California Dazzling: A Roadtrip Vacation Spectacular - Last Update and Final Thoughts 11/8

[Flossbolna]

ice update with fun photos! I guess I fall into the Pukis-Wheel Camp. I normally don't get motion sickness at all, but felt pretty bad the rest of our day after riding it. I don't know if it was the rocking while going around, or ?? It's nice to take pictures of though, haha!

I think it is easy to get confused with the rocking, sliding and going around at the same time. It definitely helped me to focus on the horizon, something I learned from motion sickness events.

Your meals look so fabulous! It's pretty hard to screw up ribs and BBQ- one of my all-time favorite food groups.

I agree about the ribs!! Love them and they are difficult to get in Germany (or at least to get good ones).

Babies and poo pants. BLECH! We were always pretty careful and put our kids on diapers specifically made for swimming, and they were never in there long enough to doo nastiness. Leaving it behind a chair? That is altogether GROSS and uncalled for; rude beyond words.

I think if parents are responsible, there is no reason for accidents. And I am really glad that I did not know of that nastiness while we were there...

We didn't do GRR last time, but someday I'll be back to DLR and get to. That, and watching the neon lights come on in Carsland.

I hope you get a trip to DL soon! GRR is really fantastic and one of my favorite rides at the resort.

Watching the fireworks from Fantasyland is a pro-move! Loved them from back there for years!

So much less crowded!

 

[Flossbolna]

This looked like another really lovely day.

It was!

The story with the nappy is yucky. I do sometimes wonder about people.

Yes, how difficult would it have been to just drop it in a garbage can?

I have never been brave enough to try the swinging gondolas. I am glad that you did and that you enjoyed it. It is good to know though that some of them have a little less movement.

I was so scared, but somehow just wanted to complete all the attractions at the parks, so I had to!

How wonderful that you managed to do Grizzly River Run twice with a minimal wait.

This was perfect, it is such a great ride! And the weather was perfect for it: hot and dry!

Lucille's has quickly become one of our favourites in California. What a shame that the service was not up to scratch.

I remember that you wrote about it in a previous TR! The food was great and I am sure that we will return there another time, hopefully with better service.

 

[Flossbolna]

Candied Bacon

August 13: Relaxing at the Pool, Umami Burger and an Evening Surprise

After three days at Disney, one day at Universal and then one day at Disney in a row, we definitely needed a rest day! Ideally this would have been planned for an earlier day during the trip, but it did not work out.

Yup. The trip had been many things up until this point. Fun. Exciting. Busy. One thing it had not been was relaxing in any sense.

I started the day with a brief visit to Starbucks where I picked up an Ice Tea Lemonade for Michael. He had to get up “early” (for a rest day) as he had to drive his brother to the airport, fortunately the Orange County one which is far closer than LAX.

In the mean time, I got settled at the pool:

I absolutely love the heavy padded loungers at the GCH pool! They are so comfy!

Some more pool pictures that I took during the late morning:

It really was not very crowded at all for a long time. But then more and more people came and I was actually kind of reserving a lounger for Michael and was starting to get worried that someone would claim that lounger and also was starting to get worried why it took Michael so long to drop his brother off at the airport. By then I had learned that traffic can be unpredictable, but it was starting to be a very long time since he left. When he finally appeared, it turned out that he had used the occasion of being at the airport to see if he could exchange our rental car. The car we had was ok, but rather old. Also, his brother thought that he had seen something which indicated that the car had been in a serious accident before. And Michael thought it would be better to get a car with less issues for the long road trip ahead of us. He ended up with a car that was equally old, but felt much fresher and was quite happy (at least for a few days…) about it.

I don't know about you guys and gals, but the last 2-3 years I have almost every time I rent a car been stuck with vehicles that can be a model year or two old and would be considered ''used'' in the real world. I'm always swapping cars out and looking over lots trying to find the one that is acceptable. Car No. 1 (a Nissan Altima) was not acceptable (and that was after sitting and baking in the sun at LAX for 45 minutes hoping something better would be returned). Car No. 2 was better, but I am sure you intrepid readers can guess by the fact it is No. 2 that there would be a No. 3 ahead!

Once he was back, we settled in and enjoyed the pool and started to talk about lunch. I thought about maybe getting something from the pool service. They had quite a few CMs working around the pool for drink and food orders and we got a menu from them. The prices seemed to be the same as when you order directly from Whitewater Snacks, the counter service restaurant, so this seemed like a good option. But then none of the CMs ever came to our area again. So, after a while I got impatient, especially since it took them so long to come back for our order, we wondered how long it would be until they would bring our food!

