TR w/4000+ Pics/Disney on Ice w/184 Pics!!

[DizNee Luver]

Back to Small World!

Ariel:

Nemo & Dory:

Lilo & Stitch:

Woody & Jessie:

And so ends our tour of Small World, please remain seated until your boat comes to a complete stop. Thank you for riding!!

Next installment will have the Matterhorn & a couple asst. Fantasyland pics!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Here are a couple of the popcorn carts between Small World & the Matterhorn.

My intention this trip was to get on the Matterhorn from the Tomorrowland side....but it wasn't open yet, only the Fantasyland side was open. We needed to split our group up to ride this: Group one was Anthony & Derek, Addy & I. I didn't take any pics during the ride & Derek videotaped but Tyler did snap a few pics as we were finishing our ride:

The second group was Tyler & Nick, Mike & Betty. Nick & Tyler took a few shots during the ride....most of them came out...a couple blurry (but I liked the effect so included it) & then he ended up with a few foot shots....lol:

While the 2nd group was on the Matterhorn, Derek & I took the 4 little ones to ride the Carousel:

Next up will be one last photo op in Fantasyland, walking by the Finding Nemo subs & our Monorail trip to DTD.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Over by the Teacups is a free-standing cup for photos.....Here's Anthony & Addy hamming it up for the camera!!

We headed towards the Monorail, passing by Finding Nemo Subs. I found this exit sign hilarious....because it's in the middle of the fence....wasn't even close to the area they line up for & no where near where you enter & exit the ride.......

One more popcorn cart in Tomorrowland:

We don't bother with this ride.....We did it once last year & that was plenty for the rest of our lives. We lovingly calling Lame-o (instead of Nemo).

We waited for the Monorail & got a few shots:

Betty, Derek, Tyler, Nick & Shyann got to ride in the front with the "Pilot"...so these are pics from their experience & viewpoint. Mike, Anthony, Addy, Michayla & I rode in the next car back. (they only allow 5 people in the front)

Just a side note: This is still Day One in Disneyland & we're only up to 10am!!

Next installment will be Goofy's Kitchen for brunch!

 

[kelmac284]

Back from winco. EEK another 100 bucks. Man this was an expensive weekend and it wasn't even anything fun LOL.

I know what you mean about winco. We always used to shop at Albertson's and then they changed to Save Mart and they got expensive and then Winco came and I WAY prefer even Save Mart as far as food quality and just the lay out of the store BUT I can't see spending the extra money just because the store looks preetier LOL.

Winco is so generic and wharehouse like but for things like canned goods, boxed goods, milk, butter, eggs etc. But I don't like to buy much meat or ANY veggies there. They just aren't good.

Like I said we buy most of our bulk items at sam's but just go weekly to winco for the incidentals that we go through but I know what you mean about not liking it.

And yeah I get you on the printer. I had my old one for over 10 years but I put 2 BRAND new expensive cartridges in thinking that was all that was wrong and it STILL didn't work. That really bummed me out cuz those things are EXPENSIVE! It wouldn't print color at ALL anymore and would BARELY print b&w but enough that I could get by till now. I have been putting it off but when we saw this one last night we just bit the bullet but you are so right the ink is what kills you.

Anyway love your latest installment and I can't wait to see the next one. We aren't leaving for the party till 1 so maybe I can see a little more before I go!

 

[DizNee Luver]

cool beans!! I need to go sort the next set of pics for Goofy's Kitchen.

 

[DizNee Luver]

After getting off the Monorail, we made our way towards the DL Hotel, passing by the Rainforest Cafe & ESPN Zone.

Here's the Sorcerer Mickey Hat & DL Hotel:

Sign for Goofy's Kitchen:

The beautiful flooring when you enter the lobby area by Goofy's Kitchen:

The free-standing Autopia car for photos in the lobby:

Pictures of the memorabilia in the lobby & halls of the main floor of the main building (where you check in & out):

Next up will be more memorabilia & the twins meeting Pluto!

 

[DizNee Luver]

More DL Memorabilia:

Tyler took some great pics of celebrities thru the years that were on the walls....Here are just a few of them:

Dale Evans & Roy Rogers:

Bob Hope:

Prince Ranier with Prince Albert & Princess Caroline:

Oscar Robertson (Basketball Star):

Ronald Reagan (Governor):

Clint Eastwood:

John Wayne:

Art Linkletter:

Shirley Jones & Jack Cassidy:

Shirley Temple Black:

President Richard Nixon:

Julie Andrews:

Steve McQueen:

Marlon Brando:

Rock Hudson:

It just amazes me that all these people walked & played in the same place I take my family. Disneyland definitely has drawn people from all walks of life & for one day, we're all the same!

