“This place better not burn down before I get my entrée!" – A DLR Feb16 TR (8/25 Wrap-up & new TR)

[skier_pete]

Oops, not sure what happened. Mid post it flicked to the DL trip report page so I thought my post was lost - but I guess not. #ThanksShanghai

I was just saying I thought the first courses you and your wife got, your duck salad, and the desserts looked especially good

Glad you felt it was all worth it (but do get where you are coming from spending $100 for DD)

The duck salad was fantastic. Overall the meal was great - I have no real complaints. (Hate to keep focusing on the cost like I had an issue - I didn't.)

I just realized that your cost for a high end 3 course meals is the same price Disney is charging for the dessert party where only get...one course.

That's a good point. Of course I personally would NEVER pay for one of the rip-off dessert parties, at least at WDW. There's some argument for it at DLR to "beat" the crowds waiting for the shows....but even so with the FP system I don't really think they are worth it at all.

Kale is actually not bad when it is prepared right. Massaged Tuscan kale is yummy. Not sure how they massage it but that is how the prep was explained to me and it makes it taste good instead of the bitter stuff I end up with when I try to use it in salad myself.

That's why the staff is so large - Kale massaging! And I did say this Kale was quite tasty, so maybe they were all in the back massaging a fresh batch of kale.

And I get what you mean about the cost for DD. My son still has a less than sophisticated pallet and wants to order off the kids menu. I'm less than thrilled when we do a world of color prix fixe meal I spend 45 bucks on chicken nuggets and baby carrots with ranch with jello for dessert. That folks, is a 15 bucks max dinner. But you are paying for them to have the experience like you said.

DD usually likes enough things on the adult menu that we can find something for her. This meal was a little too fancy for her, though she did quite like the dessert. She will still tend towards eating pasta or pizza if she has the choice. Again, I didn't mind spending it at all...just got a kick out of the idea of a $70 bowl of mac and cheese. That was like a month's supply in college!

 

[khertz]

Wow, all of the food looks fantastic!! Especially that brownie dessert you got. YUM.

Despite the fire alarm snafu, looks like it was an excellent lunch.

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

I'm really enjoying your TR! Looking forward to the next update Amazing that you guys got to eat at Club 33!

And that room at the GC is really great! So good to have so much space for a multi-gen party like yours!

 

[skier_pete]

Wow, all of the food looks fantastic!! Especially that brownie dessert you got. YUM.

Despite the fire alarm snafu, looks like it was an excellent lunch.

It was all quite delicious! And certainly getting it re-cooked fresh was the right thing to do...despite the wait.

I'm really enjoying your TR! Looking forward to the next update Amazing that you guys got to eat at Club 33!

And that room at the GC is really great! So good to have so much space for a multi-gen party like yours!

I'm still amazed at our fortune! Getting to stay at the Grand and then eating at Club 33, I almost feel like a hoity-toity mucky-muck.

 

[skier_pete]

We had made our way back to the hotel, and had maybe 45 minutes to decompress when I got a call from our DIS friend @franandaj (or Alison). We had “met” on here originally through our mutual friend @PrincessInOz – funny to meet through someone from Australia - and had been following eachothers Trip Reports the last few years. She was very helpful in planning this trip and encouraging me to stick with my waitlist from the VGC. We were happy that she was able to take the time out of her life to meet up with us. For those that know Alison and Fran - Fran didn’t make the trip out to the parks. I am not sure if it was the weather that kept her away, but if it was, I can’t say as I blame her. We are hoping to catch up with Fran on a future WDW trip!

DD had had enough of the rain, and asked to stay in the room. We decided not to drag her along, since we were going to meet up with our Club 33 contact for a drink in the lounge. I also managed to forget to bring my camera, so I was left with only my phone for pictures. However, my new phone actually takes pretty decent pictures.

It was still raining fairly lightly as we entered the park, and we had FP for Big Thunder Mountain from earlier, so Alison, DW and I rode that while DM went into Golden Horseshoe to get out of the rain. After this it was starting to rain harder, and fortunately it was time to go over to Club 33 again, this time for a drink in the lounge.
It was kind of amusing as we were entering, this woman comes up to me and says “That’s the entrance to Club 33, how are you getting in there?” I didn’t feel comfortable saying “This person is a member” so I just sort of went “Ummm”, but then our member friend flashed their Club 33 membership card, and this woman just went all wide-eyed! I thought it was pretty funny.

