldproblems 

Oh, and my sister was scheduled to fly in that afternoon, but a certain hurricane changed all our plans. But for the better, in the end, you'll see. 

Even though Space Mountain was closed for 3 days of our trip we did get to ride...Ghost Galaxy. 



Which brings me to the title of my TR...*Bring Back HYPERSPACE Mountain!*

Hope you're in for our journey!
​


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## chunkymonkey

*Table of Contents*

*Introduction*
*Days 1-3 Riverside County, California*

*Day 1: Arriving in California*
*Day 2: Legoland and Chunkysis's Evacuation Plan*
*Day 3: Soarin' Over Riverside County*
*Day 4*

*Day 4 Part 1: We're off to Disneyland! First Stop - Tomorrowland*
*Day 4 Part 2: Double-booking dilemma and lunch at Cafe Orleans*
*Day 4 Part 3: Relaxation at the Grand, then Dinner at Blue Bayou*
*Day 4 Part 4: Disneyland Forever, but only for tonight! Plus Paint The Night!*
*Day 5*

*Day 5 Part 1: We don't use no maps!*
*Day 5 Part 2: A Breakfast with Character!*
*Day 5 Part 3: Hold on to your potatoes! Finally we ride IJA!*
*Day 5 Part 4: World of Color Dessert Party!*
*Day 6*

*Day 6 Part 1: The BEST ride ever, RSR!*
*Day 6 Part 2: Lunch with the Princesses!*
*Day 6 Part 3: It's like New York in California!*
*Day 7*

*Day 7 Part 1: Breakfast with the Critters!*
*Day 7 Part 2: A "break" from reality!*
*Day 7 Part 3: A Race to Arendelle*
*Day 8 *

*Day 8 Part 1: A Productive Morning and the Ghost Galaxy Monstrosity*
*Day 8 Part 2: Lunch at Carthay Circle and A Bugs Land*
*Day 8 Part 3: Last Moments in Disneyland*
*Day 9*

*Day 9: Goofy's Kitchen Breakfast and Goodbye California*


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## belle0517

Great start!


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## absolutmey

subbing!


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## chunkymonkey

belle0517 said:


> Great start!



Thanks!! I hope to post more tonight!



absolutmey said:


> subbing!



Thank you!!


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## disgeek009

Following with great anticipation!  Especially curious about Hyperspace Mountain.  How good can it be?


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## SonyaShay

I'm back to read along with this trip. As always, I don't post much but I read every update!


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## Saphire5742

I'm here and eagerly following along!
(Plus happy to make the first page and following from the beginning )


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## chunkymonkey

disgeek009 said:


> Following with great anticipation!  Especially curious about Hyperspace Mountain.  How good can it be?



Yay! Thanks for reading! Hypespace was soooo goood. First of all, the Space Mountain in Disneyland is leaps and bounds better than the SM in WDW. I don't even like SM in WDW anymore but I love the DLR version! But to put a Star Wars overlay on top? OMG. BEST. RIDE. EVER. I'm so sad we only got to ride it on one day. I should have sucked it up and waited on the damn stand-by line but I just couldn't do a 75 minute line...



SonyaShay said:


> I'm back to read along with this trip. As always, I don't post much but I read every update!



Hi!! Thanks for reading!!



Saphire5742 said:


> I'm here and eagerly following along!
> (Plus happy to make the first page and following from the beginning )



Yay! great to see you here! Thanks for reading!


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## LindseyJo22

Great intro! Looking forward to more


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## rndmr2

Great start! Looking forward to reading all about your trip!


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## disgeek009

chunkymonkey said:


> Yay! Thanks for reading! Hypespace was soooo goood. First of all, the Space Mountain in Disneyland is leaps and bounds better than the SM in WDW. I don't even like SM in WDW anymore but I love the DLR version! But to put a Star Wars overlay on top? OMG. BEST. RIDE. EVER. I'm so sad we only got to ride it on one day. I should have sucked it up and waited on the damn stand-by line but I just couldn't do a 75 minute line...



Now I'm kicking myself for not riding Space Mountain at Disneyland!  Last time at I was there, I didn't think it was worth it to convince my coaster-adverse husband to ride with me since we rode SM (once!) at WDW five years ago.


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## cajunfan

Cant wait to read more!


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## chunkymonkey

* Day 1: Heading to California!*

I'm going to do a quick recap of some stuff we did on our first few days of the trip with DH's family. First, we had to get to California though! Our flight from Newark, NJ left at 4pm on Sept 2nd and I had the day off while DH had to work. So DH went to the airport from work while my dad picked me up and sent me. I had a little buddy see me off too...here's my niece Caylee, whom my dad watches sometimes during the day. She just turned 3 years old, she's so cute! I can't wait until she goes to Disney next year (planning for an Aug 2017 family trip to WDW):





As you can see, she loves to make faces in pictures!

At the airport I met up with DH, but I was juggling all our luggage! So I had 2 big checked luggage and one carryon plus my pocketbook, and a giftbox of ceramics that we were giving to DH's mom. So I was struggling a bit. I kinda just stood in one spot near the check in desk until DH came to rescue me.





It was a feat but I managed to move about 10 yards before parking myself in a corner to wait.

After DH came, which was thankfully at around the same time, we checked in and headed to our gate. I wanted something to eat since I hadn't eaten all day really, so I got myself what sounded like beef noodles from an Asian take out in the terminal. It was actually really gross and it was more like a noodle salad which I wasn't expecting. So DH ended up eating it on the plane. In the meantime we decided to sit down at a French cafe which had ipads on every station where you can order your food. 






And I ended up with a Croque Madame:






It looked a little better than it tasted as I thought the fries were cold. So here's what annoyed me: When you order you have to enter your flight number into the ipad, and so I did, which reflected our departure time (about an hour away). It literally took them 30 minutes to get my food to me! When I got it, it was right before we had to board, so I only took a few bites of the sandwich, ate most of the fries, then had them pack it up before we headed to the boarding gate. At least we made it on the flight!





Cali here we come!

Our flight time was about 5 hours and 15 minutes. I watched movies throughout the flight. Saw Captain America Civil War again which I think is my favorite movie from this year, saw The Boss which wasn't very good, and then watched the best scenes from Batman vs Superman which is the part when Wonder Woman appears. 

When we arrived in LAX, it was only 7pm but it obviously felt much later to us. We still had to get to our rental car. The United Terminal in LAX is under renovation so it's a bit of a mess. Everything is boarded up and we had to go out one door and into another to get to the baggage claim. Then we walked out to find our car rental bus (Dollar). Of course for the next 30 minutes every other car rental bus comes except for the Dollar/Thrifty bus. We saw plenty of Enterprise and Avis instead plus it was packed at the pick up area and there was barely enough room to stand. 

In the meantime we saw a Disneyland bus and I'm thinking we should have just gone there first. 






Finally a Dollar/Thrifty bus appears (they shared the same building space) and it was also packed, but we were finally on our way. The car rental is much further from the airport than I thought it would be. It seemed like a good 15 minute ride. I thought it would be more like 5 minutes. I didn't know renting a car was so stressful at LAX, then I realized that every time we've been to LAX in the past DH's parent's or brother had picked us up. I didn't want to bother them this time since it's such a long drive so we decided to rent a car, knowing we'd have to eventually drive to Anaheim. In retrospect we could have had his brother pick us up...but oh well.

So I had reserved a compact car so after we filled out the paperwork we went to the lot. Oh and guess what? No compact cars.





But check out the dude waiting with his pink luggage! I think it was his wife's who went to look for someone to help with the cars.

So DH goes back to the counter and tells them there is no more compact cars. So he comes back with the paperwork for...any car in the lot next to it which were all mid sized and full sized! We left the lot in a very fancy Toyota Camry! We made the 2 hour drive with no stops. We just wanted to get there as quickly as possible. Whew we made it out with a car!

It was a bit of a pain arriving in LAX and getting our car, but thankfully we were finally at DH's house! We were greeted with my MIL's home cooking plus DH's other brother had driven down from San Jose with his wife and daughter, Maddie. We haden't seen them since last year so it was so great to see them again! If you have read my *Magic Cruise Trip Report* from last year on the Magic, my niece Maddie was there too!

The next day, we head to Legoland to indulge Maddie! Stay tuned!​


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## chunkymonkey

*Day 2: Legoland and Chunkysis's Evacuation Plan*

It was great to see DH's family again. Maddie's family had driven almost 10 hours from San Jose in holiday weekend traffic to be there! I guess I shouldn't feel so bad since they literally traveled longer than we did from the East Coast! We didn't really have much of a plan that weekend except to hang out with all of them, so when they suggested Legoland for Maddie, we were on board! Hey, I already had all our "theme park" clothing!

Legoland is located in Carlsbad, CA, which is about an hour away from DH's house. We left at around 10am. On the way there, I had to stop for my all-time favorite burger...In-N-Out. I always get a double double animal style. Double patties, double cheese, special sauce, and mustard-grilled onions. If you have never had In-N-Out, you have to try it! It's super cheap too and the service is always friendly. It is a must-do for us when we're out here.






First In n Out of the trip!






The fries are really good too! They are very clean and fresh tasting, which is not something I usually say about fries, but you have to try them!

We made it to Legoland! It's a really cute place and definitely for younger kids, although the adults liked the Ninjago ride and the Star Wars Mini Land. We had a blast taking Maddie around and she loved hanging out with all of us. I think I am her favorite aunt now. I hope! Here are pictures from Legoland:






Here's DH with his older brother, Mike, his wife Sandy, their daughter Maddie, and DH's other brother, Jimmy:






Here's our niece, Maddie! Isn't she the cutest? She's 5 and a half now! 





















That's DH's younger brother, Jimmy in the back.





























We took the pic above and sent it to a friend who was in Vegas at the time and we said we were in Vegas too and they totally believed us, LOL. These Lego mini-lands were really cool!






While on one of the boat rides I managed to get a selfie of all of us! #skillz






The Taj Mahal!






The Eiffel Tower






We had a really yummy snack at Legoland, their famous Granny's Apple Fries. They are Granny Smith applies, cut like fries, battered and deep fried, sprinked with cinnamon sugar and served with a vanilla whipped cream. OMG these were so yummy. The apple's tartness combined with the cinnamon sugar and cream really was delicious. I thought we all could share about 3 orders but I went and got an order for myself. YUM.






Most of the rides are kiddle rides like boats and train-like vehicles. There is one ride that I think older kids and adults would like and that is the Ninjago ride. It had a wait time of 25 minutes which was the longest line we saw there. Most of the lines in general were fairly short and nothing like Disney, although you can purchase a "skip the line" sort of device but I'm not sure how much it costs.






The Ninjago ride was kinda like Toy Story Midway Mania in that you shoot things from your vehicle, but instead of a gun you are using some sort of virtual reality and just moving your arm to "throw" fireballs at things. It was really quite fun.

Maddie didn't want to go on Ninjago, because she really wanted to get her face painted! I think she's gonna love Disney!






Right next to Legoland (technically a part of it but with a separate admission) was Sealife Park which is like a neat little aquarium. It was cute and Maddie really likes aquariums so she enjoyed it. It's not big but it's doable after a day at Legoland.











*The Evacuation*

So throughout the day, my sister had been texting me saying there was a *hurricane *(I think it was Hermine?) that was going to hit the NYC area on Sunday and Monday which is the day she was supposed to fly out. I asked her what she wanted to do and so she checked with the airline and they were allowing changes to flights. She thought about flying out that very day (Saturday)! Her only option that day since she was working was to run home, and grab the next available flight which was at 9pm which put her in LAX at 11pm. The only issue is...my sister doesn't drive. I mean she has a license but she hasn't been behind a wheel for about 15 years. Which means we'd have to go pick her up. I really didn't want to have to drive another 4 hours back and forth that day especially since we were still jet lagged and we were already tired from travelling the day before plus a day at Legoland. So I asked if she could switch airports to Ontario which was much closer. Nope they were going to charge her 900 dollars. So I asked if she could Uber it to DH's house. Well the Uber offers she was getting were in the 250 dollar range. Yeah DH kinda lives in the boonies. That was not happening either. The only other viable option was for her to take an uber to Ontario airport and we'd pick her up there. It's kinda in the middle and we wouldn't have to drive so long and deal with the LA traffic. So she ended up re-booking for that day, and we'd see her later! A whole 2 days early, LOL!

After we all got home from Legoland, we ate Mom's home cooking (the best), then Steve took a really long nap so he could be ready to drive again at 11pm (which is 2am our time). When my sister landed at LAX, she texted us and we began our drive to Ontario while she took an Uber. It took both of us about an hour. We told her to meet at the Doubletree next to the airport as it was easier to meet there than at one of the terminals. We got there right after she was dropped off, and finally we were all together! I asked if she was hungry, and she said sure, what's close by? Well, there happened to be an In-N-Out right next door to the Doubletree hotel! 





Chunkysis is here!

Her first bite of In n out!






She liked it!

After more driving we returned at 1am PST to DH's house but this time with CS in tow! Jimmy kindly offered his room so that she can sleep near us and he slept on the couch. Thanks Jimmy! Whew what a long day and night. We thought we would still be on East coast time for a while which would allow us to get up early, but now we were bleary-eyed and exhausted and all we wanted to do was sleep. So that's what we did...until the next day. 

Stay tuned for Day 3 right after this!

​


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## chunkymonkey

LindseyJo22 said:


> Great intro! Looking forward to more



Thank you!! 


rndmr2 said:


> Great start! Looking forward to reading all about your trip!



Thank you!!



disgeek009 said:


> Now I'm kicking myself for not riding Space Mountain at Disneyland!  Last time at I was there, I didn't think it was worth it to convince my coaster-adverse husband to ride with me since we rode SM (once!) at WDW five years ago.



It's a much smoother ride and the ride cars allow you to ride 2x2 instead of a toboggan style which I dislike. It's also a lot smoother, and has a great soundtrack. I've always liked DLR version better!



cajunfan said:


> Cant wait to read more!



Thanks for coming over to read!


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## Dugette

I'm here and will actually read the updates soon (gotta get to bed now). Can't wait to hear all about it!


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## bcwife76

Woohoo, I'm here!!!

LOVE In N Out! That was our first lunch of our most recent trip, too. We tried our burgers animal style (dh thought it was super yum, I wasn't as sold, give me a regular In N Out burger and I'm a happy girl lol). Oh and one of our basket of fries was 'well done' I love me some crissssspy fries 

I didn't realize you had gone to Legoland on this trip, how cool! We were debating between that and Universal for our first full day of this past trip, ultimately deciding on Universal (but now looking at your photos I think we would've been just as happy with Legoland, plus it would've been cheaper ).  Can't wait for your next installment!


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## emilyhuff

Can't wait to have in n out!!!! Loving this report so far!


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## amalone1013

chunkymonkey said:


> It looked a little better than it tasted as I thought the fries were cold. So here's what annoyed me: When you order you have to enter your flight number into the ipad, and so I did, which reflected our departure time (about an hour away). It literally took them 30 minutes to get my food to me! When I got it, it was right before we had to board, so I only took a few bites of the sandwich, ate most of the fries, then had them pack it up before we headed to the boarding gate. At least we made it on the flight!


Here's an example of a great idea being poorly executed. At that point, why bother having you enter your info?



chunkymonkey said:


> When we arrived in LAX, it was only 7pm but it obviously felt much later to us. We still had to get to our rental car. The United Terminal in LAX is under renovation so it's a bit of a mess. Everything is boarded up and we had to go out one door and into another to get to the baggage claim.



Getting a rental car is a pain in the bum there. And the renovations are a nightmare! They were doing the SW terminal last February when we went, and it STILL wasn't done in July.



chunkymonkey said:


> First In n Out of the trip!



MMMMMMMM. I am now disappointed with myself that I only made it there once. 



chunkymonkey said:


> They are Granny Smith applies, cut like fries, battered and deep fried, sprinked with cinnamon sugar and served with a vanilla whipped cream. OMG these were so yummy. The apple's tartness combined with the cinnamon sugar and cream really was delicious. I thought we all could share about 3 orders but I went and got an order for myself. YUM.



I might actually eat apples this way!


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## cinderkelly

Woo hoo!  I'm very impressed you've started your TR already! You're so on the ball!  Going back to read!


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## chunkymonkey

Dugette said:


> I'm here and will actually read the updates soon (gotta get to bed now). Can't wait to hear all about it!



Yay!!



bcwife76 said:


> Woohoo, I'm here!!!



Yay!!



bcwife76 said:


> LOVE In N Out! That was our first lunch of our most recent trip, too. We tried our burgers animal style (dh thought it was super yum, I wasn't as sold, give me a regular In N Out burger and I'm a happy girl lol). Oh and one of our basket of fries was 'well done' I love me some crissssspy fries



I like the grilled onions as a topping more so than the special sauce but it's good either way! I love the fries there too! We ate it a lot on this trip...as you will see, hehe.



bcwife76 said:


> I didn't realize you had gone to Legoland on this trip, how cool! We were debating between that and Universal for our first full day of this past trip, ultimately deciding on Universal (but now looking at your photos I think we would've been just as happy with Legoland, plus it would've been cheaper ).  Can't wait for your next installment!



I had no idea we were going to do Legoland but when my brother in law suggested it we were totally on board. It's a cute park and there is a cute Legoland Hotel attached to it. It sort of got us prepped for Disney a bit, waiting in line, walking a lot. Although it was a lot cooler in Carlsbad than it was in Anaheim, by 5pm it was really windy and cold!

Did you get cold weather in Cali during the evenings? For us the weather plunged like 15 degrees after sunset so we always had to bring a sweater or something just in case we didn't go back to the room. On our first night we were really cold so after that we were prepared, but then it warmed up again later in the week.



emilyhuff said:


> Can't wait to have in n out!!!! Loving this report so far!



Thank you!!! And thanks for reading!!



amalone1013 said:


> Here's an example of a great idea being poorly executed. At that point, why bother having you enter your info?



I was so confused as to why I had to enter my flight no, then thought, oh cool it's so they can pace themselves to get your order out when you need it, but overall it was an epic fail by them. I think they just didn't pay attention.



amalone1013 said:


> Getting a rental car is a pain in the bum there. And the renovations are a nightmare! They were doing the SW terminal last February when we went, and it STILL wasn't done in July.



Ugh it was such a pain. I think next time we'll have to bother someone to pick us up. I'd even be willing to pay for Uber - just too much of a hassle.



amalone1013 said:


> MMMMMMMM. I am now disappointed with myself that I only made it there once.



Don't worry I ate enough for the both of us. We ate there 4 times, I kid you not.



amalone1013 said:


> I might actually eat apples this way!



I love apples! And it was so yummy when made into a fry!


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## chunkymonkey

*Day 3: Soarin' over Riverside County*

On Sunday which was our 3rd day in California my sister woke up really early, like 5am and started texting me because she was jetlagged "What time are you getting up?" Of course I was still passed out and I told DH not to wake me up before 9am, but I ended up getting up around 8am anyways.

Today went to the Dessert Hill Premium outlets with DH's family. It's located near Palm Springs about 40 minutes away. It was a fun day of shopping and of course me and my sister went to the Disney outlet!

Here's me and DH that morning:






Driving around Riverside County is like being in that scene from the old Soarin' over California, where there are horseback riders in the Anza Valley (which IS located in Riverside County). It's all dessert, mountains and tumbleweed. My sister had never seen tumbleweed before (she's such a city girl) but she got a good dose of them this weekend!











The Disney Outlet:






I scored a couple of small things and some sleep shirts and we bought stuff for our nieces and nephew. There were great sales! Except that I'm not used to paying sales tax on clothes and shoes, which we don't in NJ. 

DH's family ended up eating at the food court in the outlets but I wanted something better than the food court, so of course we went to the closest fast food joint...In-N-Out burger!

Yes we were eating it again. No, we weren't tired of it just yet.

It's ALWAYS packed in there no matter what time.











Oops this wasn't good for my sister's diet. But she didn't have any fries. 

After In-N-Out we went next door to this store called Hadley. It's kinda like a specialty store which sells nuts and dried fruit, their specialty being dates. They used to be in a very old farmhouse type building but they built a new location and it's completely new now. I got some dates for my mom who likes them.

Here's CS posing and DH photo-bombing her:






California dates!





















There is also a small cafe in the store and one of their specialty items is a date shake. You can get regular date or banana-date. I remember getting this before but I wasn't sure if I liked it and couldn't remember how it tasted so I ordered a regular date shake so we could all have a taste. It was good, but I forget how sweet dates are! It's like a vanilla shake with little bits that are kinda like raisins but not really. We all liked it but thank goodness we shared because it was way to sweet for me to finish.






Later that evening we had dinner at the house. We had to pack everything up again because we were leaving early the next morning for Anaheim!

DH's mom cooked most of the food, and Jimmy made some BBQ ribs. We also had steak, lamb, and we picked up some seafood boil from another one of my favorite spots to eat at, The Boiling Crab. It's like bags of seafood boiled in a spicy cajun sauce. If you go to one of their many restaurants you order what kind of seafood you like, like a pound of shimp, a pound of clams etc and then choose the sauce you like. We like the Whole Sha-bang which is a mixture of everything, and you also choose the spice level. It's delicious and we have imitators back here in NY but nothing is like the real Boiling Crab. 










Shrimp and clambs in Whole Sha-bang sauce from the Boiling Crab.

Here's me and Maddie with the spread!






Later that night my sister brought out one of her many sets of glow sticks (she brings them for the parades and nigttime shows) and we had fun with Maddie!











The next day we were heading to Disneyland! It's too bad Maddie couldn't make it but she had already started school in mid-August. They were set to make the long drive back home the next day. But she's looking forward to our family trip to Disney World next summer! She's totally ready for it!

Coming up, our arrival at the Grand Californian!

​


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## bcwife76

YES! More In N Out! 

Love some good bargains at the Outlet malls, but yes, when you're not used to sales tax it's a real bummer 

Oh and to answer your question re: weather at night, no we had NO cool nights. Seriously. Our last night there (Thursday the 1st) was the coolest night and it was probably still 66F-70F. We never needed hoodies (or maybe we are cold blooded Canadians who felt it was so dang hot still lol) We all brought hoodies and besides the car ride home from the airport (brrrrr.....came home and it was about 16C/60F and we were in shorts haha) we used them on the plane rides and that was it.


----------



## chunkymonkey

bcwife76 said:


> YES! More In N Out!



It's like we had to get our fill before we leave. I don't even eat that many burgers regularly!



bcwife76 said:


> Love some good bargains at the Outlet malls, but yes, when you're not used to sales tax it's a real bummer



Yeah, it's weird to experience sales tax, and almost 10% too! Crazy.



bcwife76 said:


> Oh and to answer your question re: weather at night, no we had NO cool nights. Seriously. Our last night there (Thursday the 1st) was the coolest night and it was probably still 66F-70F. We never needed hoodies (or maybe we are cold blooded Canadians who felt it was so dang hot still lol) We all brought hoodies and besides the car ride home from the airport (brrrrr.....came home and it was about 16C/60F and we were in shorts haha) we used them on the plane rides and that was it.



It was cool for the nights we were there so we had to wear a cardigan or hoodie. Although I could have probably survived some of the nights without one. It was really nice weather.


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 4 Part 1: Disneyland here we come! First stop - Tomorrowland!*

Today was the day we headed to Anaheim! I had initially planned to leave really early, like at 6am but I wanted to get a chance to say goodbye to everyone, so we didn't end up leaving until closer to 8am. This gave everyone a chance to wake up and have some breakfast together! I felt it was important to say our goodbyes especially since we weren't sure when we'd get to see Maddie and her parents again. 





Thanks Maddie for waking up early to see us off! Although she does look like she's about to pass out here.





In the background you can see our electric blue full-sized Camry that we got when Dollar ran out of compact cars, hahaha. It worked out though because we realized we had 3 large pieces of luggage we had to transport!

Here's a group pic of the whole family:






Good bye, for now! We will be seeing DH's parents and younger brother Jimmy again when we all have brunch at Goofy's Kitchen on our last day of the trip. Unfortunately Maddie had to go home but we'll hopefully see her soon.

We got into our car and headed to Anaheim! It was about an hour and 15 minutes to drive there which isn't too bad. Oh something to note that the carpool/HOV lanes are for 2 people or more so we always got to use them when driving around, so we avoided most of the traffic (although sometimes it could not be avoided at all).





Finally headed to Anaheim!

As we approached the Disneyland Resort, we saw many perfectly manicured palm trees, then the Paradise Pier hotel, which is right across from the Grand Californian. I was still getting used to the layout of the resort. Even though I had looked at maps I wasn't sure where everything was in relation to each other. I thought Paradise Pier would be really far, but it's not that far from the GC.






Finally we turned into the driveway for the GC. 






We're here!











My first impression of the GC was...it was dark. We had to get used to the dimness of the "lodge" style setting. Kinda like AKL and Wilderness Lodge I guess. 






The lobby area and interior space were very nicely themed with lots of dark wood, stone, and old fashioned touches.
























Since it was only 9am our room wasn't ready yet, so they said we would get a text message instead. We opted for self parking and had our luggage stored with Bell services. I bought the park tickets online so I showed them our receipt and they handed us our 5-day park hoppers. It's been a while since I've had to use paper tickets! We picked up some maps and time guides. It's also been a long time since I've used a map. But let me tell you, I had to use them a lot on this trip!






While DH went to park the car in the self-parking lot across the street, CS and I went to the gift store in the lobby. It was much smaller than I expected. I loved all the Disneyland 60th Diamond Celebration merchandise but wasn't sure if all of this stuff will appear at an outlet after the celebration was over, kinda like how they have all the stuff from 2015 for super sale. The CM working there said that today was the last day for ALL the 60th stuff, and it will all be taken away tomorrow. Taken to where?? I wanted to know. Regardless I refrained from grabbing one of everything.

I did however love these Diamond celebration ears because of the sparkly baby blue color, so I ended up getting these so I could wear them that day. 











My sister bought herself a Diamond Anniversary Autograph Book which was really cute. It looked like this:





(Image from Mousesteps)

After DH came back, tickets in tow, we all headed into Disneyland! So excited to be back! Since I can barely remember the parks, it almost seems like the first time for me! DH thought I was nuts, he's like, you've been here about 4 times. I'm like, yeah but the last time was 8 years ago which is an eternity in Disney life. Duh. 

Woohoo!






The path to Disneyland from the GC took us through part of Downtown Disney. I loved how the hotel was pretty much on top of DTD. It made it so easy to want to stop and shop all the time. I also like how it's still called Downtown Disney.

When we got to the bag check, the lines were getting long, and it seemed like we were waiting for some time even though it seem like there were 10 lines. This is unfortunately the reality at all parks now.






Soon we were inside the park area and we turned left to head into Disneyland. Turning right would lead you to California Adventure.

I shot this of us before we headed in:






We went to the turnstiles and scanned our tickets. When you first use your tickets they take a picture of you and then you have to sign your ticket. It was pretty quick for us, but on occasion we have been behind some folks who had to have their pictures taken and it took a while longer. 

Entering Disneyland, the castle is kinda off to the side and you have to turn onto Main St to see it.






Sleeping Beauty's Castle is so much smaller that it's hard to see it when you're far away!

Oh there it is! It's so small!






Today was a pretty crazy day. I told everyone we should focus on the things that are going away after today, mainly Hyperspace Mountain, so we headed to Tomorrowland first!






Tommorowland is similar to WDW except there is no Peoplemover, Star Tours is here, and the Astro Orbiter is on the ground instead of on top of another building. They also played Star Wars music the entire time. I loved it!

It was about 9:45am and the park was getting crowded. Tomorrowland was ALWAYS packed though no matter what time it was. Also, there was always a long wait on Star Tours which really surprised me. 






We made a beeline for Hyperspace Mountain. It already had a 50 minute wait. In retrospect we should probably have waited on stand-by because that was the shortest time we would see all day. At times it would snake up to 90 minutes. But since we don't like to wait on line, we got fastpasses! 11:40am was the return time. Cool! We were definitely going on Hyperspace Mountain and I could breathe a sigh of relief. 





Hyperspace Mountain FP Obtained - Mission complete!

So now we decided what we should do...since we were in Tomorrowland we got some Buzz Lightyear FPs as well since the FPs for that ride are disconnected from the system, and you can hold them in addition to ones for other rides. The FP kiosks for Buzz are right next to the kiosks for Star Tours so DH figured that out the hard way by actually using the Star Tours kiosks and getting a "you are not eligible for another FP until such and such time" ticket. LOL. I forgot about how paper FP works so it was "all coming back to me now". *Cue Celine Dion!*

So we saw the Astro Orbiter had a fairly short wait of 20 minutes and since we know this ride at WDW moves slowly we decided to ride it. It's interesting how it's not on top of another building like WDW's is on top of the Lunching Pad. It's been a long time since I've rode the Astro Orbiter but I think they are pretty much the same. 











Here we are on the ride! I must say, it's kinda a pain to get in and out especially with 2 people in a vehicle. Maybe I will make DH ride solo next time.






After that we went on Buzz Lightyear since the wait wasn't too long so we rode standby. We kept the FP for later.






The guns come out of the ride vehicle unlike the WDW one which is planted into the vehicle. I remember this fact from our previous trips. It's so much better this way!






DH always says he's going to beat me but about 80% of the time on the first round of the trip, I've beaten him and this time was no different. He subsequently gets the high score from then on but that first victory is the one that counts, right?



I also totally forgot that the ride picture can be emailed at this Buzz. We didn't have a photopass card yet so we bypassed the picture station. I should have stopped to email a souvenir of my high score.

My sister became re-obsessed with pressed pennies on this trip. I think it's because she's already collected most of the WDW ones so the DLR ones were all new to her. So she started off by getting these in Tomorrowland.






We then decided to go on the Submarine ride since the wait was about 20 minutes and was one of the shorter lines. On the way we passed by a vastly superior version of Jedi Training. I say superior only because as a spectator, you can dine at Galactic Grill and watch from a covered area. This was really nice! I'm sure the Jedi training part is the same 






We got on line for the submarine. While waiting I thought, hey we don't have lunch plans, I could see if I could make ADR right on the spot? And I found a 12:30pm lunch spot at Cafe Orleans for 3 ppl. I was excited to try the Monte Cristo and everyone said sure, so I booked it!

Here's the submarine ride with Nemo and Friends:






It's a bit like the Living Seas with Nemo at WDW but you are in an enclosed ride vehicle with a bunch of other people and you're looking out through portholes. I guess not for the claustrophobic. It was fun to do once but we didn't need to do this again. 






It was when we left the ride that I looked down at our FP for Hyperspace Mountain, and realized that it wasn't for 11:40am, it was for 12:40pm. 

OMG. Mission fail. 
*I had made ADRs for the same time! *

What do we do now? Stay tuned...

​


----------



## bcwife76

You made good time to Anaheim!

I fell in love with the GCH this trip when our friends stayed there. While I love the HOJO (think it's now my fave off site hotel there) I am trying everything in my power to be able to afford staying at the GCH for our Feb 2018 trip!!

Love those ears; bought mine last October and then DD8 bought the same pair this trip 

Oh shoot, FP and ADR for the same time? Well I'm hoping you were able to scoff down the delightful Monte Cristo and were able to keep your FP for the ride too


----------



## Elevationist

chunkymonkey said:


> Maddie didn't want to go on Ninjago, because she really wanted to get her face painted! I think she's gonna love Disney!


A girl after my own heart!!!

All the In-and-Out is making me laugh!

The Grand California looks GORGEOUS!!

How cool that ChunkySis got to start her vacation two days earlier than expected!


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## chunkymonkey

Elevationist said:


> A girl after my own heart!!!



I totally thought of you when Maddie kept insisting on getting her face painted!



Elevationist said:


> All the In-and-Out is making me laugh!



I needed my fix before we leave the west coast!



Elevationist said:


> The Grand California looks GORGEOUS!!



The lobby and grounds area were nice. The pools were great too.



Elevationist said:


> How cool that ChunkySis got to start her vacation two days earlier than expected!



Cost us all a bunch of sleep but she was excited!


----------



## Dentam

Just got a chance to read through your report today!  Loving it so far and look forward to reading more!


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## kastoney

Hi Su-Lynn looks like a great start to your trip.  Loving all the in and out burger you've worked in so far.  So wish we had them on the east coast.  We're contemplating a DL trip next September, so especially can't wait to see how things worked out for you.


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## ArielSRL

All caught up! Glad you got some fun family time and your precious In N Out!! Haha! Btw, I am exhausted already reading your report! 

Glad you made it to DLR quickly and have Hyperspace Mtn FPs...am interested to see how you solve your dilemma!


----------



## soniam

I finally got caught up. I was hoping to finish yesterday at work, since it was one of those days where I was waiting on everything. However, I ended up having to leave early to avoid Bidengeddon. Similar to Obamageddon from my TR but less apocalyptic. Good memories of DLR. I am hoping to get back, but it probably won't be until 2018 Looking forward to the rest of your TR. Maybe a great start so far, I guess it depends how you end up dealing with the aADR/FP conflict


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## chunkymonkey

Dentam said:


> Just got a chance to read through your report today!  Loving it so far and look forward to reading more!



Thank you!!



kastoney said:


> Hi Su-Lynn looks like a great start to your trip.  Loving all the in and out burger you've worked in so far.  So wish we had them on the east coast.  We're contemplating a DL trip next September, so especially can't wait to see how things worked out for you.



Thanks Kari! I definitely think we need and In-N-Out on the East coast. I've heard the issue it hasn't come out here was the sourcing of the beef. It just wouldn't be the same out here I guess. I considering it a treat when visiting the in-laws! I should visit more often.

Our week in sept (labor day week) was definitely more crowded than I expected. I guess WDW gets ghost-town like during that time, but at DLR it was moderately crowded so it was surprising. My BIL Jimmy's girlfriend, who is a teacher, said that school didn't start in the area until the SECOND week of Sept. Just something to note in case you wanted really low crowds.



ArielSRL said:


> All caught up! Glad you got some fun family time and your precious In N Out!! Haha! Btw, I am exhausted already reading your report!



Thanks! Yes, it was definitely a more exhausting trip than to WDW. I think it's because so much was going on, everything was new to us, plus we had to drive all over the place. I definitely think on the next trip we'll take it easy!



ArielSRL said:


> Glad you made it to DLR quickly and have Hyperspace Mtn FPs...am interested to see how you solve your dilemma!



Hehe, you will see in the next post!



soniam said:


> I finally got caught up. I was hoping to finish yesterday at work, since it was one of those days where I was waiting on everything. However, I ended up having to leave early to avoid Bidengeddon. Similar to Obamageddon from my TR but less apocalyptic. Good memories of DLR. I am hoping to get back, but it probably won't be until 2018 Looking forward to the rest of your TR. Maybe a great start so far, I guess it depends how you end up dealing with the aADR/FP conflict



Bidengeddon! Sounds like fun. Haha.
It was definitely a challenging day, let me tell you. There was lots of anticipation and excitement mixed with anxiousness. Geez I sound like I'm about go on a mission to save the world...but really, it's just a regular Disney vacation, LOL.


----------



## franandaj

I've seen your TRs for a while now, but I've only caught them when they're almost over. I'm glad to get in on one when it's just starting. 

So where does DH's family live? You said boondocks, but I don't think from the shots of the house that it's someplace like Nuevo. That's serious boondocks! I'm guessing it's more like Perris or Moreno Valley.

I'm a local So Cal gal and DLR is definitely my home park. I was also surprised to see Hadley's new building. It's been 10 years since I've been out that way, and for a while we drove there every week.

That's a lot of In n Out. I love it, but not sure I could eat it three days in a row.

Glad you got there for the last of the 60th festivities and were there for Halloweentime. We were actually out there that same Friday, but we were all caught up in the Trader Sam's craziness.

Looking forward to how you solve the double booking dilemma.


----------



## Saphire5742

chunkymonkey said:


> We're here!



Yay! Can't wait till I'm seeing the same.



chunkymonkey said:


> DH thought I was nuts, he's like, you've been here about 4 times. I'm like, yeah but the last time was 8 years ago which is an eternity in Disney life. Duh.



I am perplexed by your husband's logic (if we can even call it that )



chunkymonkey said:


> I shot this of us before we headed in:



Really great shot!



chunkymonkey said:


> I forgot about how paper FP works so it was "all coming back to me now". *Cue Celine Dion!*



. I actually have zero experience with paper FP. Should be interesting



chunkymonkey said:


> The guns come out of the ride vehicle unlike the WDW one which is planted into the vehicle. I remember this fact from our previous trips. It's so much better this way!



That does sound better. Maybe I can redeem myself there



chunkymonkey said:


> My sister became re-obsessed with pressed pennies on this trip. I think it's because she's already collected most of the WDW ones so the DLR ones were all new to her. So she started off by getting these in Tomorrowland.



Didn't bother with them at WDW, but I think I just might for DL


----------



## chunkymonkey

franandaj said:


> I've seen your TRs for a while now, but I've only caught them when they're almost over. I'm glad to get in on one when it's just starting.



Thanks for reading!



franandaj said:


> So where does DH's family live? You said boondocks, but I don't think from the shots of the house that it's someplace like Nuevo. That's serious boondocks! I'm guessing it's more like Perris or Moreno Valley.



I'll send you a PM, just to respect DH's family's privacy, but it's near Moreno Valley...I think? I am not too familiar with the area, all I know is that it really is quite desert-like.



franandaj said:


> Yay! Can't wait till I'm seeing the same.



You will have a great time!



Saphire5742 said:


> I am perplexed by your husband's logic (if we can even call it that )



I know, right? Men. 




Saphire5742 said:


> Really great shot!



Thanks!



Saphire5742 said:


> . I actually have zero experience with paper FP. Should be interesting



Yeah I would definitely do research on the paper FP rules. We had to refresh ourselves a bit. Also note which FP are disconnected, and most of them aren't available during the extra morning hour (I think only the World of Color one is active)



Saphire5742 said:


> That does sound better. Maybe I can redeem myself there



It's much easier for a mediocre player like myself to get good, and also for a good player to get even better (DH). Haha.



Saphire5742 said:


> Didn't bother with them at WDW, but I think I just might for DL



My sister bought this little pressed penny display book. It was cute and she filled it up quickly. She didn't even get all the pennies either. That would probably take 2 or 3 books.


----------



## franandaj

chunkymonkey said:


> I'll send you a PM, just to respect DH's family's privacy, but it's near Moreno Valley...I think? I am not too familiar with the area, all I know is that it really is quite desert-like.



That's close enough. Everything out there is very desert like. Heck most of So Cal is desert like. We just import water to make it an artificial tropical paradise.

