Surprise! We're going to Disneyland...with Cass, Rob & Kira

I'm sorry to hear about Minnie's

What a beautiful sunny day you had! Looks like Kira is having a great time and she's getting so much braver with the rides. She'll be on ToT yet! Love reading about your trip and seeing the joy on LB's face

I know what words you were thinking to Pooh!

Andy hates the character meals too, but will do those hands down over standing in line to see a character. That's probably his least favourite thing about Disney theme parks. I just can't believe the cost of them... it's insane to have to pay that much money for breakfast! Dani and I are going to CRT for breakfast and it's almost $100 for two people to have a bit of breakfast.

Can't wait for the next installment!

I got behind.
Loving all the updates. Of course I read through several meals as I am sitting here starving..potatoes, any kind...corn dogs and fried chicken sound nice for lunch now......thought it's only 10:30.
I cracked up with Minnie stamped on your hand....since I know how much you love her.
I would be throwing a fit too though if my family was eating and I still hadn't gotten anything....and I am sure they never even noticed it. I know Skip would never even think...oh wait. she hasn't gone up yet...but I am going to get 2nds first. LOL!
Thats funny that Kira was scared of Pirates...but you are right, Claire does that sometimes....where the thought of the ride makes her scared. We forced her on the Simpsons her first time and she was so nervous....and then loved it. Of course 2 years later she is riding Manta at Sea World 3 times in a row and I have to tell her no more.

Joining in a little late!

I feel the same way about those Character Meals. My cousins and friends always love them, and I usually hide behind the camera and just hope the characters come quickly and let us be


For our trip this September the original idea was Storytellers, but they ended up deciding on Ariel's instead. We'll see... haha.

BTW LOVE Kira's outfit, with the Marie shirt and pink stripe pants!

We headed back to Tomorrowland to get these suckers...



Then we jumped in line for Buzz


I can't play because it hurts my joints too much but this version is so much better because the guns are not stuck to the vehicle, you can move these around wherever you want.

I think we did some window shopping until the FP time was up.

I decided to sit this one out, I was feeling slightly cruddy and I didn't feel like being tossed about. Besides, this was a Daddy/Kira ride anyway. The way I have influenced (read brainwashed ) her to love Disney, Rob has done the same but for Star Wars. I still remember the first time they watched it together, he was so happy

Plus they both love the ride so I don't think they missed me much



While they rode, I got FP's for Space Mountain and then found a bench at the end of Star Tours to wait for them.

I witnessed the funniest thing...

This boy (maybe 11 or 12?) and his dad approached a toy replica of the ride shuttle. The boy started vibrating, asking his dad if he can get this. He begged, he pleaded, he promised his Dad a bazillion things, if only he could buy him this toy. The dad didn't say yes but he didn't say no either! The longer the dad didn't say no, the more the boy vibrated, pleading and promising. He almost had him and then the mom walks by and asks them what's going on. The boy explains and the mom then lifts the toy up, looks at the price and says:

"BAH! Absolutely NOT!!! Let's go!"

The poor kid went from jumping out of his skin to head bowed, shoulders lowered, no movement, dead stop...all in one fell swoop of Mom"



I was like, yeah...story of my life!

Here's the toy and the family, thanks for the laugh guys!




After the ride, of course we had to look at everything because all the stuff was either Star Wars related, Disney related or in some very agonizingly painful instances, (for Kira) the items were Star Wars AND Disney related

She found a LOT that she wanted in this store! Some of her choices were just silly so I just told her that she needs to hold on to her money and by Friday, if she still wants it then she can get whatever she wants with the money she has left.

She wasn't very happy with that

It was time for Space Mountain FP's. Rob really tried to convince her to ride with us but I put a stop to it because I knew that if she did do it, she would be scared and miserable the rest of the day. I wanted this to be only fun for her, and I knew SM would only traumatize her. I don't want her to have any bad memories.

Rob went first while we camped out at the Star Wars windows...



Rob really enjoyed his ride, he forgot how much smoother this version was compared to the chiropractic adjustment inducing one at WDW.



I told him to take Kira into Innoventions and find the Captain America and Thor Meet and Greet. Lately, she has been all about Marvel movies! In the past 6 months she has watched all the Iron Man movies, Captain America movies, Avengers, Thors and even Spidey! Her latest obsession is Guardians of the Galaxy! She has watched that sucker so many times, she know every single word by heart!

I used the FP's for two spins on Space and then joined them in the line for Cap.

I wasn't sure what to expect but what we got was nothing short of amazing!