The member lounge at Club 33 is off to the side of the main dining area. It is set up like a Jazz Club and basically has a bar area as well as some seating areas.



I liked this stained glass on the ceiling:









We ordered some drinks, and then some of us ordered some food. Alison got the beef tartare, which she said was very good.



DW and were still pretty full from lunch seeing as we had only finished eating maybe 3 hours before this. DW wanted to get the beef sliders though, and I said I wouldn’t mind eating one of them.



These were quite tasty. Here’s us all enjoying our drinks.



We hung out at the lounge for maybe 60-90 minutes, I don’t remember exactly, it was very nice chatting and enjoying the atmosphere in the club some more (but we were glad we left DD behind).

Around 7 PM, we had planned to go and see the parade and fireworks. Club 33 members can get a reserved seating spot for the show, which would’ve been very nice to take advantage of. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t in the mood to co-operate. We went out to decide if we would see the show, and it was now raining a lot harder. We went to inquire, and at the time they were not sure if the fireworks would go on, but they were pretty sure the parade would be canceled. The fireworks were still 90 minutes away, and we basically all decided we weren’t going to stick it out.

Before they left, our Club 33 contact continue to be generous and provided us with their daily ration of Fastpasses that we could use the next day. Those members have some pretty sweet perks.



We decided to use 3 of them to ride Indiana Jones on the off chance that maybe the rain would slow down. (Again, DM just stayed in one of the stores nearby while the rest of us rode.)

It was raining just as hard after the ride, and so we decided to call it quits completely… I suggested that we maybe stop by Trader Sam’s for a drink. DM wanted to head back to the room though. but Alison stuck it out with us – and trudged through the rain with us over to the Disneyland Hotel. I have to hand it to her, she was wonderful that she spent the whole evening with us in the rain. I thought Southern Californians would hunker down in their beds in this weather! (it wasn’t a warm rain, either.)

We went to Trader Sams – there was unfortunately no room inside – though actually I don’t even know if we went inside – but we got a table outside under an overhang and surrounded by heat lamps, so it was nice and warm and dry.



I’ll quote Alison – as I can’t remember what I ordered: “I went with the Piranha Pool, Pete had the Passionate Python, and his wife I think went with the Lost Safari.” I do remember that I definitely had the python because the menu photo made it look like it had a straw that was shaped like a snake, but the actual drink just had a twisted up straw in it that just looked like a straw.



We sat and talked for quite a while longer. As it happened, when it got to 9 PM and time for the fireworks, we heard nothing, indicating it was a good thing we skipped out on the show, because we would have wasted that time standing there anyways.

When we were ready to go - at this point, it was generally pouring and we had to slog back across the parking lot between the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian. Poor Alison! I’m surprised she didn’t catch a cold from all this. Even us Northerners were feeling pretty miserable by now. DW went up to the room while I waited with Alison to get her car from the valet. It wasn’t super late at this point, maybe 9:30 PM, but we were pretty pooped out. (I can’t remember if I took a hot shower first, or if I just buried myself under the sheets.

It rained all bloody night, too. In fact, when we got up in the morning, it was STILL raining. Fortunately, by the time the park opened the rain had finished passing by. We had one day left at Disneyland, and still quite a few things left to do.

Next time - our third and final day at Disneyland.

 

[rteetz]

Awesome Dis meet! I was lucky enough to have my first dis meet in January.

The food at the lounge looks good. Wow look at all of those FPs, I guess the members paid for it though.

Trader Sams is one of those places I want to go to when I am 21.

 

[PrincessInOz]

What an awesome meet and how nice of your member friend to let Alison in! WOW! That's a fantastic stack of FPs. Well done!
Shame about the weather raining on the parades. But it meant you got to spend more time chatting with Alison.


