Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[ursalita]

Just catching up on your report. Loved the end of WDW story about the family at A&E. I hope we're lucky enough to witness some funny guest antics.

That was some excitement during the flight to California. Yikes!

From my New England perspective I'm convinced that San Diego is the most perfect place on the planet even though I've never been. How wonderful that you were able to visit. I can't believe it rained for a whole day while you were there. Like you I was unaware that happened. I do think I would have trouble with the traffic.

Poor DS, so sorry he was sick. I hope it ended up being a 24 hour thing and nobody else got sick. That's always my biggest fear, how easily these nasty stomach bugs seem to spread and infect the whole family. It always amazes me how well the little ones handle being sick. If I puked for a day I'd be crying. Kids are always like, "I feel great!"

 

[Steppesister]

And the fact that it was a rental car, made me a little less concerned about the consequences.

I like how you think!

that we borrowed from the hotel

Did you think they'd want them returned at some point?

For now, anyway.

buh, buh, bummmm...

I was just wandering around, looking for nothing in particular when “One Little Spark” started playing.

Thank you very much. I was just about to go to bed. All night long.

For those of you who might not know, Naples is basically Disneyland’s Via Napoli. It is owned by the same company, and the pizza is pretty much the same. So yes, it was frickin’ awesome.

Pretty much. That's where I chose too on my last trip. Frickin' awesome does a nice job at summing it up.

 

[afwdwfan]

First thing that comes to mind is "blowing chunks",
but instead I'll go with "bringing fluorescent christmas cheer"

I just don't even know how to respond to that...

enjoyed the trip report but loved, loved, loved those beach photos!!

Thanks! DW took the pictures, and she did a pretty good job of it too!

Oh, man! I would be in Panic City. I'm so sorry!!! Poor kiddo and poor mom and dad - no fun at all.

Panic. Stress. Frustration. Yeah, we pretty much ran the gamut of negative emotions.

Huh, that's helpful.....

Wasn't it though?

Oh, wait, even MORE helpful!

Yep... sucks to be you. Good luck. You're gonna need it.

That's the kind of service I always expect from Disney.

Ugh - how disappointing! I have never been in a GCH room, but I have always imagined them to be spectacular.

Yeah. It wasn't like it was horrible. But certainly not spectacular. It definitely wasn't anything special enough to justify the price tag.

Well, that's one pro for GCH (despite the garbage) - no balcony at the DLH.

Well, I did like the balcony. I spent a little bit of time out there every morning. But it certainly isn't a make or break thing for our family.

I feel happy every time I walk through the GCH - so pretty!!!

It really is.

This makes me so sad. I wish we had "known" each other before your planned your trips. Maybe our stays at the DLH would have influenced you to go with that one. We LOVE it, but I don't know for sure whether it would seem more "Disney" to WDW veterans. I don't think any of the DLR hotels offer the type of theming to which WDW visitors are accustomed. I like the subtlety of the DLH though, and it DOES feel very Disney to me - partly because I stayed there as a kid, I think (although the DLH I actually stayed in no longer exists - they kept the same kind of signage and stuff, so it has the same feel but with a lot of upgrades).

You know, I think I had read one of your updates about DLH before we decided for sure where to stay. We really went with GCH for the location and the fact that it was a once in a lifetime type trip, so we might as well go all in. It wasn't that we didn't think we'd like DLH. It was just that we thought that GCH would be that much more impressive.

I think I'd rather have had a longer walk and fireworks in my headboard.

And a pool with a monorail over it.

If it makes you feel any better, this was just a fluke. We have had trips where we had no wait to check in at the DLH and trips where we have had pretty long waits (usually due to conventions).

Well, from comments I've seen, I stick by my initial thought that WDW is just better prepared and handles the whole check in process much smoother than DL.

Yay!!!! I'm so glad you started feeling more positive about things.

It had to happen eventually, right?

Otherwise there would be no point in re-living it in a TR.