After checking in at Goofy's Kitchen, we go & have a family photo done with Pluto. This is Shyann meeting Pluto:

This is Michayla meeting Pluto:

Pluto signing the kids autograph book:

Next up......more Goofy's Kitchen!

 

[DizNee Luver]

So let me start off & say that Goofy's Kitchen is a must every trip for our family & some trips we've gone twice (one brunch & one dinner)....so we wanted to start our trip with brunch here. We were also celebrating Derek's 21st birthday. Disney Dining knew about it as well as check-in & on our ticket for the waiter.

When we were shown to our table, the characters met at the buffet to dance, so Addy & Anthony joined them as we got the twins in their high chairs & everyone else situated.

Let the *+*+*FOOD PORN*+*+* begin:

Pastries & Sweets:

Pizzas:

Salads/Veggies:

Hot Dogs & Chicken Nuggets:

Hot Breakfast Foods:

The Chef at the Omelet Station:

Mickey Waffles & French Toast:

Mickey Pancakes & Mac-n-Cheese:

More hot items--lunch choices:

Next up more Food!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

More Food Porn!!

Fresh Fruit:

The Chef for the Made-to-order Omelets again:

Breakfast Meats:

Derek loading up one of 3 plates he started with.....lol

The plates at our table:

So let me comment on the food this time. We were a bit disappointed. Anytime we've gone, the food was kept full & fresh. We noticed a number of holes as we looked around. The pancakes, waffles & french toast wasn't warm & had been sitting there for a while. The sausage was tough to cut into & the scrambled eggs were soupy. The only highlight was the made-to-order omelets....at least you know it was fresh & hot. The service wasn't the best & Derek's birthday was totally ignored.....no mention, no nothing. We were pretty surprised by that....as usually they make a huge deal about birthdays....no matter the age!

Next up will be the characters & our not so great interaction with them.

 

[Sherry E]

I've been following along the whole time (loving all the TR photos, by the way), but decided to pop in now because Goofy's is one of my areas of expertise/interest! (I love Mt. Shasta, too! I have not been past there since my last Oregon trip, years ago!)

This latest GK experience may not have been as great as your usual ones - but the food looks fantastic in the photos and it is actually making me hungry and anxious to get back there! Also, from all the photos it appears the characters were having great fun with the kids!

I've been there on days when birthdays were, for some reason, overlooked. I've been there on days when the food was excellent but the service was not as great, or the service was great but the food wasn't as good. It happens every so often. Every now and then there is an off day for all places, I guess!

Anyway, I am looking forward to the rest of the TR - again, your pictures are detailed and fantastic!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Sorry this experience with GK wasn't as great. But man is it making me wish I could go now, lol. I never did the brunch though so I get a little giggle out of hot dogs being served with breakfast foods!

 

[Sherry E]

Sorry this experience with GK wasn't as great. But man is it making me wish I could go now, lol. I never did the brunch though so I get a little giggle out of hot dogs being served with breakfast foods!

That food does look absolutely amazing in Laurie's photos! The brunch has all the same stuff as breakfast (same price, too) - but there are different items that come out seasonally, so what's served in Fall for breakfast/brunch may not be what's there in Summer or Winter for breakfast/brunch. There are many of the same things, but some things differ by season.

I must say, though, that Laurie's is one of several not-so-great Goofy's reviews lately. Most of them have involved dinner, however, but there has been a wave of bad reviews lately. When I was there in December, it was, frankly, one of my best experiences at Goofy's - the food was delicious and the characters were great. BUT, I am wondering if there have been new chefs or CM's/staff hired recently that have caused a decrease in quality of food and service?

It won't stop me from going there again, but I have certainly noticed that people have been complaining about GK lately. And then, by the same token, another person might post and say their experience was wonderful - so you just never know!

 

[DizNee Luver]

I've been following along the whole time (loving all the TR photos, by the way), but decided to pop in now because Goofy's is one of my areas of expertise/interest! (I love Mt. Shasta, too! I have not been past there since my last Oregon trip, years ago!)

This latest GK experience may not have been as great as your usual ones - but the food looks fantastic in the photos and it is actually making me hungry and anxious to get back there! Also, from all the photos it appears the characters were having great fun with the kids!