Being from the tri state area, your idea of boonies is very different than folks who have spent time in small rural CA towns. Heck when it's practically a once in a lifetime event when your town gets its first stoplight or McDonalds, you know it's the boonies!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 4 Part 2: Double-booking dilemma and Cafe Orleans lunch!*

I can't believe I booked an ADR at the same time as our Hyperspace Mountain FP. I kept getting the timing of everything confused on this trip. I dunno, maybe it was the time difference? 

Considering I was looking forward to riding Hyperspace so much, I didn't want to jinx it and think we could just show up after the FP window expired. I know we could have said we had ADRs at the same time and arrived later, but considering the wait times were through the roof right now, I didn't want to chance it in case they were being really strict with the FP window.

So I tried to call the DL dining number to see if we could change or cancel without a penalty. I've had luck doing this in the past by saying I made a mistake booking on the app. First of all, I was put on hold for a long amount of time, longer than I've had to wait for Disney Disney Dining. Then, the CM I had was very unapologetic and said the only they could do was cancel with a 30 dollar penalty fee. There were no other times available that day. I kept the reservation then pondered what to do. I guess I could have called back and gotten a different CM and maybe a better outcome but I wanted to DO something and not just be on the phone for a while. I thought that maybe if we went to Cafe Orleans early they could perhaps seat us. It was about 11:30 at this time. Seemed like as good of a plan as any, so we headed to Cafe Orleans, which is on the opposite side of the castle.






When we arrived we told the CMs at the podium about our dilemma. They responded that they didn't have any availability to move it to any other time. BUT they also told me that as long as we checked in there at some point today it wouldn't be considered a cancellation even if it was a couple of hours lster. Good to know! One of the CM's asked what our FP was for, and when we said Hyperspace, he said, Oh I would DEFINITELY do that first. 
It's a good thing I asked and now crisis averted!

We headed back to Tomorrowland to wait for our Hyperspace FP window open. In the meantime we got to use our Buzz Lightyear FP. This time I wasn't so lucky. But I totally believe I had a faulty gun because my score just wouldn't go up halfway through the ride...






As we were leaving Buzz we grabbed FP for Star Tours. This ride was packed all the time. I never thought it was so popular before, but I guess because it's part of Tomorrowland and is one of the first attractions you see, it gets more foot traffic? We had some time so we visited Star Wars Launch Bay to grab a picture with our favorite furry friend. The wait time was about 15 minutes.






We walked around Launch Bay a bit but I wasn't that into it on this trip, mostly because I had overloaded on it at DHS back in Feb. The DL version had the same stuff just laid out differently and it was more spacious. Still pretty cool to see though. They do not have Jawas there but apparently Boba Fett makes an appearance from time to time.











Finally it was time for...the moment I had been waiting all this time for...*HYPERSPACE MOUNTAIN*! The line was really long, about 75 minutes and I was hoping our wait time on the FP line wouldn't' be too long. In total I think we waited about 20-25 minutes. 

I was so excited when we finally got to see the ride vehicles. I remember I LOVED this ride at DLR. I don't hate it at WDW, I just dislike it there. The ride vehicles are completely different and the WDW one uses a tobogan vehicle like the Matahorn which I don't enjoy, plus it's bumpy and jerky. 






People were CLAPPING as they got off the ride. Was it really that good?

Finally it was our turn!! 



*YES.*​
​
*IT IS THAT GOOD.*​
​
*IT IS IN FACT, AMAZING! *

From the first moment you turn the corner in your vehicle the Star Wars theme begins blaring. The soundtrack plays as you zip around a galactic war between the rebellion and imperial forces. Think Tie Fighters and X-Wings. It's soooo awesome, especially because DH and I are Star Wars fans. CS is not a big SW fan but she loved it too and thought it was an excellent ride!

And yes everyone clapped when the ride was over. Best ride ever!!









As we left we got another FP for later....very much later at 9pm.  But hey, we get to ride it twice!! 

Which puts us in another little dilemma...we have ADRs for the *Paint the Night package at Blue Bayou *at 6pm. I was assuming we would be getting the first Paint the Night parade at 8:45pm, but I was hoping to request the later parade at 10:15. In between, the Disneyland Forever Fireworks were set to go on at 9:30. The evening was packed! But since it's the last night for everything we had no choice if we wanted to experience it all and just kinda make it all work. 

But now, it was time for some lunch! So back to Cafe Orleans we go. We were lucky the weather was nice or it would have been 10x worse for us to be walking back and forth. It was warm and sunny but no humidity which was great. We checked in at Cafe Orleans and waited for them to text my phone. In the meantime we all went to the stores nearby. 

My sister loves the jewelry in this store. Reminds her of the same stuff they sell in that store in the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot.






I was texted about 15 minutes later. We were seated outside under a big umbrella. It was actually nice to sit and people watch. And there were a lot of people! It was packed that day.






I wanted to share with you my park bag. It's a Lesportsac with a Mickey/Minnie print and it looks like they are in Hawaii. It combines my two favorite vacation places, Hawaii and Disney into one, so of course I HAD to get it. Funny thing is that my sister ALSO got the exact same bag and she used hers too, so she had to stick a dangle-y thing on her zipper pull so we could distinguish her bag from mine.






OK time for lunch!! We were hungry! The day's activity had definitely worked up an appetite for us. Here's what we ordered:

We started with the *Pomme Frites* to share. Traditional French Fried Potatoes tossed with Parmesan, Garlic, and Parsley served with Cajun Spice Rémoulade. I had heard these were really good fries and it didn't disappoint. Crisp fries with grated Parmesan and garlic, what's not to love?






I was in a cheesy mood so I got the *Three-Cheese Monte Cristo*: Swiss, Mozzarella, and Double Crème Brie fried in a light batter and served with Berry Purée dusted with Powdered Sugar. This was really yummy, but very heavy. I liked the berry dipping sauce with the sandwhich. I think that definitely made it super good. It was too much for me to finish because the sandwich was HUGE! Luckily I was with two other people who liked it too. It kinda reminded me of a cross between puffy french toast from Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom, and a grilled cheese sandwich. Best of both worlds!






DH got the *Fried Green Tomato Sandwich*: Fried Green Tomatoes and Zucchini, Pickled Slaw, and Cajun Rémoulade on a Potato Roll served with your choice of fresh Fruit or House-made Seasoned Chips. He enjoyed this, said it was a nice light lunch. I had a few bites and thought it was good too, although I would have preferred it without the remoulade. 






Here's a picture of the cross section of sandwich:






My sister who said she was on a diet, got the *"Crescent City" Salad with Pan-seared Atlantic Salmon *​
 on top of fresh Mixed Greens, tossed with Caramelized Pecans, Red Grapes, Navel Orange Segments, Caramelized Onions, Chopped Green Onions, Roasted Sweet Corn, and Orange-Cilantro Vinaigrette. 






She doesn't normally eat salads but tried her best to stay on track. She's a picky eater though so she ate the salmon, oranges, and grapes but left most of the greens. She thought the pecans were too sweet and the addition of corn was weird. DH and I ate the rest of her salad and we thought it was pretty good.

It was a good lunch. Pricey, but a welcome meal on our first day. I kept eating bites of the last quarter of my sandwich. I was really full but I couldn't stop eating although it definitely made me not want to eat the rest of the day.

After lunch DH and I decided that after Star Tours, we would leave the park and head to the resort to swim. The park was getting kinda crowded and we just wanted to relax before the evening's festivities. CS was on a mission to get more pennies and character pics around the park so she wanted to go off on her own. Before we split up we decided to take some pictures at the Castle before they removed the 60th decorations.






We found a few PP photographers and their lines were long. It was our last opportunity though so we waited. 
























So one of the photographers must have been really really bored...I mean, just look at this:






And this. I have no words for the picture below. No words. 






I have no idea what he was making us do but it must have been pretty funny for him (and everyone else) to watch. Hahaha.

So CS went off to do her own thing and DH and I headed back to Tomorrowland to use our Star Tours FP. 






Star Tours was fun and it is the same as the WDW one. Of course I wasn't the Rebel Spy (but it was an adult, and not a kid that was chosen!). It looks like the Jakku scene is not mandatory now, but I wonder if they will add any Rogue One stuff to the mix next year. That would be interesting.

Since we were in Tomorrowland, we tried to take the Monorail to DTD and then walk back to the resort. We wanted to see where it would drop us off in DTD. I say tried because when we got on line, the Monorail was at the station but it didn't move for quite some time. I think there were some technical difficulties so we ended up getting off the line since it hadn't moved. We did get these pictures though while on line. 



















We ended up walking out of the park and walking back to the Grand Californian. Before we left though, DH swung by Indiana Jones to pick up FP for the both of us. We texted CS to let her know since she had her own ticket, but I don't think she bothered to get one. The walk back to our resort was short. I think we waited in line a lot longer than the walk took us!

Coming up...the Grand Californian, Blue Bayou, Paint the Night...and Disneyland Forever!​


----------



## ArielSRL

I love cheese and I love berries but I don't think I've ever combined them....however, that really is tempting my taste buds right now! Oh and the Parmesan and garlic on the fries sounds divine! 

Glad you were able to solve the ADR/FP dilemma! Glad the rude was all you expected and more! Sounds like a wonderful morning/early afternoon. Looking forward to the rest of the day!


----------



## chunkymonkey

ArielSRL said:


> I love cheese and I love berries but I don't think I've ever combined them....however, that really is tempting my taste buds right now! Oh and the Parmesan and garlic on the fries sounds divine!



It is quite delicious. The Cheese Monte Cristo wasn't really a sandwich, it was like battered fried cheese. It tasted really good, and together had a salty-sweet flavor that really worked. It's a deathly combination of sugar, fat, and carbs though I just realized. Eeek. 



ArielSRL said:


> Glad you were able to solve the ADR/FP dilemma! Glad the rude was all you expected and more! Sounds like a wonderful morning/early afternoon. Looking forward to the rest of the day!



Lucky for us it all worked out in the end. I would be sad if I had to miss Hyperspace mountain, but I don't' think it would have come to that.
It was a great first morning despite the mix up and we had lots more to do that that as well!


----------



## amalone1013

chunkymonkey said:


> I did however love these Diamond celebration ears because of the sparkly baby blue color, so I ended up getting these so I could wear them that day.


That's what caught my eye! I had thought I'd try some ears, and I saw the blue... I was a little hesitant of all the sequins, because I'm usually not blingy, but I put them on and was in love!



chunkymonkey said:


> there was always a long wait on Star Tours which really surprised me


I don't remember it being so popular Feb 2015, but July was always an hour plus.



chunkymonkey said:


> Was it really that good?
> 
> *YES.*
> 
> *IT IS THAT GOOD.*​


I was a little hesitant, mostly because I'd only ridden the regular version once and I'm not a Star Wars fanatic, but IT WAS SO COOL. Though I didn't clap 



chunkymonkey said:


> *Pomme Frites* to share. Traditional French Fried Potatoes tossed with Parmesan, Garlic, and Parsley served with Cajun Spice Rémoulade.


 Mmmmmmmm. I should really look up a recipe for that sauce. Amazing.



chunkymonkey said:


> *Three-Cheese Monte Cristo*: Swiss, Mozzarella, and Double Crème Brie fried in a light batter and served with Berry Purée dusted with Powdered Sugar. This was really yummy, but very heavy. I liked the berry dipping sauce with the sandwhich. I think that definitely made it super good. It was too much for me to finish because the sandwich was HUGE!





chunkymonkey said:


> It's a deathly combination of sugar, fat, and carbs though I just realized. Eeek.



BUT IT'S SO GOOOOOOOD. I've been trying to get into a decent regular diet, so that I don't feel so bad when I eat all the delicious things on vacation! That sandwich is huge though. I was really sad I couldn't take the leftovers with me!


----------



## franandaj

chunkymonkey said:


> One of the CM's asked what our FP was for, and when we said Hyperspace, he said, Oh I would DEFINITELY do that first.



It's nice that the CM was candid with you and let you know how things "really work". I'm going to keep that in mind for the future.



chunkymonkey said:


> I never thought it was so popular before, but I guess because it's part of Tomorrowland and is one of the first attractions you see, it gets more foot traffic?



This is the thing that always boggles my mind about the two US parks. In DHS ST is a walk on practically. In DL there is always a wait close to an hour. TSMM in DHS has Crazy wait times and in DCA, it's usually only 30-40 minutes at its worst. You would think that each ride would see similar trends but they don't.



chunkymonkey said:


> The DL version had the same stuff just laid out differently and it was more spacious.



I came to that conclusion over the winter when I had dual TRs going, one of our trip to WDW at Christmas and then I like to report on day trips to DL which I tack on the end of completed TRs. At first I thought DLs was larger, but when I looked at the pictures of the displays I realized it was pretty much the same stuff, just laid out differently. 



chunkymonkey said:


> *YES.*
> 
> *IT IS THAT GOOD.*
> 
> *IT IS IN FACT, AMAZING! *​



  I wish I would have remembered to ride that when I was out there a couple weeks ago. We did the HM, but I had forgotten that SM gets the Ghost Galaxy overlay. I hope they put back Hyperspace Mountain when Halloween is over.



chunkymonkey said:


> And there were a lot of people! It was packed that day



Since it was the tail end of the Marathon weekend, we avoided the parks like the plague!



chunkymonkey said:


> We started with the *Pomme Frites* to share.



Always an excellent choice!



chunkymonkey said:


> I was in a cheesy mood so I got the *Three-Cheese Monte Cristo*: Swiss, Mozzarella, and Double Crème Brie fried in a light batter and served with Berry Purée dusted with Powdered Sugar. This was really yummy, but very heavy.



The cheese Monte Cristo is very good, but I like the regular one. The turkey and ham actually helps to cut the gooeyness of the cheese.  I think we need to get out there and have a Monte Cristo before I leave on my WDW trip!



chunkymonkey said:


> DH got the *Fried Green Tomato Sandwich*



So that's where it went. I read complaints about them taking it off the menu at the Hungry Bear.

Looking forward to seeing how you solve the next FP dilemma!


----------



## bcwife76

Love the photo pass photos!!

We had the same dishes at Cafe Orleans, only DH was the one to have the monte cristo and I had the fried green tom sandwich, you'll have to read my TR to see how we fared ;-) Glad you were able to make both the FP and the lunch ressie work though!!! I am finishing Maui and doing DL TR today!!!! Promise!!!!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

amalone1013 said:


> That's what caught my eye! I had thought I'd try some ears, and I saw the blue... I was a little hesitant of all the sequins, because I'm usually not blingy, but I put them on and was in love!



My thoughts exactly!



amalone1013 said:


> I don't remember it being so popular Feb 2015, but July was always an hour plus.



It's crazy how long the lines are compared to WDW



amalone1013 said:


> I was a little hesitant, mostly because I'd only ridden the regular version once and I'm not a Star Wars fanatic, but IT WAS SO COOL. Though I didn't clap



So sad this closed after our first day!



amalone1013 said:


> Mmmmmmmm. I should really look up a recipe for that sauce. Amazing.



I'm a fry purist and like my fries with no sauce, not even ketchup although once in a while I'll dunk. Am I strange? LOL.



amalone1013 said:


> BUT IT'S SO GOOOOOOOD. I've been trying to get into a decent regular diet, so that I don't feel so bad when I eat all the delicious things on vacation! That sandwich is huge though. I was really sad I couldn't take the leftovers with me!



 If me and DH ever eat here again we're totally sharing it! It's definitely worth a repeat visit!



franandaj said:


> It's nice that the CM was candid with you and let you know how things "really work". I'm going to keep that in mind for the future.



I hope this is true for most places! 



franandaj said:


> This is the thing that always boggles my mind about the two US parks. In DHS ST is a walk on practically. In DL there is always a wait close to an hour. TSMM in DHS has Crazy wait times and in DCA, it's usually only 30-40 minutes at its worst. You would think that each ride would see similar trends but they don't.



Yeah it's really interesting to see what's popular in each destination. My DH was excited about the shorter lines at TSMM as that is one of his favorite rides. He didnt' go on it nearly as often though as RSR kinda took over our life when we were at DCA. We could not get enough of it! 



franandaj said:


> I came to that conclusion over the winter when I had dual TRs going, one of our trip to WDW at Christmas and then I like to report on day trips to DL which I tack on the end of completed TRs. At first I thought DLs was larger, but when I looked at the pictures of the displays I realized it was pretty much the same stuff, just laid out differently.



Yeah that's what I thought. Also when you walk into the DL one it's kind of a big open space whereas WDW has separate rooms. They were both great and I enjoyed being able to see both of them.



franandaj said:


> I wish I would have remembered to ride that when I was out there a couple weeks ago. We did the HM, but I had forgotten that SM gets the Ghost Galaxy overlay. I hope they put back Hyperspace Mountain when Halloween is over.



I hope so too! More reason to return to DL!!



franandaj said:


> Since it was the tail end of the Marathon weekend, we avoided the parks like the plague!



I honestly didn't know this until after I booked. Oh well. 



franandaj said:


> The cheese Monte Cristo is very good, but I like the regular one. The turkey and ham actually helps to cut the gooeyness of the cheese.  I think we need to get out there and have a Monte Cristo before I leave on my WDW trip!



Yeah I figured the one with the meat would be less rich but I was feeling in a decadent mood, hehe. 
That is a great idea! 



franandaj said:


> So that's where it went. I read complaints about them taking it off the menu at the Hungry Bear.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing how you solve the next FP dilemma!



The sandwich was good but I'd definitely get the Monte Cristo if we're there again.

Stay tuned!



bcwife76 said:


> Love the photo pass photos!!



Thanks! We definitely did not get quite as many PP Pictures as we do in WDW. It was harder to find PP photographers, at least for me.



bcwife76 said:


> We had the same dishes at Cafe Orleans, only DH was the one to have the monte cristo and I had the fried green tom sandwich, you'll have to read my TR to see how we fared ;-) Glad you were able to make both the FP and the lunch ressie work though!!! I am finishing Maui and doing DL TR today!!!! Promise!!!!!



Yum, can't wait to see how your meals compared!


----------



## Saphire5742

chunkymonkey said:


> When we arrived we told the CMs at the podium about our dilemma. They responded that they didn't have any availability to move it to any other time. BUT they also told me that as long as we checked in there at some point today it wouldn't be considered a cancellation even if it was a couple of hours lster. Good to know! One of the CM's asked what our FP was for, and when we said Hyperspace, he said, Oh I would DEFINITELY do that first.
> It's a good thing I asked and now crisis averted!



Happy it worked out for you. Helpful CMs are always appreciated



chunkymonkey said:


> But I totally believe I had a faulty gun because my score just wouldn't go up halfway through the ride...



Well obviously it wasn't you. It was most definitely the gun



chunkymonkey said:


>



That's a much cooler ride photo than the one at WDW



chunkymonkey said:


> And yes everyone clapped when the ride was over. Best ride ever!!



I don't think I've ever seen everyone clap after a ride. Must have been something really special. Glad you enjoyed it. Also nice to know that even non Star Wars fans loved it too



chunkymonkey said:


>



Very cute



chunkymonkey said:


> We started with the *Pomme Frites* to share. Traditional French Fried Potatoes tossed with Parmesan, Garlic, and Parsley served with Cajun Spice Rémoulade. I had heard these were really good fries and it didn't disappoint. Crisp fries with grated Parmesan and garlic, what's not to love?



Oh, YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



chunkymonkey said:


> I was in a cheesy mood so I got the *Three-Cheese Monte Cristo*: Swiss, Mozzarella, and Double Crème Brie fried in a light batter and served with Berry Purée dusted with Powdered Sugar. This was really yummy, but very heavy. I liked the berry dipping sauce with the sandwhich. I think that definitely made it super good. It was too much for me to finish because the sandwich was HUGE! Luckily I was with two other people who liked it too. It kinda reminded me of a cross between puffy french toast from Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom, and a grilled cheese sandwich. Best of both worlds!



Double YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All that melted cheese goodness is making my mouth seriously water


Love all your 60th Castle pics! And all the fun poses as well.
Can't wait to read about the rest of your day


----------



## danceanddisney2010

I miss the Grand Californian! We stayed there last month for 6 nights ...it literally felt like home!
I too LOVE LOVE LOVED Hyperspace Mountain. I have to say that I am not a huge fan of Star Wars and literally know nothing about it, but the overlay was AMAZING! I think I even liked it more than the regular Space Mountain! Can't wait to read more of your trip report  I know it was a packed day, but SO glad you got to experience all the goodies of the 60th!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Saphire5742 said:


> Happy it worked out for you. Helpful CMs are always appreciated



I'm so glad everything worked out in the end. It was a bit of an unneeded situation (of which was my fault anyways) but now we got to try Cafe Orleans!




Saphire5742 said:


> Well obviously it wasn't you. It was most definitely the gun



I just don't understand why all my guns are faulty! 




Saphire5742 said:


> That's a much cooler ride photo than the one at WDW



Definitely! Although the WDW one appears to be a better digital quality.




Saphire5742 said:


> I don't think I've ever seen everyone clap after a ride. Must have been something really special. Glad you enjoyed it. Also nice to know that even non Star Wars fans loved it too



It was very special. I think people were really amazed at how good it was. I was! The ride itself is much more smooth and more fun than WDWs, and the Star Wars overlay was great. I hope they bring it back so you can experience it next year!



Saphire5742 said:


> Very cute



Thanks! My favorite park bag!



Saphire5742 said:


> Oh, YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Double YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All that melted cheese goodness is making my mouth seriously water



Definitely a must do for you! Although the portions were huge, at least for the Monte Cristo.



Saphire5742 said:


> Love all your 60th Castle pics! And all the fun poses as well.
> Can't wait to read about the rest of your day



Thanks!! 



danceanddisney2010 said:


> I miss the Grand Californian! We stayed there last month for 6 nights ...it literally felt like home!



It was great. I really enjoyed our stay there. 


danceanddisney2010 said:


> I too LOVE LOVE LOVED Hyperspace Mountain. I have to say that I am not a huge fan of Star Wars and literally know nothing about it, but the overlay was AMAZING! I think I even liked it more than the regular Space Mountain! Can't wait to read more of your trip report  I know it was a packed day, but SO glad you got to experience all the goodies of the 60th!



Thanks!! It was such an amazing ride. It's nice to know that even Star Wars newbies liked the ride too! My sister really enjoyed it, and she didn't watch Star Wars until earlier this year, right before our Star Wars cruise. I think she's got into it a bit more but Sci Fi in general is not really her thing.

It was an amazing day...coming up you'll see all the additional things we did that day to celebrate the 60th!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 4 Part 3: A Ride Breakdown and Blue Bayou Dinner*

DH and I finally arrived back at the GC after walking from DL. I took a detour walking through WoD because I was distracted by all the merchandise. So much stuff!






Luckily our room was ready at that point. I can't remember the exact number but think it was something like 5125. We were on the 5th floor. Here's some pictures of our room:
















The requisite 2 sinks:






And the bathroom amenities:






I really like the selection of products they had. The aloe gel and the foot rub were great after a long day at the parks. Does WDW do this now in all Deluxe resorts or is this just a DLR thing?

The bath and toilet are your standard bath and toilet, but they do have this Bambi shower curtain.






The bathroom was small-ish and the room looked like it needed some TLC overall but had a nice rustic feel although they definitely needed more outlets! The room seemed to be the same as regular WDW deluxe rooms in term of size and immersion in theme. You definitely pay for convenience here. But it was fine for us as we were here so we could experience how cool it was to be so close to the parks!

Bell services brought up our luggage but it took about 25 minutes. In the meantime we chilled and put our feet up. After we got our luggage, DH and I changed and went to the pool. The grounds of the GC are lovely. There were a few pools and hot tubs, and it was packed at that time. It was hard to find a spot but we finally were able to grab the last 2 loungers in the area!






There were multiple pools as well as hot tubs and a water slide which we never made it on. It was nice to relax for a bit before the night's activities. I spent a bit of time in the hot tub which invigorated me!

Meanwhile back at Disneyland...my sister was busy getting some character pictures, but she said the lines were really long, so she could only manage Mickey and I think Goofy before she decided to head to the GC as well.






We had an early dinner ressie at Blue Bayou for the PTN package at 6pm so at 5 we cleaned up and headed out since me and DH had FPs for IJA. It was the last night for the 60th celebrations so I had to take a picture to commemorate!






We walked through Adventureland and DH and i headed to the FP line for IJA while CS, who didn't have an FP, just shopped around.











Unfortunately after we waited on line for 20 minutes before realizing the ride went down and the lines weren't moving. We waited for another 10 more minutes but at that point, it was 30 minutes on line which defeats the purpose of FP so we decided to get out of line and return later since they were going to honor our FPs.

I don't think we managed to get on any rides before dinner since the lines were so long, so I just took pictures of other attractions.
















Soon, we headed over to Blue Bayou to check in for dinner. Here's what me and my sister wore. I liked my t-shirt in person more than it photographed as it looked very lumpy so this is the only full-length picture of me you'll see tonight, LOL.









About 10 minutes later I got a text and we headed inside to Blue Bayou! I was excited to eat here as it was our first time. On our previous trips we either could never get a reservation or just admired it from the ride. I really love the ambiance in here.





















The menus were cool because they lit up, which was perfect when it's that dim!






Our dinner was part of the paint the night package and it included a choice of starter, entree and dessert. To start us of, our server brought us a basket of bread. It was tasty and warm. I liked the crusty roll bread the best. Think it was sourdough?






CS and DH both got the *Blue Bayou Salad* as an appetizer*, *_with Tomatoes, Caramelized Pecans, Blue Cheese, Cranberries, and Lavash_. My sister said she liked this salad a lot more than the one she had for lunch, although she did pick out all the blue cheese. DH thought it was good too.






I got the *New Orleans Gumbo, *_A rich flavorful Stew with Chicken, Andouille Sausage, and Tasso Ham served with Cajun-style Dirty Rice_. I thought it was very yummy, and loved that it had a spicy kick. The rice however wasn't really a dirty rice, it was just a plain white rice and I thought there were a few hard kernels in it, but overall loved the flavor of the gumbo.






As an entree we a llgot the *Surf & Turf *_Petite Pacific Northwest Lobster Tail and Broiled Filet Mignon, Blue Bayou Au Gratin Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Bearnaise Sauce_. This was actually a lot better than I expected. I typically associate surf n turf with what you usually get when you're a guest at a wedding, and it's always overcooked beef and a rubbery piece of seafood surrounded by a potato and baby vegetables. Here the steak was cooked the way we wanted (medium rare for DH and I and medium well for CS) and the lobster was tender enough. Definitely a "petite" lobster tail but goodness after that Monte Cristo for lunch I'm surprised I could finish dinner. The potatoes au gratin were not that good though, as it was under cooked.






For dessert we got each of the three desserts they had and shared them. The best way to eat IMO! Here's the peach and blueberry galette, served a la mode. I think we all liked this.






The creme brulee which was actually very good:






And the chocolate cake, which we wanted to like but just wasn't that special.






As the CM brought our check I asked if we could get the later showing of PTN and he said he would double check the allocation of tickets but that it shouldn't be a problem. And soon enough he brought our tickets for the 10:15pm showing of PTN! This frees up our night significantly and we could still use our Hyperspace FP, watch Disneyland Forever and conclude the day with Paint the Night. How exciting! The night had just begun.

Overall i was happy I got to dine here at Blue Bayou although I heard the ambiance definitely outweighs the food and I tend to agree. It's a pricey meal and I think aside from the cool fact that you are sitting in the POTC ride, it's just ok. I did enjoy the gumbo though! Would I return? Sure but probably not a priority meal on a return trip.

After dinner, we headed to the ride which didn't have much of a wait at that time..the Jungle Cruise! I thought our Skipper was very witty and I couldn't wait to see the backside of water!






Coming up...so much more...Hyperspace Mountain, Disneyland Forever, and Paint the Night!
​


----------



## ArielSRL

When we stayed at SSR in June, we just got (H2O) shower gel, lotion, and one more toiletry, I think, but I can't remember what it was (ETA: now I remember that it was shampoo and conditioner....duh). And they didn't say "SPA" or have the castle on them. They had Tink and the fragrance is Grapefruit Bergamont. I think the values (and maybe mods) get Mickey H2O stuff. Not sure if any of the other deluxes get the ones you got.

I ate lunch at Blue Bayou in 2002 but that was so long ago, so I don't remember much, but I do remember the awesome ambiance!

Looking forward to the rest of your evening!


----------



## soniam

I have seen a pic somewhere of the two additional tubes, maybe from a WDW deluxe or from a DCL concierge room. When we last stayed in a deluxe in 2014 at WDW, we got the 4 H20 grapefruit bergamot bottles, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion. I don't know if they are doing all 4 still.

Blue Bayou looks cool. It's nice that you got to combine it with the PTN dinner. Gives you a good excuse to go. I would like to go there for the ambience. It reminds me of San Angel at Epcot. The atmosphere looks really cool, but I don't think the food is going to be all that. I think the only that keeps me from eating at San Angel is that if it's not good, it kind of paints a bad light on all Mexican food. I love really good authentic Mexican food and am lucky enough to be able to get it here. Looks like a fun evening and a nice hotel. Maybe next trip we will stay at GC. I just can't bring myself to stay at the main gate hotels across from the entrance anymore. They just seem so ratty and overpriced.


----------



## franandaj

I can't speak on the "products" as I only stay in DVC resorts and since they are all Deluxe, I'm used to those same products. It's been a long time since i stayed in a moderate.

I agree with what you said about Blue Bayou. It's great for the atmosphere, but very pricey. One way to kill two birds with one stone is go there for lunch and you can get the Monte Cristo. It comes with salad or gumbo and scalloped potatoes.

Nice that you could get the later showing of PTN!

@soniam You should really try San Angel Inn, it's fantastic! Last trip my friend from Costa Rica came along with us and we had our first dinner there. He said the food was very good, just like he likes to make it at home. It's also not like the "Mexican" we get in California. It's not all tacos and burritos, or TexMex like fajitas. They serve mole and other traditional dishes from central mexico.


----------



## soniam

franandaj said:


> I can't speak on the "products" as I only stay in DVC resorts and since they are all Deluxe, I'm used to those same products. It's been a long time since i stayed in a moderate.
> 
> I agree with what you said about Blue Bayou. It's great for the atmosphere, but very pricey. One way to kill two birds with one stone is go there for lunch and you can get the Monte Cristo. It comes with salad or gumbo and scalloped potatoes.
> 
> Nice that you could get the later showing of PTN!
> 
> @soniam You should really try San Angel Inn, it's fantastic! Last trip my friend from Costa Rica came along with us and we had our first dinner there. He said the food was very good, just like he likes to make it at home. It's also not like the "Mexican" we get in California. It's not all tacos and burritos, or TexMex like fajitas. They serve mole and other traditional dishes from central mexico.



By Mexican, I mean real Mexican food, not TexMex. We have really good authentic Mexican restaurants here in Austin, so I am a bit hesitant. I have heard really mixed reviews of San Angel from Mexican nationals too. We will probably eventually try it, because I want to try all of the restaurants in Epcot at some point.


----------



## purplelover88

I think you may have gotten the foot scrub and aloe gel because it was the flagship resort for Disneyland. The Grand Floridian at WDW gave us both of those but the Beach Club did not include the extra items. Just a thought.


----------



## chunkymonkey

ArielSRL said:


> When we stayed at SSR in June, we just got (H2O) shower gel, lotion, and one more toiletry, I think, but I can't remember what it was (ETA: now I remember that it was shampoo and conditioner....duh). And they didn't say "SPA" or have the castle on them. They had Tink and the fragrance is Grapefruit Bergamont. I think the values (and maybe mods) get Mickey H2O stuff. Not sure if any of the other deluxes get the ones you got.



I am not sure if this is just a California thing. In Feb at the Poly we were in the DVC wing and we got the same Grapefruit Bergamot as you. I've only seen the Sea Salt fragranced stuff on Disney cruises. I really like the sea salt body lotion. I hoarded them when I went on the cruise this year!



ArielSRL said:


> I ate lunch at Blue Bayou in 2002 but that was so long ago, so I don't remember much, but I do remember the awesome ambiance!



It was really nice to be sitting inside PoTC!! It was on my bucket list for a long time!



soniam said:


> I have seen a pic somewhere of the two additional tubes, maybe from a WDW deluxe or from a DCL concierge room. When we last stayed in a deluxe in 2014 at WDW, we got the 4 H20 grapefruit bergamot bottles, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion. I don't know if they are doing all 4 still.



At the Poly in Feb those were the products we got. I like them but I prefer the sea salt ones you get on DCL and at the GC. I also think the Foot rub and aloe seem to be a DLR thing too...it's pretty cool and I hope they bring it to all the deluxes.



soniam said:


> Blue Bayou looks cool. It's nice that you got to combine it with the PTN dinner. Gives you a good excuse to go. I would like to go there for the ambience. It reminds me of San Angel at Epcot. The atmosphere looks really cool, but I don't think the food is going to be all that. I think the only that keeps me from eating at San Angel is that if it's not good, it kind of paints a bad light on all Mexican food. I love really good authentic Mexican food and am lucky enough to be able to get it here. Looks like a fun evening and a nice hotel. Maybe next trip we will stay at GC. I just can't bring myself to stay at the main gate hotels across from the entrance anymore. They just seem so ratty and overpriced.



Yes it does remind me a lot of San Angel Inn. I did enjoy San Angel when I went there in 2013. I am not a fan of tex mex that much. I do prefer more authentic Mexican but it's rare to find it in the northeast. You are lucky you get such good Mexican where you live. I would love Mexican food a lot more if I got the real stuff regularly. 

Yeah I agree that some of the hotels across the entrance need to be updated yet charge more than a 3 star resort. But I think they get away with it because people care more about the convenience rather than the rooms. I like updated rooms (we stayed at the new Hyatt House for our last night and it made the GC room look like a Motel 8 and it was about 1/3 of the price per night).



franandaj said:


> I can't speak on the "products" as I only stay in DVC resorts and since they are all Deluxe, I'm used to those same products. It's been a long time since i stayed in a moderate.



I have not seen these products before in a WDW Deluxe. When we stayed at the Poly in a DVC room in feb we got the Grapefruit Bergamot toiletries and there wasn't foot rub or aloe. I much prefer the Sea Salt fragrance like they have on DCL and the foot rub and aloe were great. I put it on each night before bed on my feet and it felt really good after all the walking we did.



franandaj said:


> I agree with what you said about Blue Bayou. It's great for the atmosphere, but very pricey. One way to kill two birds with one stone is go there for lunch and you can get the Monte Cristo. It comes with salad or gumbo and scalloped potatoes.



I would have totally done lunch except we wanted to do the PTN package and it seemed only offered for dinner. But lunch sounded so tempting because I could get my Monte Cristo as well!



franandaj said:


> Nice that you could get the later showing of PTN!



It was nice they let us choose, although I'm sure it's a lot easier to get into the later showing than it is to get into the first showing.



franandaj said:


> @soniam You should really try San Angel Inn, it's fantastic! Last trip my friend from Costa Rica came along with us and we had our first dinner there. He said the food was very good, just like he likes to make it at home. It's also not like the "Mexican" we get in California. It's not all tacos and burritos, or TexMex like fajitas. They serve mole and other traditional dishes from central mexico.



I agree that San Angel Inn totally exceeded my expectations and It's worth another try for me.


----------



## bcwife76

That's great that you got the later showing of PTN - the LAST one!!! 

I think the ambience of BB is really the draw, the food isn't that fabulous. It's not horrible, just not exactly worth the price. But sitting out there...seeing the boats go by and just the whole atmosphere....very cool!

Haha, that shower curtain. My friend was obsessed with hers and so upset to find out she couldn't buy one at guest services - she even joked about taking it the morning they left (she didn't lol). I thought it was cute, but not cute enough to steal  Also I thought for a deluxe resort their room was small. It was smaller than the room we had at HOJO. Still, can't beat the convenience of being about 5 steps away from the parks!! I was certainly jealous of her proximity to the parks, especially when we walked back to our hotel each night


----------



## Elevationist

chunkymonkey said:


> Finally it was our turn!!
> 
> 
> 
> *YES.*
> 
> *IT IS THAT GOOD.*
> 
> *IT IS IN FACT, AMAZING! *​


YAAAAAAY!  I know how much you were looking forward to this (I would be, too), so I'm thrilled that it did not disappoint!



chunkymonkey said:


> From the first moment you turn the corner in your vehicle the Star Wars theme begins blaring. The soundtrack plays as you zip around a galactic war between the rebellion and imperial forces. Think Tie Fighters and Z-Wings. It's soooo awesome, especially because DH and I are Star Wars fans. CS is not a big SW fan but she loved it too and thought it was an excellent ride!


Oh man, that sounds incredible.  I'm a peanut butter and jealous sandwich!



chunkymonkey said:


>


That poor lady in the front, though... 



chunkymonkey said:


> I wanted to share with you my park bag. It's a Lesportsac with a Mickey/Minnie print and it looks like they are in Hawaii. It combines my two favorite vacation places, Hawaii and Disney into one, so of course I HAD to get it. Funny thing is that my sister ALSO got the exact same bag and she used hers too, so she had to stick a dangle-y thing on her zipper pull so we could distinguish her bag from mine.


That is ADORABLE!  I love it!  Both you and your sister always have fantastic taste, though!



chunkymonkey said:


> We started with the *Pomme Frites* to share. Traditional French Fried Potatoes tossed with Parmesan, Garlic, and Parsley served with Cajun Spice Rémoulade. I had heard these were really good fries and it didn't disappoint. Crisp fries with grated Parmesan and garlic, what's not to love?


Oh man.  Just look at all those delicious carbs.  I wish I was eating those right now!



chunkymonkey said:


> So one of the photographers must have been really really bored...I mean, just look at this:


BAHAHA!  Those PP photos are FANTASTIC!



chunkymonkey said:


> Soon, we headed over to Blue Bayou to check in for dinner. Here's what me and my sister wore. I liked my t-shirt in person more than it photographed as it looked very lumpy so this is the only full-length picture of me you'll see tonight, LOL.


Oh, hush.  You look cute as a button.



chunkymonkey said:


> The menus were cool because they lit up, which was perfect when it's that dim!


WHOA!   That's super duper cool!



chunkymonkey said:


> As an entree we a llgot the *Surf & Turf *_Petite Pacific Northwest Lobster Tail and Broiled Filet Mignon, Blue Bayou Au Gratin Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Bearnaise Sauce_. This was actually a lot better than I expected. I typically associate surf n turf with what you usually get when you're a guest at a wedding, and it's always overcooked beef and a rubbery piece of seafood surrounded by a potato and baby vegetables. Here the steak was cooked the way we wanted (medium rare for DH and I and medium well for CS) and the lobster was tender enough. Definitely a "petite" lobster tail but goodness after that Monte Cristo for lunch I'm surprised I could finish dinner. The potatoes au gratin were not that good though, as it was under cooked.