The way they set it up, when you meet him, it is a very private and intimate experience. The guy who played him was suited so well for the part. He was kind and patient, soft spoken and took his time. He got down on one knee to be on her level and had this huge conversation! He signed her book, commented on how many princesses she had seen and then asked her if she had met Elsa yet. (She hadn't, of course)

They had this whole conversation about Elsa and how she would make a great Avenger and Cap asked Kira to ask her if she wanted to join them. Obviously, this is part of a script they often use but Kira didn't know that and in her mind, she had a mission!

It was so cute

Plus I think Kira has begun a (horrible,terrible) new phase of her life...

The boy-crazy phase

So I think she was also a little enamored by the smooth talker





Impressed by this encounter, we briefly checked out Ironman's suits and got in line for Thor!



Thor's meet and greet was even more impressive!!!

We waited in line for about 10 minutes in front of a closed door. Then we were ushered in to a small room with props they used in the movies all around us. Then a big crash of fake thunder and lightning, and a welcome narration from Odin, as we have apparently travelled all the way to Asgard.

Guess Thor is too busy to travel to Anaheim

Which, by the way, sounds like it actually should be one of the nine realms

Then we were led into another room where Thor awaited us. He did a little speech and then he met with each family in the group.



I could tell Kira was either slightly intimidated or a whole lot smitten because she was being really shy!

Unfortunately, I am pretty sure it was more of the latter





Coincidentally, Thor asked Kira the same thing about Elsa and asking her to be an Avenger

I have caught up all of your trip report and I am LOVING it!! We are going to WDW in Oct for a short trip to get to go to a MNSSHP (we have never actually been to WDW) then we will be heading back to Cali next summer, I am REALLY wanting to try to stay a cpl 3 days at DL Hotel (we stay usually 10 days all together so we would split the stay with PVI) I miss it so much and wish we would have planned a trip for this summer!!

After having some Marvel fun, we headed over to Adventureland.



We were in search of some Dole Whips!



We shared one and then went to The Tiki Room, which always reminds me of my Mom because she liked it so much.

We got some FP for Indy and then hopped onto the Jungle Cruise.

While in line for JC, I spotted stuff in the trees. What the heck is that stuff??? DL vets, please tell me what is in those trees!!!



After JC, we took our second turn on Indy! Kira said she really wanted to go again and promised that she would open her eyes this time

She actually quite enjoyed it and I was so happy to hear that!

By then it was time for our reservations for Blue Bayou. We were going to eat here anyway, so when they announced the Fantasmic Dinner Packages back in December, it was a no brainer!

We checked in right at 4:20 and asked about a water table. It was going to be another 30 minutes for a water table so I declined. We were all pretty starving by then.







We got some delicious bread to start...



Kira's appetizer and Rob's shrimp that they shared...



Rob and I shared the gumbo



I was shocked that I even liked it! It was supposed to be spicy but I didn't find it spicy in the least! Rob and I were kind of fighting over it

Kira got the chicken for her entrée.




Rob got the surf 'n turf



And I got the Filet Mignon



I took one bite of the scalloped potatoes and fell in love!!!



Rob saw how much I loved them and gave me the rest of his. Reason #752 why I love him so much

I gave him my veggies in return. Fair trade, no?

All of our meals were just FANTASMIC!!!!! Hands down, best meal we ate the entire week!!!

And we still have dessert coming!!!







Quite pricey but worth every single penny! And as an added bonus, with the dining package you get Fast Passes for the best seat in the house for watching Fantasmic and a nice foam seat cushion to watch it on!







After dinner Kira wanted to go on Pirates again. I wasn't feeling too groovy, I think I am allergic to something in the gumbo. Nothing serious but my body was definitely reacting to something and it started shortly after I ate the gumbo.

I enjoyed the atmosphere while Rob and Kira did Pirates twice.







Before long, it was time for Fantasmic! We joined the line over by Harbor Galley at 7pm and ended up with the pick of the litter seats. We did not want to sit up front due to the bars so we sat all the way back in the center of our reserved section.




Those seat cushions sure came in handy because the ground was cold! I had purchased a blanket earlier in the day and I am so glad I did because it came in handy for Kira, she was quite cold.

The show was awesome. People say it's better than the WDW version but I think other than the Pirate Ship part, which was so freaking good, I prefer the one in WDW.



Check out that view, perfect!







