dark54555
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2006
So here's the text trip report, pictures may come later.
This trip was me, my wife, our two sons (7 & 4), and my parents. Everyone was a returning guest, except my DS4. This was his first trip, and his birthday present (from July). We elected to come at Halloween time as he loves the Nightmare Before Christmas, plus only my wife and I had been to Halloween at Disneyland before (2008, when the party was still at DCA).
Everyone else is a pretty seasoned Disney veteran. My full history is in the signature. DS7 had been to DL and WDW. My wife had two previous DL trips, and 3 previous WDW trips. My parents have both been to DL, WDW, DLP, and TDL (the former two at least 4 or 5 times each).
10/5
Mid-afternoon flight to LAX was smooth; we got one of the newer American planes with in-flight entertainment at every seat. LA traffic was LA traffic, and we'd normally fly to John Wayne to minimize that, but the tickets to SNA were 3x the cost of LAX. Used Lansky Transport, and they were great. We arrived at Paradise Pier with time to spare before our 7 pm dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.
Dinner at Goofy's was a great way to start. Our DS7 was intimidated by characters until his character breakfast (the last day of his first trip), so we went with a character dinner on the front end of this trip. Worked like a charm, and DS4 loved it. Though, I was a little disappointed to hear him ask "Mommy, was that a person in a costume?" after the third character stopped by the table. He can be a little too smart for his own good sometimes. Food was typical quality for the buffet and nothing really stood out.
After dinner, we took the kids back to work on getting to bed while my parents headed over to take care of a ticket issue. They ordered tickets online, and those tickets never came through. After a few phone calls, they were told they had to go to the ticket booths, and that there would be no problem heading over there during the 10/5 Halloween party to take care of it. Well, the supervisor who told them that was wrong. They got group fastpasses for HMH and RSR for the trouble, but would have to go back the next day.
I like Paradise Pier (having previously stayed there when it was the Pan Pacific), though it could use a refresh at this point. Good news, though: as of Sunday, they're in the process of upgrading the elevator system, including the brakes so they can move faster. Those elevators are quite a bottleneck at key times, so hopefully this will help. The Surfside Lounge is great. We got breakfasts here multiple times (as well as a late night dinner do-over for my wife after Carnation Cafe), and it was never overly crowded. Be sure to ask if you want something they don't necessarily advertise at breakfast; for example, they have Monster energy drinks and sodas if coffee isn't your thing.
10/6
We went ahead to the park while my parents detoured to the ticket booths again. Considering the crowd forecasts, DL was surprisingly crowded for Day 1. Also, it was clearly going to be warm (though, not as bad as 2008 where it hit 100 during our visit). Managed to get through quite a bit before lunch, but not sure I could rattle everything off.
Lunch was at Rancho de Zocalo, and the fish tacos I had were quite good. Nice light lunch for a hot day. We used the Haunted Mansion fastpass afterwards. While the opening room was a bit intimidating for DS4, he loved the ride itself. (Note: is it louder this year than it has been in the past? The last HMH I rode was Tokyo in 2014, and it was louder than that; I can't remember the volume of the DL HMH in 2008 very well. The loudness of the narration/crash in the elevator got to DS4.)
After resting, we went to use the RSR fastpass before dinner. Dinner was at Ariel's Grotto, for the WoC dining package. World of Color was great, as usual. I think it's the best nighttime show Disney offers, at any park (though I haven't seen the one at Animal Kingdom). DS4 liked everything except the fire.
10/7
Party Day!
Started the morning at DCA and got on Soarin' twice. Got through Toy Story a couple times with a relatively short line, and hit a number of other things around the lake (swings, Goofy sky school, etc.). We split up for DS7 to ride California Screamin' while DS4 rode the carousel. Had lunch at Paradise Garden Grill (still great), and then met Daisy at the Disney Visa meet and greet. DS7 and his grandfather stuck around to ride Grizzly River Rapids while we took DS4 back to rest.
We hit Carnation Cafe for dinner before the party started. Everyone was extremely under-whelmed. So much so that we're considering all dinners be outside the park (other than WoC packages) for future trips. I had the blackened chicken sandwich, which was very average (even for Disney). The kids were not fans of the fried chicken (normally one of their favorites), and my wife was quite disappointed that the grilled chicken on the salad she got was served ice cold.