Mmmm.  I think I literally just drooled a little looking at this.


----------



## chunkymonkey

purplelover88 said:


> I think you may have gotten the foot scrub and aloe gel because it was the flagship resort for Disneyland. The Grand Floridian at WDW gave us both of those but the Beach Club did not include the extra items. Just a thought.



Oh you may be right! That's really interesting! I've never stayed at the GF before. I hope that will change though. I'm looking to see if I can reserve some DVC points for next November for our anniversary.




bcwife76 said:


> That's great that you got the later showing of PTN - the LAST one!!!



It was nice of them to let us switch. But I don't think it was an issue as the earlier show was way more crowded than the later show.



bcwife76 said:


> I think the ambience of BB is really the draw, the food isn't that fabulous. It's not horrible, just not exactly worth the price. But sitting out there...seeing the boats go by and just the whole atmosphere....very cool!



Yup, definitely what I will remember most is the ambiance...the food is secondary. Kinda like how I feel about Sci Fi, but at least the food at Sci Fi is cheaper. 



bcwife76 said:


> Haha, that shower curtain. My friend was obsessed with hers and so upset to find out she couldn't buy one at guest services - she even joked about taking it the morning they left (she didn't lol). I thought it was cute, but not cute enough to steal  Also I thought for a deluxe resort their room was small. It was smaller than the room we had at HOJO. Still, can't beat the convenience of being about 5 steps away from the parks!! I was certainly jealous of her proximity to the parks, especially when we walked back to our hotel each night



Oh that's funny! Is your friend a Bambi fan? LOL. I agree that the rooms were small. It reminded me a bit of our room at AKL a few years ago, similar layout and the bathrooms were the same too. The Poly rooms were much bigger I felt but the sinks were inside the bathroom but not outside, which is more convenient when you have 3 adults! You're definitely paying top dollar for the convenience though, that was just priceless. Since we had a CM discount it was a great deal (but still significantly more than the non Disney hotels), so I'm not sure I could afford it without the discount. However, I did really like the Disneyland Hotel where we went on our last day. It was nice and bright and they had bigger stores. 



Elevationist said:


> YAAAAAAY!  I know how much you were looking forward to this (I would be, too), so I'm thrilled that it did not disappoint!



Yes! It was like, Ok, now the vacation is complete because I rode the ride that inspired the trip in the first place! Hahaha.



Elevationist said:


> Oh man, that sounds incredible.  I'm a peanut butter and jealous sandwich!



Such an amazing ride. I hope they BRING BACK HYPERSPACE MOUNTAIN.



Elevationist said:


> That poor lady in the front, though...



It's always funny to see everyone's expression on the ride pics.



Elevationist said:


> That is ADORABLE!  I love it!  Both you and your sister always have fantastic taste, though!



Aww thank you! 



Elevationist said:


> Oh man.  Just look at all those delicious carbs.  I wish I was eating those right now!



You will get to eat carbs soon!!! And I'm sure it will be amazing!



Elevationist said:


> BAHAHA!  Those PP photos are FANTASTIC!



We were all just like...oh gosh, this is gonna be terrible. But when those PP photographers tell us to do something we just do it...doh!



Elevationist said:


> Oh, hush.  You look cute as a button.



Haha, thanks but this is the 5th picture after not being happy with the others, and a lot of smoothing of the shirt. I did want to show the shirt though because it matched the ears but I think from now on the shirt will be a "wear at home" kinda shirt. 



Elevationist said:


> WHOA!   That's super duper cool!



The first time I saw that technology was on the Disney Fantasy. One of the bars had it and we thought it was soooo fancy!



Elevationist said:


> Mmmm.  I think I literally just drooled a little looking at this.



It does look quite good, right? Nothing like a good steak and lobster to end the night!


----------



## emilyhuff

So glad for your review of Blue Bayou! It was something we looked into but just didn't suit our tastes! I think like you said, the atmosphere would be awesome but again, the most important thing (food) just isn't for us! Love your TR so far!!! I think (actually I hope) that Hyperspace mountain is coming back for my trip in Nov!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

emilyhuff said:


> So glad for your review of Blue Bayou! It was something we looked into but just didn't suit our tastes! I think like you said, the atmosphere would be awesome but again, the most important thing (food) just isn't for us! Love your TR so far!!! I think (actually I hope) that Hyperspace mountain is coming back for my trip in Nov!!



Thanks! It is a nice restaurant but the food comes second to the ambiance. I hope the bring back Hyperspace too! LOL. Hence I named my Trip Report after that. 
I hope you have a great time in Nov! I've been following along on your PTR just having had time to comment, but I hope to do so later tonight!


----------



## natebenma

I'm here!  And only 3 pages behind.  That's a record for me and your trip reports.  Usually I am catching up through the whole thing!




chunkymonkey said:


>



"What!?!  Auntie is going to Disneyland and all I got was a trip to the airport?"


----------



## natebenma

Great start! 

Maddie is adorable!

There was not a convenient LEGOLAND for us to visit when my boys were at ages they would enjoy it.  Too bad.  Because Legos were our life from age 8 to 13.  Our family room was the "Lego Room" complete with table and bins to organize the hundreds of thousands of Legos we have.  Star Wars.  Harry Potter.  Hobbit/Lord of the Rings...

Of course, now I want the Cinderella's Castle set!

Yum!  Those fries look AWESOME!

I haven't been to In-and-Out, but that is probably a good thing because it sounds super addictive!

The aquarium seems like a nice companion trip to LEGOLAND.

Yay for figuring out a way to get CS to join you.


----------



## chunkymonkey

natebenma said:


> I'm here!  And only 3 pages behind.  That's a record for me and your trip reports.  Usually I am catching up through the whole thing!
> 
> "What!?!  Auntie is going to Disneyland and all I got was a trip to the airport?"



Glad you're here Dee!
Caylee fell asleep by the time we got to the airport and she was disappointed to realize I wasn't in the car anymore after she woke up, LOL. I hope she'll enjoy her trip to WDW next year! I'm really looking forward to taking the nieces and nephew next year. Although it will be a challenge for me doing all the planning and logistics for 5 families...I say challenge but I'm thinking it is more like personal nightmare? LOL



natebenma said:


> Great start!
> 
> Maddie is adorable!



She is, I wish we get to see her more often!



natebenma said:


> There was not a convenient LEGOLAND for us to visit when my boys were at ages they would enjoy it.  Too bad.  Because Legos were our life from age 8 to 13.  Our family room was the "Lego Room" complete with table and bins to organize the hundreds of thousands of Legos we have.  Star Wars.  Harry Potter.  Hobbit/Lord of the Rings...
> 
> Of course, now I want the Cinderella's Castle set!



Me too, used to love Legos and Legoland wasn't even built yet when I was really into them. This was my first trip to Legoland and I really enjoyed it. I told all my sisters about it so maybe they will bring their kids before they get too old.



natebenma said:


> Yum!  Those fries look AWESOME!



The apple fries are sooo good!



natebenma said:


> I haven't been to In-and-Out, but that is probably a good thing because it sounds super addictive!



It's just a really really good burger that won't break the bank. The service is always friendly and the quality of ingredients are top-notch. I'd take this burger over any of the fancy kobe-foie-gras burgers you find in restaurants today.



natebenma said:


> The aquarium seems like a nice companion trip to LEGOLAND.



It was cute and kids really liked it. I thought doing Legoland and the aquarium would be too much for one day, but we got the all-inclusive tickets which were only about 10 bucks more to add the aquarium.



natebenma said:


> Yay for figuring out a way to get CS to join you.



It was an exhausting weekend with all the driving we did. But at least CS got to get here early. Oh and guess what, the storm that was supposed to ravage NYC didn't actually arrive. My family said it was bright and sunny the day CS was supposed to leave. LOL.


----------



## natebenma

Wow, Riverside County is SO pretty.  Plus, apparently has a Disney outlet. And In-N-Out!  And Boiling Crab. Cool!

I hear you on the sales tax thing.  I grew up in NH (no sales tax) and I now live in Massachusetts where we have one on most items (not clothing).  I still can't get used to it.  We live about 10 minutes from the border, so do most of our shopping there.  Don't even get me started on packies!  What do you mean you can't buy beer or wine at a grocery store???

I love the background on the date shake.  Hmmmm. 

What a fabulous going away dinner!  I remember you telling me about the Boiling Crab when I was describing Hot-N-Juicy.  Looks super good!


----------



## natebenma

Hooray for your arrival!

We loved Grand Californian, but I agree with you.  Too dark!  And so hard to take pictures in the lobby with the light streaming through the windows.





chunkymonkey said:


> Sleeping Beauty's Castle is so much smaller that it's hard to see it when you're far away!
> 
> Oh there it is! It's so small!



My favorite Disneyland joke:

Where's the castle?

There!

What?  Behind the cottage?

It IS the cottage.




Good call getting Hyperspace Mtn FP then doing some other things.

Buzz FP aren't connected to the system?  What!?!  Is that new?  I didn't know that!

The only time I went on Astro Orbitor at WDW, it wrecked me. I can't do spinny, apparently. 

Nemo subs were being refurbished during my trip.   They definitely sound like a one and done, from what I've hard.

Oooh-- first timing conflict.


----------



## chunkymonkey

natebenma said:


> Wow, Riverside County is SO pretty.  Plus, apparently has a Disney outlet. And In-N-Out!  And Boiling Crab. Cool!



I love how you're catching up so quickly!
Riverside County is pretty desert-like. It's really interesting for us since we dont' have a climate like that here. I'm used to green lawns and humidity and it's just the opposite of that here.
It's still fun to visit, and not that far from Anaheim!



natebenma said:


> I hear you on the sales tax thing.  I grew up in NH (no sales tax) and I now live in Massachusetts where we have one on most items (not clothing).  I still can't get used to it.  We live about 10 minutes from the border, so do most of our shopping there.  Don't even get me started on packies!  What do you mean you can't buy beer or wine at a grocery store???



Yeah I'm so used to the whole no sales tax thing in NJ but NH seems even better. MA doesn't have beer or wine in a grocery store?



natebenma said:


> I love the background on the date shake.  Hmmmm.



Haha, peanuts! I should have put it against a wall of dates. 



natebenma said:


> What a fabulous going away dinner!  I remember you telling me about the Boiling Crab when I was describing Hot-N-Juicy.  Looks super good!



Yup! They are both really good!


----------



## natebenma

Glad you were able to solve your FP/ADR time conflict.

But I am concerned with your big lunch and a Blue Bayou meal coming up...  We were SO full after our lunch at Blue Bayou!

The online Buzz picture is awesome.

I really loved the DL version of Space Mountain and I can only imagine how much better with a Star Wars twist!

Glad you got some DL 60 photopass pictures with the castle and partners.

I know all about the non-moving monorail.  It was always broken down when we tried to ride and we never got a chance in 3 1/2 days


----------



## chunkymonkey

natebenma said:


> Hooray for your arrival!
> 
> We loved Grand Californian, but I agree with you.  Too dark!  And so hard to take pictures in the lobby with the light streaming through the windows.



It was so exciting to be there finally! But yeah took some getting used to the dark interior.




natebenma said:


> My favorite Disneyland joke:
> 
> Where's the castle?
> 
> There!
> 
> What?  Behind the cottage?
> 
> It IS the cottage.



It is really small after you're so used to Cinderella's castle.




natebenma said:


> Good call getting Hyperspace Mtn FP then doing some other things.



It was like boom, checked one thing off today's list of must-dos. Whew!



natebenma said:


> Buzz FP aren't connected to the system?  What!?!  Is that new?  I didn't know that!



Yup, disconnected! Although it was rare that you'd actually need one during the rest of the week, but that labor day waits were up to 30 minutes so it was crucial to get one.



natebenma said:


> The only time I went on Astro Orbitor at WDW, it wrecked me. I can't do spinny, apparently.



I'm ok with Astro orbiter and dumbo but I can't do teacups!



natebenma said:


> Nemo subs were being refurbished during my trip.   They definitely sound like a one and done, from what I've hard.



Yeah definitely. I prefer the WDW nemo ride because it's less claustrophobic and the portholes in the sub are very small so you have to lean in to see.



natebenma said:


> Oooh-- first timing conflict.



[/QUOTE]

Yup, I wasn't on point during this trip! I messed up times!


----------



## chunkymonkey

natebenma said:


> Glad you were able to solve your FP/ADR time conflict.
> 
> But I am concerned with your big lunch and a Blue Bayou meal coming up...  We were SO full after our lunch at Blue Bayou!



Hehe, you truly underestimate the power of Chunkymonkey...



natebenma said:


> The online Buzz picture is awesome.



They are pretty cool, but I definitely forget when they take the picture because I'm so busy shooting.



natebenma said:


> I really loved the DL version of Space Mountain and I can only imagine how much better with a Star Wars twist!



OMG it was the best ride ever. I'm really not one for thrill rides (you never see me on ToT or EE) but indoor roller coasters I am ok with (I like speed and not heights so I can't see how far I'm plunging) and this was just so awesome and the Star Wars music just put it over the top. I've never clapped for a ride before but I just had to after this. Kudos to the imagineers and the Lucasfilm people looking to make a buck from an hold ride and succeeding! Haha.



natebenma said:


> Glad you got some DL 60 photopass pictures with the castle and partners.



Yeah, another thing crossed off the To-do list for that day!


----------



## natebenma

chunkymonkey said:


> And the bathroom amenities:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I really like the selection of products they had. The aloe gel and the foot rub were great after a long day at the parks. Does WDW do this now in all Deluxe resorts or is this just a DLR thing?



No-  The Beach Club is currently offering the grapefruit products, Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Lotion and Shower Gel






chunkymonkey said:


> Unfortunately after we waited on line for 20 minutes before realizing the ride went down and the lines weren't moving. We waited for another 10 more minutes but at that point, it was 30 minutes on line which defeats the purpose of FP so we decided to get out of line and return later since they were going to honor our FPs.




GRRR!!! This happened to us at Indiana Jones on our last day.  Ride was not moving so we decided to bail.  They wouldn't give us our FP back because we chose to leave the line.



chunkymonkey said:


>



You may have been seated at the same table we had at BB or very close to it.

Will find pictures...










Actually, you can't really tell in the picture of the four of us but this was the view from our table.



Mmmmm!  The bread!  Mmmmm!

Loved the salads there.  Ben keeps asking me to find the recipe for the dressing but so far I haven't had any luck.

Your surf-n-turf sounds really good.


----------



## natebenma

chunkymonkey said:


> I love how you're catching up so quickly!



I was supposed to work this morning but it is raining so the field trip scheduled to the farm was cancelled.  I have an unexpected block of free time.







chunkymonkey said:


> Yeah I'm so used to the whole no sales tax thing in NJ but NH seems even better. MA doesn't have beer or wine in a grocery store?



Crazy, right?

No alcohol for sale in the grocery stores in MA.



You get beer in "packies", convenience stores like 7-11, Store 24, etc.  Or I think in liquor stores.  But not on Sunday mornings.

Damn Puritans and their Blue Laws!

Fortunately, I do most of my grocery shopping in NH.


----------



## natebenma

chunkymonkey said:


> Hehe, you truly underestimate the power of Chunkymonkey...


----------



## scrappydew

Glad to see another trip report!  

We ate at the Blue Bayou in June and were really disappointed.  I thought we would love it, and didn't.  I was glad to have tried the Monte Crisco - scratch off my Disney bucket list - but won't bother getting it again.


----------



## chunkymonkey

natebenma said:


> No-  The Beach Club is currently offering the grapefruit products, Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Lotion and Shower Gel
> 
> View attachment 197324



Yeah those were the same products we got at the Poly earlier this year. But @purplelover88 mentioned that these products could perhaps only be found at the flagship resort in each park, like the GC at Disneyland and the GF at WDW. I hope to stay at the GF next year!




natebenma said:


> GRRR!!! This happened to us at Indiana Jones on our last day.  Ride was not moving so we decided to bail.  They wouldn't give us our FP back because we chose to leave the line.



This happend a lot on this ride!! Spoiler, we didn't get to ride it on the first day.



natebenma said:


> You may have been seated at the same table we had at BB or very close to it.
> 
> Will find pictures...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, you can't really tell in the picture of the four of us but this was the view from our table.



Oh cool! We were probably sitting in the same area.



natebenma said:


> Mmmmm!  The bread!  Mmmmm!



I love carbs. That is all.



natebenma said:


> Loved the salads there.  Ben keeps asking me to find the recipe for the dressing but so far I haven't had any luck.
> 
> Your surf-n-turf sounds really good.



The salads were pretty good! And the surf n turf was tasty. Overall it was a nice but pricey meal. But at least we were guaranteed a good spot to view PTN!



natebenma said:


> I was supposed to work this morning but it is raining so the field trip scheduled to the farm was cancelled.  I have an unexpected block of free time



Oh nice!



natebenma said:


> Crazy, right?
> 
> No alcohol for sale in the grocery stores in MA.
> 
> You get beer in "packies", convenience stores like 7-11, Store 24, etc.  Or I think in liquor stores.  But not on Sunday mornings.
> 
> Damn Puritans and their Blue Laws!
> 
> Fortunately, I do most of my grocery shopping in NH.



Oh hahaha, I barely remember that fact when I was in college, but I guess I mostly went to keg parties and didn't have to purchase any alcohol on my own...or someone else bought it.  





natebenma said:


>



Haha, we were definitely full after though!



scrappydew said:


> Glad to see another trip report!
> 
> We ate at the Blue Bayou in June and were really disappointed.  I thought we would love it, and didn't.  I was glad to have tried the Monte Crisco - scratch off my Disney bucket list - but won't bother getting it again.



Thank you!!
Yeah the BB was great to go to once but isn't at the top of my list for a return visit...maybe for lunch one day but I thought the Cafe New Orleans Monte Cristo was good enough.


----------



## chunkymonkey

Just wanted to let you all know that I've started a PTR over on the WDW forum. It's going to be a PTR journal of sorts to help plan all our trips in the next year since we got annual passes for WDW! So excited! right now I have 5 trips planned, and 3 of them have lodging booked already. So if you're interested here is the link, hope to see some of you there!

*New WDW PTR: Chunkymonkey & Chubbyhubby's Year of Disney! *​


----------



## scrappydew

chunkymonkey said:


> Just wanted to let you all know that I've started a PTR over on the WDW forum. It's going to be a PTR journal of sorts to help plan all our trips in the next year since we got annual passes for WDW! So excited! right now I have 5 trips planned, and 3 of them have lodging booked already. So if you're interested here is the link, hope to see some of you there!
> 
> *New WDW PTR: Chunkymonkey & Chubbyhubby's Year of Disney! *​




Five Trips Planned?????!!!!!  

I don't know whether I am envious, jealous, aghast or stupified!  Or all of them!  You'll have an awesome year!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

scrappydew said:


> Five Trips Planned?????!!!!!
> 
> I don't know whether I am envious, jealous, aghast or stupified!  Or all of them!  You'll have an awesome year!!



I know, right? It is mind-boggling to me. I've never gone to WDW more than once per calendar year. I hope my DH doesn't hate me by the same time next year. LOL.
I hope I don't get bogged down in the planning, because I know it can. But I've already almost planned 3 of them out so far and it hasn't been to bad because it's just the 2 of us and I'm used to what we like to do. However, the big family trip...involving lots of kids, adults who've never been to WDW...that's gonna be a challenge and I can just see the meltdowns that are gonna happen. And I'm not talking about the kids, that's just me. HAHAHA. 
Thanks, though, I cannot wait to see how next year pans out.


----------



## bcwife76

chunkymonkey said:


> Just wanted to let you all know that I've started a PTR over on the WDW forum. It's going to be a PTR journal of sorts to help plan all our trips in the next year since we got annual passes for WDW! So excited! right now I have 5 trips planned, and 3 of them have lodging booked already. So if you're interested here is the link, hope to see some of you there!
> 
> *New WDW PTR: Chunkymonkey & Chubbyhubby's Year of Disney! *​




Woohoo!! I'm going to head over there right now and start following 

I finally have some time tomorrow to bang out my quick DL tr as well so hopefully you'll come back over to read it (meant to do it sooner but it's been super busy around my house lately. Grrr....hate when life gets in the way of Disney lol)


----------



## chunkymonkey

bcwife76 said:


> Woohoo!! I'm going to head over there right now and start following
> 
> I finally have some time tomorrow to bang out my quick DL tr as well so hopefully you'll come back over to read it (meant to do it sooner but it's been super busy around my house lately. Grrr....hate when life gets in the way of Disney lol)



Yay! Can't wait for your DL report! It'll be fun to compare! I know right...don't keep me away from Disney, life!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 4 Part 3: Disneyland Forever, but only for tonight!*

After our turn on Jungle Cruise this is kinda where I draw a blank. I don't take notes on our trip but I take pictures of everything we ride to remember and it seems we only went on Jungle Cruise. _Ah wait_, I remember now...the moment the sun set the temperature dropped. Like 15 degrees so it got much cooler. 

DH said he was kinda cold so he went back to the GC to grab a sweater since he forgot his. I ended up buying a hoodie that I had admired in the stores. It looks like a regular gray hoodie but it has delicate swiss dot and embroidered details and a little embroidered Minnie head. It was very subtle and feminine and I liked how it didn't scream *I WENT TO DISNEYLAND IN 2016 AND BOUGHT THIS LOUD COLORFUL SWEATSHIRT.*

Here's the hoodie I ended up buying:






I used my Disney Visa rewards card to pay for it and I still had about 60 bucks left. 

I think CS and I made our way over to Tomorrowland because our Hyperspace Mountain FP window was going to open soon. I saw a mannequin with the same dress CS has! So of course I had to get a bizarro twin picture.






PS I have the same dress, just haven't worn it yet. But you'll definitely see it on at least one of the *five trips* I'm taking in the next year!

There was no one at Path of the Jedi so we waited about 5 minutes for the show, and DH joined us there. There was literally no one in the theater, LOL. I think this theater is bigger than the one they have at DHS.











Now it was time for our very last turn on Hyperspace Mountain! Starting tomorrow it would close and become that monstrosity known as...Ghost Galaxy.  But anyways, we were lucky to be able to ride it twice on it's last day with the wait times being as long as they were...yay for FP!











Still the best ride EVER!! I hope they bring it back.

After Hyperspace, we had to book it over to Main Street. The reason being the fireworks were going to be starting really soon! Of course it was PACKED to the brim. But I didn't see the need to wait for hours before. I was ok with just getting a glimpse of the projections. We ended up near Starbucks on Main street off to the side. It was a pretty great spot for the last minute!

Soon the light show and projections started. It was really cool!






I swear it was meant to be that I got this picture!











Here's some video I took of Disneyland Forever. 

_Please excuse annoying cell phone recording guy to my right who pulled out his phone and stood in everyone's way to film. Argh._

_But check out the guy to my left who was dancing, bopping along, and singing to the music! He was so entertaining to watch that I found him just as fun as the fireworks! He's either a CM or someone who's seen the show many times, or he could be both! I loved watching him almost as much as the show!_











During the Frozen segment, it really did snow!






He was also live-tweeting or texting his experience tonight. Here we are approaching the Finale:






Oops I accidentally cut of the finale too soon. Here's the end!






It was a really great show! Sad it was the last night but all good things must come to and end right? 






Happy 60th Birthday Disneyland! Thanks for the memories of tonight!

For us though, the night wasn't completely over yet. We still had reserved seating for Paint The Night! I don't think we did anything much in between the fireworks and the parade. It was really packed on Main St. with either people heading out or heading in. 






So we just waited around near the circle until they opened up the Paint the Night reserved seating, which is in the area where the CMs are standing below. Oh and we were first on line!






As soon as the window opened up closer to 10pm they opened the area up and checked our tickets. At this point a line had formed behind us. We got our first pick of where we got to stand, so we chose the very front, curbside, and we could sit down and stretch our legs out. It was awesome!






A PP Photographer also came around to take pictures. That was kinda cool.






Please excuse how tired I look. It was a loooong day! But we were so happy with the reserved seating and the fact we got to sit on the curb the entire time! The reserved seating faces away from the castle, so if we had to do the earlier parade, we would just turn around and walk around the circle and we'd be facing the castle. However, the first parade was much more crowded than the second. I don't think we would have gotten curbside seating so we would have had to stand the whole time anyways.

Soon the parade started! We heard the music and soon saw the first floats come around. Let me tell you. I was BLOWN away by this parade. I don't even like parades, but *I loved PAINT THE NIGHT*! The music is wonderfully catchy (the base themes are from Wreck-It Ralph and the Electrical Parade) so if you've not heard it you can youtube it!


































































I don't have much video of the parade, just this one, sorry, since I was too busy enjoying it. 






It was sooooo awesome. And also ending tonight. Did I just say it was ENDING TONIGHT? Why is life so unfair!?!?! #DisneyAddictProblems

After Paint The Night we decided to call it an evening and head back to the GC. We were exhausted but it was an extremely satisfying day and I was able to do everything that I wanted to do, and even got to try Monte Cristo which almost put a damper into the plan but hey, it worked out and everything was ok!

Walking back to the GC, I saw these two girls wearing the same outfits but I was really smitten with the Mickey head burger plush one of them had on her backpack. I want one!






Our first day at Disneyland was complete!! Stay tuned for day 2 where we have Minnie's character breakfast at Plaza Inn and the World of Color dessert party!
​


----------



## ArielSRL

What a great finish to the night! I NEED to see Paint the Night. I hope we can get it at WDW eventually. 

I'm so used to GA/FL weather that Cali weather just threw me for a loop when I did my trip out west. Here it is just hot and humid even at 2am in summer! I remember I bought a hoodie/jacket while I was at DLR, as well!

Man that dude with his camera. Ugh! But the dancing fan was so into it! How fun!

Looking forward to more!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

What is this Path of the Jedi? First I've heard of it!


----------



## chunkymonkey

ArielSRL said:


> What a great finish to the night! I NEED to see Paint the Night. I hope we can get it at WDW eventually.



I hope so too! It would do soooo well in WDW!



ArielSRL said:


> I'm so used to GA/FL weather that Cali weather just threw me for a loop when I did my trip out west. Here it is just hot and humid even at 2am in summer! I remember I bought a hoodie/jacket while I was at DLR, as well!



Yeah the warm days and cool nights were nice but it sure did get cold at night!



ArielSRL said:


> Man that dude with his camera. Ugh! But the dancing fan was so into it! How fun!
> 
> Looking forward to more!



It was so annoying that he just pushed his way to that spot. But that happens all the time (so annoying).
The fan was really fun to watch. I got really into watching him sing and dance! He knew every word and every cue. He must be a very frequent visitor of DL!



Canadian Harmony said:


> What is this Path of the Jedi? First I've heard of it!



It's just a short movie from past Star Wars films as well as The Force Awakens about the Jedi and the Sith. It's not a must do unless you're a huge SW fan, but it's a nice place to kick your feet up for a bit in Tomorrowland!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

I'm a HUGE SW fan! Where is this movie playing?


----------



## chunkymonkey

Canadian Harmony said:


> I'm a HUGE SW fan! Where is this movie playing?



It's in Tomorrowland, right next to Space Mountain. not sure how long it's going to be there though, but I assume as long as Season of the Force lasts in the parks.


----------



## Nora03

I'm mostly a lurker, but I have read and love your trip reports, both Disney and Hawaii, my favourite vacation spots also. I just had to come on here to make sure you and your family were okay after seeing that terrible tragedy with the NJ train this morning. I hope none of your family or friends were involved. You were the first person I thought of when I heard about it. I see that you have posted this morning so I'm assuming that you are all okay. Funny how people on the Dis seem like friends. Looking forward to your next post.


----------



## Saphire5742

What a great first Disneyland day! Glad you got to do everything you wanted to accomplish that day.
LOVED the pics from Disneyland Forever and Paint the Night. I'll watch the videos tomorrow when I'm home from work.
Blue Bayou looks real cool.


----------



## disgeek009

What a wonderful day!  I love the hoodie you got.  Hyperspace Mountain sounds great, and so lucky that you got to ride twice.


----------



## bcwife76

What a fabulous way to end your first day!! Gorgeous fireworks  But my fave is absolutely Paint the Night. So amazingly well done. I know they are bringing it back for a limited engagement (Christmas?) so I'm hoping to catch it again one of these days.

Started my mini DL trip report, by the way, though I haven't gotten very far yet!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Nora03 said:


> I'm mostly a lurker, but I have read and love your trip reports, both Disney and Hawaii, my favourite vacation spots also. I just had to come on here to make sure you and your family were okay after seeing that terrible tragedy with the NJ train this morning. I hope none of your family or friends were involved. You were the first person I thought of when I heard about it. I see that you have posted this morning so I'm assuming that you are all okay. Funny how people on the Dis seem like friends. Looking forward to your next post.



Hi Nora, thank you so much for thinking of me and my family, that is really sweet. I actually work in Hoboken, NJ a few blocks from the train station and the train line that crashed is the line I usually take. BUT we switched to driving to work and I commute with DH, so I have not taken the train for some time. It's definitely crazy to think about what could happen though. I don't know anyone that was hurt but some of my coworkers were there when it happened and they took first hand pictures and everything. It was a scene of crazy this morning in Hoboken which is normally very residential and serene. There was heaps of media and tons of first responders. There were helicopters and press conferences...I even got to catch a glimpse of Governor Chris Christie. Although it's pretty much under control now, it was shock to everyone and my heart goes out to the family of the one victim and the multiple injured. I have been skulking the media all day and I think I may have been on TV behind a reporter on CNN or Telemundo, LOL.

Thank you for reading my TRs! I hope you're enjoying this one!



Saphire5742 said:


> What a great first Disneyland day! Glad you got to do everything you wanted to accomplish that day.
> LOVED the pics from Disneyland Forever and Paint the Night. I'll watch the videos tomorrow when I'm home from work.
> Blue Bayou looks real cool.



It was quite a feat that we got to do everything we wanted to that day but I guess with a little bit of planning ahead of time I made sure it all happened, of course with a few hiccups.  I hope PTN is on when you're there next year. It's a real treat to watch.



disgeek009 said:


> What a wonderful day!  I love the hoodie you got.  Hyperspace Mountain sounds great, and so lucky that you got to ride twice.



Thank you! We were super lucky. I was so worried we wouldn't get to ride it but whew we made it! Twice!



bcwife76 said:


> What a fabulous way to end your first day!! Gorgeous fireworks  But my fave is absolutely Paint the Night. So amazingly well done. I know they are bringing it back for a limited engagement (Christmas?) so I'm hoping to catch it again one of these days.
> 
> Started my mini DL trip report, by the way, though I haven't gotten very far yet!



I know, I can't get over how good it was. I'm like, wow I never get excited about the Electrical Parade, I mean the tune is catchy but it's soooo repetitive. PTN was amazing! I'd gladly fly to California again to see it! Maybe after our annual passes are up next year, LOL. 

I saw! I responded on your PTR. Yay!


----------



## klacey1

I just caught up in one sitting! I love your WDW TRs and this didn't disappoint!! I loved reading about your Hyperspace Mountain excitement, although bittersweetly! My boyfriend and I will be at DL at the end of October--we are also huge Star Wars fans and they are switching Ghost Galaxy back over to HSM like four days after we leave!  Not sure if/when we'll get back to DL so I'm suuuuuuper bummed! 
Your Paint the Night pics are gorgeous! I was really hoping WDW would get PTN next, but it doesn't seem like we will. Also love your hoodie!! Definitely understated, but still Disney  
Looking forward to more!!


----------



## Saphire5742

chunkymonkey said:


> I hope PTN is on when you're there next year. It's a real treat to watch.



I really really hope they bring it back again for the holiday season next year. They did say it would return seasonally right? Till then fingers crossed! I can dream can't I?


----------



## scrappydew

Can I ask what you used to take such gorgeous pictures of the parade?


----------



## chunkymonkey

klacey1 said:


> I just caught up in one sitting! I love your WDW TRs and this didn't disappoint!! I loved reading about your Hyperspace Mountain excitement, although bittersweetly! My boyfriend and I will be at DL at the end of October--we are also huge Star Wars fans and they are switching Ghost Galaxy back over to HSM like four days after we leave!  Not sure if/when we'll get back to DL so I'm suuuuuuper bummed!
> Your Paint the Night pics are gorgeous! I was really hoping WDW would get PTN next, but it doesn't seem like we will. Also love your hoodie!! Definitely understated, but still Disney
> Looking forward to more!!



Hi! Thanks for reading!!
Oh that's too bad you will leave before HSM returns. But at least it is returning! But you are fortunate to not ride HSM before GG, because then you will be sorely disappointed. If I had done it the other way around I wouldn't think GG was THAT bad, LOL. It's actually rather funny. Not in a cute haunted mansion sorta way but more in the "OMG I can't believe they removed HSM for this, that it has got to be a joke."
OK but really, it's not that bad, just disappointing after riding HSM. 
I was hoping WDW got PTN too but maybe they are planning something new. I am a little bored of the Electric Parade but then again that is going away as well.
Thank you!! 



Saphire5742 said:


> I really really hope they bring it back again for the holiday season next year. They did say it would return seasonally right? Till then fingers crossed! I can dream can't I?



LOL I have my fingers crossed for you! I think December would be a good time to bring it back!



scrappydew said:


> Can I ask what you used to take such gorgeous pictures of the parade?



Thank you! I use a Canon G7X point and shoot. One of the best on the market IMO. I also upped the contrast on these photos before uploading, it really makes a difference for these nighttime shots. I use Adobe Lightroom but you can use any free photo software, like MS Photo Editor. BTW I am enjoying your TR on Aulani. I'm going to Oahu next month, not staying at Aulani though! But I really love Oahu and it looks like you guys had a great time.


----------



## scrappydew

We had an incredible time on Oahu.  I'm at a scrapbooking retreat for 5 days this week working on my pictures from vacation and reliving our trip to the Pali lookout and the blowhole.  It wasn't always easy with two teens and hubby, but we made wonderful memories.  I keep asking when we can move there!


----------



## Elevationist

chunkymonkey said:


> I ended up buying a hoodie that I had admired in the stores. It looks like a regular gray hoodie but it has delicate swiss dot and embroidered details and a little embroidered Minnie head. It was very subtle and feminine and I liked how it didn't scream *I WENT TO DISNEYLAND IN 2016 AND BOUGHT THIS LOUD COLORFUL SWEATSHIRT.*
> 
> Here's the hoodie I ended up buying:


I know I've said it before, but once again I am loving your taste.  This is ADORABLE, and I totally agree, so much cuter than the typical DISNEYLAND 2016 hoodies and tees!



chunkymonkey said:


>


This picture is pretty much perfect.  I love it!



chunkymonkey said:


> Soon the light show and projections started. It was really cool!


Wow, you got some great photos!



chunkymonkey said:


> Please excuse annoying cell phone recording guy to my right who pulled out his phone and stood in everyone's way to film. Argh.


I freakin' haaaaaaaaate those guys!



chunkymonkey said:


> We got our first pick of where we got to stand, so we chose the very front, curbside, and we could sit down and stretch our legs out. It was awesome!


Nicely done!



chunkymonkey said:


> Soon the parade started! We heard the music and soon saw the first floats come around. Let me tell you. I was BLOWN away by this parade. I don't even like parades, but *I loved PAINT THE NIGHT*! The music is wonderfully catchy (the base themes are from Wreck-It Ralph and the Electrical Parade) so if you've not heard it you can youtube it!


Gosh, I am so jelly!  Everything I've ever seen about this parade just looks amazeballs!



chunkymonkey said:


> It was sooooo awesome. And also ending tonight. Did I just say it was ENDING TONIGHT? Why is life so unfair!?!?! #DisneyAddictProblems


I am praaaaaaaaaaaying that it comes to WDW!



chunkymonkey said:


> Walking back to the GC, I saw these two girls wearing the same outfits but I was really smitten with the Mickey head burger plush one of them had on her backpack. I want one!


You should have stopped her and asked her, girl!  It is pretty dang cute!


----------



## franandaj

I'm glad you got to see all the nighttime entertainment before it was gone. Those annoying people who work their way into the crowd always tick me off.

This parade was a big draw for the locals. People would grab spots on the sidewalk at 3PM, they would lay down their blankets and spend the afternoon. I assume one or two people would guard the spot while others went on rides or whatever, but the streets would be lined with folks waiting for the parade. And thus was every day that I went out there to see it (which was quite a few times). I wouldn't be surprised if lots of people knew every word of the songs.


----------



## Gracefulskinny

Whew! I think I might just be all caught up now! At least on your stuff! 


chunkymonkey said:


> Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting on the Disneyland Trip Report forum. I am usually posting on the WDW TR forum, but I hope this won't be my only DLR TR!






chunkymonkey said:


> It looked a little better than it tasted as I thought the fries were cold.


Eewww. Not a great looking sandwich. 



chunkymonkey said:


> I also totally forgot that the ride picture can be emailed at this Buzz. We didn't have a photopass card yet so we bypassed the picture station. I should have stopped to email a souvenir of my high score.


 Another point towards world! lol 



chunkymonkey said:


> I can't believe I booked an ADR at the same time as our Hyperspace Mountain FP. I kept getting the timing of everything confused on this trip. I dunno, maybe it was the time difference?


Oops! 



chunkymonkey said:


> And this. I have no words for the picture below. No words.


----------



## amalone1013

chunkymonkey said:


> I liked how it didn't scream *I WENT TO DISNEYLAND IN 2016 AND BOUGHT THIS LOUD COLORFUL SWEATSHIRT.*



Me too! That's why I got the same sweatshirt!  I must admit, I wasn't ready for the screaming shirts when we went in 2015... I'm not sure why I didn't expect something like that, maybe because I'd only been to Disney Stores and they don't carry tourist attraction shirts


----------



## chunkymonkey

scrappydew said:


> We had an incredible time on Oahu.  I'm at a scrapbooking retreat for 5 days this week working on my pictures from vacation and reliving our trip to the Pali lookout and the blowhole.  It wasn't always easy with two teens and hubby, but we made wonderful memories.  I keep asking when we can move there!



That's awesome, a scrapbooking retreat? It sounds like something my sister would be all over. I didn't know they had these things! Is it something you organized with your friends?
The Pali lookout is just amazing! I'm going to take my friends there so we can take some pictures. It's so lovely but incredibly windy. I ask myself why I haven't moved to Hawaii yet. I go there so often people often ask if I have a)family there, b)a vacation home, c)a timeshare. And It's no, no and no. Hahaha.