So, I went inside to Whitewater Snacks to pick up something there. It was not busy at all and it did not take me long at all. I got a Caesar Salad and for Michael I picked up a Turkey Sandwich. He originally wanted a hot dog, but the only hot dog they had was a chili hot dog and it was from the window where you have to order and then wait while they cook your food and I was not in the mood to wait around for Michael’s hot dog. But I thought it would cheer him up if I got him a cup of soda that he could refill at the Coke Freestyle machine.

The unlimited refills helped me relax as I was unhappy my brother had to leave as he is definitely someone who would appreciate hiking in a National Park more than hanging in a theme park, even though he does love his DL! ... I still have a mug from when the Grand Cali opened and you could get unlimited refills like WDW. They even allowed you to bring them back. They very quickly realised with locals that that policy would never fly and the mugs disappeared.

We munched our lunch at the pool and discussed what we wanted to do with the rest of the day. We decided that we should try to see if we could get into Trader Sam’s for a pre-dinner drink. So, we enjoyed some more pool time and then left in the mid-afternoon, making a young couple very happy who had just arrived at the pool area and jumped at the opportunity of two loungers in the shade. Afternoons are absolutely very busy at this pool!

It was so relaxing that I did not want to leave!

Once we were pretty we headed over to the Disneyland Hotel. We had also been in touch with Thing 2, who originally had told us that he would not be able to meet up this day as he had all kind of other friends coming into Anaheim for D23 (which was going to start the next day) and would spend time with them. But it seemed that he had a break between meeting up with different groups and he was happy to meet up for a drink with us.

In case you have not heard of Trader Sam’s: It is a tiki bar that is close to the pool at the Disneyland Hotel (but certainly not a pool bar!). It has a very inventive drinks menu, a number of drinks come in special souvenir glasses, and there a certain drinks that cause things to happen inside the bar when they are ordered. We had been there in 2014, but were not able to get a seat inside as it is really tiny inside. So, we really wanted to try to get to sit inside this time. When we got there, there were two barstools empty and another group of three waiting. We were surprised that they did not take these two stools, but it turned out that the bartender was harshly defending those stools as the people would return momentarily. We decided to wait for a while and see if something else would open up. In the meantime those barstool people did not return for quite a while and we got to chat with the other group and they had been told the same. All in all, I think it might have been 20 minutes until those two people returned… I found that really rude, considering that this bar is really popular and seats are so rare!! Eventually we got seats and ordered our drinks.

I got the distinct idea those morons were locals and good tippers. You just don't leave a seat at the bar for 20-30 minutes and return to it. Not there. This wasn't someone getting up to use the restroom.

I tried to get some interior pictures, but rather failed:

Not sure why the pictures are so red. It is more dark than red inside.

We got Disneyland Diamond Celebration cocktail napkins:

I am always so happy when I see a napkin that does not say “Disney Parks” on it – I really hate that generic term as it is so artificial. Whoever would say that you went on a vacation to “Disney Parks”? You either go to Disneyland or Walt Disney World and both resorts are so different in location, scope, atmosphere. Why can’t they honor that by producing napkins, paper cups and plastic bags that are specific???

Michael got a very colorful drink:

I think it might have been the Piranha Pool: Strawberry Vodka blended with Pineapple Juice, Cream of Coconut, Strawberry Purée and Blue Curaçao

It was.

I had the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum: Reserve Rum, Cream of Coconut and Pineapple and Orange Juices dusted with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

This was really delicious! Unfortunately it also had a lot of ice, so the glass was far too soon empty.

We had fun chatting with Thing 2 and he informed us that he had discovered that he could get us into the parks this day anyway. CMs only have a limited number of days that they can take guests into the park (the number depends on certain aspects) and while we very much appreciated our friends generosity, we did not want to take away too much of their benefits that they might want to use on other people as well. So, this day was always planned as a non-park day. But somehow Thing 2 was able to work something out to make some bonus tickets to appear and suggested that we use them to see World of Color since we missed that the day before. Of course we did not say no!

So, after we had finished our drinks, we quickly made our way over to DCA, entered the park with Thing 2, picked up WoC Fastpasses and left again. This was definitely one of the shortest park visits I ever had!!

Let's just say that Thing 2 is very good at finding and exploiting loopholes. And getting us into DLR for a fifth day was sorta just that. It was like it never happened at all ...only it did.

After we had done that, we made plans to meet up with Thing 2 later tonight and then went shopping for provisions for our road trip: drinks, snacks, beach towels, a cooler.

