If You See It: Eat It! Via Panama to Disneyland - Completed and Link to New Trip Report 2/24

[Poolrat]

Roger Rabbit has a really interesting line! But also a very frustrating one as you can’t see at all how long it is going to be!

Oh yes I have been in that line- thinking it was not so long and then taking a turn in toontown down the back alley!!!!

I am sorry your last day seemed to be sort of a bust with everyone in the area descending on DL for the 24 hour day.

Looks like you managed to get on some things and bailed on others.
Sad departure day - I am sure spending that much time together and then being an ocean away is so hard. But yes you need to focus on the wonderful memories you have and start planning the next time you will be together.

 

[nodnol]

What an update!!!
I would be sorry for your trip to end, if there wasn't already another one to be reported about!!!

yes, there will soon be an undisturbed view of the Chinese Theater from the entrance of DHS in case you are being slow on getting important Disney news like my sister

I read about that, but I don't know where…. And stop stalking me on other TRs!

I would love to have this wallpaper for my bathroom at home.

They have a wonderful “island inspired” menu there and I had a hard time deciding what I wanted. In the end Michael and I ordered the same thing:

1/3 lb Angus Hawaiian Cheeseburger
Ground Angus Burger with Teriyaki Sauce, fresh Caramelized Pineapple, Havarti Cheese, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato on a Multigrain Bun with choice of Sweet Potato Fries, Classic French Fries, Island Fruit or Tropical Slaw

point 1:
how can you order the same thing if both of you had a hard time to decide because of the wonderful menu??? It's time you go on a trip with your sister to with half through the meal

point 2:
"island inspired" menu and "Havarti Cheese"? Didn't know the Danish isles are considered Hawaian/Polynesian as well...

but I rescued him with the Flossbolna/Nodnol family packing skills passed down through generations. He now considers me a packing genius. ;-)

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh yes I have been in that line- thinking it was not so long and then taking a turn in toontown down the back alley!!!!

The good thing is that it is certainly one of the most entertaining lines out there! But you never expect that they built such a long line for a kiddie ride!!

I am sorry your last day seemed to be sort of a bust with everyone in the area descending on DL for the 24 hour day.

Looks like you managed to get on some things and bailed on others.

Parts of it were fun, I thibnk mainly the evening was a let down.

Sad departure day - I am sure spending that much time together and then being an ocean away is so hard. But yes you need to focus on the wonderful memories you have and start planning the next time you will be together.

Exactly!!

I would be sorry for your trip to end, if there wasn't already another one to be reported about!!!

Yes, I am really looking forward to writing about the new adventures!!

And stop stalking me on other TRs!

I am not stalking you! You just seem to read the same threads that I am subscribed to...

I would love to have this wallpaper for my bathroom at home.

I was thinking one wall in my kitchen...

point 1:
how can you order the same thing if both of you had a hard time to decide because of the wonderful menu??? It's time you go on a trip with your sister to with half through the meal

Well, sharing food is not Michael's strong point...

point 2:
"island inspired" menu and "Havarti Cheese"? Didn't know the Danish isles are considered Hawaian/Polynesian as well...

Yes, I think we rock when it comes to packing!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I had briefly considered to get up at 6am to watch the craziness of the start of the event and to go to the parks very early. But I really could not find the energy to do that. Sleeping was very nice as well!

Can't blame you there. That's awfully early in the morning to be dealing with huge crowds.

Since it had been closed for quite some time and since the park was pretty crowded because of the event. The line was enormous!!

I'm glad it moved, at least. I'm sure it was tough to see lines like that on your final day.

I really liked the ride there. The start of floating through the Bayou is really neat. Generally this is considered to be the superior Pirates ride, but I can't really see that. Maybe I am not enough of a Pirates fan. To me the best one is in Paris because it has the best drops and the best outside theming.

I'm sure most people haven't experienced the Paris version. I'm struggling to remember it from your previous TR's--what's different about the drops?