Elevationist said:


> I know I've said it before, but once again I am loving your taste.  This is ADORABLE, and I totally agree, so much cuter than the typical DISNEYLAND 2016 hoodies and tees!



Aww thank you! I think it'll look pretty good on you too!



Elevationist said:


> This picture is pretty much perfect.  I love it!



I have to work on my roller coaster face, but it's much better than what I usually look like in RnRC.



Elevationist said:


> Wow, you got some great photos!



Thanks!



Elevationist said:


> I freakin' haaaaaaaaate those guys!



Soooooo annoying. 



Elevationist said:


> Gosh, I am so jelly!  Everything I've ever seen about this parade just looks amazeballs!
> I am praaaaaaaaaaaying that it comes to WDW!



It is the most amazing parade, ever. I don't know if it's gonna come to WDW, but I'm hoping WDW will have it's own version. It'll be hard to top that though!



Elevationist said:


> You should have stopped her and asked her, girl!  It is pretty dang cute!



I found it! It's from Tokyo Disneyland and someone is selling it on ebay. It's gonna be about 40 bucks with shipping though...
It's gonna be another expensive thingamabob in my house that serves no practical purpose other than I just like looking at it. Hahaha. I am so tempted.



franandaj said:


> I'm glad you got to see all the nighttime entertainment before it was gone. Those annoying people who work their way into the crowd always tick me off.



Me too. The craziness of the day was worth it. Definitely loved the fireworks and the parade...it was the best parade I've seen!
Ugh that guy was so annoying. He wasn't there when the show started then he sorta appeared out of nowhere and barged his way forward. 




franandaj said:


> This parade was a big draw for the locals. People would grab spots on the sidewalk at 3PM, they would lay down their blankets and spend the afternoon. I assume one or two people would guard the spot while others went on rides or whatever, but the streets would be lined with folks waiting for the parade. And thus was every day that I went out there to see it (which was quite a few times). I wouldn't be surprised if lots of people knew every word of the songs.



I did notice a lot of that. If I lived there I'd probably do the same thing, LOL!



Gracefulskinny said:


> Whew! I think I might just be all caught up now! At least on your stuff!



Yay! Welcome back to the DIS!



Gracefulskinny said:


> Eewww. Not a great looking sandwich.



It was unfortunate 



Gracefulskinny said:


> Another point towards world! lol



I loved the individual rides at Disneyland and the convenience of it all, but ultimately the "world" sucks you in so much more and really immerses you in the Disney bubble. I appreciate both parks though.



Gracefulskinny said:


>



It was the most hilarious picture. I don't know what was going on. Hahaha.



amalone1013 said:


> Me too! That's why I got the same sweatshirt!  I must admit, I wasn't ready for the screaming shirts when we went in 2015... I'm not sure why I didn't expect something like that, maybe because I'd only been to Disney Stores and they don't carry tourist attraction shirts



Yay!! Great minds think alike!
I definitely saw more of those loud shirts for sale than I saw people wearing them. I think people buy them as gifts for those people stuck at home just to rub it in, LOL!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 5 Part 1: I don't want to open a park map!*

Today begins the parks’ “shortened” hours. When I mean short, I mean really short. Both CA and DLR opened at 10am and closed at 8pm! There was EMH at DLR which started at 9am though so we took advantage of that. There was good and bad to this…first we didn’t’ have to wake up so early which was nice, but the park hours were so short and everything started to close early, even before closing time, this is just something to note when going during off-peak times. Because of the shortened hours, I felt the park was a lot more crowded, even during EMH.

Today we were excited because we had two fun meals planned, the Minnie Character breakfast at Plaza Inn at 10:40 and then the World of Color Dessert party later that evening.
We got up and got ready for our 9am EMH which wasn’t so bad at all.






Here's my sister's outfit. She was definitely Disney bounding today!






And here's my outfit:






Since we had breakfast at DLR we decided to just head there and do some rides we didn't get to do the previous day. We got there right as the park opened, actually a few minutes early so we were on line at the turnstiles. We realized they also started to put up the Halloween decorations. Here I am with the giant Mickey head pumpkin.






I don't know why we headed to IASW first but I think because none of us wanted to open a park map, I guess we are stubborn WDW vets thinking we know where everything kinda is. Well we just headed further into the park thinking we were heading for BTMRR but ended up at IASW so we went on that instead. #stubborn. I forget that at the DLR IASW, the boats load and unload outdoors. It's pretty cool. I enjoyed this version of IASW a lot more than WDW because they incorporate Disney characters into the mix. I don't think I've notice any of this at WDW (or maybe it's more subtle?) so I'm not sure they have them but at DLR it's pretty prevalent.


































































We then went on an iconic Disneyland ride, the Mattahorn. 











Oh gosh this ride was even more bumpy than I remembered. I felt like I was tossed and jerked around all over the place. It's technically WDW's version of Space Mountain but outdoors! HAHA.

Then we went on Pirates - I think this version is a lot better than WDW. It seemed more dynamic and there was more than one drop. Also liked how you can see the boats from the queue. Notice a theme here? A lot of the rides they have in common with WDW just seem to be better at DLR!











Here's Blue Bayou where we ate the night before:






It was getting closer to regular park opening now so we went to IJA. They were letting us get on line, but guess what...we waited about 20 minutes before they said the ride was down. So we all had to get out of line. 





Looks like everyone got the Minnie Ear memo though!

At this point, the FP machines were all working so we got an FP for after breakfast. Hopefully the ride will be up and we'd get to ride it!
It was now close to breakfast time so we headed over to the Plaza Inn...

Stay tuned!



​


----------



## bcwife76

Haha, we managed to 'avoid' IASW this time but as I'm looking at your photos I'm singing the song in my head and now it's stuck 

Pirates! Pirates! Pirates! Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me! Ok that's better, now IASW is out of my head.....

When we were there the hours, too, were short (10-8DCA, 10-9DL) and I as afraid we'd feel rushed but we got SO MUCH done! And we never had EMH. Waiting patiently for your Plaza Inn breakfast, will get more of my own TR written today, too


----------



## Saphire5742

chunkymonkey said:


> Here's my sister's outfit. She was definitely Disney bounding today!



LOVE it! Is that a dress or skirt?



chunkymonkey said:


> And here's my outfit:



Love your adorable shirt



chunkymonkey said:


> Here I am with the giant Mickey head pumpkin.



Is Pumpkin Mickey winking back there? That is so cute!



chunkymonkey said:


> I enjoyed this version of IASW a lot more than WDW because they incorporate Disney characters into the mix. I don't think I've notice any of this at WDW (or maybe it's more subtle?) so I'm not sure they have them but at DLR it's pretty prevalent.



IASW is one of my favorite rides at WDW and now I'm so looking forward and excited to ride the DLR version. The outdoor part of the ride looks beautiful and I love that Disney characters are incorporated.



chunkymonkey said:


> It was now close to breakfast time so we headed over to the Plaza Inn...
> 
> Stay tuned!



Can't wait!


----------



## chunkymonkey

bcwife76 said:


> Haha, we managed to 'avoid' IASW this time but as I'm looking at your photos I'm singing the song in my head and now it's stuck
> 
> Pirates! Pirates! Pirates! Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me! Ok that's better, now IASW is out of my head.....



LOL I know what you mean about the music staying in your head for a while...luckily we only did each ride once. I would have liked to do Pirates again though but we just never found the time to do it again plus the line got long during the days.



bcwife76 said:


> When we were there the hours, too, were short (10-8DCA, 10-9DL) and I as afraid we'd feel rushed but we got SO MUCH done! And we never had EMH. Waiting patiently for your Plaza Inn breakfast, will get more of my own TR written today, too



LOL I don't know how we didn't get enough done! I think it's also because we spent so much time at DCA since it's such a different park, and by the time we hopped over to DL, the park would close, haha.



Saphire5742 said:


> LOVE it! Is that a dress or skirt?



It's a dress! She got it from Etsy, someone custom made it for her.



Saphire5742 said:


> Love your adorable shirt



Thank you! From the Disney outlet!



Saphire5742 said:


> Is Pumpkin Mickey winking back there? That is so cute!



LOL I didn't even notice that but I certainly think he's winking!



Saphire5742 said:


> IASW is one of my favorite rides at WDW and now I'm so looking forward and excited to ride the DLR version. The outdoor part of the ride looks beautiful and I love that Disney characters are incorporated.



It was really cool, I forgot how fun it was in DLR! And the noticeable Disney characters made it even more fun, I wonder why WDW doesn't do the same?


----------



## Saphire5742

chunkymonkey said:


> It's a dress! She got it from Etsy, someone custom made it for her.



Does she remember from who she bought it at etsy? I'd love a Disney dress for my birthday adventure next year


----------



## Dugette

Whew, I knew I missed a bit, but I was all the way back on page 1 and here we are on page 6!  Fully caught up, though, and loving it! I also have a strong feeling that you are going to finish your Disneyland TR before I even start mine, despite me going like 7 months before you did. 

So glad you got a couple rides on Hyperspace Mountain, as well as the other things you wanted that day.

Also, thanks for all of the fireworks videos! Makes me so sad that they were cancelled on us, but was nice to get a taste of what it was like.

Like you, we sat on the curb in the BB package area for Paint the Night and LOVED it!  Glad you got to experience that.

Really looking forward to more Disneyland! 

Will also check out your PTR soon - you are busy!  (we also did 5 trips in our "Year of Disney" in 2010)


----------



## chunkymonkey

Saphire5742 said:


> Does she remember from who she bought it at etsy? I'd love a Disney dress for my birthday adventure next year



I believe the name of the seller is TheGypsyGeek, and she makes really cute dresses. My sister customized it so that it will have sleeves as most of her dresses are a tank-top style. Another shop I think is cute is ShopWishesAndWands. She has some really cute disney-inspired dresses. I espeically love the Park food icon dress and may have to get it myself.



Dugette said:


> Whew, I knew I missed a bit, but I was all the way back on page 1 and here we are on page 6!  Fully caught up, though, and loving it! I also have a strong feeling that you are going to finish your Disneyland TR before I even start mine, despite me going like 7 months before you did.



Thanks! Great to see you here!  I know what you mean since we are going on so many trips in the next year I dont' think I can do a fully fledged TR for each of them. Maybe just 2-3. I think the rest may be worthy of a dining report though at least!



Dugette said:


> So glad you got a couple rides on Hyperspace Mountain, as well as the other things you wanted that day.



It was a really nice start to our trip especially because I was so worried we wouldn't get to see everything I wanted to. 



Dugette said:


> Also, thanks for all of the fireworks videos! Makes me so sad that they were cancelled on us, but was nice to get a taste of what it was like.



They were really great, but not as spectacular as Wishes or the Star Wars fireworks. The music was really fun though and the whole ambiance was fun. We did hear a couple of CMs talk about how they may be cancelled because of high winds too but luckily they were not"



Dugette said:


> Like you, we sat on the curb in the BB package area for Paint the Night and LOVED it!  Glad you got to experience that.
> 
> Really looking forward to more Disneyland!
> 
> They were great seats! I now know why people squat their spots for HOURS just to have that view for the parade. Maybe waiting hours is a little bit excessive for me, so the package was a really nice way to experience that with little wait.
> 
> 
> 
> Dugette said:
> 
> 
> 
> Will also check out your PTR soon - you are busy!  (we also did 5 trips in our "Year of Disney" in 2010)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes! We still have to figure out when we can meet on my last day/your first day in December!
Click to expand...


----------



## fallonkendra

I'm so late to this, but I just booked a Disneyland trip (our third one) yesterday so now I have to read all the trip reports on this side of the disboards!

I agree with so many things you've said! Paint the Night was the most amazing parade I've ever watched, it blew me away! Hyperspace Mountain was incredible, my boyfriend was giggling like a little girl the entire ride because he was having so much fun haha. We also ate at Blue Bayou (but for lunch), and weren't overly impressed by the food - I had the steak which was ok, but I didn't like the potatoes it came with and my boyfriend had the Monte Cristo which was way too rich tasting. The ambiance of the restaurant was really nice though, and the light-up menus made me way too happy. 

Plaza Inn breakfast is the #1 thing on my list for our next trip, so I'm looking forward to your review of that!

I love the location of the GC, but I can't bring myself to pay the money to stay on site in California. We booked our hotel yesterday for our upcoming trip in January, and we paid less for 5 nights than a single night at the GC would have cost...

POTC is something like 7 minutes longer at DL, the story doesn't feel as rushed which I love. I'm not a fan of IASW, I've only been on the one in California but I did love the Disney characters sprinkled throughout the ride  We've been to DL twice now, and still haven't made it on the Matterhorn Bobsleds - that needs to change on our upcoming trip! We've also never been on the Nemo Submarine ride, the lines are always crazy long.

Your park outfits are all adorable! I love your style


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## chunkymonkey

fallonkendra said:


> I'm so late to this, but I just booked a Disneyland trip (our third one) yesterday so now I have to read all the trip reports on this side of the disboards!
> 
> I agree with so many things you've said! Paint the Night was the most amazing parade I've ever watched, it blew me away! Hyperspace Mountain was incredible, my boyfriend was giggling like a little girl the entire ride because he was having so much fun haha. We also ate at Blue Bayou (but for lunch), and weren't overly impressed by the food - I had the steak which was ok, but I didn't like the potatoes it came with and my boyfriend had the Monte Cristo which was way too rich tasting. The ambiance of the restaurant was really nice though, and the light-up menus made me way too happy.



Hi!! Thank you for reading! I'm going to catch up on your WDW TR as well! 
It sounds like you've had great trips to DLR too! It's so hard to not fall in love with anything Disney!



fallonkendra said:


> Plaza Inn breakfast is the #1 thing on my list for our next trip, so I'm looking forward to your review of that!



Coming up in my next post! Hopefully I can get it out tonight!



fallonkendra said:


> I love the location of the GC, but I can't bring myself to pay the money to stay on site in California. We booked our hotel yesterday for our upcoming trip in January, and we paid less for 5 nights than a single night at the GC would have cost...



It is ridiculously expensive but in true Disney fashion you pay for convenience. The room itself was very ordinary and needed some upgrading. Since we weren't sure we'd be returning to DLR anytime soon, we said we'd splurge this once and then look at cheaper options on other trips. I did love the Hyatt House we stayed at later on in the trip but it was a bit of a hike walking, although a very short drive. I'm sure there are shuttle buses but we didn't have time to check. It would be a nice option for another trip.



fallonkendra said:


> POTC is something like 7 minutes longer at DL, the story doesn't feel as rushed which I love. I'm not a fan of IASW, I've only been on the one in California but I did love the Disney characters sprinkled throughout the ride  We've been to DL twice now, and still haven't made it on the Matterhorn Bobsleds - that needs to change on our upcoming trip! We've also never been on the Nemo Submarine ride, the lines are always crazy long.



I didn't realize DLR's version of POTC was so much longer! But it's so much better, I loved it. I also loved IASW better too. It's once of those rides I only do once per trip and then I'm done, but it's more for nostalgia purposes than anything else. Nemo is not a must do as it's not that exciting but I think it's fun to do once. The bobsleds though I'm not sure I would do again, and if you do, don't be in the last row! I was hitting the sides of the ride vehicle and being tossed all over. Ouch.



fallonkendra said:


> Your park outfits are all adorable! I love your style



Thank you so much!!


----------



## Raeven

chunkymonkey said:


> I enjoyed this version of IASW a lot more than WDW because they incorporate Disney characters into the mix. I don't think I've notice any of this at WDW (or maybe it's more subtle?) so I'm not sure they have them but at DLR it's pretty prevalent.



That does sound better! I saw an old episode of the Disneyland show on TCM where they talked about IASW opening there and it was pretty cool to see. 



chunkymonkey said:


> I believe the name of the seller is TheGypsyGeek, and she makes really cute dresses. My sister customized it so that it will have sleeves as most of her dresses are a tank-top style.



I think I have the same dress with different sleeves! I have to say I ordered two dresses from that shop and the first one I had a great experience with, but the second one didn't come for 9 weeks and I never heard anything from the shop, until I asked for a refund and then it was sent out.


----------



## klacey1

You and your sister always look so cute! Love both of your outfits!
The lines for both IASW and IJA look amazing! I like can't even wrap my head around an exterior queue for IASW! Bummer IJA went down, especially after waiting!


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## chunkymonkey

*Day 5 Part 2: A Breakfast with Character...*

We checked into Plaza Inn a little before our 10:40am reservation time. Before we were brought in, they asked if we would like a PP picture. OK, sure!









We were then led to our table which were off to the side near the window in a separate area which was nice as it was away from the noise and bustle of the cafeteria-style dining room.






You can see Chip in the background! And before you knew it, he was already at our table, before we got any food! Wow, that's quick service!











See that lady to my right? She was wearing a Diamond Anniversary hoodie that I really liked but I couldn't find it anywhere! I saw one at World of Disney but it wasn't in my size. I planned to look for it for the rest of the trip.

After Chip, we didn't see any characters coming so we decided to get our food. The service here is a little different than character breakfasts I'm used to, usually it's either table service or buffet. This was kinda a buffet but there are servers for some sections, so I guess it's more cafeteria-style.











There are different stations that you line up for and you tell them the selections you'd like. I started at the hot foods, and then got self-service foods like breads and fruit.






The drinks are self-service as well. Here is my first plate of food. i got biscuits, gravy, oatmeal, eggs, and some pastries. I was hungry! Also coffee and juice, of course!






The food was pretty good. Standard breakfast fare, but prepared pretty well. The fact that they serve you instead of serving yourself is probably a good thing as it prevents you from ladling buckets of food on your plate, but that is just normal, right? 

We got plenty of character pictures throughout breakfast. The interaction was great!












Fairy Godmother was happy to meet my Prince...I told her I hoped she could find one for CS! Bibbity Bobbity...Beau?

Winnie The Pooh! Love him!











And Tigger too!














Hook was especially fun!









I told Hook that I could hear the Tick Tock getting louder...he didn't appreciate that and tried to run away! There was some fun Character interaction too. When Hook was signing my sister's autograph book, Tigger came back and surprised him from behind and hook went to chase him down.






Then Hook ended up in a Do-si-do with Dale!






Here's a cute video of their interaction:






And now, Dale!









Then Queen bee herself...Minnie!
To say she was thrilled with CS's outfit is an understatement. She was over the moon about it!














Somewhere within all the characters that came, I got more food. Can't have breakfast at Disney without some Mickey waffles!






I love Eeyore ! He always look so forlorn and sad, but so cuddly and cute!



















Eeyore took the the exit outdoors. Bye Eeyore!






I guess we were there for a while as Chip came back around!
















We definitely enjoyed ourselves at Minnie's Breakfast with Character at the Plaza Inn. The food was pretty tasty, and the characters were great. Granted, the section we were in was pretty much empty at that time, so we had a lot of attention. It may be different when it's crowded and the tables are packed, but I still would recommend it.

Coming up...more Disneyland and we hop over to DCA for the World of Color Dessert Party!

P.S. I have posted some pictures from NY Comic Con which happened this past weekend over on my PTR *here*. It was really fun but very exhausting as usual. This con was great because of a very special Dismeet! Read about it on my *PTR*!​


----------



## chunkymonkey

Raeven said:


> That does sound better! I saw an old episode of the Disneyland show on TCM where they talked about IASW opening there and it was pretty cool to see.



It's definitely much more interesting than the WDW one. But I guess I am also so used to the WDW one that I forgot there wre different versions all over the world.



Raeven said:


> I think I have the same dress with different sleeves! I have to say I ordered two dresses from that shop and the first one I had a great experience with, but the second one didn't come for 9 weeks and I never heard anything from the shop, until I asked for a refund and then it was sent out.



Oh that's weird. I guess they maybe forgot. It happens sometimes with these handmade sellers. She got a lot of compliments on her dress!



klacey1 said:


> You and your sister always look so cute! Love both of your outfits!
> The lines for both IASW and IJA look amazing! I like can't even wrap my head around an exterior queue for IASW! Bummer IJA went down, especially after waiting!



Thank you!! We definitely try to look somewhat presentable at Disney because we take so many pictures. I used not care so much about wearing themed outfits as my #1 is comfort, but my sister definitely turned me on to getting more "Disneyfied" 

Yes IJA was down so many times. We finally get to ride it after breakfast though!


----------



## Dentam

chunkymonkey said:


> The bobsleds though I'm not sure I would do again, and if you do, don't be in the last row! I was hitting the sides of the ride vehicle and being tossed all over. Ouch.



I hear ya - I got so banged up on that ride this spring when we were there, and I was in the front!  I hadn't been on it in years and don't need to again after that!

We had the same experience with IJA.  Waited in line for a half hour or so before it was announced it was down.  Waited some more hoping it would start up again, but they finally cleared the line as it was going to be awhile.  We never made it back. 

We've never eaten at the Plaza Inn - looks like a good mix of characters and great food!


----------



## Raeven

Wow that breakfast looks amazing! There were so many characters!


----------



## bcwife76

You definitely had a great experience! Our first time at Plaza Inn was amazing but our second time it was so crowded and our character interaction was disappointing. Oh well, still good times! I love the Minnie/CS pics!! Well, they're all great ;-)


----------



## franandaj

I do have to agree that in most cases, the DL versions of the rides are much better. Except ToT which won't be there much longer anyways. 

Neat pictures from Minnie's breakfast. I had no idea that so many different characters came out, and yours is the first report of it that I have seen. The food looks good too. I can't wait to have some Mickey waffles. Two weeks from today!


----------



## Heidi Lou

chunkymonkey said:


> Fairy Godmother was happy to meet my Prince...I told her I hoped she could find one for CS! Bibbity Bobbity...Beau?



This made me laugh bc it is sooo something my sisters would say about me! haha and BOTH of y'all's outfits are adorable as always!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Dentam said:


> I hear ya - I got so banged up on that ride this spring when we were there, and I was in the front!  I hadn't been on it in years and don't need to again after that!



I know...it's just not comfortable anymore to be on that ride!



Dentam said:


> We had the same experience with IJA.  Waited in line for a half hour or so before it was announced it was down.  Waited some more hoping it would start up again, but they finally cleared the line as it was going to be awhile.  We never made it back.
> 
> We've never eaten at the Plaza Inn - looks like a good mix of characters and great food!



IJA went down about 3 times while we were on line during the trip! What a pain. I guess it really needs a tune up but they don't want to shut it down, it's too popular!

Plaza Inn was fun! But our section emptied out halfway through our breakfast so that's probably why the characters spent so much time with us...no one else to meet! LOL. I think it's one of the few character meals at DLR that is in the parks, so it's convenient too.



Raeven said:


> Wow that breakfast looks amazing! There were so many characters!



It was really fun, reminded me a little bit of Crystal Palace but that's mainly because of the room we were in...it had a lot of windows!



bcwife76 said:


> You definitely had a great experience! Our first time at Plaza Inn was amazing but our second time it was so crowded and our character interaction was disappointing. Oh well, still good times! I love the Minnie/CS pics!! Well, they're all great ;-)



Thanks!! It was a fun and cute meal. The interaction was great but as you said it's mainly due to it emptying out halfway through our breakfast so it wasn't crowded and we got a lot of attention! 



franandaj said:


> I do have to agree that in most cases, the DL versions of the rides are much better. Except ToT which won't be there much longer anyways.



Haha, ToT doesn't really affect me as I'm too chicken to ride it. I like speed but not heights. That's why you don't see me on outdoor roller coasters...indoors seem to be ok as I can't see how high we are in the dark. I assume the new GOTG ride will just use the same engine as ToT but with a different theme. I am not sure if it will be enough to make me ride it. I really like GOTG but I really hate heights!



franandaj said:


> Neat pictures from Minnie's breakfast. I had no idea that so many different characters came out, and yours is the first report of it that I have seen. The food looks good too. I can't wait to have some Mickey waffles. Two weeks from today!



Oh wow I can't believe there are not more Minnie breakfasts in TRs! We had a great time. We hit the tail end of breakfast so that's probably why we got so much attention as everyone in the restaurant kinda left halfway through our meal. We didn't want to use precious EMH time for breakfast so that's why we made the ADR so late, but it worked well for us in the end!



Heidi Lou said:


> This made me laugh bc it is sooo something my sisters would say about me! haha and BOTH of y'all's outfits are adorable as always!



Thank you!! LOL My sister needs to go on Mouse Mingle or something but I heard that there were a lot more girls than guys on the website!


----------



## Heidi Lou

chunkymonkey said:


> Thank you!! LOL My sister needs to go on Mouse Mingle or something but I heard that there were a lot more girls than guys on the website



haha o man! my sister and you are like the same person....if I hear mouse mingle one more time from her or she sends me a link... she will not stop. That is so funny!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Day 5 Part 3:


Heidi Lou said:


> haha o man! my sister and you are like the same person....if I hear mouse mingle one more time from her or she sends me a link... she will not stop. That is so funny!



Haha, just looking out for my Disney sistas! I have actually not seen Mouse Mingle, just heard about it, and I don't think my sister is interested in it anyways otherwise she would have signed up by now. LOL.


----------



## Dashzap

I love your park bag! I've been eyeing that pattern in the backpack. Lesportsac just came out with a new pattern for Disney's Moana, too. 

https://www.lesportsac.com/collaborations/disney-moana-by-lesportsac


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## Dugette

Great update on your character breakfast at Minnie's! Ours was very similar, as we were in a late time slot (but seated outdoors) and had a ton of characters and interaction. So much fun! Hard to find time to go get more food!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Dashzap said:


> I love your park bag! I've been eyeing that pattern in the backpack. Lesportsac just came out with a new pattern for Disney's Moana, too.
> 
> https://www.lesportsac.com/collaborations/disney-moana-by-lesportsac



I love the print of my park bag! It's just so cute. I plan to use it on a trip to Hawaii in a few weeks!
The Moana print is cute, but not really my style. I will check it out on my trip though as I think they will be promoting it heavily there!



Dugette said:


> Great update on your character breakfast at Minnie's! Ours was very similar, as we were in a late time slot (but seated outdoors) and had a ton of characters and interaction. So much fun! Hard to find time to go get more food!



It was a really fun breakfast and some of the best character interaction we've had on the trip!


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## emilyhuff

YESS!!!! Just what I have been waiting for, your Plaza Inn review!!! Now I can't wait to go during our trip! Soooo many characters, such fun interactions! I love it! Thank you so much for this review! I showed to DBF and he actually got excited, which is hard to do!


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## Saphire5742

What a fun, tasty breakfast and so many characters too! The characters interacting with each other is too cute and funny.
Great photos as always


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## KBOhio

Following along! I love your trip reports - they always make me hungry though!


----------



## rndmr2

Fun update! Glad you got a few rides in before your breakfast, sorry you got banged up by the Matterhorn. 

Fun breakfast, love the great mix of characters.


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## cinderkelly

Your Plaza Inn breakfast looks really fun!  You guys are all so cute.  I love the photo of you and Hook! Seems like they had lots of characters and a different mix than what you see at DW.


----------



## dizneeat

*Just trying to catch up on your previous TR (YES, it did take me 5 weeks to finally getting around to catch up on everyone's TR ) ...... found this one and saving my space. Once I am done with your "other" TR I am going to catch up here. *


----------



## Elevationist

Girl, your trip report is making me want to go to Disneyland NOW instead of waiting until my 40th birthday (in 2020)! 

Like, in my real life, I think 7 people or so have tried to push me towards Mouse Mingle.  It cracks me up every single time.


----------



## Gracefulskinny

chunkymonkey said:


> Today begins the parks’ “shortened” hours. When I mean short, I mean really short. Both CA and DLR opened at 10am and closed at 8pm! There was EMH at DLR which started at 9am though so we took advantage of that. There was good and bad to this…first we didn’t’ have to wake up so early which was nice, but the park hours were so short and everything started to close early, even before closing time, this is just something to note when going during off-peak times. Because of the shortened hours, I felt the park was a lot more crowded, even during EMH.


 good to know! 



chunkymonkey said:


>


Cute! 



chunkymonkey said:


>


Cute again! 



chunkymonkey said:


> I don't know why we headed to IASW first but I think because none of us wanted to open a park map






chunkymonkey said:


> .I told her I hoped she could find one for CS! Bibbity Bobbity...Beau?


----------



## chunkymonkey

emilyhuff said:


> YESS!!!! Just what I have been waiting for, your Plaza Inn review!!! Now I can't wait to go during our trip! Soooo many characters, such fun interactions! I love it! Thank you so much for this review! I showed to DBF and he actually got excited, which is hard to do!



You guys will have a great time! It was a lot of fun and really cute interactions!



Saphire5742 said:


> What a fun, tasty breakfast and so many characters too! The characters interacting with each other is too cute and funny.
> Great photos as always



Thank you! We had so much fun at breakfast! It was definitely one of the few character meals that really jumped out to us so it was a must-do!



KBOhio said:


> Following along! I love your trip reports - they always make me hungry though!



LOL, thanks for reading! I'm glad I've whet your appetite for more!



rndmr2 said:


> Fun update! Glad you got a few rides in before your breakfast, sorry you got banged up by the Matterhorn.



That ride just kills me, either that or I'm getting too old...



rndmr2 said:


> Fun breakfast, love the great mix of characters.



It was definitely a great character meal! I wish all character meals were as fun and slow-paced as this!



cinderkelly said:


> Your Plaza Inn breakfast looks really fun!  You guys are all so cute.  I love the photo of you and Hook! Seems like they had lots of characters and a different mix than what you see at DW.



Thank you!! We had such a fun time. Hook was really charismatic and took the time to interact with us...and with other characters!
It was a really cool blend of characters, I wasn't expecting all these different personalities and I really didn't expect Hook!



dizneeat said:


> *Just trying to catch up on your previous TR (YES, it did take me 5 weeks to finally getting around to catch up on everyone's TR ) ...... found this one and saving my space. Once I am done with your "other" TR I am going to catch up here. *



Glad to see you back Karin! Take your time, this TR will be here for a while! 



Elevationist said:


> Girl, your trip report is making me want to go to Disneyland NOW instead of waiting until my 40th birthday (in 2020)!



Gosh, I feel so old! LOL
Disneyland was great! A different beast than WDW but it was great. We definitely toured the parks at a different pace though. 



Elevationist said:


> Like, in my real life, I think 7 people or so have tried to push me towards Mouse Mingle.  It cracks me up every single time.



LOL, it does seem to have people with the right character...i.e. LOVES DISNEY. I think that's enough to work with 



Gracefulskinny said:


> good to know!



Yeah I think I prefer the longer hours because you know there will be pockets of time like really early am or late at night when the parks have light crowds regardless of the crowd levels. These short hours seem to make the park crowded at all times.

Cute!

Cute again!



[/QUOTE]

Thank you!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 5 Part 3: Finally, we ride Indiana Jones! Hold on to your potatoes!*

After our fun-filled character breakfast we headed out to tackle more of the park. We went over to IJA and finally we get to ride it after trying about 3 times. We actually got to ride it twice because they had just reopened so the line was pretty short so we rode standby. Then we used our FP right after that! I totally love this ride and think it's so much fun. I think Dinosaur (which has the same ride vehicle and ride structure) should be replaced with IJA because it's just a much better theme! I was never a fan of Dinosaur and I often forget it's in AK, so much so that I never seem to venture to Dinoland USA. My sister kept asking me, "There's a Dinoland USA in AK? Why haven't we gone there?" 

I remembered from our previous trips that there were some interactive elements in the ride queue, and my favorite was the wood pillar which you have to push in and then the spears in the ceiling come down. Good times. Hehe. 











What do you do when you see a "Caution: Do not pull rope sign?" Obviously you pull it. 






After our multi-trip on IJA, I seem to have a memory loss as to what rides we went on. We may have gone on PoC again. I don't have any pictures of it though. It was getting later in the afternoon now and we wanted to hop over to DCA before our WOC dessert party at 7:30pm so we decided to to see Enchanted Tiki Room as it was on the way out of the park. In DLR, the Aloha Isle stand selling Dole Whips is right outside the Tiki Room, so of course while you are waiting for the show, you just have to get one (or a few). There are actually 2 lines for Dole Whip, one outside of the waiting area for Tiki Room, and one inside the waiting area. Either line was always long! People here really love their Dole Whip! 











We ended up waiting outside while CS headed to the line inside and whoever got there first would order for everyone. CS got there first so the line inside MAY be a little shorter. Either way, we satisfied our craving for Dole Whip! Aloha!









The Tiki Room show is pretty much the same as in WDW. I love hearing the music and just sort of closing my eyes to get a power-nap. We managed to get a cozy spot in a corner padded bench so I just leaned my head back against the wall...ahhhh. 
















After Tiki Room, DH and I decided to head back for a quick dip in the pool before heading to DCA. CS, of course, wanted to get some PP pictures, so we decided to just meet back in the room. DH had the brilliant idea to take all our tickets, and run over to DCA and grab FP for Soarin' so by the time we were done with the pool, it would be time to ride! I was like, sure, knock yourself out if you like, I'm going to the pool. So DH took all our tickets and we walked out of the park. CS was still able to stay in the park, it's just that if she leaves she'll need her ticket to get back in so she agreed to meet up with us before DCA.

While DH ran down to DCA, I slowly walked around DTD.
















This Anna and Elsa boutique was actually like a Bibbity Bobbity Boutique! 











Some anniversary stuff was still up at World of Disney! I thought the CM the day before told me that all the Anniversary stuff would be gone, but apparently it was only true for the store in the GC. World of Disney still had lots of stuff in stock, like picture frames, cups, and albums. Clothing was hit or miss. I didn't have any luck finding the the hoodie that I wanted.











I went back to the GC, changed and went to the pool and hung out there until DH met me there too. Mission Soarin' FP = success! Yay! 
The pool was nice and refreshing. I really love the convenience of the GC. IT makes taking breaks so easy.











So nice to relax in the sun and non-humid weather...it was hard to pry me up after our hour at the pool, but we had to get ready to go!

Meanwhile CS was having some fun back in DL:



















Looks like she didn't get any characters but got a magic shot!

CS met us back at the room and we were ready to go so we all left together to head to DCA for the first time on the trip! 

We went through the GC entrance to DCA which pretty much takes you near Grizzly River Peak, but just to the left if you walk down a bit is Soarin'!






Finally we got in to see the NEW Soarin'!!!










We got some pixie dust in that we sat center top row without even asking.  The best seats in the house for our first ride Over The World!

This version of the movie was awesome! We really enjoyed it! I can't wait to see WDW's version of it in 1.5 months!

We headed over to Paradise Pier to ride TSM. The wait was about 30 minutes and we thought it was worth waiting on considering lines at the DHS version are never this low in the middle of the day.


























I wore my Spiderman Tokidoki t-shirt thinking I'd have the opportunity to meet Spiderman sometime today but I didn't realize his meet n greet spot was on the other side of the park, plus his last meet n greet time was approaching and I was too lazy to rush over. So we decided to just ride TSM twice!

As is the case with every ride that has a score, I beat DH the very first time, and he beat me on every time after that. 
















Here's the score from our 2nd time on it: I am on the right.






Coming up...more Paradise Pier Fun and the* World of Color Dessert Party*! 

​


----------



## alohamom

chunkymonkey said:


> I think Dinosaur should be replaced with IJA because it's just a much better theme!



BEST IDEA EVER!


----------



## bcwife76

We rode Indy twice on this past trip as well (YES I'll finish my TR soon lol) and before this summer I hadn't been on Indy since 2006! Long break......I don't know why because I LOVE this ride 

Oh that pool looks so refreshing! Being able to go back with such a quick walk is definitely a huge draw for that hotel!

So....Soarin'.....you LOVED it right? I mean....it's fantastic RIGHT???  I swear I just want to ride it back to back all day when we are at Epcot 

Can't wait to see what you thought of the dessert party


----------



## NittanyKK

Just caught up on your DL trip report after reading your last WDW trip report! I'm really enjoying this trip report... my fiance and I are honeymooning in Hawaii (Aulani!) then staying at Grand Californian for four nights and going to Disneyland. We've never been to DL so we're both really excited!! I'm slightly afraid of the insane crowds because we'll unfortunately be there the week before Christmas but... at least I'll be at Disneyland! I just scheduled breakfast at Plaza Inn so I was excited to see your pictures with characters from there. I love characters!

Your outfits are always so cute and your niece is adorable! Excited to read more.


----------



## chunkymonkey

alohamom said:


> BEST IDEA EVER!



totally. I'd spend WAAAY more time at AK if that were the case!



bcwife76 said:


> We rode Indy twice on this past trip as well (YES I'll finish my TR soon lol) and before this summer I hadn't been on Indy since 2006! Long break......I don't know why because I LOVE this ride



It's such a great ride! 



bcwife76 said:


> Oh that pool looks so refreshing! Being able to go back with such a quick walk is definitely a huge draw for that hotel!



Definitely the #1 perk about staying at that hotel!


bcwife76 said:


> So....Soarin'.....you LOVED it right? I mean....it's fantastic RIGHT???  I swear I just want to ride it back to back all day when we are at Epcot
> 
> Can't wait to see what you thought of the dessert party



Yes we LOVED it! We literally went on it about 10 times the entire trip, especially because it was so close to the GC, and FP were always available more more so than RSR.



NittanyKK said:


> Just caught up on your DL trip report after reading your last WDW trip report! I'm really enjoying this trip report... my fiance and I are honeymooning in Hawaii (Aulani!) then staying at Grand Californian for four nights and going to Disneyland. We've never been to DL so we're both really excited!! I'm slightly afraid of the insane crowds because we'll unfortunately be there the week before Christmas but... at least I'll be at Disneyland! I just scheduled breakfast at Plaza Inn so I was excited to see your pictures with characters from there. I love characters!
> 
> Your outfits are always so cute and your niece is adorable! Excited to read more.



Hi there and welcome! THANK YOU for reading and for the kind words. Wow Aulani! Have you been there before? I went in 2011 - it's an amazing place! I'm going back to Hawaii (Oahu) in two weeks! Not the Aulani though, we'll be traveling with friends who are not into Disney (gasp!). Hawaii is my favorite place to travel to aside from WDW! Happy Honeymoon and best wishes!!
I think you'll have a wonderful time at DLR, the Plaza Inn was lots of fun and the character interaction was wonderful. 
Thank you!!


----------



## fallonkendra

I'm all caught up again! I love all of your Plaza Inn pictures, it's #1 on my list of places to eat on our upcoming Disneyland trip. So many great characters, and I love that they all interact with each other!

I can't wait to read about your experience at the WOC dessert party, it's something we've been thinking about but I haven't read many great reviews of it yet.


----------



## Saphire5742

chunkymonkey said:


> My sister kept asking me, "There's a Dinoland USA in AK? Why haven't we gone there?"



, totally not worth it. I found Dinosaur and that whole area to be seriously underwhelming.

Great photos as always.