Fingers and toes crossed for DS to be totally recovered in the morning!

He couldn't be feeling worse.

 

[afwdwfan]

I wish that was all I had to worry about every morning!

We'd have it easy, wouldn't we?

There is a "Disney" way to say it: he had a "protein spill". When I had to write about being sick in a TR way back when (2010), I found information saying that is what the WDW CMs call it.

Oh, yeah! I should have gone with that one. I knew it, but it just didn't come to me.

I totally agree with you and you were being very reasonable. I'd be really disappointed too. I can't believe all the trouble you had to go through just to get some simple answers.

I just couldn't believe that they seemed so unprepared to deal with it and answer questions.

I actually was thinking how "standard" it looked when I saw your pictures. I wonder if the hotel rooms are substantially different than the DVC villas? I think I've mostly seen pics of them and I don't remember them being too plain. Of course, they always seem to have amazing views too, so your roof o' trash really wasn't comparable.

I think they are pretty different. I've seen the pictures of the DVC rooms too and thought they looked pretty amazing. This room was just kind of dark and tiny and really unspectacular. Not bad... but not what I'd expect for a Disney Deluxe resort.

Thanks for this advice! We have thought that staying at the GCH would be the ultimate place for DL, but sounds like we wouldn't be missing much by just hanging out in the lobby a bit and staying elsewhere.

I'm just not sure it is worth the price tag for one of the rooms. I think the only thing that would make it worthwhile would be if you plan to return to the room a lot during the day. Because it really is a lot closer than the other hotels.

Ugh, that would drive me insane. I'd be on toddler-spotter duty all the time.

Oh, it was a never ending battle.

So sorry DS was so sick. Not a great way to spend the day for anyone. Glad it was a planned down day, at least. I hope he's feeling better the next day.

It wasn't a fun day, but he could have picked a worse day to put us through all of that!

So...it's not the real Caesar's Palace?? Mind blown.

No, but as of Labor Day Weekend 2011, I can confirm that they did indeed have a pay phone bank.

I think this happens to everyone right before a big vacation. For us, it's usually something with one of our cars.

Anytime the budget is strained something always has to happen to make things even tighter.

It's so crazy what the slightest wrong move can do to your back. And then you remember how much your back does for you and makes you want to protect it all the more!

I know. I think I'm just falling apart. 33 is the magic age. I turned 33 back in November and now it is constantly either back pain or knee pain. We had a pretty strong wind storm last week, so I spent a few hours Saturday repairing some missing shingles on our roof. By the time I climbed up and down the ladder several times and spent a few hours crawling around on my hands and knees, my back hurt, my knees were sore and swollen and I was considering going to bed at like 7:30. I made it until about 9:30 though, I think... I really don't know, I passed out on the couch.

I don't know why, but I read DD's answers in Chris Farley's character from the Gap Girls!

That would be so scary! Poor guy. I was once standing one person behind a woman that had fainted and the person in front of me was a tall, teenage boy that had kind of caught her. I don't think he knew what to do, so I helped him and a flight attendant came over and we all moved her to the FA's seating area to help calm her down.

Scary stuff! Good thing you had the presence of mind to help. It took me a bit to wake up and get the gears turning enough to even realize what happened.

I don't have a compass in my car. I guess my car is not modern but ancient

Ok, my theory is completely shot. Maybe I should have gone with an Impala instead of a Charger. Every rental car I've ever had before has been a Malibu or an Impala. They have always had a compass!

Very nice view!!

It definitely was!

Ick!!!

I can't even describe the nastiness.

That would be quite dangerous for me

What's so dangerous? It's vacation. Calories don't count.

Oh wow that's disappointing.

Yeah, it wasn't a very good show. I was really looking forward to seeing him, but ended up looking forward to him being done.

Again, another dangerous thing for me

And a contributing factor to why I couldn't finish my burrito. I made quite a few trips up there. I mean, you've got to at least try all the different salsas and then go back for more of the favorites.

Not good at all.