We waited while the crowds dispersed, nothing worse than being herded like cows! Kira was tired and cold but we managed to walk back to our hotel quickly and we all called it a night

We leave for our trip in a few days.... I cringe when I see your poor daughter freezing . It's been a terrible winter here in ny..... I am longing for warm weather.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures! I have 2 questions: 1/ The pretty Disneyland sign that you almost bought - how much was it because I am just visioning it on my wall, I have a feeling I will really really want one!! 2/ Was it easy to arrange grocery delivery and did the hotel mind that you had it delivered prior to arrival? Was it Vons that you used? I'm wondering if it matters if I am not from the US. It does seem like a good idea to have a stash of healthy food in the fridge, not to mention I am sure it saved you some cash in doing so.

We are thinking to do the Fantasmic Blue Bayou package also - were all the drinks included in the price?

Wake up! Wake up! It's going to be a fun day

Today was our Frozen day!

I was able to secure an 8:30am appointment for Kira and the Anna & Elsa Boutique!! Since it was our regular park time anyway, we didn't have to say anything until we got to the boutique. I told her to stop for a second because I had one more surprise for her before we went to the park.

I just pointed to the store behind her and smiled and she figured it out all on her own

Since they were closed, we had to knock on the door. Just as we arrived, another little girl arrived too, all dressed in her Elsa dress

I figured Kira would not wear the dress (other than for that day) ever again and I wasn't going to spend $60 on a dress she wears once. Instead, I made sure she put on the shirt that we bought her the other day when we visited the boutique and then I put her in Frozen colours.

I am so glad we were able to do this before the store opened, it gave me a chance to get some nice pics of the store and it was nice and quiet, only 3 girls total getting all done up.

Here are some pics of the store...























Kira waiting patiently...




There are basically 4 packages that you can get, all I think around $35 but since Kira's hair was too short for the braids, she could only get the Cool as Ice one. She didn't care, she was super happy just to be there



She chose her two colours and off she went!



They have chairs in the back as well as up front in the middle of the store.














We got to talking to the Mom of the little Elsa and it turns out they are from Calgary! Talk about a small world! Her daughter, C was watching Kira`s transformation the whole way and got very excited when she was almost done!

Here's a pic of Kira and C, hopefully her Mom doesn't mind that I am posting a pic! (If she does, she can just email me and I will remove it )



I LOVED C's hair, they did such a good job with it, I was impressed!!!





Kira was loving her new look and posed happily for her Mommy in the store...





Here she is in the changing room, too cute!






A couple pics in natural light...





The experience was fantastic and the price was a steal!!! They took their time with the girls, no rushing, it was relatively quick but not rushed and because of the fact that the store was closed, it was nice and quiet and not chaotic like I think it would be if the store had been open.

I highly recommend making an appointment if you have a little princess and if you are staying on-site, inquire at Guest Services when you check in to your hotel for an before-hours appointment

LOVE it!! And def better prices than Bibbiti Boppiti!! Hopefully they will still have this next summer!!! And I LOVE the zip up hoodie in the first pic!!

WDWJonasGirl said:

Good TR so far!!! Sorry to hear about Goofy's Kitchen

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Thanks It wasn't bad but it could/should have been better

pmaurer74 said:

Looks like a great trip so far. It is making me excited for our stay in June. I have been wanting to try those chicken nachos they look like heaven! The one image with the mountains... could you only see it on a clear day? Had you booked a standard view room? I would love this view and would like to know what to request.

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Definitely try the chicken nachos!!!!

Yes, I think that was the only morning we could see the mountains that clearly. The next day you couldn't even see anything! We booked a standard room but those rooms are usually on a lower floor with little or no view. This was a higher floor, so clearly not a standard view.

JadeDarkstar said:

wow I love you TR it makes me want to go now not 8 months from now.

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LOL, makes me want to go all over again just writing about it

WDWJonasGirl said:

I'm sorry to hear about Minnie's

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Thanks! At least Kira enjoyed every moment of it

southbound said:

What a beautiful sunny day you had! Looks like Kira is having a great time and she's getting so much braver with the rides. She'll be on ToT yet! Love reading about your trip and seeing the joy on LB's face

I know what words you were thinking to Pooh!

Andy hates the character meals too, but will do those hands down over standing in line to see a character. That's probably his least favourite thing about Disney theme parks. I just can't believe the cost of them... it's insane to have to pay that much money for breakfast! Dani and I are going to CRT for breakfast and it's almost $100 for two people to have a bit of breakfast.

Can't wait for the next installment!