I had really wanted to take M to the 99 Cent Only store. A true treasure of life in SoCal. Unfortunately, the Garden Grove locale (just down Harbor from where the Great Wolf Lodge is being built) is a bit ... ghetto. I am not really sure why as the neighbourhood may be blue collar, but isn't bad. But we still were able to load up with stuff for the next three weeks and then some. We then went to Target for the other things we needed. It was also very hot out (He says from Germany where it is now 40 degrees out at noontime!)

After that was done, we went to the Anaheim Packing District. This is an area in Anaheim, not far from Disneyland (slightly north of it), that used to be where they would pack oranges.

We were supposed to meet an acquaintance of Michael there for dinner at a restaurant called Umami Burger. It is actually a small chain that serves gourmet burgers.

It was quite difficult to find a parking space as the area was full of people, very lively! But we got to admire the new park there, called Farmers Park. It was quite impressive as it was a drought friendly park. I found it interesting how the park was definitely designed with plants that don’t need a lot of water, but it was still very pretty!

Once we finally found a spot to drop off the car, we headed to Umami Burger:

The menu is really quite fascinating. The thing that intrigued me the most was the drink our dinner companion had ordered. It had a strange dark brown, flat thing in it. And I could not figure out what it was. When I asked, he said that it was candied bacon!!! I was very tempted to get that drink, just to be able to try the candied bacon. But then I went with a local craft beer instead.

I ordered the Many Burger: house beer-cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, smoked-salt onion strings, Umami ketchup, mustard spread:

Michael had the Throwback Burger: two 3.5 oz. patties, white cheddar cheese, miso mustard, Umami ketchup, soy pickles, minced onions

On the recommendation of our dinner companion, we got a side of truffle fries to share. It all was really good and the fries were to die for! There seems to be a bit of a hype about Umami Burgers, but in my opinion that is totally justified. This is really a great gourmet burger option!

After dinner we all went over to the Packing House (where they did the packing of the oranges, hence the name). This is now a modern day market hall with all kind of different gourmet food stalls and other fun little shops. I would have loved to explore there! But our destination was the Pop Bar http://www.pop-bar.com A place that sells gourmet popsicles. They come in a variety of gelatos and sorbets and you then get to customize them by having them dipped or sprinkled with chocolate and then add nuts or whatever other topping you fancy. They were a bit pricey, but also delicious. The Packing House has a very large porch and we sat out there in some rocking chairs enjoying our popsicles!

The next time I am in Anaheim, I will make sure that we go there and spend some more time exploring. It is really not far at all from Disneyland and a great way to experience something very different than the Disney bubble!

Yup. Both the burger place and the ice cream place were terrific and I would have enjoyed exploring more. It is a great hipster type place and a great reworking of the old Sunkist packing plant.

But we were in a hurry to get back to the Disney bubble to make it to the second showing of World of Color and use our FPs.

On our way back to the hotel, we drove the street that goes behind Disneyland (I think it is called Ball Road) and while are there suddenly there is the loudest bang. I was so scared for a second thinking that someone is shooting. Well, someone was shooting: Disney was shooting the Disneyland fireworks. It felt like they were right on top of us while we were driving along a busy street! How strange!

I think we saw that fireworks show from just about every angle you could on this trip.

We dropped off the car and used the lovely back entrance into DCA. We really made quite good use of that entrance, it definitely is a huge plus when you are staying at the GCH.

We still had some time before WoC would start, so we took a quick ride on Little Mermaid with no wait. I still think they need to work on the end of that ride, but otherwise it was cute as always. It has some amazing music after all.

I think we rode because there was absolutely no wait and we hadn't been on it this trip. Out of all the great new things at DCA ... well, this isn't one of them.

We then headed into our blue section after some confusion as to where the line for blue would start and got some pretty good spots. I was surprised how empty it was around us. Compared to what we had seen in 2014 it was not crowded at all. Then it was only one show per evening, but we were there during the height of the summer season when the parks are packed every single day!

Just before the show started, Thing 2 caught up with us and we could watch together. I have to say that Michael and I both agree afterwards that we made the right decision the previous day to see the fireworks instead of this show. It really did not speak to us at all.

While the whole World of Color technology is still impressive and those dancing colorful water fountains are as charming as always, I felt the whole show had about as much charm as a documentary. I really missed the story. And I could not get over the fact that they kept talking about how this is Walt’s park, disregarding the fact that DCA most certainly is as little Walt’s park as the Animal Kingdom. Walt’s park is across the esplanade…

I don’t regret seeing it, but I will not make a point of seeing it again. And I think the very light crowds we had for the show are a sign that the general public seems to agree with my assessment.