Look forward to the next edition.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

so great you got to meet up with Alison. In some ways it would be even cooler to hang in the Members Lounge than eating in Club 33 (though both are obviously awesome!)

Sounds like a nice time siting with drinks with the heaters at Trader Sam's - and I bet felt really good once you realized the fireworks didn't happen. Bummer about the rain but seems like a nice evening all things considered

 

[khertz]

The lounge looks beautiful!! I had no clue that Club 33 member got so many perks. How awesome! And very kind of your friend to share them with you on your trip.

DH and I are hoping to check out Trader Sam's when we go back to WDW in July for the Dis 10th anniversary. We never did get to check it out when we were in DL though!

 

[Tinker326]

Members lounge looked empty. Like you had a private bar to yourself! VIP service!

That is so cool to have that experience. Thanks for sharing.....

 

[skier_pete]

Wow look at all of those FPs, I guess the members paid for it though.

Trader Sams is one of those places I want to go to when I am 21.

You can go to Trader Sam's now...just not after 8 PM. Just gotta convince Mom and Dad...

The Club 33 members have quite a few perks. They are definitely paying for it. And it's been restricted significantly in the last few years, but that's another story.

Shame about the weather raining on the parades. But it meant you got to spend more time chatting with Alison..

That was certainly the nice part. She was really great to spend so much time with us!

so great you got to meet up with Alison. In some ways it would be even cooler to hang in the Members Lounge than eating in Club 33 (though both are obviously awesome!)

Sounds like a nice time siting with drinks with the heaters at Trader Sam's - and I bet felt really good once you realized the fireworks didn't happen. Bummer about the rain but seems like a nice evening all things considered

The members lounge was pretty cool. It's hard to call one better than the other. Both cool and different. Am I greedy to hope someday to check out 1901 (the club portion of Carthay Circle)? It was definitely a nice feeling to know we missed nothing by not waiting. Overall, it was hard to be disappointed by the day, but who worries about rain disturpting your evening in Southern California?

The lounge looks beautiful!! I had no clue that Club 33 member got so many perks. How awesome! And very kind of your friend to share them with you on your trip.

DH and I are hoping to check out Trader Sam's when we go back to WDW in July for the Dis 10th anniversary. We never did get to check it out when we were in DL though!

Club 33 members do have some pretty awesome perks - of course, they are paying their share for it, that's for sure!

Trader Sam's is a lot of fun. Just expensive! Especially if you get the souvenir glasses.

Members lounge looked empty. Like you had a private bar to yourself! VIP service!

That is so cool to have that experience. Thanks for sharing.....

There were a few people in there, but not many. In general from what we were told, the Club is generally not very full (remember there are only 900 or so members). The exception is when they have special events for members - such as a Christmas party or Mardi Gras, and then the place fills up pretty well. The lounge is even more restrictive than the dining room. Club members can book people into the dining room without joining them, but they have to be present with you to use the lounge. (1901 in Carthay Circle is similarly restricted.)

 

[franandaj]

I totally thought that I commented here, but evidently the DIS ate it!

The only thing I can say to my defense as a Southern Californian is that I was born in Boston and raised in Northern California so I don't melt like born and bred Southern Californians do!

I had a great time hanging out with you and your family! And the weather wasn't all that bad as you saw by my TR that I found the next rainy day to go out there and do virtually the same thing againg!

 

[Kindermouse]

I think I'm one of the few native Californians that is not bothered by the rain. Actually I usually hope it rains when we go since it makes it less crowded when those with a weaker constitution hide from the wet stuff. We bring rain jackets, rain boots, and when my son was littler a rain hood for the stroller. Have coffee and cocoa and we enjoy it. Bringing this extra gear is easier since we drive down though. I know those flying in are limited to the amount they can pack.

The funny thing is if you had visited DLR at the same time in the last few years you likely would have been dry as a bone since California has been in a record breaking drought to the point of harsh water restrictions and fines where I live. This last 5 or so months has been rainier than we have had in years.

 

[skier_pete]

I totally thought that I commented here, but evidently the DIS ate it!

The only thing I can say to my defense as a Southern Californian is that I was born in Boston and raised in Northern California so I don't melt like born and bred Southern Californians do!