I absolutely hate when they do this, but it happens all the time. Or if you're at a red light, they'll make their way to the very front of the line so that they go first. When my dad was alive, he owned a couple Harley's and never once did this. Probably because he was a smart

It was a different experience for me. Made me nervous that one would come flying up behind me when I was changing lanes.

Ugh poor kid. Getting sick in the car is the worst.

Yep this sounds about right. Have checked in with no people in line and have checked in with a twenty minute wait. And each time there was always either too many CM's or too little.

Wow... Seems like WDW just does a better job with being prepared and making it more streamlined.

Ugh that is very annoying. You'd think the Hotel CM's would be in the know with the goings on at the resorts??

You'd think, wouldn't you?

Cool! Never seen a GCH room with the bunk beds.

It actually would be nice for a family of 5 with older kids. There's a trundle bed under the bottom bunk. We made DS sleep in the bottom bunk and DD slept on the trundle.

I sadly agree with you. There is nothing over the top about the rooms itself, aside from the location. But if you were to have scored a park view, you may have had a different experience. Standard views are all value views there to me.

Yeah... maybe we should have paid for a better view. I don't know. The room just didn't seem to have the little extra touches that you find at the WDW resorts. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I just don't think we'd want to stay there again.

EOS has buffalo chicken?! Woah! We love buffalo chicken, totally need to be on the look out when we go!

It is fantastic! You should definitely try it! I didn't see it posted on the main menu board, but I just happened to see it listed on one of the boards off to the left side of the counter where you order your sandwiches. I'd already decided what I was getting but made a last second change when I saw it.

Again, agree with you. I feel WDW CM's are so much friendlier and willing to help. I have run into some fantastic CM's at Disneyland, don't get me wrong, but it's far and few between.

By the end of the trip, I kind of had mixed feelings about it. They were either a disappointment, as with the inability to answer questions or find actual answers for me, or they were just absolutely over the top fantastic. Not a whole lot of in between though.

Glad you were able to feel a bit of assurance with this CM.

It was something. My confidence wasn't exactly soaring though.

Can I just say awful I feel for you at this point. DS, the parking situation, the phone and worst of all (next to DS of course!) Trader Sam's.

That one just hurt. Bad. It felt like a sign that this trip just wasn't meant to be.

As soon as I read "One Little Spark", I pretty much knew that would cheer you up. I know how much you like Figment

It was just that little reminder I needed of where I was.

So you didn't ask for this room, they just assumed you wanted it?

Apparently.

Isn't that cool??

It was. I wanted to pick one, but I didn't think they'd approve of it.

DH will never allow us to come back here ever again in life. We visited with DB, Dsil, DM, DH and I. They got a pepperoni and DH and I shared a prosciutto pizza. Well early the next morning, I got sick. Then about an hour later DH got sick. We were both done for the entire day taking turns sharing the toilet DM, being the blunt one and all, went to the manager of Naples and complained and she came back to tell us that the manager had actually said, the Prosciutto was not a popular choice. What the heck?? How old was that prosciutto we ate anyway?

Oh wow! That's awful. And what kind of answer is that???

At least our stomach issues happened before our meal there.

 

[afwdwfan]

Just catching up on your report. Loved the end of WDW story about the family at A&E. I hope we're lucky enough to witness some funny guest antics.

Oh, I'm sure you'll see plenty of entertainment from other guests. You usually don't have to look too hard to find it!

That was some excitement during the flight to California. Yikes!

Yeah... It was certainly a memorable flight.

From my New England perspective I'm convinced that San Diego is the most perfect place on the planet even though I've never been. How wonderful that you were able to visit. I can't believe it rained for a whole day while you were there. Like you I was unaware that happened. I do think I would have trouble with the traffic.

Even more perfect than Hawaii? It is a very nice city though. I enjoyed our time there.

When the rain came it just seemed like there was no backup plan for dealing with it!