It is a terrible show. Disjointed. Neil Patrick Harris singing with a self-aware Mickey Mouse. Then it goes from talking about Walt to Cars to part of the trailer for Star Wars:TFA to a full version of Let It Go from Frozen to even Captain America's shield on the Fun Wheel. It was made by the marketing department or a better way to explain it would be they dictated content and the result is simply a giant commercial for what is important to Disney of today at a corporate level. It is insulting to suggest this has a damn thing to do with Walt or DL.

We then headed back to Disneyland for a last hour of fun and managed to get in another ride on Alice in Wonderland (we still loved those updates!), Mr Toad and then the park was closed, but the line for Snow White was still open, so we jumped in there!

We then proceeded to shop our way out of the park, I was able to pick up that Starbucks Diamond Anniversary mug and Michael found an anniversary pin he liked and then after we had paid, Michael saw a CM replenishing a bunch of calendars for 2016 with attraction posters from all the different Disney theme parks in the world. It was not expensive at all, so of course we had to get those, too!

If this had been a regular day at the parks, I would have been bitterly disappointed by what we did and, more to the point, what we didn't do. But since it was an extra, it was nice to see the lousy WoC (and tell my brother he missed nothing), ride dark rides in both parks and shop. I think we may have had a total of four hours in the parks and that was simply a bonus.

Up Next: Those Lines are Worse than Disneyland!

 

[nodnol]

Now you made me: hungry, thirsty, longing for a warm, sunny day at a pool and counting my Disney money: 123 Euros. Which might be enough for food and drinks. So I only have to figure out such little things like airfare and hotel rooms…

The last three rental cars we had were always brand new, not even a month old, which made me a little more worried to break something or make the tiniest dent in it.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Except for the yucky diaper story, I'm enjoying catching up on your updates and your trip. The food looks great and you really got through a bunch of attractions. I'm in the camp of liking the swinging side of the Wheel of Fun!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Sounds like this part of Anheim may be worth exploring on a future visit. The park sounds really interesting and I think both the burger and ice cream would go down well.

We have never even tried sitting inside at Trader Sam's as it is always so busy.

How nice about the bonus time at Disneyland. What a shame that you did not enjoy World of Color Celebrate!. I had some missgivings beforehand as I hated World of Color Winter Dreams so much and I can't stand Neil Patrick Harris. However, I ended up absolutely loving it. I agree about its documentary qualities, but I think that is what is drawing me to this.

Corinna

 

[Poolrat]

I absolutely understand the need to visit for the 60th! I hope you found it worth it! And the floor show sounds interesting, some pole dancing old ladies???

We made the most of the party night time wise- got in there right at 4 and stayd until midnight. After being up so early for our flight out there it was a looooong day.
The Floor show at Tiffy's was interesting. It was breakfast after the party. We were trying for a relatively quick breakfast. There was a family of 5 at the table near us when we were seated. Parents , a brooding teen and 2 youger kids. They were of Spanish decent and started out in English. We had been waiting a bit after ordering but apparently the family was in a bigger rush and waiting longer. There were some inquiries from Mom to the waitress that progressed to very animated Spanish between the parents and even teh kids as they were getting restless. We were far enough away not to hear everything but we didn't need to I could see what was going on.
Later some food was brought out but apparently one of the son's dishes did not make it out from the kitchen. They waited a few more minutes Then it happened......

I saw the mom get up ( imagine Sofia Vergara from Modern Family) and my eyes just got wide. I tapped Marv and said I will fall out right here if she come back with the plates, I think she is going to the kitchen herself to get them.

About 30 seconds later here she come with a plate of food.

Oh My, then the show really started as the original waitress came over and the Spanish escalated to full on out Ricky Ricardo excitement. A few others visited the table, some with more food and they eventually ate and left- not sure how that bill was handled, there was discussion about that too but again my Spanish cannot keep up as fast as it was flying.

I got kind of caught up in it just to see where it would go.

Now, allow me to rant ... babies and young children who are not toilet trained have no business -- NONE -- being in a hot tub or a swimming pool, for that matter. They flat out don't. For years I have been witness at WDW resorts to 'brownouts' where a pool has to be closed, sometimes for hours, because someone's child defecated in the pool (ah, the things Stacey doesn't talk about on WDW Resort TV!) I have never witnessed this in decades of traveling globally anywhere. What that says about some of the demos WDW attracts is a different matter.