With the mediocre dinner behind us, it was time for the party! Really loved a lot of things about the whole experience, especially compared to how little they did back when the party was at DCA. The parades were great, as were the treat trails. It was also great to be able to ride some rides (especially Haunted Mansion Holiday) during the party. Ds4 got his first ride on Star Tours and loved it. We did get through the character greeting with Tigger and Rabbit back in Critter country, but couldn't find the time to meet Jack and Sally (the line was well over an hour). We stayed through the fireworks, but the kids were pretty spent at that point.
10/8
Opted to let folks sleep in a bit and got room service. Paradise Pier did a nice job, and the kids enjoyed Mickey waffles & pancakes while in their Mickey Halloween PJs. Headed to DL after breakfast to keep riding things we hadn't gotten to yet like Mr. Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, and the Jungle Cruise. We split up for DS7, my wife, my mom, and I to ride Space Mountain while the DS4 and his grandfather did Autopia again. Likely a good call, as Ghost Galaxy would have terrified DS4. (He didn't like Thunder Mountain, and it's only dark for a small part; he also wasn't crazy about Pirates. He even noted he didn't like the dark room in Pooh, but he did like Pooh.) Lunch was at the Galactic Grill, which was fine for counter service. Met Kylo Ren afterwards; great character meet and greet. The kids seemed legitimately intimidated.
Dinner was Napa Rose. We hadn't been before, and while it was good, it wasn't as good as prior meals at the California Grill or Jiko at WDW. This may be personal preference; I really like the Asian influences at California Grill, and they weren't present here. Cocktails were great. I tried one of their IPAs, which was also quite good. I'd consider coming back, but also consider trying Steakhouse 55 (which we haven't yet) next time.
Back to DL after dinner to use some Star Tours fastpasses we had. We lucked out a bit here, as the cast member neglected to collect the fastpasses the first ride through, so we got to use them twice in a row. On the first ride through, DS7 was picked at the rebel spy! He hadn't ever been picked before, so he was really excited. On the second ride through, DS4 got picked, which has to be some kind of record (two people from the same party on consecutive ride throughs). I think it helped that he had just seen his brother get picked, because he understood what we meant when we said he was the spy.
10/9
DS7, the wife, and I left early to catch the Tower of Terror during EMH, while DS4 and my parents planned to meet us by the RSR fastpass kiosks close to rope drop. We had wanted to do late checkout, but the timing got to be too complex. Plus, I felt bad leaving DS4 out of too much, since this was "his" trip. But we got a last ride on the tower before the change, so everyone was happy. Got a second ride on RSR, another round on Toy Story Mania, and a few other repeats before lunch at Cocina Cucomunga (pretty good counter service). We met Oswald on the way out of the park (with almost no line). Jumped back over to DL to ride Pooh, as it was open for the weekend. Also grabbed some evening fastpasses for SM:GG. Had a Mickey ice cream bar, then headed back to rest as it was hot and crowded.
Dinner was at La Brea Bakery, and honestly, everyone was collectively happiest with this meal. They had an exceptionally good pumpkin beer as their seasonal rotator. No one had anything bad to say about any component of their meal. Back in DL, got on Star Tours at the tail end of the parade with a short wait. By some stroke of pure luck, DS4 was the rebel spy again! He was thrilled. (Again, I find the odds of this to be completely crazy, but he is a pretty cute kid and was wearing a Star Wars shirt that evening.) Then the boys both built lightsabers and droids. Afterwards, DS4 rode the carousel with his grandmother while the other 4 of us did Space Mountain. One last trip through Buzz, and we called it a trip.
10/10
Flight back was uneventful. Kids both slept well last night.
Plenty of cool Halloween stuff was brought home. Both boys got the stuffed Figaro in a pumpkin, and DS4 also got vampire Mickey and a stuffed Zero.
So that was it for this round. Up next? Sounds like DS4's second Disney trip (and DS7's 4th Disney trip) may be Tokyo Disneyland in 2018...but we'll see what happens.