I had a great time hanging out with you and your family! And the weather wasn't all that bad as you saw by my TR that I found the next rainy day to go out there and do virtually the same thing againg!

I know - pretty amazing that two visits in a row brought rain. We did have a great time and really appreciated you sticking with us all evening.

I think I'm one of the few native Californians that is not bothered by the rain. Actually I usually hope it rains when we go since it makes it less crowded when those with a weaker constitution hide from the wet stuff. We bring rain jackets, rain boots, and when my son was littler a rain hood for the stroller. Have coffee and cocoa and we enjoy it. Bringing this extra gear is easier since we drive down though. I know those flying in are limited to the amount they can pack.

The funny thing is if you had visited DLR at the same time in the last few years you likely would have been dry as a bone since California has been in a record breaking drought to the point of harsh water restrictions and fines where I live. This last 5 or so months has been rainier than we have had in years.

I sometime think my wife and I are rain gods. We visit Phoenix, Arizona every year, and it rains every time we visit - like 7 consecutive visits now. The odds against it are astronomical. One year they were having record drought with no rain for 140+ days, and we arrived and said "don't worry it'll rain this week", and there was no rain in the forecast. By the end of our trip they had a day where they got 3 inches of rain. I keep saying that Arizona/California should hire us as drought control.

Anyways, we're so used to it by now, I don't even think twice about how it affects our vacations. A rainy day is just a given.

 

[skier_pete]

Day 7 -

So – the third Disney day dawned rainy, but the radar showed that the rain would be passed by the time the park opened at 9 AM. Our plan for the day was to devote some time to DCA in the morning, and then in the evening check out the Star Wars launch bay and hopefully the parade and fireworks back in DL. We headed down for rope drop right around 9 AM, because of the rain I wasn’t sweating getting in, and we decided to head right to TSMM – the only ride with no option for FastPass. Sort of surprisingly, there was a pretty significant wait for first thing in the morning. This might have been because both Radiator Springs Racers and California’ Screamin’ were both down until 11AM because of the weather. That combined with Soarin’and Grizzly River Run being closed left very few options open in the park.



Still the wait was posted at 20 minutes, and that was probably pretty accurate. We spent the time in line taking pictures and talking to the folks around us. Always odd to me the way the queues are outdoors here in California.







Finally got on the ride, and I rode with my mom.



I smoked her – but she had fun too.



When we got off the ride, California Screamin’ had JUST opened up. I had planned on coming back later, but decided to ride right now. Didn’t need our fastpasses or single rider though, as the ride was a walk on having just opened. Even though they didn’t have me in single rider, they paired me with someone from another family that had come in on the handicap line. Here’s my redneck ride photo.



I LOVE California Screamin’, just a great coaster. Really the only true “thrill” coaster in the Disney canon. (RnRC comes close.) You can tell that because DW won’t go anywhere near it.

Next we headed through the back entrance of Cars Land. This has to be one of the most beautiful spots in all the Disney Parks.













We convinced DM to give RSR a try – it’s not really THAT fast a ride, and it’s is so fantastic. We used 4 of our Fastpasses for this. So right through to the front of the line. I want to say the wait was around 45 minutes at the time we rode.





On the actual ride – you start out with a ride through the vicinity of Radiator Springs.









Continued in next post...

 

[skier_pete]

Then you move inside for the dark part of the ride “SLOW DOWN there pardner’, you ain’t racin’ yet.”











We walked into “town” after the ride. A few of us needed to use the restroom.



We actually picked up our annual Christmas ornament. There was this really cool looking Christmas ornament that was a snowflake all made out of little wrenches and tools. It was mega-expensive ($20) but I still bought it. (You’ve noticed I don’t spend a lot of time souvenir shopping.)

The one shop (Sarge’s?) also had a scale model of Carsland in a display case. I thought this was kind of funny that they would bother having a scale model actually IN the place that depicted in the model.





We were all a little hungry (except DM) so we decided to grab a snack at the cozy cone.