As someone who is around pools a good bit of time I will say that babies and young children should not be in hot tubs... period. The heat and ability of disinfection to keep up with use is low and kids drink water.
I know no one really wants the low down on pools and such but let's just say chlorine is good. Very good. I would be more concerned when a pool boasts no closures when there is a lot of use because then they simply don't close when it happens. Trust me it happens most everywhere. And to be clear, it not just kids, or babies that are the culprits.

I have often wondered about why Disney pools seem to get closed for such incidents so much more regularly than any other pool I ever visited...

See above but in reality - mostly kids on vacation, eating and overeating and not what they normally and don't want to stop the fun and well underestimate the control they have.

No idea why it freaked us out in 2005…

It freaked you because of this ....

When we were at DCA in 2005 my friend and I were totally scared by it as it looked like you could so easily fall out. And what if the chain would break, would you fly out into the lake with your shiny cigar??

Yup that is enough to freak out over.

But we used the conveniently located restroom just behind it where I found fancy Dolphin tiles. I thought they were really pretty. However, those were the only good thing about this restroom. Otherwise it was really not nice at all…

No pictures of tile... I must have missed that one.

I was very wise to not have eaten a thing before riding.

That is what did me in the second time- trying to get more in before we ate.

Afterwards we thought we would try to get another ride on Alice in Wonderland, but the ride was closed because of the fireworks and it was unclear when it would reopen

Ah the elusive Alice in Wonderland ride. I will say Party night this past Oct we were persistent and caught it just as it was reopening.



Nice off property adventure and bonus hours. Sorry the changes to WoC didn't flow well. I think you made the best of some relaxing time and lots of park time.

 

[Steppesister]

Ok, here's my assessment of the WoC. I was so wowed by the technology that I truly didn't even pay much attention to the "narrative" or commentary of the content of the show itself. Now I kinda wanna see it again to see what you mean. Maybe they changed the storyline since 2011?

I'd have been a little irked at the waitstaff not showing up to get food orders too. Isn't that the point of pool service? But I DO like you ending up at Trader Sam's. Super excited to venture in myself -albeit a different side of the continent. Not sure I want to drop $50 bucks for a drink- that seems rather steep for a $5.00 amount of alcohol. A cup just doesn't cost a fraction of $45. Anyway, still happy to get to go and see the place and all its fun.

Gosh darn, I wish you could come out for my trip and meet us there. I'm looking for a dinner partner for a dinner V & A's. I may mention it on my thread and see who takes a nibble.

Sorry, got off track there. Your burgers looked amazing! They are HUGE!! And I like the nice mix of out-of-the-box ingredients. Good choice!

 

[franandaj]

The whole area around this restaurant is really beautiful and there is a second counter service restaurant close by.

I really like the second CS place nearby there! Over Christmas they turned it into a Mexican restaurant and I was so disappointed when I went there for some kefta!

OK, so you may have heard me make mention of a diaper issue at the Grand Cali jacuzzi earlier in this report.

That is a nasty story! People can be so ignorant and rude!

First up was the Golden Zephyr.

I have never been on this ride!

And it definitely will go on my list of things I want to do when I am back at DCA!

I will wait for you at the winery!

And got these

Or the margarita bar!

I was ready to head out for a meal with Michael and his brother to a restaurant that belonged to a chain that they both really like called Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que.

Love that place!

So we decided to wait out Peter Pan as that was the one ride that we had not done yet.

I have still not been on that since the refurb.

When we got to Downtown Disney I suddenly remembered something and suggested that we try Häägen Dazs for ice cream for Michael.

That sounds yummy!

In the mean time, I got settled at the pool:

Sounds relaxing!

it turned out that he had used the occasion of being at the airport to see if he could exchange our rental car.

Smart idea!

He originally wanted a hot dog, but the only hot dog they had was a chili hot dog

That's the only thing I've ever had from there, and it was really good!

Not sure why the pictures are so red. It is more dark than red inside.

The same thing happened to my pictures from Animators Palate. Weird huh?

Why can’t they honor that by producing napkins, paper cups and plastic bags that are specific???

I wish they could make resort specific merchandise as well.

After that was done, we went to the Anaheim Packing District. This is an area in Anaheim, not far from Disneyland (slightly north of it), that used to be where they would pack oranges.

That looks like a cool place. I'm going to put that on my "when it warms up" and "when life calms down" list!

We were supposed to meet an acquaintance of Michael there for dinner at a restaurant called Umami Burger.