I remember feeling so disappointed when I found out that I wouldn't get to ride Soarin during my May trip especially knowing that I wouldn't be back to WDW for a few years. So excited that I'll get to ride in Disneyland next year!
Also IJA sounds really awesome.


----------



## Dugette

I loved Indy as well - I'd be thrilled if Dinosaur changed to that!

Gotta love the Dole Whips at the Tiki Room! (though I heard WDW is now allowing Dole Whips - and other food - in the Tiki Room)

I cannot wait to ride the new version of Soarin'! 

Wow, 30 minutes for TSM is about as good as it gets (in our experience).


----------



## NittanyKK

chunkymonkey said:


> Wow Aulani! Have you been there before? I went in 2011 - it's an amazing place! I'm going back to Hawaii (Oahu) in two weeks! Not the Aulani though, we'll be traveling with friends who are not into Disney (gasp!). Hawaii is my favorite place to travel to aside from WDW! Happy Honeymoon and best wishes!!



I haven't been to Aulani! This will actually be our first time traveling to Hawaii in general so we are suuuuper excited!! How exciting that you're going to Hawaii soon!! Although not the part where your friends aren't into Disney.   Sad but I have many friends who don't get my love for Disney either! I'm really hoping that Hawaii becomes a favorite for us as well! I can't imagine that it won't. And THANK YOU!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

fallonkendra said:


> I'm all caught up again! I love all of your Plaza Inn pictures, it's #1 on my list of places to eat on our upcoming Disneyland trip. So many great characters, and I love that they all interact with each other!
> 
> I can't wait to read about your experience at the WOC dessert party, it's something we've been thinking about but I haven't read many great reviews of it yet.



Thanks! The Plaza Inn was great, you guys are going to have such a fun time!
And the WOC Dessert Party was awesome! You'll see in my next post!



Saphire5742 said:


> , totally not worth it. I found Dinosaur and that whole area to be seriously underwhelming.
> 
> Great photos as always.
> 
> I remember feeling so disappointed when I found out that I wouldn't get to ride Soarin during my May trip especially knowing that I wouldn't be back to WDW for a few years. So excited that I'll get to ride in Disneyland next year!
> Also IJA sounds really awesome.



Yeah Dinoland never really did it for me so I have not bothered to go out of my way for it, but maybe I'll make a visit there on one of my upcoming trips. 

Thanks!

Soarin' around the world is soooo good. I can't wait to ride it at WDW!

And you'll love IJA! It's what Dinosaur SHOULD have been!



Dugette said:


> I loved Indy as well - I'd be thrilled if Dinosaur changed to that!



Oh I would over the moon if that ever happened! 



Dugette said:


> Gotta love the Dole Whips at the Tiki Room! (though I heard WDW is now allowing Dole Whips - and other food - in the Tiki Room)



I heard that too! It's a great way to attract people to the Tiki Room!



Dugette said:


> I cannot wait to ride the new version of Soarin'!



It's sooo good! I don't even miss the old movie! (Well, just a little) 



Dugette said:


> Wow, 30 minutes for TSM is about as good as it gets (in our experience).



Yeah totally! It was a nice change to be able to ride it at any time, although the lines did get longer at some points during the day.



NittanyKK said:


> I haven't been to Aulani! This will actually be our first time traveling to Hawaii in general so we are suuuuper excited!! How exciting that you're going to Hawaii soon!! Although not the part where your friends aren't into Disney.   Sad but I have many friends who don't get my love for Disney either! I'm really hoping that Hawaii becomes a favorite for us as well! I can't imagine that it won't. And THANK YOU!!



Oh wow you're going to have such an AMAZING time on Hawaii! It's such a great place, with lots of beautiful beaches, but also tons of cultural stuff. If you need some recs you can read my blog www.asplashofaloha.com. I have some trip reports of our past trips to the islands, including our few days we we spent at the Aulani!
I will post some pictures of our trip in November, maybe on my PTR when I get back. 
My friends all know I'm obsessed with Disney but they haven't been exposed to it as kids like I was so I guess it's just getting over that "theme park" mentality when it's so much more than that!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 5 Part 4: World of Color Dessert Party, aka, the BEST decision ever!*

We continued walking around Paradise Pier. It was such a cute little area that reminded us of old-time amusement parks, kinda like the Boardwalk of Atlantic City or Coney Island but done Disney style!

Forgot to post these PP pics from when we first got to Paradise Pier. The PP photographer was so excited to see us as I think she was a little bored.



















She said she was glad we were wearing skirts because she wanted to try that pose on the right, lol.

We all decided to try some of the smaller amusement style rides. We didn't go on the Mickey Fun Wheel because I thought the ride was too slow to load and unload so we skipped that. I've been on it before, on the side that slides up and down and I didn't really care for it. Maybe if we had more time later in the week...

We went on the spinning swings, the ones that look like this:











And we're off! Wheeeeeeeeee!






I love rides like this where it's so chill and there's never really a long line. I got some nice pics of the pier while airborne. 







Here's little video of the ride, we were probably going at it's fastest when I took the video.






Then we went on that ride where you sit in a spaceship-like thing and it swings around. 






Here's some video of the ride. It started of slow but it got faster and higher.






It was getting late now and we had to start checking in for our table at the dessert party.

We walked over to the area that faces the lagoon and Mickey's Fun Wheel and it was all set up with different section colors for WoC FP+ groups. We found the end of the WOC Dessert Party line and stood there. They weren't letting people in just yet so we stayed in line. 






It looks long but there was someone coming around with an ipad checking reservations. She confirmed our ressie and then told us we had one of the high top tables in stead of the lower ones. I was pleased because I thought that meant a better view, but my sister said, "I don't think I can fit the chairs!" The chairs for those tables are those director style chairs at a bar stool height that have cloth and wood holding it up. My sister said she would either a) not fit or b) break the chair while trying to get int. The CM said no she wouldn't and assured her the seat will be fine and that she would fit into it no problem. Although my sister did look worried, she relented because that meant a better view. Finally they started to let us in and we were escorted indeed to one of the high top tables set up beautifully with a picturesque view of the Pier and the Fun Wheel.

Our view from our table:






Our server came over and ask what we'd like to drink, the options were a champagne I think or some blue-colored fruity drink and we all went with the champagne.






They also had a bread basket which I thought was very thoughtful. It's nice to have something not sweet at Dessert Parties otherwise I feel it's too one-note of an experience. DH and I also ordered some hot teas to warm us up for the evening, even though it wasn't as cold as the day before. 






Looks like the bread is saying PEACE to Mickey's Fun Wheel!

Here's tonight's dessert menu:






Sounds good to me!

And without further ado, our platters came! 
They were all plated for each of us under some lids and under the lids revealed a very lovely assortment of desserts and cheeses plus a handful of grapes.










Mmmmmmmm

This was the most perfect view ever! It was really nice to have seats for any show, and the desserts, drinks are just icing on the cake. 






Here's us right before the show started. And yes, my sister fit in the chair just fine. There was no breaking of chairs tonight!






We dug into our dessert/cheese platter. Everything was pretty good. Even though it is not one of those unlimited dessert bar parties like Wishes or the Star Wars ones, it was nice to have a limited selection of curated desserts. I was expecting just really sugary rice krispy treats and some cupcakes, but we got mini bundt cakes, a coconot macaroon, a delicious dulce de leche shortbread, breads, fruit, and cheese. My sister and I love brie and we were excited to see the mini wheel of it. It was so cute! I don't think I've seen brie this small before!

After I was about halfway done with my plate, my sister and DH said, oh that macaron was good. I thought they meant the coconut macarOON, but no, they said it wasn't that, it was a small yellow French macaron...which I did not see on my plate! I guess they forgot to put it on my plate so when our CM came by to check on him I told him I was missing the macaron. He said don't worry and he'd come right back. I thought I'd just get one or two of the macarons on the side, but lo and behold...they gave me a brand new plate of desserts, complete with said French macaroon! So I got a second plate of dessert, in addition to keeping the first one. #dessertoverloadthankstodisney





On the top right you can see the little yellow macaron with the green designs that was missing from my first plate. 

Oh and this plate is missing the little wheel of brie because my sister promptly made it disappear it after my plate was set down, before I could take a picture. It somehow magically appeared on her plate. 
I've said before in my previous TRs that my sister has teleportation powers and it has apparently spread to inanimate objects and food. 






During the moments before the show they announced that some Mickey Fun Wheel game was able to be played on your smartphone. You had to connect to the special wifi and go to a special website to play the game. What you have to do is replay the color sequence played on the fun wheel. 






There are several rounds of the game and the winner gets to control the colors of the fun wheel for a few minutes.
Well, I would say don't bother with this as the wifi kept kicking us off and we couldn't get make it through any complete rounds.  

No worries because after the game was over, the lights around Paradise Pier went out and WOC was finally starting! It was our first time seeing this show and it didn't disappoint, especially with our wonderful view.
This is not an easy show to photograph as the projections on the water do not come out as clear on camera as in person, but please enjoy the photos and videos I captured:
























































And here's some videos I took:
















At the end of the show they turned the lights back on at Paradise Pier and the entire area glowed in different colors.






As you can see, it was a great show! It was also fairly long as well, so I really appreciated having the seats. It was the perfect view, and the food and service was great. 
I highly recommend this dessert party if you get a chance to do it, it made watching it for the first time extra special!

At the end of the day we walked back to the GC. It was so nice to be so close to our room! I honestly don't think any one of us was hungry after our buffet lunch and my double dessert dinner so I don't think we ate anything else that night, maybe some snacks we had in the room. I may have gotten a churro sometime during the day as well but I probably ate it too quickly to take a picture! 

Coming up on our next day, lunch with the Princesses!​


----------



## dizneeat

chunkymonkey said:


> This was the most perfect view ever! It was really nice to have seats for any show, and the desserts, drinks are just icing on the cake.



*Looks like a great spot to view it! I thought about booking the dessert party for us, but we never did. *



chunkymonkey said:


> They were all plated for each of us under some lids and under the lids revealed a very lovely assortment of desserts and cheeses plus a handful of grapes.



*Ah, I love it, when it comes out plated.  And I might add that it looks realy yummy. That small brie is cute.  Love the savoury and sweet mix.*



chunkymonkey said:


> So I got a second plate of dessert, in addition to keeping the first one. #dessertoverloadthankstodisney



 



chunkymonkey said:


> You had to connect to the special Wifi and go to a special website to play the game. What you have to do is replay the color sequence played on the fun wheel.



*That is something we might have missed altogether. What a shame wifi didn't work well enough to really play.*



chunkymonkey said:


> As you can see, it was a great show!



*I could not agree with you more. It was an awesome show. *


----------



## rndmr2

Great update! Looks like you had fun on the rides at Paradise Pier! Growing up going to carnivals and down the shore (usually Wildwood NJ) I always loved the Swings! They are fun. 

Great view for your WOC Dessert party. The plate you get looks like a nice variety, I love sweet things but I really love eating cheese and grapes together too. You may have mentioned it but do you mind saying how much it cost?


----------



## bcwife76

Totally worth it, right? I've already told my dh that any future trips will include the WOC dessert party because we are SPOILED now We had so much food leftover from ours because both our girls could not finish it all....we shoved it down our faces so fast on our last morning!

Love that they gave you an entire second plate  that's some yummy pixie dust right there!


----------



## rentayenta

This is such a great trip report! I read it over the last few days.


----------



## franandaj

I never even knew that twe was a WoC dessert party. It sounds like a great deal. I don't even remember the last time that I saw WoC. 

I've also never been on those rides you went on either!  I think I need a DCA catch up course!


----------



## Saphire5742

chunkymonkey said:


> We continued walking around Paradise Pier. It was such a cute little area that reminded us of old-time amusement parks, kinda like the Boardwalk of Atlantic City or Coney Island but done Disney style!



This makes me happy



chunkymonkey said:


> I love rides like this where it's so chill and there's never really a long line. I got some nice pics of the pier while airborne.



Great photo!



chunkymonkey said:


> She confirmed our ressie and then told us we had one of the high top tables in stead of the lower ones.



Score!



chunkymonkey said:


> Our view from our table:



Perfect view. Love it!



chunkymonkey said:


> They were all plated for each of us under some lids and under the lids revealed a very lovely assortment of desserts and cheeses plus a handful of grapes.



Beautiful plate and I love that it is brought to you instead of having you go around buffet style. Makes it more enjoyable in my opinion



chunkymonkey said:


> My sister and I love brie and we were excited to see the mini wheel of it. It was so cute! I don't think I've seen brie this small before!



I love brie too. Such a wonderfully creamy cheese that's not too strong. I'd be excited with that mini wheel too.
Hmmm, the Backstage Magic ABD is supposed to include VIP seating at shows. I wonder if we'll also get dessert plates. 



chunkymonkey said:


> Oh and this plate is missing the little wheel of brie because my sister promptly made it disappear it after my plate was set down, before I could take a picture. It somehow magically appeared on her plate.
> I've said before in my previous TRs that my sister has teleportation powers and it has apparently spread to inanimate objects and food.



 

From the pictures looks like a wonderful show. Glad you enjoyed it and can't wait to see it myself although I think when I'm there it will be the holiday version


----------



## chunkymonkey

dizneeat said:


> *Looks like a great spot to view it! I thought about booking the dessert party for us, but we never did. *



It's definitely one of the better dessert parties i've been to because it includes seats! It sure beats having to stand for a while...


*


dizneeat said:



			Ah, I love it, when it comes out plated.  And I might add that it looks realy yummy. That small brie is cute.  Love the savoury and sweet mix.
		
Click to expand...

*
It was quite a nice mix of foods. Not too much, and it was nice to have the cheese, fruit and bread so it wasn't all sweet. I would recommend not having dinner as you do fill up on everything!

*


dizneeat said:



			That is something we might have missed altogether. What a shame wifi didn't work well enough to really play.
		
Click to expand...

*
Yeah, they hand the instructions on every table. I'm not sure if this was for everyone or just the dessert party goers, but unfortunately we didn't get to finish a round properly as we kept getting logged off the system.

*


dizneeat said:



			I could not agree with you more. It was an awesome show. 

Click to expand...

*
It is indeed! Can't wait to see it again!



rndmr2 said:


> Great update! Looks like you had fun on the rides at Paradise Pier! Growing up going to carnivals and down the shore (usually Wildwood NJ) I always loved the Swings! They are fun.



Definitely! It was fun going on all these classic rides but at Disney!



rndmr2 said:


> Great view for your WOC Dessert party. The plate you get looks like a nice variety, I love sweet things but I really love eating cheese and grapes together too. You may have mentioned it but do you mind saying how much it cost?



The dessert party is 79 per person. It is quite expensive and more expensive than the WDW dessert parties I have been too! But I guess because it had table service, seats, and a nice selection of quality desserts, and champagne, it definitely felt more upscale. I thought it was worth it and I would do it again.



bcwife76 said:


> Totally worth it, right? I've already told my dh that any future trips will include the WOC dessert party because we are SPOILED now We had so much food leftover from ours because both our girls could not finish it all....we shoved it down our faces so fast on our last morning!



Yes! It was such a treat! I'm definitely spoiled. We went to watch WOC again later that week and we had to...gasp...stand and wait!  



bcwife76 said:


> Love that they gave you an entire second plate  that's some yummy pixie dust right there!



It was so cool that I got another plate! I didn't expect that so it was extra pixie dust!



rentayenta said:


> This is such a great trip report! I read it over the last few days.



Thank you so much for reading!!



franandaj said:


> I never even knew that twe was a WoC dessert party. It sounds like a great deal. I don't even remember the last time that I saw WoC.



Oh that's so funny! It is definitely a fantastic treat when watching WoC!



franandaj said:


> Beautiful plate and I love that it is brought to you instead of having you go around buffet style. Makes it more enjoyable in my opinion



Definitely more enjoyable to have a seat and table service!



Saphire5742 said:


> I love brie too. Such a wonderfully creamy cheese that's not too strong. I'd be excited with that mini wheel too.Hmmm, the Backstage Magic ABD is supposed to include VIP seating at shows. I wonder if we'll also get dessert plates.



It's so funny, Brie tastes different from most cheeses. My mom doesn't like almost all cheeses but she loves brie! I hope your VIP seating includes the dessert as it's such a nice treat!



Saphire5742 said:


> From the pictures looks like a wonderful show. Glad you enjoyed it and can't wait to see it myself although I think when I'm there it will be the holiday version



OOOH the holiday version, I'm sure it will be just as spectacular![/QUOTE]


----------



## Raeven

The WOC dessert party looks great! And it looks like the view was really good too.


----------



## natebenma

So much for being all proud of myself for being caught up on your report!



Just finished your first night at DL.

Wow!  What a spectacular day and evening you had! Hyperspace Mtn, DL Forever and Paint the Night!  Together!  While Supplies Last.  

Your pictures, of course, are AWESOME! I especially like the shot of the fireworks forming a Mickey head.

Love the picture of your sister and her doppel"hanger" wearing the same dress.  Too funny!

I got a sweatshirt from Disneyland, too.  Just grey with an embroidered Mickey Mouse.  Before I read your description my  thought was that it looked very feminine.

I purchased the WDW backpack like those girls were wearing.  No Mickey-burger, though.


----------



## natebenma

UGH!!! 10 am opening?  That's practically end of the afternoon for me.  I am an every day early riser, usually around 5 am, and of course on West Cost time, it feels earlier.  Fortunately, when we were there in the summer staying onsite I think at least one of the parks opened at 7 am each day. 

We have a couple of regrets from our trip to DL.  One is that we didn't ride It's A Small World.  I didn't realize that it was so much better until after we were home.  I love the idea of the outdoor portion of the ride and that they have added Disney movie characters as well. 

Great picture of the Matterhorn!

UGH on Indiana Jones breaking down. 



chunkymonkey said:


> Looks like everyone got the Minnie Ear memo though!


----------



## Elevationist

chunkymonkey said:


> Forgot to post these PP pics from when we first got to Paradise Pier. The PP photographer was so excited to see us as I think she was a little bored.


would be excited to see ya'll, too!  You two are adorable!



chunkymonkey said:


> I love rides like this where it's so chill and there's never really a long line. I got some nice pics of the pier while airborne.


I love me a good chill-out ride!



chunkymonkey said:


> This was the most perfect view ever! It was really nice to have seats for any show, and the desserts, drinks are just icing on the cake.


Seats?!  AND table service?!  Man, this kicks the crap out of WDW's dessert parties!  (Of which I went to my first one on my recent trip and loved, by the way!)



chunkymonkey said:


>


This is a gorgeous scene!  I love it!



chunkymonkey said:


> As you can see, it was a great show! It was also fairly long as well, so I really appreciated having the seats. It was the perfect view, and the food and service was great.
> I highly recommend this dessert party if you get a chance to do it, it made watching it for the first time extra special!


Yep, you convinced me.  Whenever the day comes that I make it out to Disneyland, I'm totally doing this!


----------



## ArielSRL

I was behind but I just read through two updates (EMH and character breakfast). I really do like the outside queues at DLR but I'm wondering if the weather played into the changes in WDW....more rain, more heat in summer, etc. 

IASW looked so fun! And I love the Matterhorn!

That character breakfast was amazing! So many characters! You'd have to do like 4 meals or more to see all of those at WDW!

The restaurant reminded me a bit of Crystal Palace. 

Ok, I'll catch up more later.....


----------



## natebenma

I love that Paradise Pier Photopass Place!  Too funny that the photographer seemed bored-  I don't remember that spot ever being very crowded.

I like your pictures from the swings and the rocket ride.  I can't do rides that spin in a circle like that anymore.

AWESOME photos and videos from World of Color! They must have changed up the show from when we saw it in 2014.  It looks so much better now in the reports I have seen.

The price is totally worth it to get such incredible seats and yummy, plated, desserts and drinks served to you.  We did the WoC dining package, at Carthay Circle, which was great, but I think I would like this more.  I like that they gave you some sweet and savory selections.  Yay on scoring  second plate because you were missing one item and LOL at your instant loss of the mini-brie!


----------



## ArielSRL

Love the World of Color update! Love the party, the table, the treats! Looks like a great show! I'll have to schedule this dessert party if we get there in the next few years. 

Btw, I rode that Mickey wheel in 2002 and I made the mistake of doing the moving vehicles. Omgoodness, never, ever again!


----------



## kastoney

Somehow I found your report in SEPTEMBER, apparently didn't "watch" it so here I am 2 months later in catchup mode.  #oops  

Of course as usual i'm totally food consumed and your trip certainly didn't disappoint.  That WoC party especially looks amazing (and the show too).  Love their broad use of dessert and the savory options they had available.  

Total unrelated side note, where are you sunglasses from.  Love them!


----------



## Dugette

chunkymonkey said:


> We didn't go on the Mickey Fun Wheel because I thought the ride was too slow to load and unload so we skipped that.


Same reason I chose to skip it. Looked like quite an ordeal to load.



chunkymonkey said:


>


Wow, that sounds great! I really didn't know anything about this dessert party and how different it was. I'll have to keep it in mind if we get back.



chunkymonkey said:


> This was the most perfect view ever! It was really nice to have seats for any show, and the desserts, drinks are just icing on the cake.


Yep, that looks great!



chunkymonkey said:


> So I got a second plate of dessert, in addition to keeping the first one.






chunkymonkey said:


> I've said before in my previous TRs that my sister has teleportation powers and it has apparently spread to inanimate objects and food.






chunkymonkey said:


>


Beautiful!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Sorry for the lack of updates! I have literally been in paradise for the past week...*Hawaii*!






Oahu to be exact. This was a really fun but very active trip. I went with DH and friends, and some of them have never been to Hawaii before, so we played tour guides. I'll probably post some pictures on my PTR over the next few days. If you follow my *instagram*, you can see some pictures I already posted from our trip. We had an amazing time, we went to a lot of different beaches, did a few hikes, ate A LOT and just loved hanging out with each other. 

Working on my next update and responses in my next few posts!

*ALOHA*!!​


----------



## chunkymonkey

Raeven said:


> The WOC dessert party looks great! And it looks like the view was really good too.



It was an excellent dessert party! I don't think there was a bad view. You do pay a lot but having seats was really nice.



natebenma said:


> So much for being all proud of myself for being caught up on your report!



Hi Dee! No worries. I have a lot to catch up on too! *guilty*



natebenma said:


> Wow!  What a spectacular day and evening you had! Hyperspace Mtn, DL Forever and Paint the Night!  Together!  While Supplies Last.
> 
> Your pictures, of course, are AWESOME! I especially like the shot of the fireworks forming a Mickey head.



Thanks! That shot was a lucky shot! no idea they were going to shoot that firework in the sky when I took the pic!



natebenma said:


> Love the picture of your sister and her doppel"hanger" wearing the same dress.  Too funny!



She has quite a few doppelgangers. Her dresses are very popular!



natebenma said:


> I got a sweatshirt from Disneyland, too.  Just grey with an embroidered Mickey Mouse.  Before I read your description my  thought was that it looked very feminine.



I think we have the same sweatshirt! It's grey with embroidered mickey. It has a swiss dot pattern on the hood too.



natebenma said:


> I purchased the WDW backpack like those girls were wearing.  No Mickey-burger, though.



Cute! I found the burger on ebay...it's from Tokyo Disneyland of course, but think the auction may be over by now. It was also quite expensive. Boo.



natebenma said:


> UGH!!! 10 am opening?  That's practically end of the afternoon for me.  I am an every day early riser, usually around 5 am, and of course on West Cost time, it feels earlier.  Fortunately, when we were there in the summer staying onsite I think at least one of the parks opened at 7 am each day.



Yeah I know. The late opening was not expected and just made everyone rush around to get stuff done as soon as the park opened. 



natebenma said:


> We have a couple of regrets from our trip to DL.  One is that we didn't ride It's A Small World.  I didn't realize that it was so much better until after we were home.  I love the idea of the outdoor portion of the ride and that they have added Disney movie characters as well.



I totally forgot how different IASW is on the west coast. I'm glad I went on it once. It's much better than WDW's version and I liked seeing the different characters. 



natebenma said:


> Great picture of the Matterhorn!



Thanks!



natebenma said:


> UGH on Indiana Jones breaking down.



Quite a common occurance as we've found out!



Elevationist said:


> would be excited to see ya'll, too!  You two are adorable!



Aww thanks!



natebenma said:


> I love me a good chill-out ride!



Best kinda rides are ones with no lines!



natebenma said:


> Seats?!  AND table service?!  Man, this kicks the crap out of WDW's dessert parties!  (Of which I went to my first one on my recent trip and loved, by the way!)



Yup, one word, SEATS. It made all the difference. It made paying the 80 bucks worth it. the WDW ones are close to that price and you don't get seats and my feet are just killing me the entire time. 



natebenma said:


> This is a gorgeous scene!  I love it!
> 
> Yep, you convinced me.  Whenever the day comes that I make it out to Disneyland, I'm totally doing this!



It is well worth it and you'd love it!



ArielSRL said:


> I was behind but I just read through two updates (EMH and character breakfast). I really do like the outside queues at DLR but I'm wondering if the weather played into the changes in WDW....more rain, more heat in summer, etc.



I totally think that was probably the case. A lot of the lines have to be covered. It's actually such a relief when we don't have to wait outdoors at WDW! Air Conditioning is my friend!



ArielSRL said:


> IASW looked so fun! And I love the Matterhorn!



IASW is so much fun, but the Matterhorn gave me a backache!



ArielSRL said:


> That character breakfast was amazing! So many characters! You'd have to do like 4 meals or more to see all of those at WDW!
> 
> The restaurant reminded me a bit of Crystal Palace.
> 
> Ok, I'll catch up more later.....



It was a really fun brunch. The character interaction was great. I think since we were one of the last few parties in the place we got a lot of attention. And the restaurant totally reminds me of Crystal Palace!


----------



## chunkymonkey

natebenma said:


> I love that Paradise Pier Photopass Place!  Too funny that the photographer seemed bored-  I don't remember that spot ever being very crowded.



It's a great spot for pictures! I think we only noticed a photographer there that one day. 



natebenma said:


> I like your pictures from the swings and the rocket ride.  I can't do rides that spin in a circle like that anymore.



I'm ok with rides like that as long as it's not centrifugal force-type rides. i.e. mission Space Orange is a no for me!



natebenma said:


> AWESOME photos and videos from World of Color! They must have changed up the show from when we saw it in 2014.  It looks so much better now in the reports I have seen.



They got rid of the one with Frozen in it the day before. So we got one of the classic ones I think. Not sure how many versions of them they were before Frozen came along. It was really cool!



natebenma said:


> The price is totally worth it to get such incredible seats and yummy, plated, desserts and drinks served to you.  We did the WoC dining package, at Carthay Circle, which was great, but I think I would like this more.  I like that they gave you some sweet and savory selections.  Yay on scoring  second plate because you were missing one item and LOL at your instant loss of the mini-brie!



Having seats make it really awesome. I felt like a super VIP. The desserts and drinks were nice too! Of course my sister stole my brie. It's the only cheese she actually likes. LOL.




ArielSRL said:


> Love the World of Color update! Love the party, the table, the treats! Looks like a great show! I'll have to schedule this dessert party if we get there in the next few years.
> 
> Btw, I rode that Mickey wheel in 2002 and I made the mistake of doing the moving vehicles. Omgoodness, never, ever again!



It's such a great dessert party! I hope WDW takes a cue and offers seats because that will be a huge draw for many.
I rode that side too! I was not a fan. It was just annoying. Plus the wheel moved so slowly I felt like I would never get off it!



kastoney said:


> Somehow I found your report in SEPTEMBER, apparently didn't "watch" it so here I am 2 months later in catchup mode.  #oops



No worries! Goodness knows I have to catch up on everyone's report too! #ducks



kastoney said:


> Of course as usual i'm totally food consumed and your trip certainly didn't disappoint.  That WoC party especially looks amazing (and the show too).  Love their broad use of dessert and the savory options they had available.



It was a great dessert party! You definitely felt very special, with the silverware, proper plates and champagne. Made it seem as if we were "slumming" it at every other WDW dessert party. Haha.



kastoney said:


> Total unrelated side note, where are you sunglasses from.  Love them!



Thank you! They are by Karen Walker. I got them at Saks I think. I love them. I have a wide face and finding glasses are hard, but these fit my face and they aren't too "blingy" and over the top.



Dugette said:


> Same reason I chose to skip it. Looked like quite an ordeal to load.



Yeah totally skipping this next time.



Dugette said:


> Wow, that sounds great! I really didn't know anything about this dessert party and how different it was. I'll have to keep it in mind if we get back.



It's pricey but it's fun! A bit more than the WDW versions but you get seats so it was worth it!



Dugette said:


> Yep, that looks great!
> Beautiful!



Thanks! Such a great show!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 6 Part 1: Radiator Springs Racers! Aka, the best ride EVER.*

Today was EMH at DCA which meant the park opened at 9am instead of 10am. So we had plenty of time to get ready although it never seems like enough time when you're trying to scurry out the door to make rope drop. We were wondering which entrance to go to DCA through, the hotel's or the main gate. When we got to the hotel entrance though, the line was super long and the CMs were telling us it will be shorter to go via the main line so we turned around and went that way. Luckily aside from bag check, there wasn't much of a line at the turnstiles.

We headed in in time for rope drop and had to wait a bit before they finally let us run, and we dashed for RSR! It will be our first time riding this and we were super pumped!!

There was a bit of a crowd at RSR but they hadn't let people in yet. But a few mins later they did.
















I like the bottle wall!






Thankfully, we were one of the first people to ride it that that day.






Here we go!











OMG this ride is *phenomenal*. 

This ride is worth a trip to California just on it's own.

If you had any doubts about visiting DLR or DCA, just *GO*, if only for this ride. 
The vehicle itself is modeled after test track, but the track and the theme are amped up to a whole other level. It really immerses you in the world of Cars. Even if you're not a huge Cars fan (I have seen it and don't love it as much as other Disney movies), you will still love it. It does not even compare to Test Track. This is one of Disney's finest rides, IMO!

Our first ride picture: CS and I had not figured out where the ride camera was.






Then since the wait was only 20 mins at that point we got on RSR again. 
Note that the FP machines don't actually start working until regular park opening hours (10am). We were planning to get one right when it hit 10am.

And here's our 2nd ride picture. I'm a mess!






After RSR we headed over to Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters. It's a cute little ride with little cars that move around in a dance formation. What really impressed me with Carsland is the attention to detail. The theming is great, and there are so many references to Cars.




































I wanted to get some breakfast so we stopped at Flo's V-8 Cafe. At this point it was 10am and FP machines were up and running so DH went off to grab FP for RSR. The FP machines for this are not exactly near the ride, they are located before you enter Carsland outside of the Bugs Life area. DH just told me to order anything for him.

Meanwhile at Flo's:





















We decided to share the American Breakfast, the Chicken Tamale, and the Brioche French Toast. 

*American Breakfast:* pretty standard breakfast platter that has your basic eggs, bacon, home fries and biscuit. It was good although not that interesting.






*Chicken Tamale:* This was delicious. It was flavorful and came with a spicy salsa verde and topped with fresh pico de gallo. Yum! I would totally get this again.






*Brioche French Toast: *Served with a rich caramel sauce and bananas, this reminded us of 'Ohana's dessert minus the ice cream ball. It was really good! Kinda like a banana bread pudding more than a French toast. I would totally get this again!






Overall we were very impressed with the flavors and generous portions of our breakfast. DH liked the tamale as I assumed he would since he loves anything spicy. Their salsa verde has a nice kick! The quick service spot is also very spacious making it a nice place for a meal or just to cool down from the heat.











After breakfast we went back out to Carlsand and did Tomater's Junkyard Jamboree. I have no idea why but it quickly became my sister's favorite go-to ride. This ride kinda tosses you back and forth by throwing you in a figure 8 type loop. It's not too crazy but it definitely takes you for a spin. I think my sister just enjoyed the feeling the ride gave her, she was laughing so much. She always rode it solo except the one time I went in her ride car and we kept being tossed into each other. I just liked seeing her laughing on this ride. It was quite funny.











After that CS and I decided to hang around Carsland until our RSR FP window opened up while DH wanted to run over to do TSMM before the lines got to long. So while he did that, CS and I went to take some pictures. It was the end of Lightning McQueen's turn but in came Towmater right behind him!






I'm sure my sister told him he had her favorite ride. 











The cars were cute. They talk too! Just pre-coined phrases though.

I loved the look of these cozy cones! They each sold something different so if you wanted popcorn you had to go to one cone, bread-cone snack, to another cone etc. Luckily most of the time the lines weren't too long at each cone. 






I got myself this magical drink at Cone-Coctions: Red's Apple Freeze, which is a dead-ringer for a LeFou's brew.






It was yummy and hit the spot on this warm day!

When DH came back we had enough time to go on one more ride before RSR again, so we chose Luigi since it was so cute. Although I'm sure CS was secretly wishing to go back on Towmater. She'll have plenty of chances to on this trip though!











Now it was time for RSR again! Such an amazing ride, we all just loved it. I'll upload some ride video later as it's really cool if you've never experienced it before. Although I like to be surprised on rides for the first time, so I didn't personally watch ride videos of RSR before going on it. I watched a small clip of the beginning and that was about it.






Woohoo! This time I figured out where the ride photo camera was!

What a fun morning in Carsland! We were next headed to Paradise Pier for lunch with the Princesses at Ariel's Grotto! Stay tuned!
​


----------



## Raeven

Yum that french toast looks so delicious!


----------



## ArielSRL

Sounds like a fun morning!! I really, really need to get back to DLR. I am definitely interested in the ride video. I'm thinking my boys, who love CARS, probably wouldn't ride it yet though, so its probably best we wait a couple of years.

Looking forward to lunch!


----------



## rentayenta

Fun update! I love RSR too. I hope you got the chance to ride it at night.


----------



## Saphire5742

Cars Land looks like a lot of fun. LOVE LOVE LOVE all your photos. Only a little over a year for me.....



chunkymonkey said:


> Brioche French Toast: Served with bananas, this reminded us of 'Ohana's dessert minus the ice cream ball. It was really good! Kinda like a banana bread bread pudding more than a French toast. I would totally get this again!



This would totally be what I would order too. Looks delish. Will definitely need to remember this



chunkymonkey said:


> I got myself this magical drink at Cone-Coctions: Red's Apple Freeze, which is a dead-ringer for a LeFou's brew.



Totally getting this too. I LOVE apple juice!


----------



## bcwife76

Carsland and RSR = the BEST!!!!!!!! So jelly you got to ride RSR 3 times before lunch 

Luigi's did not impress us.....we all found it very yawn-worthy. Towmater - love it, we usually do that one several times in a row! But when we do it, I have to ride with our eldest dd every time - the first time we rode it when my kids were really little I almost CRUSHED my youngest DD (who was barely 3 at the time) because the darn thing swings you around so much. So from then on I can only ride with my eldest  Like seriously, the little one ended up being bruised on her leg because of it  But she doesn't remember so she keeps going back to that ride 

Breakfast at Flo's, so yummy! Easily one of the best deals for a meal in the parks. 

Can't wait to read about your lunch at Ariel's; this last trip we ended up cancelling Ariel's in favour of Carthay Circle.


----------



## franandaj

I have to agree that RSR is really one of the best rides on Disney properties.  It has great effects, thrills and everything you want in a ride.  HM is the only other ride that competes for me.

I've never been able to experience breakfast at Flo's as we never get going that early in the morning even if we are staying at the hotel (which is rare). Sounds good though!

You definitely made good use of EMH and FP to get a lot of rides on RSR.


----------



## dizneeat

*Could not agree with you more on RSR! What an AWESOME, AWESOME ride - we loved it too!!

We totally missed having breakfast in the park - the hotel we stayed at offered a free breakfast and while it was nothing special it got you going. But I would have been all over that French Toast - it looked wonderful.*


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## franandaj

RSR is probably my favorite ride as well.  You guys did great with a combination of Rope drop and Fast Passes to get a lot of rides in that morning.  Breakfast sounds like it's really good there.  We never go early enough to have breakfast at the park.


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## chunkymonkey

Raeven said:


> Yum that french toast looks so delicious!



It was really good! I was surprised at how good the food offerings at DLR and DCA were. 



ArielSRL said:


> Sounds like a fun morning!! I really, really need to get back to DLR. I am definitely interested in the ride video. I'm thinking my boys, who love CARS, probably wouldn't ride it yet though, so its probably best we wait a couple of years.
> 
> Looking forward to lunch!



I will look through my video files and see if I have one worth uploading! I have bits and pieces of video from the ride here and there. It's super cool and we all just loved it. If your boys don't ride TT then they probably won't ride this but it beats TT hands down. 



rentayenta said:


> Fun update! I love RSR too. I hope you got the chance to ride it at night.



Thanks! Actually I can't remember if we rode it at night. Maybe just prior to sundown...I wish we did though.



Saphire5742 said:


> Cars Land looks like a lot of fun. LOVE LOVE LOVE all your photos. Only a little over a year for me.....



Thanks!! You're going to have a blast. Lots of cute spots in this land.



Saphire5742 said:


> This would totally be what I would order too. Looks delish. Will definitely need to remember this
> 
> Totally getting this too. I LOVE apple juice!



It's really delicious and the Red Apple's Freeze really hit the spot on a hot day! I was quite impressed with the food offereings at DLR and DCA. 



bcwife76 said:


> Carsland and RSR = the BEST!!!!!!!! So jelly you got to ride RSR 3 times before lunch



Yes! I was so excited to ride this, it was definitely a big draw for me to to go to California!



bcwife76 said:


> Luigi's did not impress us.....we all found it very yawn-worthy. Towmater - love it, we usually do that one several times in a row! But when we do it, I have to ride with our eldest dd every time - the first time we rode it when my kids were really little I almost CRUSHED my youngest DD (who was barely 3 at the time) because the darn thing swings you around so much. So from then on I can only ride with my eldest  Like seriously, the little one ended up being bruised on her leg because of it  But she doesn't remember so she keeps going back to that ride



Luigi's ride itself is not that exciting but I thought the cars were really cute. The music also changes each round. I was hoping to get the "Hey Mambo, Mambo Italiano" song but we got some other Italian tune. Towmater's is such a funny ride, you definitely crush the person you're riding with though! DH and I kept crushing each other too. Aww your poor DD, but I'm glad she liked it so much to forget about it! 




bcwife76 said:


> Breakfast at Flo's, so yummy! Easily one of the best deals for a meal in the parks.



Isn't it? It was a yummy breakfast. We really enjoyed it!



bcwife76 said:


> Can't wait to read about your lunch at Ariel's; this last trip we ended up cancelling Ariel's in favour of Carthay Circle.