You have four different “CONE” themed choices at the Cozy Cone:









DD and I made the same choice:


They had a plain pop-cone and a flavor of the day. The flavor was bacon cheddar. It was better than you would think it would be, but it was very salty. DD didn’t want to share, so we got two.



DW on the other hand went with the Disneyland Classic – The Churro



We were heading over towards Bugsland now – but I couldn’t resist a peek over the wall to see Luigi’s new ride. The walls were high, and I had to reach up and press the button on my phone. This was the best shot I got. Of course just a few weeks later the ride was actually open. It looks terribly dull.



Speaking of terribly dull, DW wanted to go on the Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train. DD LOVED this ride 3.5 years ago. The difference between a 9 and 12 year old I guess:




That's it for today - next up - Monsters, Terror, and Artwork.

 

[rteetz]

I like your wife's E ticket shirt.

I can see TSMM being a wait with all of the closures. Disneyland also isn't FP crazy like WDW is.

Carsland is really one of those things I want to see soon. The land just looks visually stunning. RSR seems like a lot of fun too.

I love how the Cozy Cone motel has a bunch of different food options. I know they have like a cone pizza, I think that would be fun to try.

Luigi's looks fun to watch but maybe not so much to ride.

 

[Kindermouse]

I am such a party pooper, I know, but having just spent nearly 2 months teaching my students about 3D shapes the cozy cone foods are driving me nuts.

A churro is a cylander, and your pop cones are square based pyramids, not cones. Yeah yeah I get it, popcone is way catchier than pop square based pyramid.

Otherwise...your pictures of carsland look awesome! and let your mom know that though you smoked her in points she's smoked you in acuracy. She a quality over quantity winner.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Shame that so many attractions were down at DCA in the morning. But it looks like you still managed to get on some of the best rides in that section of DCA. YUM for the Churros. Wish I could reach out and get it!!!

 

[skier_pete]

I like your wife's E ticket shirt.

I can see TSMM being a wait with all of the closures. Disneyland also isn't FP crazy like WDW is.

Carsland is really one of those things I want to see soon. The land just looks visually stunning. RSR seems like a lot of fun too.

I love how the Cozy Cone motel has a bunch of different food options. I know they have like a cone pizza, I think that would be fun to try.

Luigi's looks fun to watch but maybe not so much to ride.

The E-ticket shirt is from Mickey's Of Glendale at Imagineering. Not a place to enter without a full bank account. (Or an empty credit card.) I actually picked it out for myself, and only realized after the fact it was a woman's shirt, so it went to DW. The Disney nerd in me liked the ticket # as a great Disneyland reference as well - though there originally were no E-tickets in the original ticket books so points off for historical inaccuracy.

You should convince mom and dad a trip to Disneyland would be a great graduation present!

I was a bit disappointed that Luigi's was closed, but gave me an opportunity to contribute to the news thread. I agree it almost looks better to watch than to eat.

I am such a party pooper, I know, but having just spent nearly 2 months teaching my students about 3D shapes the cozy cone foods are driving me nuts.

A churro is a cylander, and your pop cones are square based pyramids, not cones. Yeah yeah I get it, popcone is way catchier than pop square based pyramid.

Otherwise...your pictures of carsland look awesome! and let your mom know that though you smoked her in points she's smoked you in acuracy. She a quality over quantity winner.

Geez - you are definitely a math teacher! She did beat me in quality, but score is the winning decider. Shooting as much as possible is the key to TSMM victory. Does the basketball team with the best shooting percentage win the game?

And on the subject of the Cozy Cone food - the idea is that it is NAME puns, not shape puns. Chili Cone-Queso. Ice Cream Cone, Pop-Cone. Cone-coctions. The shape of the food doesn't matter. Of course - churros don't really fit in this either way.

Shame that so many attractions were down at DCA in the morning. But it looks like you still managed to get on some of the best rides in that section of DCA. YUM for the Churros. Wish I could reach out and get it!!!

In general there was a ton of stuff down. After the trip, I thought back how the three days wouldn't have been nearly enough had everything been open, but with so many attractions down - it was enough time.

In the past I've never been a fan of churros, but this one was really good. Plus she had a chocolate dipping sauce. It was the better choice than the popcorn.