I've been dying to try thus place!

I don’t regret seeing it, but I will not make a point of seeing it again. And I think the very light crowds we had for the show are a sign that the general public seems to agree with my assessment.

I'm glad I saw it and I kinda thought I liked it, but your comments made me reconsider my opinion.

I was able to pick up that Starbucks Diamond Anniversary mug

Oh good. I was going to offer to pick it up for you if you hadn't gotten it.

Up Next: Those Lines are Worse than Disneyland!

Ooh! Ooh! I know what this is!

Maybe they changed the storyline since 2011?

She is talking about the 60th Anniversary version of WoC. The show has evolved constantly since it opened.

 

[Steppesister]

She is talking about the 60th Anniversary version of WoC. The show has evolved constantly since it opened.

Oh wow! I had No idea it changed! Ever. Thanks for that little nugget!

 

[irene_dsc]

Oops - I'm way behind here! I keep forgetting to come over to this forum! But, you haven't gotten to Yosemite yet, so that's ok.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Yes, today was going to be our last day at Disneyland. Our first week was already coming to an end. But there was still so much to look forward to.

Time definitely speeds up on vacations.

I love this area of the park!

What he witnessed was TWO diapers being changed and then tossed not in the trash (bad enough), but left behind a lounge chair. A very nasty surprise to anyone who found the presents.

That's just awful. Why would someone do that? Sometimes I really hate people.

When we were at DCA in 2005 my friend and I were totally scared by it as it looked like you could so easily fall out. And what if the chain would break, would you fly out into the lake with your shiny cigar??

Nah. I trust my fellow engineers.

Mickey’s FUN Wheel. Some people like to give it different names as they don’t think it is fun.

Flying Wheel of Death?

I really enjoyed the view from the top:

The view is great! But give me the stationary car, please.

At some point I briefly closed my eyes and just focused on the motion. The motion was not bad at all, it was the moving downwards without knowing when it will stop that was scary.

So, I really enjoyed it.

Yes, you make it sound so wonderful.

They know that I love barbecue and thought that this would be a perfect meal.

Can't go wrong with BBQ! Sorry for the bad server experience, though.

Up Next: Candied Bacon

I don't know about you guys and gals, but the last 2-3 years I have almost every time I rent a car been stuck with vehicles that can be a model year or two old and would be considered ''used'' in the real world.

I'm happier with that, because it makes it less likely for the company to notice when my kids trash it.

But somehow Thing 2 was able to work something out to make some bonus tickets to appear and suggested that we use them to see World of Color since we missed that the day before. Of course we did not say no!

Man, so many VIP perks on this trip!

When I asked, he said that it was candied bacon!!! I was very tempted to get that drink, just to be able to try the candied bacon.

Absolutely! I wonder if they serve it on the side.

I ordered the Many Burger: house beer-cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, smoked-salt onion strings, Umami ketchup, mustard spread:

That sounds really good!

This is really a great gourmet burger option!

I will have to keep this place in mind. Thanks for the tip!

But our destination was the Pop Bar http://www.pop-bar.com A place that sells gourmet popsicles.

And thanks for the tip on that one as well!

We then headed into our blue section after some confusion as to where the line for blue would start and got some pretty good spots. I was surprised how empty it was around us.

This is so different from my experience in the blue section.

While the whole World of Color technology is still impressive and those dancing colorful water fountains are as charming as always, I felt the whole show had about as much charm as a documentary. I really missed the story.

It was made by the marketing department or a better way to explain it would be they dictated content and the result is simply a giant commercial for what is important to Disney of today at a corporate level.

That was a problem I had with the regular show as well. There really wasn't a story to it, it was just a Disney clip show. That combined with standing packed like sardines for an hour to see it made me pretty grumpy.

 

[Steppesister]

Just to let you know I"m still checking in as I can. So hard to get here during the terms! But hey! Already 20% finished with this term!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Now you made me: hungry, thirsty, longing for a warm, sunny day at a pool and counting my Disney money: 123 Euros. Which might be enough for food and drinks. So I only have to figure out such little things like airfare and hotel rooms…

I want a warm and sunny day at a Disney pool right now as well. Not enjoying current winter weather here in Germany (but I can tell you, someone else is even less enjoying it! One day of snow was enough for my Floridian boyfriend to stop complaining that winter is too warm and to start complaining that winter is too cold in Germany.).

Maybe you should take a page out of @Steppesister 's book and become a nurse to earn more Disney money??? I am told it only takes three years and a few exams, seems like an easy thing to do.