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Yes, totally expensive!! I think we will be avoiding the character meals for awhile, just not worth the $$$. Now Blue Bayou was as expensive but worth it

I don't think she will be doing ToT anytime soon. She doesn't like the butterflies and that ride is all about the butterflies

jenseib said:

I got behind.
Loving all the updates. Of course I read through several meals as I am sitting here starving..potatoes, any kind...corn dogs and fried chicken sound nice for lunch now......thought it's only 10:30.
I cracked up with Minnie stamped on your hand....since I know how much you love her.
I would be throwing a fit too though if my family was eating and I still hadn't gotten anything....and I am sure they never even noticed it. I know Skip would never even think...oh wait. she hasn't gone up yet...but I am going to get 2nds first. LOL!
Thats funny that Kira was scared of Pirates...but you are right, Claire does that sometimes....where the thought of the ride makes her scared. We forced her on the Simpsons her first time and she was so nervous....and then loved it. Of course 2 years later she is riding Manta at Sea World 3 times in a row and I have to tell her no more.

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I know! I have a hard time writing anything if I am hungry, so I gotta make sure I eat before I start a chapter

I hope Kira is just like Claire and will be doing the really good rides soon.

Minnie

Woodskeeper said:

Joining in a little late!

I feel the same way about those Character Meals. My cousins and friends always love them, and I usually hide behind the camera and just hope the characters come quickly and let us be


For our trip this September the original idea was Storytellers, but they ended up deciding on Ariel's instead. We'll see... haha.

BTW LOVE Kira's outfit, with the Marie shirt and pink stripe pants!

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We did both Storytellers and Ariel's...I would rate them the same-ish. Maybe give Storytellers the edge because I love that restaurant and they had some great characters

I love her outfit too. She's not all fashionista-like though, thank goodness because neither am I

luulu1999 said:

I have caught up all of your trip report and I am LOVING it!! We are going to WDW in Oct for a short trip to get to go to a MNSSHP (we have never actually been to WDW) then we will be heading back to Cali next summer, I am REALLY wanting to try to stay a cpl 3 days at DL Hotel (we stay usually 10 days all together so we would split the stay with PVI) I miss it so much and wish we would have planned a trip for this summer!!

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Thanks for reading

You will love WDW and MNSSHP, soooo good

Can't say enough good things about the DL hotel! Love love love!!!!

Tricia's mom said:

We leave for our trip in a few days.... I cringe when I see your poor daughter freezing . It's been a terrible winter here in ny..... I am longing for warm weather.

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Crossing fingers that you are having good weather

Meemoo said:

Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures! I have 2 questions: 1/ The pretty Disneyland sign that you almost bought - how much was it because I am just visioning it on my wall, I have a feeling I will really really want one!! 2/ Was it easy to arrange grocery delivery and did the hotel mind that you had it delivered prior to arrival? Was it Vons that you used? I'm wondering if it matters if I am not from the US. It does seem like a good idea to have a stash of healthy food in the fridge, not to mention I am sure it saved you some cash in doing so.

We are thinking to do the Fantasmic Blue Bayou package also - were all the drinks included in the price?

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The sign was $150

Grocery delivery was awesome! Yes, I used Von's but my Visa didn't work. I had to use an AMEX and
use only the digits from my postal code and then add two zeros at the end. i.e. V6E-3H8 becomes 63800.

As long as you don't have alcohol in your order, you can have it delivered early and they will sign for it. If you have alcohol, their policy is that they will only deliver it to you and you have to sign for it.

Everything you saw in my pics for BB was included in that price. Milk and coffee and diet coke were all included. If you ordered any specialty drinks, those would be extra.

luulu1999 said:

LOVE it!! And def better prices than Bibbiti Boppiti!! Hopefully they will still have this next summer!!! And I LOVE the zip up hoodie in the first pic!!

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We did BBB the next day and honestly, I preferred A&E. BBB has some nice little touches like the reveal mirror but overall A&E was a better experience for us.

I almost bought that hoodie for her too

Oh gosh - I suddenly like that sign a little less now! For that price I might be better off getting some awesome artworks etc especially after I convert it to AUD, add 30% ouch! I was so glad to read your postives on BB, I wasn't sure whether to try it but now I know I must give it a go, not to mention to get a great spot for Fantasmic. Its the only Disney show I don't remember from my last trip, thanks to the rather tall people seated in front of me but DH says it is the best! HEy heres a thought, I can forget BB and get the DL sign !!

Kira looks so cute, sounds like she really liked the experience!

Only my youngest would want this done, and she has a mop of super curly hair. Not sure if it would work. But...I'm definitely looking into it for our trip in 2 weeks.

Timon said:

While in line for JC, I spotted stuff in the trees. What the heck is that stuff???

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That's actually part of the tree. I think it's called a silk floss tree.

I'm really enjoying your trip report!

Continuing on with the Frozen morning...





We managed to get to the park while the Extra Magic Hours were still on, so we took advantage of that and headed straight to the Animation Building...

I just LOVE this building!!!