Hmm, tough decision! We enjoyed the atmosphere at Ariel's but the food at Carthay Circle is sooo good!



franandaj said:


> I have to agree that RSR is really one of the best rides on Disney properties.  It has great effects, thrills and everything you want in a ride.  HM is the only other ride that competes for me.



It's such a great ride. Granted I've never been to other Disney parks in the world except for Tokyo Disneyland (but not for over 30 years) but until then...it's the best ride in the US!



franandaj said:


> I've never been able to experience breakfast at Flo's as we never get going that early in the morning even if we are staying at the hotel (which is rare). Sounds good though!
> 
> You definitely made good use of EMH and FP to get a lot of rides on RSR.



We thoroughly enjoyed breakfast at Flos. So yummy! 
And we were lucky to be able to ride RSR so many times! 



dizneeat said:


> *Could not agree with you more on RSR! What an AWESOME, AWESOME ride - we loved it too!!*


*
*
It's soooo good! I really want to go back for that ride!
*


dizneeat said:



			We totally missed having breakfast in the park - the hotel we stayed at offered a free breakfast and while it was nothing special it got you going. But I would have been all over that French Toast - it looked wonderful.
		
Click to expand...

*
It was quite good! I would probably have eaten breakfast at my hotel and stopped to get that french toast as a "snack" before lunch! Hehe.



franandaj said:


> RSR is probably my favorite ride as well.  You guys did great with a combination of Rope drop and Fast Passes to get a lot of rides in that morning.  Breakfast sounds like it's really good there.  We never go early enough to have breakfast at the park.



Thanks! Definitely one of the greatest rides we've been on. Flo's was quite yummy and a great breakfast option in the park. Actually probably one of the few places actually open for breakfast as we didn't see much else at DCA.


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 6 Part 2: Lunch with the Princesses*

We headed over to Paradise Pier about 30 minutes before check in for our ADR at Ariel's Grotto. On the way we walked through the Boudin Bakery tour and we got samples of their yummy sourdough bread. We watched them make the many boules of sourdough bread...it all looked mouthwatering-ly good. If I were a baker I'd just eat all my profits. 




















We also made a dash to Ghiradelli's to get the free chocolate samples but those were finished before I could take a picture!

Here are some scenes from our walk to Paradise Pier:



















We saw a little bit of the Green Soldiers show. It was cute and they developed a bit of a crowd. But we had some princesses to meet, and we can't keep royalty waiting so off we go...











To our destination for lunch:






I had eaten here once. I can't remember much about the food but I do remember they had a bunch of different princesses. The menu's completely different from when we were last here in any case, and I hoped it was good.

We checked in and got a buzzer so we stood outside to wait. I wandered into a few stores before we finally got buzzed, maybe 15 minutes later. 






So there is a bit of a line when you enter the restaurant because everyone waits for a picture with Ariel. I don't think it took that long though so it wasn't too bad.

Ariel was very cute and sweet. She loved my dress (it's black with turquoise outlines of Ariel under the sea on it), and of course she loved my sister's whole ensemble which is a cute Little Mermaid look. We definitely dressed the part in preparation for today! Unfortunately DH does not have an under the sea look so maybe I should get him a King Triton t shirt or something or maybe Namor-related.














She asked if we had thingamabobs but we told her we forgot them but we were about to go to the beauty salon to comb our hair with forks! 

We were seated outside with a lovely view of the Mickey Wheel. 






It was really nice to be sitting outside in such good weather. It was also a little less crazy than inside and was more peaceful to sit by the water.

Our menu:






We were brought some sourdough bread rolls with butter, most likely from Boudin Bakery next door. OMG yum, they were hot and fresh, and I scarfed down two of them immediately...definitely the reason why I should not work in a bakery. We ordered iced teas for CS and I and Diet Coke for DH.






We put in our orders and our server told us our visitors will be with us shortly. It's really cute as when they come out, they do a little dance to introduce the princess to us.

First was Belle...I love Belle! I've decided I might run the 5k with a Belle-inspired look.











We were served soup or salad and I think we all got the soup but I must have forgotten to get a picture of it. I think it was a seafood chowder or something like that.

Here's Snow White...she spoke with a cute little squeaky voice.











Cinderella...











And finally Tiana...she's always so fun to talk to.











 In the midst of everything, our entrees came...DH and I both got the Grilled Lobster Tail Salad:






It was very fresh and good but otherwise just a nice salad with a very small lobster tail. It was actually a very large salad that I couldn't finish all the greens.

My sister got the Shrimp with Angel Hair:






It was quite good but also a very large portion. It needed some Parmesan cheese but my sister doesn't really care of the stuff so she didn't get any.

Here's a close-up of that lobster tail:






My sister decided to buy the photo package with her picture (of course!). While we were waiting DH suddenly stands up and said, I'm going to get fastpasses for RSR! So he rushes off. It was ok as there was a bit of a lull in the service and no more princesses to meet. We did get our trio of desserts:






The madeleine was decent and the chocolate thing was very standard. I remember the creme brulee was pretty good though. I got DH's dessert trio to go since he said he wasn't going to come back after getting the FP+. He was going to head back to the resort for a swim and I'd meet him there.

It was a very fun lunch and we met many princesses! The food was actually better than I remembered and the ambiance was nice. 

CS said she was going to spend the afternoon doing some penny machine hunting and to meet characters so I went back to the Grand Californian for a rest.

Coming up...it's a superhero kinda day!​


----------



## ArielSRL

Yay! The Princesses! I would love for a princess lunch not at Akershus or CRT at WDW. Eh, what am I talking about? My boys would never go for it. Boo hoo.

So I'll live vicariously through you again! Lunch looks wonderful. Cinderella looks so Conderella-ish! She really stands out. And I love your sister's outfit!

Looking forward to more!


----------



## Raeven

What a gorgeous view and a fun lunch! We're doing CRT in May for the first time, but Ariel's Grotto looks awesome too.


----------



## bcwife76

yay for princesses! What a gorgeous view, lucky you got to sit outside! Looking at the food you had, I think we still made the right choice (for us) to change to Carthay Circle. No princesses but the food was excellent!


----------



## cinderkelly

chunkymonkey said:


> OMG this ride is *phenomenal*.
> 
> This ride is worth a trip to California just on it's own.



110% agree!!  I think RSR is the best ride of all Disney parks.  We try to make it our first and last ride of our DLR trips.  I hope you got to ride it at night, it's so cool!



chunkymonkey said:


> What really impressed me with Carsland is the attention to detail.



Again, agree!  They did an amazing job with Carsland.



chunkymonkey said:


> Red's Apple Freeze, which is a dead-ringer for a LeFou's brew.



Ah, I wondered that!

Your ariel's grotto lunch looked fun.  We did it when our youngest turned 5.  We had a good time but she didn't eat a thing she was so enchanted with the princesses.  Looks like you had a beautiful day for sitting outside.  I love the feel of Paradise Pier . It's got a great vibe to it


----------



## chunkymonkey

ArielSRL said:


> Yay! The Princesses! I would love for a princess lunch not at Akershus or CRT at WDW. Eh, what am I talking about? My boys would never go for it. Boo hoo.



Haha think it's time for a solo princess lunch for mommy!



ArielSRL said:


> o I'll live vicariously through you again! Lunch looks wonderful. Cinderella looks so Conderella-ish! She really stands out. And I love your sister's outfit!
> 
> Looking forward to more!



It was a really cute lunch. Better ambiance than Akershus, cheaper than CRT, but I would say the food is about the same among the 3 restaurants. The rolls at Ariel's Grotto though, are amazing!



Raeven said:


> What a gorgeous view and a fun lunch! We're doing CRT in May for the first time, but Ariel's Grotto looks awesome too.



Thanks! It was fun. We enjoyed CRT but it was pricey and there were a lot of kids. You do get to keep the magic wand though which I thought was cool.



bcwife76 said:


> yay for princesses! What a gorgeous view, lucky you got to sit outside! Looking at the food you had, I think we still made the right choice (for us) to change to Carthay Circle. No princesses but the food was excellent!



I hear you...the food at Carthay Circle is some of the best park food! I still dream about those firecracker duck wings. Sooo good!



cinderkelly said:


> 110% agree!!  I think RSR is the best ride of all Disney parks.  We try to make it our first and last ride of our DLR trips.  I hope you got to ride it at night, it's so cool!



It is soooo good! This is what they should have made TT into! Although I still kinda like TT. Unfortunately I don't think we rode RSR at night. It didnt' get dark until closer to 8pm and then the park closed...lol. 



cinderkelly said:


> Your ariel's grotto lunch looked fun.  We did it when our youngest turned 5.  We had a good time but she didn't eat a thing she was so enchanted with the princesses.  Looks like you had a beautiful day for sitting outside.  I love the feel of Paradise Pier . It's got a great vibe to it



It was a beautiful day for lunch outside! We lucked out with the weather on the trip. and Paradise Pier is so much fun. Love how it feels like an old seaside park on the boardwalk but with Disney touches!


----------



## scrappydew

We did the bakery tour for the first this last trip.  DD loved the samples so much we had to buy sourdough bread once we were home!

Wait, there are free chocolate samples????  How did I not know this????  Definitely next time!

I enjoyed your pictures at Ariel's Grotto.  Although my kids are too old for princesses, the food and location looks awesome!

and I am totally jealous of your trip to Hawaii, especially as central PA is getting all dark and gloomy.   I do NOT want snow this winter....I just might have to hibernate.

You had asked me earlier about scrapbooking getaways....I usually go to ones through a Creative Memories consultant.  The one I'm going to in March is in Carlisle.


----------



## chunkymonkey

scrappydew said:


> We did the bakery tour for the first this last trip.  DD loved the samples so much we had to buy sourdough bread once we were home!



I was totally tempted to buy an entire boule of sourdough bread when we were there but I refrained as we weren't hungry enough between our large meals to eat it. 



scrappydew said:


> Wait, there are free chocolate samples????  How did I not know this????  Definitely next time!



There was always someone standing outside the Ghiradelli shop with a basket of chocolates. Think ours was a sea salt caramel chocolate.



scrappydew said:


> I enjoyed your pictures at Ariel's Grotto.  Although my kids are too old for princesses, the food and location looks awesome!



Haha I know we are WAAAAAAY too old for princesses and I'm sure DH would rather be riding TSM again, but I just couldn't resist! My sister especially is really into wearing her princess dresses and meeting them. I think they need adult BBB just for her. Yes she is in her mid-30s. LOL



scrappydew said:


> and I am totally jealous of your trip to Hawaii, especially as central PA is getting all dark and gloomy.   I do NOT want snow this winter....I just might have to hibernate.



It was sooo amazing. I am re-reading your TR to Hawaii....sigh it really brings back memories. It's pouring rain here in NYC and it's dark and gloomy...blech. I can't wait to share pics of our trip on my PTR! I'm so behind on everything. And we leave for WDW this Friday! I hope it's warm!



scrappydew said:


> You had asked me earlier about scrapbooking getaways....I usually go to ones through a Creative Memories consultant.  The one I'm going to in March is in Carlisle.



Neat! I will definitely have to tell my sister about this!


----------



## franandaj

The princess meal looked like fun!  Someday I'll have to try that, there are just so many other things that are higher up on my list and never enough time!

You'll be happy to know that Hyperspace mountain. Is back. I was able to ride it yesterday!


----------



## chunkymonkey

franandaj said:


> The princess meal looked like fun!  Someday I'll have to try
> that, there are just so many other things that are higher up on my list and never enough time!
> 
> You'll be happy to know that Hyperspace mountain. Is back. I was able to ride it yesterday!



It's a fun lunch, food was not bad, but I don't see this as a must-do on every trip. I don't really do a princess meal on each trip but I know for sure when I take my nieces to WDW next year it's gonna be princess this and princess that!

I AM SO JEALOUS!!!!!! Oh what I would give to ride it again!
But considering I'm spending all my travel money next year with our WDW trips, it will have to wait


----------



## caitlinnf

LOVING this report. We will be there in 6 weeks and I can't wait!


----------



## magichusky

Finally caught up! What a great TR! I showed my mom your excellent photos of the WOC dessert party and now we're kind of obsessed- she still has not ever seen WOC. I'm also now craving sourdough bread!


----------



## pepperandchips

So glad I found your TR! We are planning a trip next summer visiting Aulani, Kauai, and Disneyland so you are the knowledge jackpot! Disneyland looks like it was so much fun and now I wish the next 7 months would pass faster. It's definitely a different experience planning Disneyland than our usual WDW since there's really nothing to plan this far out!


----------



## chunkymonkey

caitlinnf said:


> LOVING this report. We will be there in 6 weeks and I can't wait!



thank you! I'm so jealous! Have a great time. I NEED to ride Hyperspace mountain again. In fact, I was just in WDW this past weekend and I didn't ride Space Mountain once. It just did not appeal to me after Hyperspace mountain!



magichusky said:


> Finally caught up! What a great TR! I showed my mom your excellent photos of the WOC dessert party and now we're kind of obsessed- she still has not ever seen WOC. I'm also now craving sourdough bread!



Thank you! The WOC dessert party was awesome. It's so nice to have table service and seats. In contrast, we just went to the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam party this past weekend at Hollywood Studios and it was a madhouse - people lining up for food and drinks. Sigh. At least there were seats but since it was only DH and I we had to share with some others.
The sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery is soooo good! I don't get anything like that out here. I miss it!



pepperandchips said:


> So glad I found your TR! We are planning a trip next summer visiting Aulani, Kauai, and Disneyland so you are the knowledge jackpot! Disneyland looks like it was so much fun and now I wish the next 7 months would pass faster. It's definitely a different experience planning Disneyland than our usual WDW since there's really nothing to plan this far out!



Hi!!! Yes we love Hawaii and Disney! I have an Aulani TR *here *from our trip a few years ago. I'm sure things have changed a bit since then though. I have also posted some pictures from our recent Hawaii trip in my PTR in case you're interested. I love Oahu and think it's great. *Kauai *is wonderful as well. I spent my birthday there last year and it literally is the most gorgeous island. It sounds like an epic trip and I hope you have an amazing time!!


----------



## cptmemo

Reading your lunch report I realize we never got the bread So sad


----------



## chunkymonkey

cptmemo said:


> Reading your lunch report I realize we never got the bread So sad



Oh no, no bread?!? That is sad indeed. I LOVE bread.


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 6 Part 3: It's like New York but in California!*

While DH and I went for a quick swim back at our hotel, CS went on her character hunting and penny pressing spree. 
















My sister headed back to the room to change and then we all headed to RSR where we had FP. One of the great things about paper FP is the fact you can ride these big ticket rides multiple times a day as long as you were willing to keep getting the FP before they run out. DH was on point with that!

Here we are dressed in our Captain America finest!






After RSR we went back on Towmater of course since my sister loved it so much!











It was at this point that my sister realized she left her photos that she bought at Ariel's Grotto somewhere at DCA. She traced her steps back and she thinks she left them in a store when she was pressing her pennies. So she went off to get them, in the direction of the Hyperion Theater. We thought we would just go there anyways so we followed her.






She did find her pictures at the store she thought she left them in. Whew! We walked over to where she met with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde and they had no line so we were front and center for a picture!






Se then went on the Monsters Inc ride. This ride is also not in Florida. Here's my sister posing with the pictures she had thought she lost.














I forgot how cute this was! 
After Monsters Inc we had to run back to Soarin' because we also had an FP for that. 






We realized then it was almost time for Spiderman and Captain America meet n greets so we headed back over to the other side of the park. Their meet n greet area was really cute and looked like a block of New York City! Which is appropriate as Spderman is from Queens and Cap from Brooklyn.






There were plenty of people in line and we waited about 15 minutes for them to come out and then another 20 minutes for our turn. It was worth it though as these are my first pics with the superheroes! Marvel Day at Sea, I'm ready for you!









Not sure what my sister was trying to say to Spiderman above but she looked very passionate about it!











Cap was very fun and I of course blurted out "Can I touch your shield?" like a rabid teenage fan, and he said sure but don't punch it as I could potentially break my arm like the last person!









After our fun meeting with the Marvel characters we hopped on over to Disneyland. 






We did a few rides including BTMRR and Jungle Cruise






I captured this pic as we were walking to Tomorrowland:






We headed over to Launch bay to get our light side and dark side pics. I did a quick t-shirt change so I could wear my Star Wars t-shirt for our meet n greets.






I swear I want to crack up each time I meet Kylo Ren!

Chewie loved my t-shirt!














Since the park closed so early we headed on out. We took the monorail for the first time over to Downtown Disney and we went to Earl or Sandwich for dinner.






This was actually my first time here! The sandwiches were good, we got the thanksgiving dinner and the roast beef. Yum!

Sorry not a great pic of these sandwiches but we sat outside and it was dark. They were hot and melty and really tasty!











Downtown Disney was hoppin' so CS and I stayed to walk around and we had to get a churro for dessert!






We walked into many of the stores and shopped around before we headed back. I'm so glad Downtown Disney is open so late and is so close to our room. Definitely a Plus.

Coming up the next day...character breakfast at Storytellers!
​


----------



## franandaj

Nice bunch of characters for that day! Where was the Marvel meet and greet? I've never seen that section of the park!


----------



## ArielSRL

Wow...seems like you guys accomplished a lot! I need to stop reading your report because it is really reinforcing that I need a DLR trip in a few years!


----------



## bcwife76

Wow you guys did so many character meet and greets, this is something we really never do at Disneyland unless we happen to walk by and see one happening (and the line is short lol)!

LOVE that photo at night of the castle and walt in the foreground, very cool!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

franandaj said:


> Nice bunch of characters for that day! Where was the Marvel meet and greet? I've never seen that section of the park!



Thanks! It was in Hollywoodland somewhere in the back. It was a little hidden as it wasn't obvious until you kinda turn slightly. That's what I remember as I was looking for it!



ArielSRL said:


> Wow...seems like you guys accomplished a lot! I need to stop reading your report because it is really reinforcing that I need a DLR trip in a few years!



LOL, yes we did have to pack in a lot during our days since the park closed so early. By 7 everything was dead. Even if we wanted to eat in the parks, restaurants started shutting down, that's why we went to EoS. I really wanted to ttry the fried chicken at Plaza Inn for dinner but again, closed by 7 even though the park closed at 8! 



bcwife76 said:


> Wow you guys did so many character meet and greets, this is something we really never do at Disneyland unless we happen to walk by and see one happening (and the line is short lol)!
> 
> LOVE that photo at night of the castle and walt in the foreground, very cool!!



Thanks! Yeah the Character meets were kinda random for us because we didnt' know where everyone met. Of course my sister figured it out pretty quickly!
Thanks! Always a cool shot with the partners statue!


----------



## Dentam

chunkymonkey said:


>



This is a great pic of you two!  

I've still never eaten at Earl of Sandwich - need to do that on our next trip!


----------



## Saphire5742

Such cute character pics you all have.
LOVE your sister's Ariel dress.
Dining with Princesses is always exciting. That's cool that Tiana meets there too.
I remember loving Universal's NYC section so I might just have to head on over to meet Spidey and the Captain.
Earl of Sandwich is so so good. Making me hungry for a good old Thanksgiving sandwich. And their delicious sides. YUM!!!!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Dentam said:


> This is a great pic of you two!



Thank you!!



Dentam said:


> I've still never eaten at Earl of Sandwich - need to do that on our next trip!



It was our first time! I thought it was good. But I was also really hungry. It's basically a really good sandwich which I'm sure you can find at other places. But the combinations we got were really tasty. I would definitely return. There's actually an EOS in NYC although I never visited. It's in midtown in the heart of tourist/office central so I don't bother going there much.



Saphire5742 said:


> Such cute character pics you all have.
> LOVE your sister's Ariel dress.



Thanks! Yes, my sister takes her Disney dressing up very seriously!



Saphire5742 said:


> Dining with Princesses is always exciting. That's cool that Tiana meets there too.



I was happy Tiana was there! It was a cute meal and I loved that we got to sit outside in nice weather.



Saphire5742 said:


> I remember loving Universal's NYC section so I might just have to head on over to meet Spidey and the Captain.
> Earl of Sandwich is so so good. Making me hungry for a good old Thanksgiving sandwich. And their delicious sides. YUM!!!!!



I was really happy to meet the Marvel heroes as it was our first character pics with them. I'm excited to go on our Marvel Day at Sea cruise next year!

EOS was very tasty! I didn't try their sides though, so maybe next time!


----------



## ArielSRL

I started the ground work for a summer 2018 DLR trip. My dad wants to rent an RV so I said, let's do it and drive out there. We will get one for a couple/few weeks and hit some national parks, too (I did a 7 week road trip one summer before kids and dad did 2.5 weeks of it with me). Now, to convince Mom.


----------



## chunkymonkey

ArielSRL said:


> I started the ground work for a summer 2018 DLR trip. My dad wants to rent an RV so I said, let's do it and drive out there. We will get one for a couple/few weeks and hit some national parks, too (I did a 7 week road trip one summer before kids and dad did 2.5 weeks of it with me). Now, to convince Mom.



Sounds like a fun trip!  I've always wanted to do an RV road trip either down to FL or maybe cross country and visit all the national parks and landmarks too!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 7 Part 1: Breakfast with the Critters*

We awoke this morning for an early breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe. It was very convenient that the restaurant was actually in the Grand Californian so we didn't have to go far. Breakfast is a character meal called *Chip n Dale's Critter Breakfast*. It sounded like a lot of fun and we were looking forward to this!











The feeling inside the restaurant is very warm and inviting. I liked it as soon as I walked in. We were seated almost immediately when we arrived.











I really liked this border around the walls of the restaurant. 






Breakfast here is a buffet affair. We ordered our coffees and juices and hit the buffet.











The buffet wasn't huge but everything looked fresh and appetizing. There's also an omelet bar:






There's your standard breakfast fare including Mickey waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns etc. Everything was prepared well.






I liked the chilaquiles as that is something we don't see very often in the north east.

After we were done with our "first" round of the buffet, the characters started appearing! First up was Chip.






DH conveniently wore his Chip n Dale t-shirt today!











When I saw this bear I thought he was Koda, so I asked, are you Koda? and he responded by nodding his head happily! I figured it would be either Kenai or Koda since I have never seen Brother Bear. 









Then our favorite pup himself, Pluto! Pluto had a strong bear hug so I had to contort myself a bit weird in the pic below, LOL.











Apparently Dale was having an off day because we saw Chip again, but no Dale.






He played a game of peek-a-boo with us!






Sadly we waited a while and there was no Dale. Think he was being held up in the other section. Since we had already had a few rounds of buffet at this point, we weren't going to eat anymore and we were just waiting around for Dale. We decided to just head to the park. Oh well! Otherwise a nice enjoyable breakfast at Storytellers. 

We headed into DCA that morning using the entrance from the GC. It was EMH so we headed straight to Carsland to RSR. I think the ride might have been down that morning...because I don't remember riding it and we don't have a ride pic, so we did other rides while we were there...including Towmater and Luigi's.
















Since those two rides barely took up any time, we headed to Soarin.











There was literally no one here at this time. While we were second on line, we were chatting with the lovely family in front of us. The mom worked part time at the Disney Store and she said even part-timers get incredible benefits at Disney Parks. She said she gets something like 16 free day passes to the parks each year for friends n family! Sounds pretty cool to me and I kept nudging my sister to go get a job there!

When EMH was over we grabbed some FP+ for Soarin' for later. I know DH grabbed FP+ for the Hyperion theater for the Frozen show as well as World of Color. As he was doing that I think CS and I hung around Carsland a bit and took some PP pictures.











I think DH went to get a head start running over to TSM so we met up in Paradise Pier.






I had to take a picture of my score this time as I think this is my second-best score I've ever gotten! 206,500!






After TSM, we ran back to Soarin to use our FP+ and grabbed an FP+ for RSR for later. At this point, DH and I had to leave the park to meet DH's parents for lunch. DH's dad had a doctors appointment near Anaheim so we were going to meet them for some dim sum. CS decided to stay in the park and meet more characters. We would meet up after lunch to use our RSR FP+

Coming up this evening, more DCA , the Frozen show, and WoC take 2!​


----------



## bcwife76

No Dale? Boo!

I've definitely considered getting a part time job at the Disney Store, just not sure if the Canadian stores offer the same benefits. I'll probably look into it soon though as my kids are getting older and I need to keep busy!

Love the theming of Storytellers, I think it's a very underrated breakfast since it's off in the hotel and not actually in the parks. Too bad, looks good 

PS. I finally completed my Disneyland miniTR!


----------



## ArielSRL

OMG about Dale! You've probably read about @ariane37 's experiences of missing one of those pesky chipmunks at GG! So crazy!

The meal looks good though and sounds like you guys got a bit done after breakfast! I guess the Luigi ride is what replaces the tire ride that was there? I watched a 2014 blog that had the tire ride but it was closing and I remember a new ride opening so I'm hassuming it's the Luigi one?

Looking forward to more!


----------



## disnygirl55

Spent an enjoyable morning catching up - excellent report, as always. Added that WOC dessert party to my "must dos" - just fantastic!


----------



## Dugette

Caught up here now!



chunkymonkey said:


> OMG this ride is *phenomenal*.
> 
> This ride is worth a trip to California just on it's own.
> 
> If you had any doubts about visiting DLR or DCA, just *GO*, if only for this ride.
> The vehicle itself is modeled after test track, but the track and the theme are amped up to a whole other level. It really immerses you in the world of Cars. Even if you're not a huge Cars fan (I have seen it and don't love it as much as other Disney movies), you will still love it. It does not even compare to Test Track. This is one of Disney's finest rides, IMO!


Totally agree. I have a burning desire to go back to Disneyland, in large part because Izzy is now tall enough for RSR and would LOVE it. We sure did. Great ride. But, alas, I don't think Disneyland is in the cards for 2017.



chunkymonkey said:


> After breakfast we went back out to Carlsand and did Tomater's Junkyard Jamboree. I have no idea why but it quickly became my sister's favorite go-to ride. This ride kinda tosses you back and forth by throwing you in a figure 8 type loop. It's not too crazy but it definitely takes you for a spin. I think my sister just enjoyed the feeling the ride gave her, she was laughing so much. She always rode it solo except the one time I went in her ride car and we kept being tossed into each other. I just liked seeing her laughing on this ride. It was quite funny.


It's a surprisingly fun ride. It's kind-of like a "scrambler" type ride, but it's just so cute and has the fun music, etc. Izzy got a kick out of it, so we rode quite a few times. Glad your sis found something she enjoyed so much!



chunkymonkey said:


> The cars were cute. They talk too! Just pre-coined phrases though.


I loved that the cars drove around and interacted!



chunkymonkey said:


> It was really nice to be sitting outside in such good weather. It was also a little less crazy than inside and was more peaceful to sit by the water.


We sat on the patio too - really peaceful!



chunkymonkey said:


> When I saw this bear I thought he was Koda, so I asked, are you Koda? and he responded by nodding his head happily! I figured it would be either Kenai or Koda since I have never seen Brother Bear.


Ha, funny, we got Kenai. We had to look up who he was on our phones. 



chunkymonkey said:


> There was literally no one here at this time. While we were second on line, we were chatting with the lovely family in front of us. The mom worked part time at the Disney Store and she said even part-timers get incredible benefits at Disney Parks. She said she gets something like 16 free day passes to the parks each year for friends n family! Sounds pretty cool to me and I kept nudging my sister to go get a job there!


Wow, I had no idea! That's pretty impressive!


----------



## Saphire5742

I was happy to read about your positive experience at Storyteller's. I def need to make a point to watch Brother Bear before I go though.

Haha on trying to convice your sis to get a job at Disney Store for the benefits. I'd be too.


----------



## Raeven

chunkymonkey said:


> Breakfast is a character meal called *Chip n Dale's Critter Breakfast*. It sounded like a lot of fun and we were looking forward to this!



That looks like fun!



chunkymonkey said:


> I really liked this border around the walls of the restaurant.



The restaurant looks cool too.



chunkymonkey said:


> When I saw this bear I thought he was Koda, so I asked, are you Koda? and he responded by nodding his head happily! I figured it would be either Kenai or Koda since I have never seen Brother Bear.



It's so interesting that they have characters there you don't get to see at WDW.


----------



## Bebella

I am loving this trip report! (Honestly, I love all your trip reports! ) Makes me miss DL ...we went in May and I really want to go back! Can I ask, what camera do you use? Your shots are great!!


----------



## chunkymonkey

bcwife76 said:


> No Dale? Boo!



Yeah very strange, but he seemed to be stuck in the other side of the restaurant and we didnt' feel like waiting.



bcwife76 said:


> I've definitely considered getting a part time job at the Disney Store, just not sure if the Canadian stores offer the same benefits. I'll probably look into it soon though as my kids are getting older and I need to keep busy!



Ha, even I have looked into doing this, but my job keeps me pretty busy as it is. I just want to do it for the insane discounts I'd get, lol.



bcwife76 said:


> Love the theming of Storytellers, I think it's a very underrated breakfast since it's off in the hotel and not actually in the parks. Too bad, looks good
> 
> PS. I finally completed my Disneyland miniTR!



It was a cute breakfast, definitely nice to do once. 
Cool! I have to catch up on your TR! Also, have an amazing cruise! It's coming up so soon! I want to see lots of pictures!!



ArielSRL said:


> OMG about Dale! You've probably read about @ariane37 's experiences of missing one of those pesky chipmunks at GG! So crazy!



LOL that's too funny, I have to catch up on Ariane's TR now!



bcwife76 said:


> The meal looks good though and sounds like you guys got a bit done after breakfast! I guess the Luigi ride is what replaces the tire ride that was there? I watched a 2014 blog that had the tire ride but it was closing and I remember a new ride opening so I'm hassuming it's the Luigi one?
> 
> Looking forward to more!



I have no idea if it was the old tire ride as it was our first time to Carsland! It may well be!



disnygirl55 said:


> Spent an enjoyable morning catching up - excellent report, as always. Added that WOC dessert party to my "must dos" - just fantastic!



Thank you so much for reading! The WoC dessert party was fantastic, you will LOVE it!



Dugette said:


> Caught up here now!
> 
> Totally agree. I have a burning desire to go back to Disneyland, in large part because Izzy is now tall enough for RSR and would LOVE it. We sure did. Great ride. But, alas, I don't think Disneyland is in the cards for 2017.



Yeah neither for us too, but RSR is a great ride, every Disney fan should ride at least once!


Dugette said:


> It's a surprisingly fun ride. It's kind-of like a "scrambler" type ride, but it's just so cute and has the fun music, etc. Izzy got a kick out of it, so we rode quite a few times. Glad your sis found something she enjoyed so much!



She had so much fun, it's like her escape, she loved how she felt like she would fly around and she'd crack up. And I'd crack up watching her. LOL



Dugette said:


> I loved that the cars drove around and interacted!



Me too! So cool!



Dugette said:


> We sat on the patio too - really peaceful!



It was! 



Dugette said:


> Ha, funny, we got Kenai. We had to look up who he was on our phones.



Haha, Me too, I had to research on our phones before breakfast!





Saphire5742 said:


> I was happy to read about your positive experience at Storyteller's. I def need to make a point to watch Brother Bear before I go though.



I didn't watch it, I googled it on our phones and we figured it out, LOL



Saphire5742 said:


> Haha on trying to convice your sis to get a job at Disney Store for the benefits. I'd be too.



Yeah totally, right?



Raeven said:


> That looks like fun!
> 
> The restaurant looks cool too.
> 
> It's so interesting that they have characters there you don't get to see at WDW.



It's a fun breakfast with one or two rare characters. We didn't meet that many, the restaurant wasn't crowded so I guess they didn't feel the need to bring out the big guns, lol.



Bebella said:


> I am loving this trip report! (Honestly, I love all your trip reports! ) Makes me miss DL ...we went in May and I really want to go back! Can I ask, what camera do you use? Your shots are great!!



Thank you soooo much for reading!!  I really miss DL too. We had such a great time there really immersing ourselves in everything. 
Thank you! I use a Canon G7X. It's a high-end point and shoot and it's worth every penny to me. Great zoom, and the screen flips up to take selfies too!


----------



## AussieMumma

I'm all caught up on this trip report, I read it all in one go! We were in Disneyland just a couple of weeks after you


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## chunkymonkey

AussieMumma said:


> I'm all caught up on this trip report, I read it all in one go! We were in Disneyland just a couple of weeks after you



Thank you for reading! I hope you had a great time in DLR! Were you able to ride hyperspace mountain or just ghost galaxy?


----------



## AussieMumma

Just ghost galaxy unfortunately....I have never been a fan of that layover  
We were lucky enough to ride hyperspace at the end of 2015, so amazing! It's great that you got to ride it on it's last day, you just made it!!!


----------



## franandaj

Nice to see the Storytellers breakfast, we rarely get to breakfast as we never get up early enough to get out there! Bummer that you didn't get to see Dale!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 7 Part 2: A Break From "Reality"*

Here's some PP Magic shots I forgot to post earlier:











I thought those were cute. 

It's hard to imagine leaving the Disney bubble when you're in Orlando, since the "world" takes up so many acres or land and it surrounds you, but for Disneyland it's very easy to leave Disney property and be in the rest of "California."  We took advantage of an afternoon away from the parks to meet DH's parents who were in town for a doctor's appt. I was toying whether to leave the parks or not, but since we didn't' spend that much time with DH's parents I thought it was the right thing to do. My sister excused herself from lunch and went to look for more pressed pennies and characters. I was also pretty excited because we could eat at my favorite dim sum place, Din Tai Fong. There is no Din Tai Fong on the east coast (well, unless you count Toronto, but it's a good 9 hour drive), so I try to eat there whenever I'm in California. There is one not too far from Anaheim at the South Coast Plaza mall, which is where we met my in-laws for lunch.











This dumpling mascot is found at all Din Tai Fung locations around the world. I've been to the original in Taiwan as well as one in Singapore, and multiple locations in California, and I must say the quality is consistent among all of the restaurants which is pretty impressive! There is also always a wait at every one of them, so be prepared to hang around for a while. We waited about 20 minutes for a table and that's considered short!

At each restaurant you get to watch the dumpling makers do what they do best:






The dumpling skins are made fresh, rolled and stuffed by hand. 






I started with a bubble tea type beverage, but without the tapioca. I really loved this as the tea tasted freshly brewed, slightly sweet, and it had a creamy topping which you stir up and make into a milk tea. It definitely had a true tea leaf flavor, as opposed to a lot of bubble teas which have sweetened flavored powders in them and kinda mask the actual tea.






We had a salad of wood ear mushrooms in a vinegar dressing. Wood ear mushrooms are very common in Chinese cuisine and they are healthy as well! They are actually a bit different from a regular mushroom and have a crunchier texture and not as mushroom-y of a flavor. I really like the texture of these.






We got several orders of their soup dumplings which is what made them famous, we had both the pork and pork and crab versions. I could probably eat 2 trays by myself. 











We also got some other dumplings...which were all great but I really think the soup dumplings are the star of the show. We got some other type of steamed dumpling, but with no soup in them, as well as wontons in a spicy sauce.











Their shrimp fried rice is also one of the best I've ever had. It is simple and extremely tasty. 






For dessert we got some sweet taro dumplings, which are steamed with a sweet taro filling. I love these.











It was a delicious lunch and I was really glad I stepped away from the Disney bubble a bit to get in some of my favorite eats while in town. We said goodbye to the in-laws but that is not the last time we'll be seeing them. On the day we leave, we will all be having brunch at Goofy's Kitchen! Very excited about that.

We headed back to DLR and back to the GC. I had some leftovers to drop off in the room. 
I was surprised but we were actually going to make it to our 3pm FP+ for RSR! I texted my sister but she was having too much fun at Disneyland so she was going to skip on the FP+ so we went by ourselves.






Whee!

My sister had fun meeting some characters in DCA and DL:
















She even changed outfits before going to DLR to meet the princesses. She wanted to wear her Ariel dress again. Now that is dedication.






It paid off though because Ariel was really into her dress!










She also got these really cool magic shots:









Meanwhile we were still in DCA and decided to take some PP pics and head on Grizzly Bear.


























This is us before:






and this is us after:






Yes we got wet. SOAKED in fact. On the way out we saw Chip and Dale so I finally got a picture with Dale, hehe.










See how wet we got? (BTW, we are all color-coordinated in this shot!)

But no worries, the entrance back to our hotel was right there in front of Grizzly Peak! So we headed back up to change. It was then I got a text from my sister saying, where are you?

Oops, I forgot we had FP for the Frozen show at the Hyperion!! So we very quickly changed and ran over to the Hyperion with barely any time to spare...oh why is the Hyperion theater so far away?!?

...do we make it? Stay tuned!
​


----------



## chunkymonkey

AussieMumma said:


> Just ghost galaxy unfortunately....I have never been a fan of that layover
> We were lucky enough to ride hyperspace at the end of 2015, so amazing! It's great that you got to ride it on it's last day, you just made it!!!



Yeah that Ghastly Galaxy, I mean Ghost Galaxy is just horrendous. 
I can't believe that Disney would think up such  monstrosity. I mean I know it's Halloween and they want to have scary attractions, but please, it's just scary thinking how bad the overlay was 
That's great you got to ride Hyperspace! I'm so sad we only got to ride it that one day but at least we got to do it twice.



franandaj said:


> Nice to see the Storytellers breakfast, we rarely get to breakfast as we never get up early enough to get out there! Bummer that you didn't get to see Dale!



We were luckily on East Cost time (although that was slowly fading away) so we were able to get up at a decent time, and it was in the hotel too so that made it easier. I definitely don't do too many early breakfasts unless it's in the parks. We didn't get to see Dale at breakfast but we saw him later (as you see in my post above)


----------



## pepperandchips

Loving your report! I am getting so excited about Disneyland. Our DVC waitlist matched for 2 of the 3 nights so far so we will be staying at the Grand Californian Villas! I am so thrilled. You and sis are adorable in all your themed outfits. I'm going to have to start thinking ahead to plan out matching outfits for the parks..


----------



## franandaj

Loved the update of the off campus meet up!  Is that a place where they do the traditional Dim Sum with the carts and stuff?  I have never tried Dim Sum and really want to as I love Chinese food, I've tried Yelp and found a few places in Garden Grove, but this place sounds a lot better.


----------



## chunkymonkey

pepperandchips said:


> Loving your report! I am getting so excited about Disneyland. Our DVC waitlist matched for 2 of the 3 nights so far so we will be staying at the Grand Californian Villas! I am so thrilled. You and sis are adorable in all your themed outfits. I'm going to have to start thinking ahead to plan out matching outfits for the parks..