The last three rental cars we had were always brand new, not even a month old, which made me a little more worried to break something or make the tiniest dent in it.

I hope our luck will change in the future and we will get some newer ones. I am not as critical as Michael, but some that we got in the recent trips really were not acceptable.

 

[Flossbolna]

Except for the yucky diaper story, I'm enjoying catching up on your updates and your trip. The food looks great and you really got through a bunch of attractions. I'm in the camp of liking the swinging side of the Wheel of Fun!

I am so glad that there are people here on the DIS that like the swinging side!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Sounds like this part of Anheim may be worth exploring on a future visit. The park sounds really interesting and I think both the burger and ice cream would go down well.

I definitely want to get back there, it is a really nice area and not far at all. I guess one could even find a bus that goes there.

We have never even tried sitting inside at Trader Sam's as it is always so busy.

Yes, that is what happened the last time we were there, but I wanted to see all the special effects. And while it was nice, in the future I think I rather want to sit outside on the lovely patio again and have less hassle. Of course that afternoon the air-conditioning inside was a bonus as well.

How nice about the bonus time at Disneyland. What a shame that you did not enjoy World of Color Celebrate!. I had some missgivings beforehand as I hated World of Color Winter Dreams so much and I can't stand Neil Patrick Harris. However, I ended up absolutely loving it. I agree about its documentary qualities, but I think that is what is drawing me to this.

After enjoying Dreams again at DLP (not sure if you have seen it?), I have to say I think that the whole WoC is still not something that really wows me. The combination of fountains and projections just works so much better with the addition of the castle. But it is great that there is something for everyone's taste to enjoy! That is why I always try to go into every experience with an open mind, who knows if it is not something I enjoy even though everyone else does not like it (or vice versa).

 

[dolphingirl47]

I guess one could even find a bus that goes there.

That would be a bonus.

After enjoying Dreams again at DLP (not sure if you have seen it?), I have to say I think that the whole WoC is still not something that really wows me.

I have and I haven't. When I was at Disneyland Paris in November, they showed Disney Dreams of Christmas. I have to say this did not exactly wow me. It was nice enough, but no more than that. Having said that, it was a lot better than World of Colour Winter Dreams. A return trip for Disneyland Paris is shaping up for mid March and I should get to see the original version of Disney Dreams then.

Corinna

 

[Flossbolna]

We made the most of the party night time wise- got in there right at 4 and stayd until midnight. After being up so early for our flight out there it was a looooong day.

Sounds like a good day to me! Long, but good!

The Floor show at Tiffy's was interesting. It was breakfast after the party. We were trying for a relatively quick breakfast. There was a family of 5 at the table near us when we were seated. Parents , a brooding teen and 2 youger kids. They were of Spanish decent and started out in English. We had been waiting a bit after ordering but apparently the family was in a bigger rush and waiting longer. There were some inquiries from Mom to the waitress that progressed to very animated Spanish between the parents and even teh kids as they were getting restless. We were far enough away not to hear everything but we didn't need to I could see what was going on.
Later some food was brought out but apparently one of the son's dishes did not make it out from the kitchen. They waited a few more minutes Then it happened......

I saw the mom get up ( imagine Sofia Vergara from Modern Family) and my eyes just got wide. I tapped Marv and said I will fall out right here if she come back with the palates, I think she is going to the kitchen herself to get them.

About 30 seconds later here she come with a plate of food.

Great story!!

As someone who is around pools a good bit of time I will say that babies and young children should not be in hot tubs... period. The heat and ability of disinfection to keep up with use is low and kids drink water.

That is a good argument. I am always really grossed out when the hot tub water bubbles up into my face. I guess that is the right reaction to have then... I get the feeling that Disney is dumping loads of chlorine in their hot tubs though as I have learned the hard way that my good swim suits should not be worn in Disney hot tubs, they start to lose all the elastics.

I know no one really wants the low down on pools and such but let's just say chlorine is good. Very good. I would be more concerned when a pool boasts no closures when there is a lot of use because then they simply don't close when it happens. Trust me it happens most everywhere. And to be clear, it not just kids, or babies that are the culprits.

That is a good argument. I need to point it out to Michael...

See above but in reality - mostly kids on vacation, eating and overeating and not what they normally and don't want to stop the fun and well underestimate the control they have.

I am thinking that might really be the Disney issue: Lots and lots of kids that are very overexcited.

Yup that is enough to freak out over.

So, I guess you have not tried the Golden Zephyr either?

No pictures of tile... I must have missed that one.