Of course our goal this morning was to see Anna & Elsa...



Didn't have to wait too long before going into the area



And just a few minutes later...



They talked about her hair, her shirt and her autograph book





After that we rushed over to Olaf's because it would get very busy as soon as the park opened to regular guests.

The whole room was just gorgeous!



Right in the center was the snow area with the slide. Then surrounded it on the south side were little snacks/shops and then Olaf meet and greet to the north. If you want to meet Olaf, you go up to the reception desk and get a pager and then play until the pager goes off, then get in line to see Olaf.










There's a cute little frozen fountain in the center.



And there's the line up for the slide



Which Kira loved!!!



And she made friends with the girl that slid next to her and they did the slide together 4 times and then played in the snow together.

And then it started snowing










Then our buzzer went off and it was time to meet Olaf!







He loved her book and her shirt



After Olaf, we grabbed some FP's for the Frozen Sing-a-long and then Rob and Kira had a snack



10 minutes later, it was time to sing!

While we were waiting for the theatre doors to open, Kira's head started to really hurt. I told her I could loosen her hair a bit and she was VERY happy about that! No wonder her head hurt, I removed over a dozen hair pins! It was super tight so I took it all out and then put it back up but looser. This made it much better for her!

Time for the sing-a-long!

It was super fun and they did an amazing job with the theatre, I bet most people would not even know it was actually the Muppetvision Theatre!





When we got out, it was super hot and sunny so we put on some sunscreen.

And then I did the worst thing ever...

I took a photo of my daughter without glasses!!!

For whatever reason, she got so mad at me!



And this was just the start

I guess everybody has their bad days and well, this was one of her worst ever!

Since I don't eat breakfast on vacation, I was starving!!! As soon as I even mentioned food, Kira asked for....



I ate that corn dog so fast, I think it might have been a world record!

I was still hungry, luckily this was close by

On our way back to Carsland, Rob and Kira stopped for a treat...





We found a shady spot and shared a Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich. It was so hard, we couldn't even eat it! I remember having the same issue on our last trip to Disneyland 10 years ago!



It was really frozen LOL!



After we finally finished, we cleaned up in the bathroom and went back to one of Kira's fave...





I just LOVE Grizzly Peak, no matter what angle!





Kira's grumpiness seemed to escalate here because she asked if she could ride alone.

Both Rob and I were like..."yes, please do!"

Her mood improved a bit after the ride, it's just so much fun!





We saw that Lightning McQueen was greeting guests so we hopped in line.





We looked around the shops a bit. They have really overpriced their Carsland stuff, in my opinion! $32 for a kids tee



Kira asked to go back on Radiator Springs Racers but the stand-by time was 60 minutes. I then gave her the option of doing the single rider line. I wasn't sure how she would respond because she she's at that age still where she wants to be super independent but still needs her mommy or daddy!

We explained to her how it would work and that there was a very big chance that she would be separated from us and in a car by herself with strangers. She immediately said yes but I could tell she was a little apprehensive just because it was something new. Once we got to the actual loading area and I explained it 12 more times, she was okay with it

It was only a few minutes before we were on the ride and as it turns out, her and Rob were in the same car.



I tried to get a shot of them as we came back to the unloading area.



Now that she knew what it was like, she begged to go again! Sure, why not, there was no line, except waiting for a spot for you in a car!

Two times!



And guess what???



Yup, she was in Rob's car again



And, well, we did it again!

The ride kind of ruined her hair though

The best part is that we got to FINALLY do Luigi's side!!! If you haven't been on this ride before, the second part of the ride is where you are getting prepped for your race and you either go into Ramone's to get a new paintjob or you go into Luigi's and get a new set of whitewalls. Well, I did this ride last year 4 times and always went to Ramone's. Then the first 2 times with Rob and Kira, we all went into Ramone's again so we were all stoked to finally get Luigi's!!!

And I must say, Luigi's is soooo much better! It reminded me of my favourite part of the movie, when Guido becomes part of Lightning's pit crew and changes the tires in 3 seconds flat

I left to go try and record the race part while Rob and Kira rode once more and guess what???



She was never separated from us and we got to ride this amazing ride 4 times in less than 40 minutes, including ride time

Kira wanted to keep going but we had early dinner reservations over at DL and there were a few things that I wanted to do before then.

Oh wow I loved The frozen fun area. I pray it comes back this nov-dec time. Pleassseee Disney Gods hear my pleee

That's great she was okay to do single rider line.... Am hoping my daughter will give this option a try on our trip. In my experience your usually in the same car !!!

I have a question, do they allow adults in to the snow area, and on the sleds? Is there an extra cost or is it all free?