Thank you so much! You're going to have a great time at the GC! Nothing will beat the convenience!
Thank you! My sister takes her dressing up very seriously at the parks. She has to coordinate with the characters of the theme. I just wear whatever is cute and comfortable!



franandaj said:


> Loved the update of the off campus meet up!  Is that a place where they do the traditional Dim Sum with the carts and stuff?  I have never tried Dim Sum and really want to as I love Chinese food, I've tried Yelp and found a few places in Garden Grove, but this place sounds a lot better.



Din Tai Fung is Taiwanese style dim sum so it's not the ones with the carts (that's usually Cantonese). Basically you have a menu and a piece of paper with the items listed and you pick out which ones you want on the paper, put down a quantity next to each item and give it to your server. Din Tai fung specializes in soup dumplings but everything there is good so you can't go wrong. If you've never had a soup dumpling here's a bit of a tutorial: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/01/how-to-eat-a-soup-dumpling-guide_n_7183530.html
There is liquid soup inside so it's best not to shove the whole thing in your month otherwise you'll get burned. I pretty much follow the steps in the article. Bite a smallhole in the dumpling, pour the soup out on your spoon, sip the soup, and then savor the dumpling (dip it into the ginger and vinegar dipping sauce they give you). It's unlike any other dumpling out there and it's delicious. The have different kinds and we usually stick to pork or pork and crab.

I hope you do get to try it one day, although you might be spoiled after eating here There are different locations throughout California.http://dintaifungusa.com/locations_us/


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## Neverland_Girl

I had dim sum for the first time last summer in Hawaii, and now I'm obsessed. I think we are going to Seattle this summer for vacation and I saw this place on TripAdvisor. Now I have to go it looks so good! Any other recommendations besides the soup dumplings?


----------



## chunkymonkey

Neverland_Girl said:


> I had dim sum for the first time last summer in Hawaii, and now I'm obsessed. I think we are going to Seattle this summer for vacation and I saw this place on TripAdvisor. Now I have to go it looks so good! Any other recommendations besides the soup dumplings?



Mmm lucky! You have to go there! The Seattle one is supposed to be great (but they are all great)!
I have not had a bad dish there, seriously. I'm assuming Seattle might be a little rainy so you may want to try some of their noodle soups. A popular Taiwanese dish is the braised beef noodle soup. So comforting on a cold or rainy day.
All their dumplings are great, not just the soup dumplings, so I'd probably sample a few kinds. Also the fried noodles are good as are the fried rice cakes which are very unique to Taiwan/Shanghai cuisine. And I love their fried rice. It's simple but delicious. I am particular to the shrimp but the one with the fried pork chop is popular.
Have a great time in Seattle!


----------



## franandaj

Interesting about the soup dumplings. I have never had them or heard of them. The location you went to is also the closest to my house. We have been known to go to South Coast Plaza for shopping. I'm going to definitely put this place on my "list", but now I want Chinese food for dinner. We don't have any really good Chinese places in Long Beach.


----------



## soniam

Man, I so want to try that dim sum place. It's really hard to get good dim sum here. I'm not even sure I have had good dim sum. I think the place I ate at in San Francisco was pretty good. It was at least full of Asians. Maybe we will have to make a detour to hit it. I have never had soup dumplings, but everyone raves about them.


----------



## ArielSRL

Glad you got to get over to get some of your favorite dim sum! I'm not sure if I have ever had any but it seems interesting!

Glad you made it for your RSR FP! Looks like such a fun ride. I wartched some vlogs of it. I'm sure in a few years my boys will be fine with it. I'm working on a way to get there in a couple or few years. 

So convenient that the hotel was right there so you could easily change.

Ooooo....suspense.......


----------



## cinderkelly

chunkymonkey said:


> I thought those were cute.



Those are super cute magic shots!



chunkymonkey said:


> I was also pretty excited because we could eat at my favorite dim sum place, Din Tai



I've never heard of that place, but it looks fantastic! I've only ever had dim sum twice, both times in Seattle, but they weren't soup dumplings, they sound yummy!
And they are also beautiful!



chunkymonkey said:


> I've been to the original in Taiwan as well as one in Singapore, and multiple locations in California,



Wow, you are a very well traveled lady!


----------



## Dugette

chunkymonkey said:


> It was a delicious lunch and I was really glad I stepped away from the Disney bubble a bit to get in some of my favorite eats while in town.


Sounds great! We went to Dim Sum locally with some friends and it was great, so if we make it to CA again, I'll have to keep that place in mind - those soup dumplings sound wonderful!



chunkymonkey said:


> She even changed outfits before going to DLR to meet the princesses. She wanted to wear her Ariel dress again. Now that is dedication.


It really is! She is committed to having great meets and pictures!


----------



## coloredimage

Okay, your sister's dresses are the cutest things!  I'm super jealous!  

So I already knew we were going to eat at Cafe Orleans when we go back this summer but dang those parmesan fries <3 <3 <3


----------



## bcwife76

Ok definitely a serious advantage of staying at the GC is being able to change after Grizzly Peak!! Can't tell you how many times we've come off soaked only to walk around the parks looking like drowned rats 

Your sister finds the most adorable outfits!!! Any idea where she got the dress she was wearing when she met Ariel?

Mmmm.....dumplings.....all the nom......so tasty!


----------



## chunkymonkey

franandaj said:


> Interesting about the soup dumplings. I have never had them or heard of them. The location you went to is also the closest to my house. We have been known to go to South Coast Plaza for shopping. I'm going to definitely put this place on my "list", but now I want Chinese food for dinner. We don't have any really good Chinese places in Long Beach.



Definitely give it a try. It's a little different from your regular Chinese food as this is more Taiwanese, but in my opinion, it's better than regular Chinese food.



soniam said:


> Man, I so want to try that dim sum place. It's really hard to get good dim sum here. I'm not even sure I have had good dim sum. I think the place I ate at in San Francisco was pretty good. It was at least full of Asians. Maybe we will have to make a detour to hit it. I have never had soup dumplings, but everyone raves about them.



A restaurant full of Asians is definitely a good indication!! LOL. In SF, the dim sum is pretty good as well, but most dim sum restaurants in the US are Cantonese. This one just happens to be Taiwanese and serves Shanghai soup dumplings 



ArielSRL said:


> Glad you got to get over to get some of your favorite dim sum! I'm not sure if I have ever had any but it seems interesting!



I was glad to be able to go here since we don't have this back where I live! So I got my fix!



ArielSRL said:


> Glad you made it for your RSR FP! Looks like such a fun ride. I wartched some vlogs of it. I'm sure in a few years my boys will be fine with it. I'm working on a way to get there in a couple or few years.



Such a good ride. Definitely worth a trip out west especially when your boys are older!



ArielSRL said:


> So convenient that the hotel was right there so you could easily change.
> 
> Ooooo....suspense.......



It was! So convenient! I wish WDW had resorts that you could walk to that quickly. I guess Contemporary is walk-able from MK but it's a LONG walk. 
I rarely do any water rides for this reason - no splash and no KRR. I prefer not to be wet!



cinderkelly said:


> Those are super cute magic shots!



Thanks! I love the balloon one!



cinderkelly said:


> I've never heard of that place, but it looks fantastic! I've only ever had dim sum twice, both times in Seattle, but they weren't soup dumplings, they sound yummy!
> And they are also beautiful!



Seattle has fantastic Asian food...or so I'm told, LOL, I've never been there! But I see pictures from friends who have been and the food looks good!



cinderkelly said:


> Wow, you are a very well traveled lady!



Thanks! I traveled more as a kid because my dad's job moved him around a bit. Japan, Singapore, and New York. I also traveled back and forth to Singapore every summer till college. Once college ended, and I started working, it's so hard to get time off! And now WDW is my "world" hehe.



Dugette said:


> Sounds great! We went to Dim Sum locally with some friends and it was great, so if we make it to CA again, I'll have to keep that place in mind - those soup dumplings sound wonderful!



It's definitely a destination for dumplings! 



Dugette said:


> It really is! She is committed to having great meets and pictures!



She's already planning outfits for August. She wants to wear her Lilo dress and she wants me to be Stich (haha) and we're gonna have breakfast at 'Ohana!



coloredimage said:


> Okay, your sister's dresses are the cutest things!  I'm super jealous!
> 
> So I already knew we were going to eat at Cafe Orleans when we go back this summer but dang those parmesan fries <3 <3 <3



Haha she would definitely agree with that! She buys them from Torrid!
Those fries were delicious! You can't go wrong with garlic and Parmesan on anything!



bcwife76 said:


> Ok definitely a serious advantage of staying at the GC is being able to change after Grizzly Peak!! Can't tell you how many times we've come off soaked only to walk around the parks looking like drowned rats



That was the biggest perk! We were able to do short breaks during the day because it was so close! And I hate being wet so it was a relief.



bcwife76 said:


> Your sister finds the most adorable outfits!!! Any idea where she got the dress she was wearing when she met Ariel?



Yup! She gets most of her outfits from Torrid/Hot Topic. But she also gets stuff custom made on Etsy. Her minnie dress she wore to the Plaza Inn breakfast was custom made from a seller on Etsy.



bcwife76 said:


> Mmmm.....dumplings.....all the nom......so tasty!



It was indeed! I wish I could have some right now!


----------



## Saphire5742

Adorable magic shots.
Lunch looks delicious.
Your sister got some great photos with the charcters and around DL.
Glad you were able to make your RSR FP's.
Intrested to read your experinces at Goofy's Kitchen. Was notified about 2 weeks ago that due to refurs at Grand Californian that we would be staying instead at The Disneyland Hotel with breakfast at Goofy's. One of the items on the menu I am real excited about is the peanut butter pizza. I do LOVE me some peanut butter!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Saphire5742 said:


> Adorable magic shots.
> Lunch looks delicious.



Thanks! It sure was!



Saphire5742 said:


> Your sister got some great photos with the charcters and around DL.
> Glad you were able to make your RSR FP's.



She does what she does best! LOL. It's the reason she loves going to Disney! 
I'm glad we were able to make our RSR FPs. It's an FP I wouldn't want to waste!



Saphire5742 said:


> Intrested to read your experinces at Goofy's Kitchen. Was notified about 2 weeks ago that due to refurs at Grand Californian that we would be staying instead at The Disneyland Hotel with breakfast at Goofy's. One of the items on the menu I am real excited about is the peanut butter pizza. I do LOVE me some peanut butter!



Oh that's too bad you won't be able to stay at the GC. I hope they at least reduced the price of your trip? GC was a lot more than DL hotel, but I LOVED the DL hotel. It wasn't as convenient as GC's entrance right into the park, but it's not that bad of a walk, plus the monorail is right outside. 
I will update with Goofy's kitchen soon! Only a few more mosts until I'm at the end of our trip.  SPOILER: We LOVED it too! You will have a wonderful time at that hotel!


----------



## Khokhonutt

We've added the dim sum place to our list of options for our arrival day. The dumplings in spicy soup looks great. I didn't see it on their online menu, but that menu does look generic. Is that a special order or something on the local menu?


----------



## VandVsmama

OMG, we are going to DL in June of this year and now I TOTALLY have to go for dim sum at Din Tai Fung!  I'm so glad I read your trip report!!  My DH is going to be so excited.


----------



## coloredimage

chunkymonkey said:


> Haha she would definitely agree with that! She buys them from Torrid!



This is some of the most dangerous information I've ever gotten lol.  Every time I even glance at the Torrid website my wallet cries!


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 7 Part 3: The Race to Arendelle*

As we last left off, DH and I ran up to GC to change out of our wet clothes and we literally had to get to the Hyperion Theater in about 5 minutes to make it to the Frozen show. We ran up, changed, I managed to find a clean t-shirt, didn't find any bottoms but my skort wasn't nearly as wet as my top so I was like, ok, it'll have to do. We hauled ourselves out of our room, sprinted out the exit back to DCA, and ran all the way to the Hyperion Theater.

WHY IS THIS THEATER SO FAR!?!
ARE WE THERE YET?!?
IS FROZEN WORTH THIS ?!?
WHY AM I SO OUT OF SHAPE?!?
DID I REALLY SIGN UP FOR A RUN DISNEY 5K?!?

Those were all the thoughts I had in my head as we were running there. And yes I did sign up for the Princess 5k, which I'm running in less than 4 weeks. Well more like walking, because if you've read my *PTR*, I had a stress fracture on my ankle a few weeks ago from a fall. It's not completely healed yet but it's getting there. Sigh.

Anyways, we finally made it, all sweaty and huffing and puffing (well, at least myself). I texted my sister and we realized the FP line snaked around and my sister was right smack in the thick of it, about to go up the stairs to the theater. So we had to climb over the rails to get to her, apologizing to everyone on the way, and we thankfully reached her ok. We made it up the theater and ended up on the tier in the rear section. So not the best close up view but still got a good birdseye view of the theater.






So what was the verdict??

It was great. A well-done production, and the singing was wonderful. I guess it was worth the run from the GC!






Now that we've crossed off Frozen from our list, I felt relieved! It was hard to get FP for this show because they often ran out by midday, so DH had to run over first thing in the morning. 

After the show DH told us he was going to leave in the evening to meet up with one of his best friends from HS that he hadn't seen in a while. They had been texting and turns out he was free tonight. Since we didn't really have dinner plans it was a good night for him to go. He was one of DH's groomsmen and he lives out near San Diego so they were going to meet halfway to have dinner. Before that, DH will be able to ride RSR one more time though! He went to go FP something else while CS and I headed over to the Character Close-up to meet Anna and Elsa!

Their meet and greet is in the really awesome Animation building which is also where they had the draw a character workshops, which we unfortunately didn't get to partake in since we were never in the right place at the right time. I really enjoyed this at WDW and was sad they had to get rid of it. 











The Character Close-Up was inside the building and the wait was roughly about 20 minutes at that point.






Our meet with Anna and Elsa was very sweet. I love that they meet TOGETHER in DLR. Just like on our DCL cruises, it's more fun to speak to both sisters together, especially when you're meeting them with your own SISTER.





Sisterly bonding!






As we were walking out we saw some of the parade that was going on. I forgot what the name of this parade is, but it was cute, lots of Toy Story!











We met up with DH at RSR but not before taking some Carsland PP Pics:






And some ridiculous shots below:










"It's our way or the highway!!"

Here's DH's last ride on RSR for the day!






After RSR, DH handed us the remaining FP for the day, and set off back to the car to meet his friend. CS and I look at the FP and there was FP for World of Color, and something called Goofy's Sky School which we didn't know much of but thought we'd give a try later.

In figuring out what to eat for dinner, I decided to try something that is uniquely from DCA...the cone shaped meals from Cozy Cone! I went to the Cone Queso cone, and got a Chicken salsa verde cone topped with cheese. It came out like this:









It was so cute! But it was spicy!! The salsa verde had a kick. It was good, although I thought the salsa verde was a bit salty. but I guess you're supposed to eat the bread cone alongside the filling but I ate the filling first then the bread. It was just easier. Since I had such a big lunch this was the perfect size meal. I also liked how I can eat it while walking. CS didn't want anything yet so she went on her favorite ride, Towmater, while I sat outside and ate my cone meal and took pictures of her.






It was getting dark and soon it would be time for WOC so we decided to head to PP and check out Goofy's Sky School. 

Check out this record catch!






I love PP in the twilight with the twinkling lights.






Goofy's Sky School is a ride that is kinda placed up high, it's not street level so we couldn't really see what it was from the ground. We got there and walked up the ramp and realized it was one of those small rickety roller coasters...I think in Animal Kingdom it's called...Primeval Whirl? Something like that. I remember not liking it that much but since we were here... 






The seats felt really small in the car as we were bucked in...then we set off! We had no idea what we had in store...and we were screaming when we got to the top!
Because this ride is located pretty high up, when looking down, you notice how far up from the ground you are. Even though the drops are not that bad, it's just because we weren't expecting it.
We had a good laugh though throughout the ride. We were alternating screaming and laughing. With a name like Goofy's Sky School we thought it'll be like Barnstormer which is super tame, but this one sent you spinning around hairpin turns, and sudden (though short) drops. 

OK Now that sky school was done, CS went to grab some food nearby. I think we ate in one of the quick service places right near Goofy's. She had some pasta. I can't remember if it was make your own or just made-to-order but she thought it was not bad. (sorry no pic)

Then, we got a churro because we didn't have the dessert party so this had to make up for it somehow. Is it just me or are the churros out here better than the WDW ones? Maybe it's just me, but I crave them out here, and at WDW not so much. Maybe it's because there are churro carts in every corner tempting me! I should get a churro next time I'm in WDW, you know, just for comparisons sake.











Soon it got dark and we decided to try this Jumpin Jellyfish ride before WoC






For some reason they only had one side of the ride open (or working) so even though the line was short, it took longer than we expected. This was a nice a tame ride but very short. You get a nice view...and then you come back down...






After that we headed over to our designated FP spot for WOC.






I don't know if we stayed in where we were supposed to stay but we kept inching closer and closer to the "you may get wet" area right in front. Figured I already got wet once today, a second time won't hurt...






Here's our last viewing of World Of Color:
















Great show...even though we didn't have seats this time. And for the record, we did not get that wet at all it's mainly more misty than anything but not sudden drenchings.

After the show we headed back to the GC...we had some packing to do as tomorrow was our last full day at the parks and we were moving an off-site hotel for one night.
Tomorrow was the return of Space Mountain in the form of...Ghost Galaxy. Haunted Mansion reopens, and there was some fireworks at night. Looking forward to all the festivities!

Stay tuned for a jam-packed Day 8!!​


----------



## chunkymonkey

Khokhonutt said:


> We've added the dim sum place to our list of options for our arrival day. The dumplings in spicy soup looks great. I didn't see it on their online menu, but that menu does look generic. Is that a special order or something on the local menu?



The place is delicious. You will probably have to wait for a table as I've never been to any of their locations without a line. But luckily it's in a mall so there's stuff to do while you wait.
The spicy dumplings we got are here: http://dintaifungusa.com/menu/noodles-wontons/ They are the shrimip and pork or vegetable and pork wontons in spicy sauce. Really good. The noodles with spicy sauce are good too if you like spicy. but everything is good and you can ask them for recommendations to try different things as well.



VandVsmama said:


> OMG, we are going to DL in June of this year and now I TOTALLY have to go for dim sum at Din Tai Fung!  I'm so glad I read your trip report!!  My DH is going to be so excited.



LOL I'm glad you found me!! If there's a din tai fong in a city I'm visiting I'm bound to go! Have fun at DL!!



coloredimage said:


> This is some of the most dangerous information I've ever gotten lol.  Every time I even glance at the Torrid website my wallet cries!



Haha yes, my sister loves that story and I think she just spends her paychecks there, LOL!


----------



## franandaj

chunkymonkey said:


> So not the best close up view but still got a good birdseye view of the theater.



I'm glad you made it and enjoyed the show.



chunkymonkey said:


> Our meet with Anna and Elsa was very sweet.



Cute pictures of the two of you!



chunkymonkey said:


> I forgot what the name of this parade is, but it was cute, lots of Toy Story!



Pixar Play Parade. For some reason, I always seem to get cut off by this parade



chunkymonkey said:


> And some ridiculous shots below:



Those are really cute!



chunkymonkey said:


> It was so cute! But it was spicy!! The salsa verde had a kick.



The salsa Verde can be really inconsistent. It hasn't happened to me, but I've had friends who ordered it and it was so spicy that it was inedible. I've always liked it when I ordered it.



chunkymonkey said:


> We got there and walked up the ramp and realized it was one of those small rickety roller coasters.



I've been on Goofy’s Sky School once. That was enough.



chunkymonkey said:


> I think we ate in one of the quick service places right near Goofy's. She had some pasta.



Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. They have three options, spaghetti and meatballs, a chicken pasta, and I think cheese Ravioli.



chunkymonkey said:


> we had some packing to do as tomorrow was our last full day at the parks and we were moving an off-site hotel for one night.



Oh boo.  I know it has to happen eventually, but it's always sad when it happens.


----------



## chunkymonkey

franandaj said:


> I'm glad you made it and enjoyed the show.



Us too! It was really good. I'm glad I made it there in time.



franandaj said:


> Cute pictures of the two of you!



Thank you!



franandaj said:


> Pixar Play Parade. For some reason, I always seem to get cut off by this parade



I know the feeling of parades cutting me off. Then I always have to walk the long way around.




franandaj said:


> Those are really cute!



Thanks! Even though we felt ridiculous doing those poses!




franandaj said:


> The salsa Verde can be really inconsistent. It hasn't happened to me, but I've had friends who ordered it and it was so spicy that it was inedible. I've always liked it when I ordered it.


It wasn't as spicy when we had it on the eggs at Flo's V8. But in the bread cone there was a lot of it so that's probably why. Someone in line in front of me came back and exchanged her salsa verde cone because it was so spicy she couldn't eat it. She got a mac n cheese cone instead. What sounds really good is a cone filled with half mac n cheese and half salsa verde chicken. Mmmmm.



franandaj said:


> I've been on Goofy’s Sky School once. That was enough.



Yeah me too...I never go on that same ride in AKL. Not really my thing.



franandaj said:


> Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. They have three options, spaghetti and meatballs, a chicken pasta, and I think cheese Ravioli.



Aha! That's it! thanks! she got the chicken pasta. 



franandaj said:


> Oh boo.  I know it has to happen eventually, but it's always sad when it happens.



Yes it is...
And it's always the first and last day that is the busiest!!


----------



## bcwife76

I hate Goofy's sky school  DH always takes our eldest DD on that while I take the younger DD on Jumping Jellyfish which, like you, ALWAYS has one side closed? Like seriously? What is with that ride? So we always seem to get off of both rides at the same time 

PP is so gorgeous at night, I just love how the lights sparkle everywhere. It's a very underrated part of the park and I think more people would have a greater love for it if they saw it at night (not just during WOC). Glad you were able to see that version of WOC


----------



## Frozen2014

Wow...what an amazing report.  It could be an advertisement for Disneyland in itself as you really show now incredible and magical the place is (or so I assume..haven't been yet).  Thanks for sharing.


----------



## CaliforniaGirl09

bcwife76 said:


> I hate Goofy's sky school  DH always takes our eldest DD on that while I take the younger DD on Jumping Jellyfish which, like you, ALWAYS has one side closed? Like seriously? What is with that ride? So we always seem to get off of both rides at the same time
> 
> PP is so gorgeous at night, I just love how the lights sparkle everywhere. It's a very underrated part of the park and I think more people would have a greater love for it if they saw it at night (not just during WOC). Glad you were able to see that version of WOC



We still call goofy's Mulholland's  The kids and I really like it, but DH not so much. He's 6'5 and getting in those cars is not easy. The original cars were even worse. He used to slam against me at every turn. Anyway, completely agree about Jellyfish! It's such a cute ride, and one side is always--always--closed. It's like they don't staff it or something. We never go on it because even a short line can take a long time. We are among the few people who *loved* the original CA Adventure park and still miss the good old days when no one was there  Totally agree that it is underrated and gorgeous at night. The new theming is fine, and I understand why they had to do it, but I miss the tortilla factory and maliboomer--and the golden gates. 

chunkymonkey, really loving your report! You may have inspired a trip to the south bay just to eat at that dim sum place (we live in Nor Cal ) I haven't been to Ariel's in a while for their character lunch. I remember the food behind horrible, but yours looked pretty good. I'm going to give it another shot on our next trip down in May.


----------



## chunkymonkey

bcwife76 said:


> I hate Goofy's sky school  DH always takes our eldest DD on that while I take the younger DD on Jumping Jellyfish which, like you, ALWAYS has one side closed? Like seriously? What is with that ride? So we always seem to get off of both rides at the same time
> 
> PP is so gorgeous at night, I just love how the lights sparkle everywhere. It's a very underrated part of the park and I think more people would have a greater love for it if they saw it at night (not just during WOC). Glad you were able to see that version of WOC



Haha I guess I'm not the only one who wonders why that one side is always closed! It literally can take like only 10 people at a time, I guess that's why the ride is so short!
Goofy's Sky School was totally unexpected but I'm pretty sure I've ridden it before, it just wasn't called Sky School. (Actually based on CaliforniaGril09 - It was called Mulholland Falls or something...!!)

It was a really lovely evening. I love twinkling lights. I haven't seen the other WOC version so the only WOC I've seen is the one they have have now (or did that change too?) 



Frozen2014 said:


> Wow...what an amazing report.  It could be an advertisement for Disneyland in itself as you really show now incredible and magical the place is (or so I assume..haven't been yet).  Thanks for sharing.



Thanks for reading! We had a magical time! But we always do whenever it comes to Disney...World, Land, Cruise Line, we love it all!



CaliforniaGirl09 said:


> We still call goofy's Mulholland's  The kids and I really like it, but DH not so much. He's 6'5 and getting in those cars is not easy. The original cars were even worse. He used to slam against me at every turn. Anyway, completely agree about Jellyfish! It's such a cute ride, and one side is always--always--closed. It's like they don't staff it or something. We never go on it because even a short line can take a long time. We are among the few people who *loved* the original CA Adventure park and still miss the good old days when no one was there  Totally agree that it is underrated and gorgeous at night. The new theming is fine, and I understand why they had to do it, but I miss the tortilla factory and maliboomer--and the golden gates.



Aha! Yes! I remember that ride now! Mulholland Falls or something! I knew I went on it before, but I thought I was confusing it with some other theme park as I hadn't heard of Goofy's Sky School at all and as we were riding it, I thought I had been on it before! The seats are soooo tiny on that ride. And yes I think I remember the ride vehicles being different too, hence I thought I was in a completely different theme park, but I never go to theme parks outside of Disney so I thought I just imagined it all. Thanks for clarifying! 
That's crazy that one side of Jellyfish doesn't ever open! I understand energy-savings but only having a handful of people go on at a time isn't very efficient, LOL. 
I totally remember there was a tortilla factory!! I was wondering what happened to it. I also remember a stall selling date shakes too. I can't remember the maliboomer or the golden gates though!



CaliforniaGirl09 said:


> chunkymonkey, really loving your report! You may have inspired a trip to the south bay just to eat at that dim sum place (we live in Nor Cal ) I haven't been to Ariel's in a while for their character lunch. I remember the food behind horrible, but yours looked pretty good. I'm going to give it another shot on our next trip down in May.



Thank you for reading! Yes! I am so jealous San Jose has one as that is where my brother in law and family live so I'm thinking I need to make a trip out there soon!
Ariel's was fine food-wise. I thought it was better than Cinderella's Royal Table in WDW because that one is seriously overpriced for the same quality of food. Still, it's about the experience more so than the food! Hope you enjoy it!


----------



## CaliforniaGirl09

chunkymonkey said:


> Aha! Yes! I remember that ride now! Mulholland Falls or something! I knew I went on it before, but I thought I was confusing it with some other theme park as I hadn't heard of Goofy's Sky School at all and as we were riding it, I thought I had been on it before! The seats are soooo tiny on that ride. And yes I think I remember the ride vehicles being different too, hence I thought I was in a completely different theme park, but I never go to theme parks outside of Disney so I thought I just imagined it all. Thanks for clarifying!
> That's crazy that one side of Jellyfish doesn't ever open! I understand energy-savings but only having a handful of people go on at a time isn't very efficient, LOL.
> I totally remember there was a tortilla factory!! I was wondering what happened to it. I also remember a stall selling date shakes too. I can't remember the maliboomer or the golden gates though!
> 
> Thank you for reading! Yes! I am so jealous San Jose has one as that is where my brother in law and family live so I'm thinking I need to make a trip out there soon!
> Ariel's was fine food-wise. I thought it was better than Cinderella's Royal Table in WDW because that one is seriously overpriced for the same quality of food. Still, it's about the experience more so than the food! Hope you enjoy it!



Mulholland Madness. The Maliboomer was a big thrill drop ride. http://disneyparks.wikia.com/wiki/Maliboomer My kids were old enough a little before they got rid of it and loved it. The Golden Gates was the old park entrance with the Golden Gate Bridge. I wonder what they did with that? http://www.ocweekly.com/news/california-adventures-golden-gate-bridge-no-more-6452262 Hate to think of it in a junkyard somewhere  Good to know on the food. I will set expectations accordingly. Yes, it's all about the experience.


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## Calfan

Great trip report, chunkymonkey.  Too funny.  We've done the WoC Dessert Party twice (love it!), and the first time something was missing from DS's plate (maybe the coconut thing).  And he got a full second plate as well, rather than the servers just bringing him the missing item.  We still talk about that  

Did you get a chance to try Radiator Springs Racers at night?  I love doing that ride at night with everything lit up in Cars Land. If you didn't, definitely add it to your to do list for your next Disneyland visit.

The pictures of your Dim Sum lunch are amazing.  We loved the dumplings in China when we were there last summer (although I realize these might be a bit different).  The taro dumplings were my favorite!

The Minnie character breakfast looks like a lot of fun.  I've added it to my to do list for a future DL trip.  Good tip on making a later reservation to get more access to the characters


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## chunkymonkey

CaliforniaGirl09 said:


> Mulholland Madness. The Maliboomer was a big thrill drop ride. http://disneyparks.wikia.com/wiki/Maliboomer My kids were old enough a little before they got rid of it and loved it. The Golden Gates was the old park entrance with the Golden Gate Bridge. I wonder what they did with that? http://www.ocweekly.com/news/california-adventures-golden-gate-bridge-no-more-6452262 Hate to think of it in a junkyard somewhere  Good to know on the food. I will set expectations accordingly. Yes, it's all about the experience.



Ah ok, that was the name! I don't like drops so I probably never went on the Maliboomer! (I also don't like ToT for that reason). I must have seen the old entrance to DCA at some point in the past, but I wasn't as an extensive picture taker in the past, unlike now. 



Calfan said:


> Great trip report, chunkymonkey.  Too funny.  We've done the WoC Dessert Party twice (love it!), and the first time something was missing from DS's plate (maybe the coconut thing).  And he got a full second plate as well, rather than the servers just bringing him the missing item.  We still talk about that



Thank you so much! That second plate of dessert was a surprise! The WoC dessert party is such a treat...I will definitely splurge on it the next time we're there!



Calfan said:


> Did you get a chance to try Radiator Springs Racers at night?  I love doing that ride at night with everything lit up in Cars Land. If you didn't, definitely add it to your to do list for your next Disneyland visit.



Unfortunately no, we did not. We usually used up our FP by late afternoon so we did not get to try it at night. Will make a priority for sure next time as so many people have recommended it. I'm sure it's amazing. Probably why I love riding BTMRR at night too!



Calfan said:


> The pictures of your Dim Sum lunch are amazing.  We loved the dumplings in China when we were there last summer (although I realize these might be a bit different).  The taro dumplings were my favorite!



You probably had something similar. These are Shanghainese-style dumplings but they are making it's way around the world because they are so popular. I love taro and like it even better in a dumpling! 



Calfan said:


> The Minnie character breakfast looks like a lot of fun.  I've added it to my to do list for a future DL trip.  Good tip on making a later reservation to get more access to the characters



We had such a fun time at the Minnie breakfast. It was definitely made better because we were one of the last few people there.


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## ArielSRL

Looks like a fun filled evening! Glad you made it to Frozen and it was good. 

I rode Goofy's Sky School back when it was the other name in 2002. Ugh...I hated it and refuse to ride that Wild Mouse type roller coaster ever again!

So to continue our convo about skorts from my PTR, what brand do you wear and where do you get them?


----------



## chunkymonkey

ArielSRL said:


> Looks like a fun filled evening! Glad you made it to Frozen and it was good.
> 
> I rode Goofy's Sky School back when it was the other name in 2002. Ugh...I hated it and refuse to ride that Wild Mouse type roller coaster ever again!



I'm glad we got to do Frozen as it was great. Much better than the Frozen Sing-a-long in WDW, which is really just a recording of the Frozen songs...this one was performed live and just like a Broadway musical! 

Goofy's Sky School wasn't what I was expecting and I probably won't do it again now that I know what it is!



ArielSRL said:


> So to continue our convo about skorts from my PTR, what brand do you wear and where do you get them?



I usually wear skorts by this company by Colorado Clothing. i have a few colors from them. I get them from Amazon and I have seen them at Costco too. 

https://www.amazon.com/Colorado-Clothing-Womens-Everyday-Skort/dp/B00KW4GD82

I also have a few skorts from Athelta which are nice and I buy them when they are on sale from their website. I have also recently discovered Sparkle Skirts and they are great...they do not budge and are good quality, I can only wear the Hiker Chic ones though as the rest are too short. They are expensive and they have some crazy prints so I mostly stick to the solids and they are great park skorts because they have a lot of storage pockets too!


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## ArielSRL

chunkymonkey said:


> I usually wear skorts by this company by Colorado Clothing. i have a few colors from them. I get them from Amazon and I have seen them at Costco too.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Colorado-Clothing-Womens-Everyday-Skort/dp/B00KW4GD82
> 
> I also have a few skorts from Athelta which are nice and I buy them when they are on sale from their website. I have also recently discovered Sparkle Skirts and they are great...they do not budge and are good quality, I can only wear the Hiker Chic ones though as the rest are too short. They are expensive and they have some crazy prints so I mostly stick to the solids and they are great park skorts because they have a lot of storage pockets too!


Thank you for the info. The ones on Amazon still look a little short to me, but I do appreciate the link. They had the Athleta ones on zulily the other day but they were still a tad expensive so I did not get one, though I heard sometimes they have them at Costco. We don't have a Costco close to us though. I have looked at the Sparkle skirts and yes, they are pricey. I'm sure they are great quality though. Maybe I will invest in 1 or 2 before our trip.


----------



## chunkymonkey

ArielSRL said:


> Thank you for the info. The ones on Amazon still look a little short to me, but I do appreciate the link. They had the Athleta ones on zulily the other day but they were still a tad expensive so I did not get one, though I heard sometimes they have them at Costco. We don't have a Costco close to us though. I have looked at the Sparkle skirts and yes, they are pricey. I'm sure they are great quality though. Maybe I will invest in 1 or 2 before our trip.



no problem! The ones on Amazon are longer than you expect. I would not wear them if they were short. I wear an L and it rides a little lower so it's longer. The Atheleta ones are a bit more stylish and some of them have pockets which are cool, but I would get the colorado co. ones because they are cheaper and equally as comfy. I'm glad a invested in a sparkle skirt because they really do not budge and they are flattering because they have a bit of a flare. The material is very shiny though. I was thinking of just getting just the sparkle skirt "shorts" part and wear them underneath my own dresses and skirts. That may be an option.


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## CyndiLouWho

Just read your whole TR. Loved it! We are going to DL for the first time next month. 

I have to say OMG those dumplings! Not sure we have time for a 2-3 hour wait for lunch but we might try on our beach day. Dumplings are my son's fave food on the planet (pretty high on my list too)


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## chunkymonkey

CyndiLouWho said:


> Just read your whole TR. Loved it! We are going to DL for the first time next month.
> 
> I have to say OMG those dumplings! Not sure we have time for a 2-3 hour wait for lunch but we might try on our beach day. Dumplings are my son's fave food on the planet (pretty high on my list too)



Hi CyndiLouWho! Thanks for reading! I really should finish this TR especially since I will be going to WDW next week! I'll post a few updates before I leave. 
You will have a great time at DLR! It's so compact and easy to get around, unlike WDW and it's slow bus service. We love them both though! How lucky you are to get to ride Hyperspace! I hope they keep it that way until...forever! Or at least until I get to ride it again, hehe.

The dumplings at Din Tai Fong are delicious! When we went on a weekday lunch we waited about 20 minutes. It wasn't that bad but it does get crazy crowded on the weekends. I think it's worth it though!


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## CyndiLouWho

chunkymonkey said:


> Hi CyndiLouWho! Thanks for reading! I really should finish this TR especially since I will be going to WDW next week! I'll post a few updates before I leave.
> You will have a great time at DLR! It's so compact and easy to get around, unlike WDW and it's slow bus service. We love them both though! How lucky you are to get to ride Hyperspace! I hope they keep it that way until...forever! Or at least until I get to ride it again, hehe.
> 
> The dumplings at Din Tai Fong are delicious! When we went on a weekday lunch we waited about 20 minutes. It wasn't that bad but it does get crazy crowded on the weekends. I think it's worth it though!


Sadly the day we'd go would be a Sunday.  Want to spend weekday time at DL since it will be busy spring break time.  

Can't wait to read the rest of your DL TR.  I'll check out your WDW TR too.


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## chunkymonkey

*Day 8 Part 1: A Productive Morning!*

We had spent the night packing up everything so that when it was check-out time we would be ready to go. Today was Early Admission at DCA so we got up early and headed straight for Radiator Springs Racers! How many times would we get to ride it? We shall see!

We also had lunch ressies that afternoon at Carthay Circle and we wanted to ride Haunted Mansion and Ghost Galaxy on the day it opened! There was a lot of park-hopping involved today so we had to time everything precisely.

I love DCA when it's so empty early in the morning. Definitely take advantage of this when you're here and staying on one of the Disney properties or one of the preferred resorts.






We barely had a line, we pretty much just walked on RSR all morning. Here's DH and my Star Wars themed outfits for today:






BTW, everyone kept stopping DH to ask where he found his shirt! I got it at a Disney Store Outlet in NJ.

We rode RSR a total of 4 times that morning! Well, DH sat the last one out because he wanted to grab some FPs and also do Toy Story so my sister and I rode the last one by ourselves!
















For our last morning ride my sister and I did a Thelma and Louise-inspired pose:






After that, CS and I rode Towmater (of course!) then we were to go check out of the GC, drop our stuff with Bell Services, and meet DH at DL!

More sister time!






After we checked out, CS and I still had some time so we went to grab breakfast at the quick service, White Water Snacks.






I liked the plaid design on the tables. It went with the theme. I got Mickey waffles and they were yummy because they were made to order and not sitting around on a buffet.






I can't remember what CS got but she might have gotten the same thing. 

Then we walked out of the Grand Californian one last time and headed to Disneyland! We met up with DH at the entrance and walked in together. 






Full-blown Halloween decor was up!






We made a beeline for Tomorrowland to ride...Ghost Galaxy. Not knowing what to expect, we got an FP for later.






We waited on standby since the wait was only about 30 minutes.






In retrospect, I shoulda just skipped this. 

This ride was a *monstrosity*, no pun intended. It's like a fiery flame ghost space monster flying around trying to scare you but the only thing scary about its is how bad the overlay is. 

Which brings me to the title of this trip report. 

*  BRING BACK HYPERSPACE MOUNTAIN!!  
*
(They did) 

I kept yelling that out loud as we were on that horrendous ride. I mean, I love the ride itself but the overlay really was just blech.

Anyways...we continued on at DL, going on all the little Fantasyland rides we had missed, including Snow White, Mr. Toads, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio. I forget how cute and old-fashioned these rides were. 