Small World at DL is so cute! It is different as the boats travel through a canal, so it seems smaller. And somehow it seems more colourful. There was a huge debate that they introduced Disney characters in some scenes a few years ago and about wether this was appropriate for the ride.

I remember the debate, and it didn't bother me at all. After all, it is a Disney ride. But then again, I'm never in a hurry to ride it!

As the daughter of an engineer, I had to take a picture of this sign:

Your engineer readers thank you.

The Disneyland Hotel still has a sorcerer’s hat – the one at DHS is being demolished as we speak (yes, there will soon be an undisturbed view of the Chinese Theater from the entrance of DHS in case you are being slow on getting important Disney news like my sister).

I like the idea of the undisturbed view in DHS.

We had a quick bathroom stop in the Adventureland tower where I once again admired the wallpaper:

Very cool wallpaper!

We both really enjoyed our lunch there! The burgers were delicious. Maybe the best Disney burger I had? Pineapple really helps making a burger delicious!!

I'm glad you agree! Pineapple makes everything better!

We saw plenty of people in the House of Tomorrow (or maybe of the Future?) that were taking a nap there. I guess they were exhausted from being in the park since 6am…

Wow, it's like an airport in there!

I'm curious whether anything will happen to Tomorrowland once the movie is released.

We also stopped in the World of Disney store as they had been renovating and we were told that they would open up a large closed area that day. There they had this lovely glass window:

Beautiful!

I think we managed to get one last ride in by using the single rider line at RSR and then saw the neon lighting. This is a really neat little ceremony. Remember the scene from the movie when Lightning and Sally refurbished the neon of Radiator Springs and start it? They kind of recreate that with the lights going on one building after the other and the same music playing. Lightning McQueen comes down the road as well.

It's a very nice, cute touch.

We had a little bit different angle to the show this time and some things I could see better, some things I saw less good. I am starting to think that unless you pay for a private showing (I am sure you can buy that, the price would just be totally crazy for anyone of us even to consider paying for it), you will never have a perfect viewing spot.

This experience definitely has some issues.

At around 1am we were getting really tired and Michael really wanted to ride Pirates one more time before leaving the park. I saw that it was at least a 40 minutes wait and said no way. So we split up, I headed back to the room and Michael got in line. However, back at the room Michael showed up not so long after me. I think he had found out that the line had even an additional switchback and was even longer than we thought…

Still, you made it till 1 a.m. That's an accomplishment!

And even worse: to go back to Germany and leave Michael behind in the US. This part really sucks in a long distance relationship, I can tell you…

I can only imagine how difficult that is. You're both doing well to make it work.

There I had a huge surprise as my parents were at the airport to pick me up! It was wonderful to see them and I had not expected it at all!

All's well that ends well!

 

[aboveH20]

For some reason this is a very famous local burger chain. One thing they are famous for is their “secret menu” meaning that you can customize your burgers in many different ways. The restaurants themselves are rather basic looking:
Wow, the number they were calling where far far lower than our number!!! At first we thought that there was a mistake. But no, they were really really backed up! I thinbk we waited close to 30 minutes for our burgers. At the same time they were working like crazy! And there were a lot of people waiting for their food…

Finally, it was time for our number! And I was famished and dug into my food. And forgot to take a picture of it! Sorry! It looked like a basic cheeseburger, and that’s what it was. But I really liked it a lot. Not sure whether it was because of being so hungry or because In-N-Out deserves the hype. I guess I need to try it again, to make sure! But that burger was really good!!

I got a kick out of your comment about their secret menu. In June I visited my sons in California. One lives in Santa Barbara and he took my to In and Out Burger and ordered lunch "animal style". I didn't take many photos in California, but I did document my lunch.


I'm not used to the new disboards format. I've tried to upload a photo of my In and Out burger. I don't see it in the preview, but I have a horrible feeling it's going to appear 15 times because I kept trying to see it

Sorry that I did not get around to answer your questions any earlier! And thanks for the compliment on my English! I am indeed German but spent some time living in England, had a British boyfriend for some time and now have an American one. I use English quite a lot regularly and not only just on the DIS.