Did I forget to post the tile??? Here it is:

Ah the elusive Alice in Wonderland ride. I will say Party night this past Oct we were persistent and caught it just as it was reopening.

It is really difficult to get it! And it is popular and has long lines. But I love it. Alice in Wonderland was the first ever film I saw at a movie theater and I have a very soft spot for it!

Nice off property adventure and bonus hours. Sorry the changes to WoC didn't flow well. I think you made the best of some relaxing time and lots of park time.

I really would love to see some more of Orange County. There seem to be lots of interesting things to do and see besides Disney.

I think I am just not the person to love WoC in the first place...

 

[Flossbolna]

Ok, here's my assessment of the WoC. I was so wowed by the technology that I truly didn't even pay much attention to the "narrative" or commentary of the content of the show itself. Now I kinda wanna see it again to see what you mean. Maybe they changed the storyline since 2011?

I think this is one of the weak aspects of WoC, it relies to heavily on wowing people with technology and too little with story. @franandaj already told you that they changed the story around quite a bit - the current version has very little to do with the one you saw. I like that they change it out, but for me they still haven't hit the one that I really love.

I'd have been a little irked at the waitstaff not showing up to get food orders too. Isn't that the point of pool service?

There were so many servers around, but they seemed to be gone for long stretches at a time.

But I DO like you ending up at Trader Sam's. Super excited to venture in myself -albeit a different side of the continent. Not sure I want to drop $50 bucks for a drink- that seems rather steep for a $5.00 amount of alcohol. A cup just doesn't cost a fraction of $45. Anyway, still happy to get to go and see the place and all its fun.

Not every drink is 50$!! And you can get every drink without the souvenir cup. One thing I did not like is that the drink menu did not have prices (in Germany it is the law that every drink menu has to give you the exact volume of the drink and the price so that you know what you are going to get for your money). But we asked on our first visit and I thought prices were ok for Disney. Michael has been to the Orlando cousin and says drinks are smaller, weaker and pricier than in California. But I guess that might be that SoCa has a more serious bar scene than O-Town.

Gosh darn, I wish you could come out for my trip and meet us there. I'm looking for a dinner partner for a dinner V & A's. I may mention it on my thread and see who takes a nibble.

I know.... Michael and I actually have talked about wanting to do V&A. But the next trip will be after another cruise and we MUST eat at Remy again if we are on the Fantasy. So, V&A will not happen in the same trip as Remy, that would be a bit too much of a good thing.

Sorry, got off track there. Your burgers looked amazing! They are HUGE!! And I like the nice mix of out-of-the-box ingredients. Good choice!

Doesn't matter! Of course I just realized that I am replying to your comments while you are in exam lock down. But hopefully you will find this after another successful exam!!

 

[Flossbolna]

I really like the second CS place nearby there! Over Christmas they turned it into a Mexican restaurant and I was so disappointed when I went there for some kefta!

We thought about the other place, but somehow ended up with the option that had more salads because it was so hot.

That is a nasty story! People can be so ignorant and rude!

Yes, in hindsight I wish Michael would have never shared it! Now I cannot see people with babies near a pool without wondering what they are going to do with diapers!!

I have never been on this ride!

You should try the Golden Zephyr!

I will wait for you at the winery!

Or the margarita bar!

Yes, I think I should have the wine/margarita after riding the Fun Wheel not before!

I have still not been on that since the refurb.

Hope you get to ride Peter Pan soon. It is a tricky ride to get on!

That's the only thing I've ever had from there, and it was really good!

Don't tell Michael, otherwise I will be in trouble for denying him his hot dog!

The same thing happened to my pictures from Animators Palate. Weird huh?

I think it has something to do with the lighting. My AP pictures all are too blue. I guess the cameras have trouble with the light.

I wish they could make resort specific merchandise as well.

Yes, that would be nice!!

That looks like a cool place. I'm going to put that on my "when it warms up" and "when life calms down" list!

Sounds good! I hope these two things happen soon for you!

I've been dying to try thus place!

Umami burger would be a great place for you and Fran.

I'm glad I saw it and I kinda thought I liked it, but your comments made me reconsider my opinion.

Sorry that I made you reconsider liking it! I don't think that it is impossible to find value in it and everyone has different expectations.

Oh good. I was going to offer to pick it up for you if you hadn't gotten it.

Thank you for that!! I am really happy that it worked out the way it did as it would have been a hassle to get the Starbucks mug from you to me. Not sure when I will be in California again.

Ooh! Ooh! I know what this is!