This trip was me, my wife, our two sons (7 & 4), and my parents. Everyone was a returning guest, except my DS4. This was his first trip, and his birthday present (from July). We elected to come at Halloween time as he loves the Nightmare Before Christmas, plus only my wife and I had been to Halloween at Disneyland before (2008, when the party was still at DCA).
Everyone else is a pretty seasoned Disney veteran. My full history is in the signature. DS7 had been to DL and WDW. My wife had two previous DL trips, and 3 previous WDW trips. My parents have both been to DL, WDW, DLP, and TDL (the former two at least 4 or 5 times each).
10/5
Mid-afternoon flight to LAX was smooth; we got one of the newer American planes with in-flight entertainment at every seat. LA traffic was LA traffic, and we'd normally fly to John Wayne to minimize that, but the tickets to SNA were 3x the cost of LAX. Used Lansky Transport, and they were great. We arrived at Paradise Pier with time to spare before our 7 pm dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.
Dinner at Goofy's was a great way to start. Our DS7 was intimidated by characters until his character breakfast (the last day of his first trip), so we went with a character dinner on the front end of this trip. Worked like a charm, and DS4 loved it. Though, I was a little disappointed to hear him ask "Mommy, was that a person in a costume?" after the third character stopped by the table. He can be a little too smart for his own good sometimes. Food was typical quality for the buffet and nothing really stood out.
After dinner, we took the kids back to work on getting to bed while my parents headed over to take care of a ticket issue. They ordered tickets online, and those tickets never came through. After a few phone calls, they were told they had to go to the ticket booths, and that there would be no problem heading over there during the 10/5 Halloween party to take care of it. Well, the supervisor who told them that was wrong. They got group fastpasses for HMH and RSR for the trouble, but would have to go back the next day.
I like Paradise Pier (having previously stayed there when it was the Pan Pacific), though it could use a refresh at this point. Good news, though: as of Sunday, they're in the process of upgrading the elevator system, including the brakes so they can move faster. Those elevators are quite a bottleneck at key times, so hopefully this will help. The Surfside Lounge is great. We got breakfasts here multiple times (as well as a late night dinner do-over for my wife after Carnation Cafe), and it was never overly crowded. Be sure to ask if you want something they don't necessarily advertise at breakfast; for example, they have Monster energy drinks and sodas if coffee isn't your thing.
10/6
We went ahead to the park while my parents detoured to the ticket booths again. Considering the crowd forecasts, DL was surprisingly crowded for Day 1. Also, it was clearly going to be warm (though, not as bad as 2008 where it hit 100 during our visit). Managed to get through quite a bit before lunch, but not sure I could rattle everything off.
Lunch was at Rancho de Zocalo, and the fish tacos I had were quite good. Nice light lunch for a hot day. We used the Haunted Mansion fastpass afterwards. While the opening room was a bit intimidating for DS4, he loved the ride itself. (Note: is it louder this year than it has been in the past? The last HMH I rode was Tokyo in 2014, and it was louder than that; I can't remember the volume of the DL HMH in 2008 very well. The loudness of the narration/crash in the elevator got to DS4.)
After resting, we went to use the RSR fastpass before dinner. Dinner was at Ariel's Grotto, for the WoC dining package. World of Color was great, as usual. I think it's the best nighttime show Disney offers, at any park (though I haven't seen the one at Animal Kingdom). DS4 liked everything except the fire.
10/7
Party Day!
Started the morning at DCA and got on Soarin' twice. Got through Toy Story a couple times with a relatively short line, and hit a number of other things around the lake (swings, Goofy sky school, etc.). We split up for DS7 to ride California Screamin' while DS4 rode the carousel. Had lunch at Paradise Garden Grill (still great), and then met Daisy at the Disney Visa meet and greet. DS7 and his grandfather stuck around to ride Grizzly River Rapids while we took DS4 back to rest.
We hit Carnation Cafe for dinner before the party started. Everyone was extremely under-whelmed. So much so that we're considering all dinners be outside the park (other than WoC packages) for future trips. I had the blackened chicken sandwich, which was very average (even for Disney). The kids were not fans of the fried chicken (normally one of their favorites), and my wife was quite disappointed that the grilled chicken on the salad she got was served ice cold.