I've been there on days when birthdays were, for some reason, overlooked. I've been there on days when the food was excellent but the service was not as great, or the service was great but the food wasn't as good. It happens every so often. Every now and then there is an off day for all places, I guess!

Anyway, I am looking forward to the rest of the TR - again, your pictures are detailed and fantastic!!

You know me Sherry....I love Goofy's Kitchen...but if this had been my first experience there....I would not return. It pretty much was blah from beginning to end with an occassional highlight. Pluto was very good with the twins when we did the photo & Chip was the best!! Very playful & making it a point to see all 4 small kids & a couple of the adult kids. This is kinda what we've come to expect when here. The food looked great, but temps were off & some of it was almost inedible. We left a ton of food on our plates when we left.

Thanx for the compliment on the pics!

Sorry this experience with GK wasn't as great. But man is it making me wish I could go now, lol. I never did the brunch though so I get a little giggle out of hot dogs being served with breakfast foods!

I know the first time we went I was amazed to find hot dogs & mac-n-cheese along with pizzas & breakfast items. The choices are endless & usually very good.

That food does look absolutely amazing in Laurie's photos! The brunch has all the same stuff as breakfast (same price, too) - but there are different items that come out seasonally, so what's served in Fall for breakfast/brunch may not be what's there in Summer or Winter for breakfast/brunch. There are many of the same things, but some things differ by season.

I must say, though, that Laurie's is one of several not-so-great Goofy's reviews lately. Most of them have involved dinner, however, but there has been a wave of bad reviews lately. When I was there in December, it was, frankly, one of my best experiences at Goofy's - the food was delicious and the characters were great. BUT, I am wondering if there have been new chefs or CM's/staff hired recently that have caused a decrease in quality of food and service?

It won't stop me from going there again, but I have certainly noticed that people have been complaining about GK lately. And then, by the same token, another person might post and say their experience was wonderful - so you just never know!

The CM's didn't seem as "happy" as normal, didn't interact with us & getting Goofy & Baloo to slow down to do so with the kids was painful.

Working on the next post!

 

[DizNee Luver]

The first character to visit our table was Chip. You will find that you see Chip & Dale at almost every character meal & meet-n-greets in the parks....so not always super thrilled to see them.....but super glad we got one of them this morning!! Chip checked in with all 4 kids & even played with Tyler & Nick. He actually slowed down enough to get pics. We did realize when he left our table we had forgotten about the autograph book.....so luckily where we were seated we would be able to catch him as he walked back by.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!!

Nick was showing Addy how to take a picture:

This was the outcome.....not too bad!

Goofy came by & really rushed thru....it was hard to get any pictures....he paused for brief seconds & then took off.....again the autograph book got missed.

Nick caught Chip as he passed by to do the autograph book:

Caught Goofy as he passed by as well.....we even asked if we could get a few pics:

More next post.

 

[Sherry E]

I know, Laurie - if a diehard GK fan such as yourself could come away so disappointed on every level, there was definitely something amiss that day! And it's such a lot of money to spend to not get the experience you are used to having.

I recall going to Goofy's one day in 2007 and there were no characters there at all. I literally think they were all in a meeting - no joke. Not even Goofy was there - and he is the chef! So I thought to myself, "Gee, if this had been my first-ever visit here, I would be seriously disappointed," even though the food was good. It didn't seem like "a character meal."

I recall a wave of bad GK reviews on the DIS for about a month or two last year...to the point where I was concerned when I returned to GK in December because I was afraid it would be bad. Fortunately, it was far from bad, so I don't know if those other DIS-ers just had different tastes and expectations than what I have, or if they went when the staff and chefs were bad and I just happened to get there when everything was good.

But it does have me wondering, in this terrible economy when so many folks are out of work, if DLR has been hiring people that are not necessarily great chefs or cut out for their happy CM roles, and thus, the quality of food and service is going down in some places. It seems like a reasonable theory. What do you think?

 

[DizNee Luver]

I know, Laurie - if a diehard GK fan such as yourself could come away so disappointed on every level, there was definitely something amiss that day! And it's such a lot of money to spend to not get the experience you are used to having.

I recall going to Goofy's one day in 2007 and there were no characters there at all. I literally think they were all in a meeting - no joke. Not even Goofy was there - and he is the chef! So I thought to myself, "Gee, if this had been my first-ever visit here, I would be seriously disappointed," even though the food was good. It didn't seem like "a character meal."