Then we went on Autopia. It was a little warm that time though. I prefer to do this at night. Dunno how but CS and I finished way before DH. Think there was a bit of a traffic jam in his lane. So I took pictures of him from the bridge.











I decided it was time for a treat. We stopped at Galactic Grill and got the two Star Wars drinks:






They tasted like flavored lemonade. The little white balls in the green drink were bursting yogurt balls. They were ok.
They ran out of Death Star glow cubes so we got Millenium Falcons instead. Fine with me!

It was almost time we were able to get another FP and we really wanted Haunted Mansion so we made the trek to the other side of the park. Since we were there, we went on Winnie the Pooh. This ride is so cute, and a little different from the WDW one. 






We got on line to wait for Tigger and Pooh. The line moved a little too slow for me.









After we got our HM FP we passed by Jack and Sally who had an insanely long line for meet n greets. I wasn't going to attempt to wait for them but my sister was tempted. I reminded her we had lunch reservations back at DCA! So we got this picture in passing instead:






Before we headed out of DLR we took some PP pictures:



















We headed out of DL and to DCA!











It was amazing how much we were able to do before lunch! If only all park days were this productive! It got pretty crowded as the afternoon progressed so I'm glad we got up early to do everything.

Coming up: A fabulous lunch at Carthay Circle!​


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## CyndiLouWho

Love love your report!  Any chance Jack & Sally are there more than Halloween? 
We were at WDW last Halloween & DS didn't want anything to do with them. Now he loves them & NIghtmare.


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## chunkymonkey

CyndiLouWho said:


> Love love your report!  Any chance Jack & Sally are there more than Halloween?
> We were at WDW last Halloween & DS didn't want anything to do with them. Now he loves them & NIghtmare.



Thank you so much!! I'm sad the TR is coming to an end but I still have plenty more to write...going to try another update tonight though!!
I have no idea of Jack and Sally are there outside of Halloween. But I think they come out during the Holidays too? They did so at WDW during the MVMCP but their line was an hour long. One day I will get a pic with them!! I hope to meet them during MNSSHP this year.


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## CyndiLouWho

We were at MNSSHP, but the line was a couple hours.


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## soniam

That is so cool that you got to ride RSR so many times. I think we are going to have to stay on property next visit to get the early hour. Can't wait to hear about Carthay Circle. Their food is so good


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## bcwife76

I can't believe you got to ride RSR 4 times in the morning, all before lunch!! Unheard of lol 

Oh I can't wait to read about your lunch at Carthay Circle, easily my most fave sit down meal of all my trips to DL (including BB!)


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## franandaj

You really got a lot of rides in that morning as well as Breakfast and checking out of the hotel!

After Hyperspace Mountain Ghost Galaxy was a tremendous let down.  So glad they put it back.


----------



## chunkymonkey

*Day 8 Part 2: Lunch at Carthay Circle and A Bugs' Land*

We approached the stately Carthay Circle building and checked in for our lunch. My sister was getting anxious. I asked her what was going on. She said there were character meets happening right in front of the restaurant but during lunch. So I half-jokingly told her to just sneak out between courses and come back, LOL. 






The interior of the restaurant was really detailed and evoked a glamorous era of movie stars and fine dining.






We sat in one of the peripheral rooms, which was in a a windowed area that was bright and airy. I definitely preferred that.











Excited for lunch!






We started with the* Fire Cracker Duck Wings*_ with Soy-Lime-Sriracha Chili Sauce_. I had heard so much about these, and they were amazing. It's hard to describe the flavor, but imagine the best and most flavorful spicy chicken wing you've ever eaten. The duck had really great flavor, more so than a regular chicken wing, the skin was crispy, and the firecracker sauce was delicious. This was a winner!






We also got the *Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits - *Stuffed with White Cheddar, Bacon, and Jalapeño with Apricot-Honey Butter. These were really nice sort of stuffed beignets with an apricot butter. The butter definitely made the biscuits and gave it that extra something. I wish they were served piping hot. They were just warm, so the cheese inside was not as melty-gooey as I'd like.











We were also served some bread, but we didn't eat too much because we had so many biscuits!






As an entree, I got the *Wagyu Beef and Truffle Ravioli*. The menu changes seasonally and when we were there it was on top of a spring pea puree. This was really yummy! It's heartier than your typical ravioli because of the beef filling but it was very flavorful and the spring pea sauce really brightened up the dish. I am regularly not a fan of peas mixed into other things (I'll pick it out in fried rice and any stew), but when peas are done well they shine on their own and they can be really good!






Here's another angle. You can see it was topped with some crispy artichoke hearts. It was a really great combination.






Definitely one of the favorite dishes of the trip! It looks like the menu has changed now and the ravioli is served with parsnips. Thank goodness I got to try last year's version because I really dislike parsnips and would probably not have liked the overall dish if I had tried it now.

Both DH and CS got the *Grilled Shrimp*. I think this was served over a salad of soba noodles. They really enjoyed the fresh crisp flavors of this dish and it was healthy as well.











In between courses, you can see CS really did wander off...guess she took my advice to sneak out for some character pics!






Where are you going Chunkysis?

Then I noticed these pictures popped up in our Disneyland app:






These pics with Minnie are so cute, she was admiring my sister's Minnie hair bow!
















Meanwhile DH and I were left to just take selfies with one another. DH is not amused.






Oh Hi Chunkysis, where were you?






Hahahaha.

We didn't get dessert as we were kinda full and I had hopes of a Dole whip later. We all agreed this was the best food of the trip (not counting the dumplings DH and I ate outside of the park). CS decided to do more character hopping and to finish collecting her pressed pennies. DH and I decided to go to Bug's Life Land to check it out. I really could not remember if I had been there before. 











Everything in here is really cute. It's also great for young kids as the rides are really tame. But I really enjoyed myself here! Who doesn't want to ride a spinning ladybug and ride a caterpillar through giant food tunnels?






Bumper cars anyone? 











On Heimlich's Choo Choo Train:





















We had a great time at Bugs Land and we even saw Flik. We met up with CS and then had to hop on back to Disneyland for our Haunted Mansion FP!

Coming up, evening festivities at Disneyland!

​


----------



## chunkymonkey

CyndiLouWho said:


> We were at MNSSHP, but the line was a couple hours.



Yeah I find that the case whenever rare characters appear. I waited an hour for the 7 Dwarves during MVMCP!



soniam said:


> That is so cool that you got to ride RSR so many times. I think we are going to have to stay on property next visit to get the early hour. Can't wait to hear about Carthay Circle. Their food is so good



It was so much fun riding it back to back. Unfortunately that's why we never rode it at night. Just rode it multiple times in the morning and then later with FP but the night ones were gone usually by the time we went back to get one.
Just posted Carthay Circle. Food was delicious!!



bcwife76 said:


> I can't believe you got to ride RSR 4 times in the morning, all before lunch!! Unheard of lol



It was actually 4 times before 9:00am or something crazy like that. We pretty much hopped over to DL when they opened.



bcwife76 said:


> Oh I can't wait to read about your lunch at Carthay Circle, easily my most fave sit down meal of all my trips to DL (including BB!)



Just posted Carthay! Yes it was our favorite meal food-wise of the trip! I should have gotten more duck wings. I still think about them!



franandaj said:


> You really got a lot of rides in that morning as well as Breakfast and checking out of the hotel!
> 
> After Hyperspace Mountain Ghost Galaxy was a tremendous let down.  So glad they put it back.



We sure did! Why is the last day always the most busy day? I guess we were revved up to try and tackle everything since it's our last day.
I'm glad they brought back Hyperspace. I'm not sure whey they would put up GG in the first place. Seems like a very un-Disney theme and seems like something a third-tier theme park would do.[/QUOTE]


----------



## bcwife76

Oh those biscuits.....still have to try making them at home  So funny we sat in the exact same location you did and possibly even the same table - just what, a week? 10 days before you? And I had the same entree you did. Agree....the pea puree was a nice compliment but parsnips? I don't think so 

That is so cute your sis kept running out for photos (and that you kept checking it on the app!) but she got some adorable ones, as usual!


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## soniam

Can't wait to eat at Carthay Circle again. It is good. All of the food looked great. I would have eaten the ravioli on peas or parsnips, but I haven't found a vegetable that I don't like. I even like, actually love, mushy peas


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## scrappydew

Your sister is a woman after my own heart!  I love her sneaking out for pictures.  That's the kind of thing I would do!  And in fact did one time in NYC with the Naked Cowboy.  Hubbie had no clue till he saw the pictures.


----------



## chunkymonkey

bcwife76 said:


> Oh those biscuits.....still have to try making them at home  So funny we sat in the exact same location you did and possibly even the same table - just what, a week? 10 days before you? And I had the same entree you did. Agree....the pea puree was a nice compliment but parsnips? I don't think so



Wow you know how to make them? They sound very complicated but then again I am not really a baker!
That's so funny we sat in the same table and had the same entree. Great minds think alike I guess, buahaha...



bcwife76 said:


> That is so cute your sis kept running out for photos (and that you kept checking it on the app!) but she got some adorable ones, as usual!



Yeah I know her, I totally knew she was going to do that. Hahaha.



soniam said:


> Can't wait to eat at Carthay Circle again. It is good. All of the food looked great. I would have eaten the ravioli on peas or parsnips, but I haven't found a vegetable that I don't like. I even like, actually love, mushy peas



It was the best meal we had on property! I wish Brown Derby is more like this, the food would be so much better and I'd actually want to eat there!
I too love mushy peas, I just don't like peas mixed into other things. Weird I know. I don't have many picky food things but this is just one of them.



scrappydew said:


> Your sister is a woman after my own heart!  I love her sneaking out for pictures.  That's the kind of thing I would do!  And in fact did one time in NYC with the Naked Cowboy.  Hubbie had no clue till he saw the pictures.



Hahaha, that's so funny. It's totally like her to do so. You guys would have had a grand time getting pictures together!
That's really funny about nake cowboy! He is definitely an icon here in NYC.


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## bcwife76

I found the recipe on Pinterest lol

http://thesexyknitter.blogspot.ca/2013/11/recipe-carthay-circle-house-biscuits.html


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## chunkymonkey

_Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. We just returned from our Feb WDW trip where we ran the Princess 5k! It was a magical trip. You can read my trip report *here *if you'd like. I promise to update and finish this TR soon. Only like a day and a half more to go!_

*Day 8 Part 3: Last Moments at Disneyland*

We headed back to Disneyland to ride Haunted Mansion. Before that though, I had to grab a churro. Because at DLR, the churro is king!









It's so convenient for the parks to be across from each other, and I will always love this aspect of DLR over WDW.











It was packed today. I guess everyone was back in DL for the Halloween festivities.






We made a beeline for Haunted Mansion - the line was super long and snaked around every corner. Luckily we had an FP but it was still not a short wait.











Finally we boarded the ride, and let me tell ya, this version of HM with the Nightmare before Christmas touches were amazing. It's soooo much better this way! I loved it! Maybe because I'm bored with regular haunted mansion and this was just something new and fun...but he added so much more to the ride.


























Hmm why doesn't WDW do something like this?

Now it was time for a snack, some Tiki Room, and then Jungle Cruise! In the meantime DH picked up some FP for Indiana Jones.

I like how you can eat Dole Whips while watching Tiki Room now.






















We walked over to Tomorrowland and DH wanted to go on the mattahorn again. Argh why! I was going to sit this one out but decided since it's an only in Disneyland thing I'll just go on it. Blech it was just as rickety and jerkey as the first time. 

We went to Tomorrowland and rode on Buzz then went to Star Wars Launch Bay where we met with Kylo and Chewie. I swear, Kylo makes me crack up all the time now. I can never keep a straight face with him!



















After Launch Bay we used our FP for that monstrosity, Ghost Galaxy. It does not get better the second time around, lol. 

We decided where we wanted to have dinner, and I knew there was only one place I wanted to go, the Plaza Inn for their fried chicken dinner! All week I had said we should go here for dinner, but every time we wanted to go it was closed (it closed an hour before park closing, and with the parks closing at 8pm, it closed at 7pm!). Luckily that day DL was open late, think 11pm, therefore the Plaza Inn was open for dinner! So it's now or never! No one else was really that hungry but DH said he'll share the entree with me. As we were walking over to the Plaza Inn I spied this little beauty...






No, not the popcorn, although that is always tempting...but the words "Tie Fighter Popcorn Bucket" caught my eye. I totally wanted one since the SWDAS cruise we took last year on the Fantasy and I saw it but didn't buy it and of course you always want what you don't have, so on this trip I did get one! I asked the CM to put the popcorn on the side so that I could take home a pristine tie fighter. 

Tie Fighter and popcorn in tow, we walked over to Plaza Inn and I went inside and ordered while everyone went to look for a table. It's all quick service for dinner, so you just pull up a tray and tell the servers what you'd like, and I said I'd like the Fried Chicken platter with everything that it comes with.

Here it is!






It was a huge platter. It seriously would serve 2 people. I even convinced my sister, who was busy eating popcorn, to eat a piece of chicken even though she wasn't hungry. There were 3 pieces of chicken on a platter and it was just too much for me and DH since we had such a filling lunch.

Is this not the perfect little scenario? A fried chicken dinner with a Tie Fighter watching over you.






The food was very tasty. I thought the chicken was great, the potatoes were good, the corn was decent and the biscuit was just ok. Not a huge fan of the biscuits at Disney parks anyways. 

I also went to get us some dessert at Jolly Holiday:











It was a giant Mickey shaped macaron with raspberries. It was pretty look at but it was a little too sweet for me. Not bad, but one of those things that I would prefer to just admire rather than eat.

After dinner we went to ride IJA with our FP. The last time we'd be on this ride! Boo.






Such a great ride. This ride should be what Dinosaur should have been. I rode Dinosaur for the first time in about 3 years just last week and I pretty much closed my eyes throughout the ride. It's not my cup of tea, but I love IJA!

DH went to go stake out a spot for the fireworks later, and CS and I went to look for some beignets. We knew someplace near Pirates had the Mickey beignets as a quick service but we weren't sure where. Finally we saw Royal Street Verandah had a line and they had something called "Fried fritters" on the menu. Must be it, we thought, so we waited on line.






Finally we get to the front at we ordered, and we were presented with something that was not a beignet:





Sorry the pic is blurry, it was really dark out at this point!

We took a bite anyways, and were delighted with what we discovered...they were pretty much battered and fried bananas, and they were really good!! It was a serendipitous discovery at Disney and we were glad we found it! So much for Mickey Beignets!

We went to find DH who had found a space on Main Street for a view of the Fireworks. It wan't a big fireworks show like DL Forever but a smaller show. CS passed out the rest of her glow sticks, hahaha.






Soon the fireworks started...it was much smaller in scale than Disneyland Forever, but it was cute, if not memorable.











The park was open a little later after the fireworks but I think we were all just a little spent after our long week of park hopping. It was time to say good bye to Disneyland and California Adventure and an end to our time at these amazing parks.

Last group shot of the evening:






My sister was so tempted to stay and get a picture with Halloween Mickey and Minnie but their lines were through the roof, so she relented and we all walked out of the park together one last time. We headed back to the GC where we collected our stuff and DH got the car. We loaded up and drove the short distance to the Hyatt House Anaheim. It's a modern, new hotel located less than a mile from the parks. I think its a bit too far for it to be walkable on a daily basis but what it lacked in proximity it made up for in space and amenities. We had a kitchen, a small living room, and a giant bathroom, all for less than half of what we paid to stay at our tiny GC room.
















It was actually really nice to be able to spread out again for a bit, and the beds were really comfy!

Coming up the next day...we're not done with Disney yet! Our breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen with the fam!​


----------



## alohamom

OMG-the Tie Fighter popcorn bucket is amazing!!!! 
I saw this article on the side band of the boards this morning and thought of your sister 
http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/new-disney-dress-collection-inspired-by-disney-parks/
She would look great in the Minnnie inspired one.


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## chunkymonkey

alohamom said:


> OMG-the Tie Fighter popcorn bucket is amazing!!!!
> I saw this article on the side band of the boards this morning and thought of your sister
> http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/new-disney-dress-collection-inspired-by-disney-parks/
> She would look great in the Minnnie inspired one.



It's the coolest popcorn bucket! It sits next to my Cinderella carriage popcorn bucket right now. Hehe.
Thank you for the link! I love the clothing! My sister will die. I hope it comes in plus sizes. I'll be in WDW at the beginning of May so hopefully I will be able to see the collection there!


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## bcwife76

Ack, I read this but forgot to note! Your room at the Hyatt looks awesome!! Ha, the tie fighter bucket - yay for finally getting one!!!


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## Gigi@Disney

Love your style and your sister's too! Got me looking at Torrid! Any other places you recommend for cute park styles?


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## soniam

This all makes me long for DLR in Summer 2018 so much. I really want to hit WDW, DLR, and DL Tokyo at both xmas and Halloween sometime. I have heard great things about the Hyatt House from the DIS Disneyland podcast.


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## Ruthie5671

This has been a great TR to read.  I absolutely love you and your sister's outfits (I've commented that before - but it bears repeating).  I seriously doubt I'll ever get to California, so this has been a fun adventure.


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## chunkymonkey

*Day 8: Goofy's Kitchen Brunch and Goodbye California*

Today was our last day in California. Our vacation was over!  But still we had a big breakfast to look forward to, at Goofy's Kitchen with DH's family!
We spent the better half of the morning at the pool at the Hyatt House. It was quite relaxing and not very crowded, which was a nice change of pace.






We checked out of the Hyatt House and drove back to Disneyland and parked at the Disneyland Hotel this time. I only have good things to say about the Hyatt House but if you want to be right next to the parks it's probably not the best, however it definitely felt more luxurious and was a short drive away; I'm sure there is shuttle service to the parks too.

We met up with DH's family in the lobby of the Disneyland hotel. I liked the DL hotel. It was brighter and fresher than the GC, although if you took away the Disney touches it would just seem like some sort of convention center hotel. If we return I wouldn't mind staying here instead especially since it's cheaper than the GC.
















We walked over to Goofy's Kitchen and checked in.






Then we were all brought to see the man himself, goofy! There was a PP Photographer there too.





From L to R: DH's Mom, Brother Jimmy,  Me, Chunkysis, GOOFY!, DH, Jimmy's GF Michelle, and DH's Dad

And one more with just us:




​
We were all shown to our table which was very close to the buffet.






The buffet was quite large with lots of selections in different "stations"






Famous "monkey bread" 
















Make your own omelets:


























I thought the selection of food was outstanding. It was also very good. I remember enjoying many things on this buffet.






I love how there are Mickey pancakes in addition to Mickey waffles! The monkey bread was good, as was the peanut butter and jelly pizza. Which just brings out your kid at heart. I also loved the savory prepared items they had. I can't remember specifically what they had but I remember it being delicious. 

Every so often the characters would do a little dance throughout the restaurant and wave their napkins around.






Soon we had some visitors to our table!











Steve's mom got a selfie stick!































And here's a group pic:






It was a really cute and fun breakfast with great food. The ambiance is a little crazier and more crowded than Storytellers but the variety of food was better. 
My sister purchased the picture package and it came with a bunch of smaller pictures so she gave one to DH and I, one to Jimmy and Michelle, and one to DH's parents. 






After lunch we walked around Disneyland Hotel and Downtown Disney a bit. I went into the stores at the DL hotel and they are much better than the tiny one at the GC.






Here's the pool area of the DLH:






We tried to go into Trader Sams, but the wait was an hour and a half. They also wouldn't let me just go inside to take a picture because it was at capacity. 
So I got a picture of the outside instead.











Soon it was time to leave. DH's parents had a banquet to attend and we were going to head to the airport so we all said our goodbyes.
It was a wonderful week in California and we couldn't have asked for better weather!

We headed out and before the airport we had to stop at another favorite place, The Boiling Crab for some dinner before we headed home.






My sister and I got dropped off at the United terminal at LAX and we waited for DH while he went to return the rental car. It look him like 30 minutes! The terminal is a mess because of construction. Let's hope it gets cleaned up soon before our next trip out west (unsure of when that is though!)

Here we are at the airport! It was an immensely fun but also tiring trip!






That is *THE END* of our Disneyland Trip Report! Hope to get a chance to visit again (I'm sure we will).
Thank you for following along. If you'd like to read more stuff, please check out my in progress WDW TR here:

*Tale as Old as Time, a February 2017 Princess 5k and Birthday TR! *
​


----------



## chunkymonkey

bcwife76 said:


> Ack, I read this but forgot to note! Your room at the Hyatt looks awesome!! Ha, the tie fighter bucket - yay for finally getting one!!!



I know! I totally wanted one and regret not getting one on the cruise. I realize the tie fighter wings do come off so it's easier to transport.



Gigi@Disney said:


> Love your style and your sister's too! Got me looking at Torrid! Any other places you recommend for cute park styles?



Thank you!! My sister definitely wins for the cutest outfits, and I dress more for comfort. I shop pretty much where ever I can find Disney stuff. My sister gets custom stuff made from Etsy in her size as well as shopping on Torrid. I shop for my Disney clothes mostly at Hot Topic, Target, Kohl's, Uniqlo and Amazon as well as at the Disney parks stores. I just picked up some stuff from Macy's as well (Beauty and the Beast t-shirts). I also like Fifthsun.com for t-shirts, they have cool designs. For my skirts I wear "skorts" and my favorite are from Sparkleskirts.com, Atheleta, or the Tranquility by Colorado Clothing skorts. Staying cool and comfortable is number 1 for me! I can't wear all those poofy dresses my sister wears but she loves them. She did admit in one dress that she could barely breathe, LOL.



soniam said:


> This all makes me long for DLR in Summer 2018 so much. I really want to hit WDW, DLR, and DL Tokyo at both xmas and Halloween sometime. I have heard great things about the Hyatt House from the DIS Disneyland podcast.



It was a great hotel, I just loved having so much space and a kitchen. Too bad it was only for one night. If I don't feel the need to have to go back to the resort so often I'd definitely think of staying there. 
I think it's a great idea to hit those parks! I ALMOST did that. My friends were in Tokyo the week after we were in Calilfornia. I was almost going to hop on a flight to Tokyo and head to TDL, however I would be by myself ad DH couldn't go and my friends didn't want to go to TDL. I'm glad I didn't as I would like to go with DH one year (we have both been when we were very young), and I was just super exhausted would have been jetlagged too. But it seemed like such a good idea at the time, LOL.



Ruthie5671 said:


> This has been a great TR to read.  I absolutely love you and your sister's outfits (I've commented that before - but it bears repeating).  I seriously doubt I'll ever get to California, so this has been a fun adventure.



Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind comments! Thank you for reading!


----------



## Calfan

OMG, peanut butter and jelly pizza at Goofy's Kitchen!  So right up my alley.  I've calendared to make an ADR there over Labor Day weekend when we will be at DL for the Disneyland Half Marathon.  Really enjoyed your trip report.  I'm a frequent DL visitor, but I still got a number of new ideas from reading your report. Thanks!


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## Raeven

That sounds like a great trip! And you gave me some ideas for our first Disneyland trip which I'm hoping will be around 2019.


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## bcwife76

Well that sounds like a nice way to end your trip! Never been to the Boiling Crab, must put that on my list for my next California trip!

The construction at LAX is horrendous, ugh I hate that airport. But it's so much cheaper for us to fly into LAX and then drive to Anaheim vs flying into John Wayne airport so we suck it up


----------



## chunkymonkey

Calfan said:


> OMG, peanut butter and jelly pizza at Goofy's Kitchen!  So right up my alley.  I've calendared to make an ADR there over Labor Day weekend when we will be at DL for the Disneyland Half Marathon.  Really enjoyed your trip report.  I'm a frequent DL visitor, but I still got a number of new ideas from reading your report. Thanks!



Everything we ate was tasty! I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for reading and I can't wait to go back to DLR!



Raeven said:


> That sounds like a great trip! And you gave me some ideas for our first Disneyland trip which I'm hoping will be around 2019.



DLR is really awesome. You spend less time on transportation and everything is withing walking distance. I think you guys will enjoy it!



bcwife76 said:


> Well that sounds like a nice way to end your trip! Never been to the Boiling Crab, must put that on my list for my next California trip!



It's yummy spicy seafood boil! We always get the whole-shabang sauce and it's good but kinda spicy so we get mild!



bcwife76 said:


> The construction at LAX is horrendous, ugh I hate that airport. But it's so much cheaper for us to fly into LAX and then drive to Anaheim vs flying into John Wayne airport so we suck it up



Yeah us too, LAX is so much cheaper to fly into and we can get direct flights from NY so we'll just have to deal until they fix up the airport!


----------



## Khokhonutt

Fun report. I look forward to trying many of these things in June!


----------



## sharona

I enjoyed your report and your pics. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## dizneeat

*Finally all caught up here - sorry it took me so long, but work is crazy! Thanks for sharing - I loved reading it all - so many places we "missed" even though we had quite a few days at DL - guess we need to return rather sooner than later.

Heading over to your new TR now. *


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## chunkymonkey

Khokhonutt said:


> Fun report. I look forward to trying many of these things in June!



Thank you for reading and I hope you have a magical trip! You definitely have the planning down!



sharona said:


> I enjoyed your report and your pics. Thanks for sharing!



Thank you for reading!!



dizneeat said:


> *Finally all caught up here - sorry it took me so long, but work is crazy! Thanks for sharing - I loved reading it all - so many places we "missed" even though we had quite a few days at DL - guess we need to return rather sooner than later.
> 
> Heading over to your new TR now. *



Hi Karin! It's been a while! Hope you are well. We definitely did a lot at DLR but I still feel that we could have done more. We didn't even make it into Mickey's Toon Town and I'm sure there were a bunch of rides we missed too. So looks like we'll have to make another trip out there too!
See you on my TR!


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## disneyguy4life

That looks like a great way to end your DLR vacation. I'll have to try that out when I go in August. You are lucky! I look forward to reading more in your other TRs.


----------



## chunkymonkey

disneyguy4life said:


> That looks like a great way to end your DLR vacation. I'll have to try that out when I go in August. You are lucky! I look forward to reading more in your other TRs.



Thank you! It was a fun trip and looking forward to our next Disneyland trip, whenever that is!


----------



## disneydaydreamer33

LOVED this trip report!  It was fun to see that there was so much to do for more than just a couple of days (which is how long DH wants to Disneyland when we go next May-- I want longer haha)  Can't wait to read about your first runDisney experience on your WDW TR!


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## chunkymonkey

disneydaydreamer33 said:


> LOVED this trip report!  It was fun to see that there was so much to do for more than just a couple of days (which is how long DH wants to Disneyland when we go next May-- I want longer haha)  Can't wait to read about your first runDisney experience on your WDW TR!



Thank you so much!! We had such an amazing time at DLR! There were lots to do and see and I still felt like we could have done more, if that is possible!
Tell you DH that you will need more time, LOL!
Our first run Disney experience was fun! We had a few bumps in the road, but overall, it was a great race! We're doing the Fall Feast 5k in November too!


----------



## Gigi@Disney

soniam said:


> Man, I so want to try that dim sum place. It's really hard to get good dim sum here. I'm not even sure I have had good dim sum. I think the place I ate at in San Francisco was pretty good. It was at least full of Asians. Maybe we will have to make a detour to hit it. I have never had soup dumplings, but everyone raves about them.


Me too! And I love your TRs!!!!!!!


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## chunkymonkey

Gigi@Disney said:


> Me too! And I love your TRs!!!!!!!



Thank you so much!


----------



## ArielSRL

chunkymonkey said:


> no problem! The ones on Amazon are longer than you expect. I would not wear them if they were short. I wear an L and it rides a little lower so it's longer. The Atheleta ones are a bit more stylish and some of them have pockets which are cool, but I would get the colorado co. ones because they are cheaper and equally as comfy. I'm glad a invested in a sparkle skirt because they really do not budge and they are flattering because they have a bit of a flare. The material is very shiny though. I was thinking of just getting just the sparkle skirt "shorts" part and wear them underneath my own dresses and skirts. That may be an option.


I don't think I ever got back to this TR to see this. Thank you for clarifying about the length. The model was probably tall. I'm about 5'5.5" and I would most likely wear a L (I'm a 12/14) so I will probably give those a try. And I am all about spending less money, so I am with you on that aspect of it. I "saved them for later" in my Amazon cart. I do like the prints but I will need to see which ones would match my Disney tanks! 

Now, on to finish reading this report.


----------



## ArielSRL

chunkymonkey said:


> Here's DH and my Star Wars themed outfits for today:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, everyone kept stopping DH to ask where he found his shirt! I got it at a Disney Store Outlet in NJ.


That is a cool shirt!



chunkymonkey said:


> so my sister and I rode the last one by ourselves!


I just want to say that I love your necklace! Where did you get it?



chunkymonkey said:


> For our last morning ride my sister and I did a Thelma and Louise-inspired pose:


Love that movie! Great girl power flick and Brad Pitt...um, yes.



chunkymonkey said:


> In retrospect, I shoulda just skipped this.
> 
> This ride was a *monstrosity*, no pun intended. It's like a fiery flame ghost space monster flying around trying to scare you but the only thing scary about its is how bad the overlay is.
> 
> Which brings me to the title of this trip report.
> 
> * BRING BACK HYPERSPACE MOUNTAIN!!
> *
> (They did)


Haha. Too funny. I was looking at the DLR map last night - I was watching SeeYaReelSoon vlogs and they go to both WDW and DLR so I was watching one of their DLR ones last night, so my curiosity got the better of me, and I had to look up the map. So anyway, I saw that when you hover over Space Mtn, it lists Space Mtn, Hyperspace Mtn, and Ghost Galaxy!



chunkymonkey said:


> Anyways...we continued on at DL, going on all the little Fantasyland rides we had missed, including Snow White, Mr. Toads, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio. I forget how cute and old-fashioned these rides were.


I love all those rides!



chunkymonkey said:


> They ran out of Death Star glow cubes so we got Millenium Falcons instead. Fine with me!


Yep, I could go with either one and would probably prefer the Millennium Falcon! I want the Lego MF! 



chunkymonkey said:


> we went on Winnie the Pooh. This ride is so cute, and a little different from the WDW one.


AJ loves the WDW Pooh ride, and he really wants to try this one (we watch DL youtube videos a lot).



chunkymonkey said:


> Before we headed out of DLR we took some PP pictures:


Very nice!



chunkymonkey said:


> It was amazing how much we were able to do before lunch!


I noticed that! I tell you...EMH and rope drop is tip #1 (my previous TR title...lol). This year at WDW, we are taking advantage (no dad on this trip!).

So I just wanted to go back to what I was saying about watching the DL videos on youtube. My youngest is obsessed with Cars so we watch RSR and Paint the Night over and over again. So there is no doubt that I have to get them to DLR in the near future. I told them that we have to wait a year or so though because Will has to tall enough for RSR when we go and he is only like 38" right now. But your report and those videos have gotten me so excited! We are planning to rent an RV and do a road trip but if that doesn't work, I might look into renting points for VGC! Bet that is expensive, though! I think we could get away with doing just 3 days at the parks though...so maybe only 2 nights of renting points.

Anyway, onto reading the rest. I'm in a meeting where I'm just here to be a signature on a piece of paper, so that has allowed me to catch up this morning!


----------



## ArielSRL

chunkymonkey said:


> We sat in one of the peripheral rooms, which was in a a windowed area that was bright and airy. I definitely preferred that.


I always prefer windows and natural light. Looks very nice!



chunkymonkey said:


> We started with the* Fire Cracker Duck Wings*_ with Soy-Lime-Sriracha Chili Sauce_. I had heard so much about these, and they were amazing. It's hard to describe the flavor, but imagine the best and most flavorful spicy chicken wing you've ever eaten. The duck had really great flavor, more so than a regular chicken wing, the skin was crispy, and the firecracker sauce was delicious. This was a winner!


This both sounds and looks delicious!



chunkymonkey said:


> I am regularly not a fan of peas mixed into other things (I'll pick it out in fried rice and any stew), but when peas are done well they shine on their own and they can be really good!


Like you, I am not a pea fan so because of that, this does not appeal to me (I enjoy some good beef and I like ravioli). But opposite of you, I have no problems with peas in fried rice! LOL



chunkymonkey said:


> In between courses, you can see CS really did wander off...guess she took my advice to sneak out for some character pics!


She is serious about her characters!!



chunkymonkey said:


> DH and I decided to go to Bug's Life Land to check it out. I really could not remember if I had been there before.


I know I saw ITTBAB there...but I am not sure if the other rides were there when I went in 2002, but I don't think I rode those rides.



chunkymonkey said:


> Everything in here is really cute. It's also great for young kids as the rides are really tame. But I really enjoyed myself here! Who doesn't want to ride a spinning ladybug and ride a caterpillar through giant food tunnels?


My boys would love this area! And we just re-watched Bug's Life a couple of weekends ago!


----------



## ArielSRL

chunkymonkey said:


> It's so convenient for the parks to be across from each other, and I will always love this aspect of DLR over WDW.


That is definitely a pro for DLR!



chunkymonkey said:


> We made a beeline for Haunted Mansion - the line was super long and snaked around every corner. Luckily we had an FP but it was still not a short wait.


Oh my...it is super popular with the overlay, huh?



chunkymonkey said:


> Hmm why doesn't WDW do something like this?


Basically I've heard it's because it has to be down so long. At DLR, the guests are mostly local, so a ride being down for awhile isn't a huge problem, and to have the overlays are more necessary bc of the repeat guests. 



chunkymonkey said:


> I like how you can eat Dole Whips while watching Tiki Room now.


So nice!



chunkymonkey said:


> We walked over to Tomorrowland and DH wanted to go on the mattahorn again. Argh why! I was going to sit this one out but decided since it's an only in Disneyland thing I'll just go on it. Blech it was just as rickety and jerkey as the first time.


HAHA...I love the Matterhorn. But it is probably a lot more rickety now than in 2002!



chunkymonkey said:


> I swear, Kylo makes me crack up all the time now. I can never keep a straight face with him!


I can't even take him seriously...whiny brat! LOL



chunkymonkey said:


> After Launch Bay we used our FP for that monstrosity, Ghost Galaxy. It does not get better the second time around, lol.






chunkymonkey said:


> but the words "Tie Fighter Popcorn Bucket" caught my eye. I totally wanted one since the SWDAS cruise we took last year on the Fantasy and I saw it but didn't buy it and of course you always want what you don't have, so on this trip I did get one! I asked the CM to put the popcorn on the side so that I could take home a pristine tie fighter.


That is awesome!



chunkymonkey said:


> Here it is!


Yum!



chunkymonkey said:


> It was a huge platter. It seriously would serve 2 people. I even convinced my sister, who was busy eating popcorn, to eat a piece of chicken even though she wasn't hungry. There were 3 pieces of chicken on a platter and it was just too much for me and DH since we had such a filling lunch.


That is a huge portion!



chunkymonkey said:


> It was a giant Mickey shaped macaron with raspberries. It was pretty look at but it was a little too sweet for me. Not bad, but one of those things that I would prefer to just admire rather than eat.


Oh my. That looks so good. I usually don't run into things that are "too sweet" for me...lol, so I would totally chow down on this.



chunkymonkey said:


> After dinner we went to ride IJA with our FP. The last time we'd be on this ride! Boo.


I have definitely ridden this and enjoyed it. And I'm with you on Dinosaur. Just no interest at all.



chunkymonkey said:


> Finally we get to the front at we ordered, and we were presented with something that was not a beignet:


Boo!



chunkymonkey said:


> We had a kitchen, a small living room, and a giant bathroom, all for less than half of what we paid to stay at our tiny GC room.


Wow, looks amazing!


----------



## ArielSRL

chunkymonkey said:


> Our vacation was over!


Boo hoo! Though not too much crying because we all know that you have had two WDW trips since then, with several more on the way. 



chunkymonkey said:


> Steve's mom got a selfie stick!


This is extremely funny to me.



chunkymonkey said:


> It was a really cute and fun breakfast with great food.


Reminds me of Chef Mickeys but with, apparently, much better food!



chunkymonkey said:


> they are much better than the tiny one at the GC.


On our last WDW trip, I noticed at SSR the gift shop was so tiny and kind of yucky but when we stopped at AoA, it was like a mini World of Disney! Not saying that DL Hotel is a value by any means, but in WDW it seems like the deluxes have tiny gift shops for some reason!



chunkymonkey said:


> We tried to go into Trader Sams, but the wait was an hour and a half.


Oh wow.



chunkymonkey said:


> That is *THE END* of our Disneyland Trip Report!


Yay! I finished...finally! I truly enjoyed the report, even though it took me forever to finish, and for the second TR in a row, I am so behind that I am commenting after the report is done. What a faux pas. But it is very hard to read your reports and NOT comment. There are several I can read and refrain from commenting but yours, along with a few others, I am just compelled to do so! And while it may be annoying because it's after you are done and finished, it truly is meant as a compliment...lol.

Looking forward to reading about your most recent trip!


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## Dugette

In my never ending quest to catch up, I finally finished reading this report!  Loved it, as usual - your reports are always fun to follow! 

I have to be careful of reading too many Disneyland reports, though - I REALLY want to go back now that Izzy's over 40", but we can't work it into our travel plans/budget at this point unless we cancel some other trip.  So much fun, though, I just love it and enjoyed hearing about your adventures.


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## ONUAtrain

Thanks for a great report! If you could only do one, would you recommend WOC dessert party or the Storytellers Café Character Breakfast. We are going for just a super quick trip and really can only fit in one.


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## CyndiLouWho

ONUAtrain said:


> Thanks for a great report! If you could only do one, would you recommend WOC dessert party or the Storytellers Café Character Breakfast. We are going for just a super quick trip and really can only fit in one.


Well, I'm not Chunkymonkey but we did both in March. I would totally recommend WOC dessert party. Food aside, WOC was awesome. The kids get a drink in a giant light up cup, the adults get a bit of alcohol, sweets for everyone and a great show.  Not that we didn't enjoy Storytellers, but WOC is so much more.


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## carolnog

I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but I’m going on a mother and daughter trip to Disneyland for the very first time this December and don’t know much about the California parks just yet, so I enjoyed reading your TR! Now I have a better sense of what to expect, even if it’s about two years after you posted it... thank you!


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## chunkymonkey

carolnog said:


> I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but I’m going on a mother and daughter trip to Disneyland for the very first time this December and don’t know much about the California parks just yet, so I enjoyed reading your TR! Now I have a better sense of what to expect, even if it’s about two years after you posted it... thank you!



You're welcome! Sorry my response is so late, I just figured out how to view my old threads! I just got back from another amazing Disneyland trip about 2 weeks ago and we had so much fun!! I may have to find a way to move to Cali so I can get a So Cal annual pass!


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