With the mediocre dinner behind us, it was time for the party! Really loved a lot of things about the whole experience, especially compared to how little they did back when the party was at DCA. The parades were great, as were the treat trails. It was also great to be able to ride some rides (especially Haunted Mansion Holiday) during the party. Ds4 got his first ride on Star Tours and loved it. We did get through the character greeting with Tigger and Rabbit back in Critter country, but couldn't find the time to meet Jack and Sally (the line was well over an hour). We stayed through the fireworks, but the kids were pretty spent at that point.
10/8
Opted to let folks sleep in a bit and got room service. Paradise Pier did a nice job, and the kids enjoyed Mickey waffles & pancakes while in their Mickey Halloween PJs. Headed to DL after breakfast to keep riding things we hadn't gotten to yet like Mr. Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, and the Jungle Cruise. We split up for DS7, my wife, my mom, and I to ride Space Mountain while the DS4 and his grandfather did Autopia again. Likely a good call, as Ghost Galaxy would have terrified DS4. (He didn't like Thunder Mountain, and it's only dark for a small part; he also wasn't crazy about Pirates. He even noted he didn't like the dark room in Pooh, but he did like Pooh.) Lunch was at the Galactic Grill, which was fine for counter service. Met Kylo Ren afterwards; great character meet and greet. The kids seemed legitimately intimidated.
Dinner was Napa Rose. We hadn't been before, and while it was good, it wasn't as good as prior meals at the California Grill or Jiko at WDW. This may be personal preference; I really like the Asian influences at California Grill, and they weren't present here. Cocktails were great. I tried one of their IPAs, which was also quite good. I'd consider coming back, but also consider trying Steakhouse 55 (which we haven't yet) next time.
Back to DL after dinner to use some Star Tours fastpasses we had. We lucked out a bit here, as the cast member neglected to collect the fastpasses the first ride through, so we got to use them twice in a row. On the first ride through, DS7 was picked at the rebel spy! He hadn't ever been picked before, so he was really excited. On the second ride through, DS4 got picked, which has to be some kind of record (two people from the same party on consecutive ride throughs). I think it helped that he had just seen his brother get picked, because he understood what we meant when we said he was the spy.
10/9
DS7, the wife, and I left early to catch the Tower of Terror during EMH, while DS4 and my parents planned to meet us by the RSR fastpass kiosks close to rope drop. We had wanted to do late checkout, but the timing got to be too complex. Plus, I felt bad leaving DS4 out of too much, since this was "his" trip. But we got a last ride on the tower before the change, so everyone was happy. Got a second ride on RSR, another round on Toy Story Mania, and a few other repeats before lunch at Cocina Cucomunga (pretty good counter service). We met Oswald on the way out of the park (with almost no line). Jumped back over to DL to ride Pooh, as it was open for the weekend. Also grabbed some evening fastpasses for SM:GG. Had a Mickey ice cream bar, then headed back to rest as it was hot and crowded.
Dinner was at La Brea Bakery, and honestly, everyone was collectively happiest with this meal. They had an exceptionally good pumpkin beer as their seasonal rotator. No one had anything bad to say about any component of their meal. Back in DL, got on Star Tours at the tail end of the parade with a short wait. By some stroke of pure luck, DS4 was the rebel spy again! He was thrilled. (Again, I find the odds of this to be completely crazy, but he is a pretty cute kid and was wearing a Star Wars shirt that evening.) Then the boys both built lightsabers and droids. Afterwards, DS4 rode the carousel with his grandmother while the other 4 of us did Space Mountain. One last trip through Buzz, and we called it a trip.
10/10
Flight back was uneventful. Kids both slept well last night.
Plenty of cool Halloween stuff was brought home. Both boys got the stuffed Figaro in a pumpkin, and DS4 also got vampire Mickey and a stuffed Zero.
So that was it for this round. Up next? Sounds like DS4's second Disney trip (and DS7's 4th Disney trip) may be Tokyo Disneyland in 2018...but we'll see what happens.