I recall a wave of bad GK reviews on the DIS for about a month or two last year...to the point where I was concerned when I returned to GK in December because I was afraid it would be bad. Fortunately, it was far from bad, so I don't know if those other DIS-ers just had different tastes and expectations than what I have, or if they went when the staff and chefs were bad and I just happened to get there when everything was good.

But it does have me wondering, in this terrible economy when so many folks are out of work, if DLR has been hiring people that are not necessarily great chefs or cut out for their happy CM roles, and thus, the quality of food and service is going down in some places. It seems like a reasonable theory. What do you think?

I'll get into this more in my report....but we were a bit disappointed in a number of things this trip.....not sure if Disney is "slipping" or there was something else in the air during our trip. I did notice picketing a few times & wonder if that has something to do with our experience. Keep following & I'll explain myself.

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

The first character to visit our table was Chip. You will find that you see Chip & Dale at almost every character meal & meet-n-greets in the parks....so not always super thrilled to see them.....but super glad we got one of them this morning!! Chip checked in with all 4 kids & even played with Tyler & Nick. He actually slowed down enough to get pics. We did realize when he left our table we had forgotten about the autograph book.....so luckily where we were seated we would be able to catch him as he walked back by.

Say it ain't so! I love Chip & Dale, hehe. They always seem so animated and interact a lot. My very first ever character meal was back in '96 at Epcot and Chip & Dale were there...with me being a big fan of Rescue Rangers when I was little, I was ecstatic. I still love them! DBF was super annoyed with me out our last WDW trip because the very first thing I saw when we walked into MK on our first day was Chip & Dale posing for pictures, so of course I *had* to stop. No beelines to the rides for me!

I'm sorry your meal wasn't as fun as you'd hoped. That really stinks that they didn't even acknowledge the birthday. I read through your last TR the other day and comparing the pictures of the food then with now, there was definitely something lacking. (I am all about the food porn...so hungry right now... ) I hope the rest of your meals went better.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Time to bang the pots with Goofy & friends:

Baloo came to our table after I had left the restaurant with Michayla. She was starting to stress out & was also ready for nap. Mike said he almost had to tackle Baloo to stop & see the kids.

We all left Goofy's Kitchen wondering what happened. This is usually such a fun meal & this time it at times seemed painful. The characters & cast members just didn't seem like they wanted to be there & it was obvious in the lack of smiles & service. The food was sub-par when it's usually quite good. So not sure what happened. These character meals are a lot of money & to leave dissatisfied is a total let-down.

6 ADULTS, 2 CHILD w/TAX & TIP= $262.25 I have a Premium AP & received a 15% disc, saving us $31.79 (paid $230.46)

The kids stopped at the Autopia car again:

A couple more pics of the flooring in the entry:

The big boys ran upstairs & saw a ton of artwork.....I wish I would have known this was up there.....I would have loved to seen it in person!!

More next post.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Say it ain't so! I love Chip & Dale, hehe. They always seem so animated and interact a lot. My very first ever character meal was back in '96 at Epcot and Chip & Dale were there...with me being a big fan of Rescue Rangers when I was little, I was ecstatic. I still love them! DBF was super annoyed with me out our last WDW trip because the very first thing I saw when we walked into MK on our first day was Chip & Dale posing for pictures, so of course I *had* to stop. No beelines to the rides for me!

I'm sorry your meal wasn't as fun as you'd hoped. That really stinks that they didn't even acknowledge the birthday. I read through your last TR the other day and comparing the pictures of the food then with now, there was definitely something lacking. (I am all about the food porn...so hungry right now... ) I hope the rest of your meals went better.

Don't get me wrong....I love Chip & Dale....but Disneyland seems to throw them down your throat......lol They're everywhere!! You can see them more than any other characters. But are you ready for this........NO STUFFED CHIP & DALE'S OR T-SHIRTS!!!!! My son Derek has a friend that loves them & he had the hardest time finding stuff for her. You can get pins & big lanyard badges but good luck finding anything else. We asked at all the stores, including World of Disney & no one carries anything. Pretty sad!

 

[Sherry E]

Do they still have the ToonTown artwork and the "stretching room" portraits from the Haunted Mansion upstairs at the DLH? Those used to be there in the '90s, but I haven't checked the upstairs section of DLH recently. I think I have photos somewhere in my TR.