All Fast was a term that was used on the leaflet that we got at the end of the cruise. I understood it to mean the time when the ship was all tied up to the pier at the respective port.

We did not stay in the inside stateroom for two weeks. The one that we were moved to did have a window, but with an obstructed view. While this was a nice bonus, I did not at all feel uncomfortable in the inside stateroom and would not hesitate to book one for a longer cruise again. I think it has a lot to do with personal preference. On our last cruise we got a verandah because of a discount and in the end we did not really use it at all. I made the point a few times to go and sit there, but I really would have been equally happy sitting on deck 4. I even kind of missed being able to sit and people watch a little when I was on the balcony. So for me, I now know that paying any extra for a balcony is just not worth it. A porthole, yes that is a nice added, but not necessary, bonus.

Michael and I discussed solo cruising during the Panama Canal cruise quite a bit and we disagree on it. I think I would enjoy it a lot. Michael thinks for him it would make no sense. So, I think there is no right or wrong answer. You seem to do well travelling on your own, so I guess you would like it. One of the things I liked about cruising is that it is so easy to start chatting with fellow travelers. I never felt odd when I walked around the ship on my own and there were plenty of people doing stuff on their own. Forexample the morning show I often went to had mainly people visiting there on their own, just a few tables had more than one person.

Hope this helps! If you have any more questions, just ask ahead, I am happy to help!

Thank for the reply. We have a cruise coming up next week -- only our second Disney cruise since my husband got sick on the first. I think I'd be okay solo on a cruise -- once I got over the "single" fare, then to get over the guilt! I just read the book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking" and have decided I'm definitely an introvert and enjoy listening and watching more than engaging in conversation. As you say, no right or wrong answer.

And, again, I've really enjoyed your TR. So many details that would be especially helpful to first time travelers -- and repeaters as well.

 

[Flossbolna]

I'm not used to the new disboards format. I've tried to upload a photo of my In and Out burger. I don't see it in the preview, but I have a horrible feeling it's going to appear 15 times because I kept trying to see it

Looks great! Thanks for posting the picture, it looks pretty crazy, but also very delicious!

Enjoy your cruise next week - I hope your husband will not get sick this time!

 

[rndmr2]

Sorry to see your TR coming to an end but looking forward to reading about your next trip.

Sorry your last day was so crowded but I hear those 24 hour days are usually nutty. I hear you about the long distance thing and goodbyes. My DH and I were long distance for the first couple years of dating and it was very hard. We have been married 11 years now so it worked out great for us.

Sorry you had such a long wait in the security line.

 

[Flossbolna]

just found another great feature of the boards: It saves what you type into the reply box!! I just accidentally left this page

Can't blame you there. That's awfully early in the morning to be dealing with huge crowds.

I think it probably would have been a great rope drop atmosphere that morning though!

I'm glad it moved, at least. I'm sure it was tough to see lines like that on your final day.

Well, now that I have seen pictures of the lines you had on your single day - I feel a bit spoiled for complaining about lines on one of our five days in the parks...

I'm sure most people haven't experienced the Paris version. I'm struggling to remember it from your previous TR's--what's different about the drops?

If you want an in depth information about what Pirates is like at DLP, I can recommend this video:

And as to the entrance:



The whole area is directly next to Adventure Isle with Skull Rock and a pirate ship.

The ride was designed to have drops added to the story line. I think there are three in total and at the big one there is even an on ride photo being taken. It is just perfectly themed all around!

Your engineer readers thank you.

You are welcome!

I like the idea of the undisturbed view in DHS.

I am so excited about this! I am looking forward to seeing that view for the first time ever. I have not been to WDW before the hat was installed.

Very cool wallpaper!

I think they should sell it, I am sure it would fly off the shelves!

I'm glad you agree! Pineapple makes everything better!

Definitely!

Wow, it's like an airport in there!

I'm curious whether anything will happen to Tomorrowland once the movie is released.

Oh - I had not thought about that... I am excited about the movie. The one trailer I saw was intriguing. I also know they have some kind of viral marketing campaign going on with a whole backstory to the film.

Katharina and I will hopefully see it on our cruise in June since it won't come out here in Germany until the fall.

This experience definitely has some issues.

Oh, I wonder how your family coped with it... For two adults it is so much easier!

Still, you made it till 1 a.m. That's an accomplishment!

Well, you might have noticed the lack of early morning starts in our trip... And we had no baby that insisted on waking up during the night...

I can only imagine how difficult that is. You're both doing well to make it work.

We try our best - on a day like today it is a bit more sad if your Valentine is not around. But I woke up to a lovely email in my inbox this morning.

All's well that ends well!

It was lovely to see some friendly faces who were happy to see me!

 

[Flossbolna]

Sorry to see your TR coming to an end but looking forward to reading about your next trip.

The next one should start soon!

Sorry your last day was so crowded but I hear those 24 hour days are usually nutty. I hear you about the long distance thing and goodbyes. My DH and I were long distance for the first couple years of dating and it was very hard. We have been married 11 years now so it worked out great for us.

It is great to hear that others have managed to survive a long distance relationship and live happily together!

Sorry you had such a long wait in the security line.

Ah, the end of a trip is never nice, but the line just made things a bit worse. On the other hand, getting annoyed by the line prevented me from thinking too much about leaving Michael behind, so maybe it was even a good thing!

 

[Flossbolna]

Final Thoughts:

Ok, I will try to sum up a few thoughts and conclusions about the trip.

Panama Canal Cruise:
The cruise really met all my very high expectations except in one regard: the food. Michael’s comment on the food is that it was “average”. It was in no way inedible, some was even quite pleasant, but overall the food is not what would want me to relive the experience. I loved that the cruise was so long, I loved the sea days, I loved the special entertainment, I even loved the ports. Originally the ports had not sounded that exciting to me, but I really enjoyed all of them, especially the Mexican Riviera ports were wonderful. I really want to do another long cruise, hopefully a Transatlantic cruise soonish! However, we both were happy to get off the ship after two weeks. I think neither of us would want to a cruise that is even longer.

Fellow Cruisers:
One thing that was unusual on the cruise as compared to other Disney cruises, was the number of adults on board. There were only about 300 kids on this cruise compared to normally over 1000. This led to some overcrowding in certain adult areas, to very noisy dinners as adults make more conversation than kids, but it also brought more adult events which was a bonus. There were plenty of people who I might be tempted to call fanatic Disney fans. Some of these had a bit of a “I am better than you because I am such an experienced cruiser” attitude. There were also some largish groups of adults that sometimes could appear of taking over an area a bit. I guess every group of humans always has more pleasant and less pleasant people (and what I find annoying someone else might just shrug off). We had less screaming kids, but more obnoxious adults, so it all equals out.

Disney excursions:
I have started to really dislike the whole process of those excursions. The waiting around to get started, being at some else’s mercy as to when things would happen, the large groups, etc. Some of the reason for it was because I was not so confident about the countries we visited. But also that some of the things we wanted to do were not cheaper to do them on ourselves. For my upcoming Norway cruise Katharina and I will be on our own in every single port as a contrast. And not only because of the totally crazy prices Disney is charging there for excursions. Norway is a country where I feel safe and not at risk at all. Even if we missed the ship we would be able to make our own way to the next port without problem on a train. The whole excursions situation might lead me to prefer cruises with ports where I would be happy to explore on my own.

Disney Wonder:
While we really love the Wonder, the whole stateroom drama at the beginning did taint our feelings toward the ship. We were not really keen to get back on it anytime soon. However, with the current news that they are refurbishing the stateroom, this feeling has changed. We loved the public areas. Those were immaculate and wonderful! But we were afraid of getting another dingy stateroom.

Future cruising:
After the cruise we both felt that we kind of were done with this kind of vacation for quite some time. While we truly loved it, we felt like there could be too much of a good thing. And we both love other ways of travel as well. The downside on cruising is that you only get a glimpse of the places you visit. When I was in Helsinki I was amused how the city would fill up with the cruise ship passengers during the day, but they never got to experience the sunset at 10pm in the city. To me this was one of the things that made Helsinki magical and I would not have wanted to miss it. I also knew that I had another future cruise that I was committed to, the one to Norway with Katharina. The only caveat was: We really wanted to see one of the new ships – and since we both did not like the idea of a 4-night cruise (too short!), we knew it had to be the Fantasy. We even got an onboard booking for the Fantasy (the advantage of living at two different places: each of us can get an onboard booking with the discount). But we felt that once we had the Fantasy out of our system, that was going to be it with cruising for some time. You will read more about this in my next trip report…

Villas at the Grand Californian Hotel:
This might be one of my favourite DVC properties now! The only problem I have with it is that it is so wonderful to just enjoy the resort, but it is so difficult to do this, because there are two fantastic theme parks literally next door to it! The location is so fantastic!

Disneyland Resort:
I loved both theme parks as much this time as I had in the past. It is amazing how many attractions there are. If you count the rides, the two parks in California come out about equal with Walt Disney World in total (without the water parks). I love the proximity of it all, Downtown Disney is lively and a great place to go for a meal.

Carsland:
I have been trying soooooo hard to not have expectations that were sky high. It was near impossible. Everyone seems to love it. I was so afraid that I would come out disappointed because it was talked up so much. I was not disappointed. It was so much better than my expectations even. RSR is not a groundbreaking ride, but it is so entertaining and it is still a lot of fun after a few rides when you know what to expect.

World of Color:
It is a great show, but after the second showing I was a bit annoyed at how difficult it is to get a good viewing spot. And it is a show where the viewing spot is important. I guess I will have to do something I hate to do: line up very early for a show. Not happy with that…

Food at Disneyland:
I really thought that all the Disney food we had was very good quality. I liked all my meals and I found the variation in different counter service offerings excellent. I also found most of the CS restaurants to be far prettier and better themed than at WDW. The highlight was certainly the dinner at Napa Rose. Which is unfortunate as this meant that every future trip to DL automatically becomes even more expensive. How can I travel all the way to California and not eat there???

24 Hour Day:
I guess you picked up on my feelings about it. To me it ruined our last day to an extent. It made that day that could have been very relaxed rather stressful in the end. However, we benefitted from it as otherwise we would not have been able to ride on Pirates or It’s a Small World. And now I know at least that I have no intention of being there for that event ever again.

Writing a trip report for a nearly 4 week trip:
Don’t do it! It kinds of becomes your second job. ;-) No, while at some point I felt that I was not making any progress at all, I am very glad that I got it done. I am typing everything in Word document before posting it and as I type this, I am on page 216. I am grateful for every single person who posted a comment – knowing that there are people out there, who read what I write and enjoy it, certainly is a motivation to keep going! So, a big thank you to all my readers! I hope you will be along for the next cruise adventure on the Fantasy that should be coming to a discussion board near you soon! I will post the new link here when I start it.

 

[GoofyNewfie]

Hi Flossbolna, thank you ever so much for writing this TR. I wish I had found it ages ago but since I only found it a couple weeks ago I was really late jumping in. I'm on the upcoming PC cruise and reading this was great incentive to finish all the preparation for the cruise and got me excited again. Your comments about the excursions have also settled some of my discomfort. Like you, we are also adding a couple days in Disneyland to our trip. But we're staying at the Paradise Pier instead of GC.

Thanks once again for all the effort it took to write this.

 

[Poolrat]

This was a wonderful trip and while you felt it was a second job at time, I certainly appreciate the effort. I would love to take a PC cruise one day but 2 weeks is a long time off for me an well sometimes getting the week gets the guilt trip from work.

I agree with your thought of GC and the whole DLR. I love that everything is so close and there almost as much entertainment in those 2 in 4 parks at WDW.

WoC is a great show but I also agree with the viewing, much like DL Fantasmic there does not seem to be a comfortable place to see the show with a good view of the whole show.

 

[franandaj]

I got so far behind on my comments. I have been reading along from my phone, but I just hate posting from there if I want to say anything more than just a few words. My computer time has been so spotty lately!

There's just too many things that I wanted to say and now I can't remember. You cracked me up with the crabs in Laguna. But I can totally relate as there are lots of bugs and other things that wig me out. I enjoy dining at Napa Rose, they have so many wonderful dishes there. I try and avoid those 24 hour events like the plague. I can't remember if this was the first one, or they have done it for a couple years now. I remember listening to the traffic reports that night and they were reporting that all the streets and the freeways were gridlocked with all the people trying to get there. No thank you.

I really appreciate you taking the time to write this report. From the cruise to your thoughts on DL and all the other fun things you did it was great to read, and also nice to get to know you. I hope that you and Michael get to see each other sometime soon! I'm glad you finished this up becuase I am really looking forward to hearing about your cruise on the Fantasy!

 

[glennbo123]

Still making my way through Magdalene! They're probably strange things to comment on, but I was really impressed with the towel crocodile and the pirate watermelon. Wow! Also, so attentive of Renato to move that bottle of worcestershire sauce from kitchen to kitchen in case Michael wanted it again. Maybe he was just trying to save himself from re-doing the search he'd done before! I think he was just trying to take care of his guests. Puerto Vallarta looks really nice and you got a great kiss-shot with Cassandra.

 

[dizneeat]

Sorry to see this come to an end, Magdalene. I was WAY behind (half term here) and there is just too much to comment on. I am really looking forward to your next adventure(s)!

 

[Gilland18]

Thank you for this TR. I've been lurking since very early on and enjoyed it immensely. We did the EBPC in 2012 and I enjoyed reliving it.

 

[wilma-bride]

Magdalene, having started a pre-trip report already, I fear I am too late to heed your warning. And I am already wondering whether I have made a big mistake committing to a trip report. However, if mine can be half as useful to future PC cruisers as yours has been to me and my husband, in planning our cruise, then it will be worth it.

Thank you so much for writing your trip report, it was such a great read from beginning to end and has proved invaluable to me (and others, I am sure).

I look forward to seeing more from you very soon

 

[schmass]

Great wrap-up! You have me really wanting to go back to Disneyland!! I'm sorry this TR is over, but am looking forward to reading your next one!

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi Flossbolna, thank you ever so much for writing this TR. I wish I had found it ages ago but since I only found it a couple weeks ago I was really late jumping in. I'm on the upcoming PC cruise and reading this was great incentive to finish all the preparation for the cruise and got me excited again. Your comments about the excursions have also settled some of my discomfort. Like you, we are also adding a couple days in Disneyland to our trip. But we're staying at the Paradise Pier instead of GC.

Thanks once again for all the effort it took to write this.

A very late

I am happy to hear that I got you excited about your upcoming cruise, I am sure it will be a wonderful trip! So, what excursions are you planning?

This was a wonderful trip and while you felt it was a second job at time, I certainly appreciate the effort. I would love to take a PC cruise one day but 2 weeks is a long time off for me an well sometimes getting the week gets the guilt trip from work.

I am very happy that I wrote the trip report, it will be a great memory for myself and Michael to have it to look back to. The other day I was looking for something in the trip report I wrote for the first trip to WDW with Katharina in 2010 and spend far too much time reading it. It is even better to have than a photo album!

I am very lucky with my work situation that people are able to just deal with me being away. And I guess there is a reason why a lot of adults on the cruise were retirement age...

I agree with your thought of GC and the whole DLR. I love that everything is so close and there almost as much entertainment in those 2 in 4 parks at WDW.

WoC is a great show but I also agree with the viewing, much like DL Fantasmic there does not seem to be a comfortable place to see the show with a good view of the whole show.

I am not a fan of Fantasmic, so the situation there does not bother me.

 

[ShellB8585]

so much for sharing your experiences with us, I really appreciate the time you have taken for this TR and it has really helped with planning for our trip later this year! alreayd looking forward to the next TR