Poor DS, so sorry he was sick. I hope it ended up being a 24 hour thing and nobody else got sick. That's always my biggest fear, how easily these nasty stomach bugs seem to spread and infect the whole family. It always amazes me how well the little ones handle being sick. If I puked for a day I'd be crying. Kids are always like, "I feel great!"

I know. He'd kind of go back and forth between I feel fine and then laying around looking like death. But every time he got sick, it was always when he was up moving around and acted like he felt fine.

I like how you think!

Hey, we were all thinking it.

Did you think they'd want them returned at some point?

Not after we were done with them.

Thank you very much. I was just about to go to bed. All night long.

You're very welcome! That'll teach you to read my TR before bed time.

Pretty much. That's where I chose too on my last trip. Frickin' awesome does a nice job at summing it up.

 

[Vernie822]

Glad you enjoyed your time in San Diego! I've never been to California, but from what I understand it doesn't rain haha. You would think they'd have a shuttle to get you to and from the convention!?

So sorry to hear that your little guy wasn't feeling well. That picture of him is so cute, yet so sad! At least he got the crackers and Sprite to settle his belly. Sprite is my go to when I get jerked around on a ride, lol. I hope he was feeling 100% for Day 2.. and that none of you caught whatever he had

I had high hopes for GCH, but after seeing your pictures, I gotta say I agree with you. We have been wanting to stay at Wilderness Lodge, and just by the looks of it, WL excites me a little more. Though the lobby looked beautiful!

I had no idea there was a Via Napoli equivalent in DL. Now I want Via Napoli pizza. Sounds like quite the awesome breakfast, although I agree that no VN pizza has ever made it out the doors, or back to the hotel room.

I'm with you on the 10K frustration. I understand that the employees are just doing what they're told, and only know what they're told, but seriously!? This race affects everyone there at that time - you'd think they'd have a better plan in place for that. Anxious to hear how that went!

 

[afwdwfan]

Glad you enjoyed your time in San Diego! I've never been to California, but from what I understand it doesn't rain haha. You would think they'd have a shuttle to get you to and from the convention!?

I know! I mean, I understand that the weather is always supposed to be perfect. But if you're that far away from the convention center you'd think they'd have other means of getting you there. What if there was someone who was elderly or who couldn't easily walk that far?

So sorry to hear that your little guy wasn't feeling well. That picture of him is so cute, yet so sad! At least he got the crackers and Sprite to settle his belly. Sprite is my go to when I get jerked around on a ride, lol. I hope he was feeling 100% for Day 2.. and that none of you caught whatever he had

Yeah, it always seems to help me too. He stayed tough and fought through it well.

I had high hopes for GCH, but after seeing your pictures, I gotta say I agree with you. We have been wanting to stay at Wilderness Lodge, and just by the looks of it, WL excites me a little more. Though the lobby looked beautiful!

I agree. Although I'm kind of a WL fanboy. It is my favorite resort. But the details in the room, like the carvings in the woodwork, really give it an extra layer of theming and a way to set itself apart. Our room at GCH just kind of felt somewhat generic like they spent all their imagination on the lobby and mailed it in on the room.

I had no idea there was a Via Napoli equivalent in DL. Now I want Via Napoli pizza. Sounds like quite the awesome breakfast, although I agree that no VN pizza has ever made it out the doors, or back to the hotel room.

I always want Via Napoli pizza. Breakfast, lunch, dinner... it really doesn't matter.

I'm with you on the 10K frustration. I understand that the employees are just doing what they're told, and only know what they're told, but seriously!? This race affects everyone there at that time - you'd think they'd have a better plan in place for that. Anxious to hear how that went!

That was how I felt about the whole thing. I know they can only go by the information they're given, but when you're going to have roads closed basically for 10 or 12 hours at a time (from approx. midnight to mid-morning), and these closed roads are the only way into and out of a certain resort it just doesn't make any sense that the front desk personnel haven't been given better information to work with!!!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

I don't have it. Promise! If I did, I'd have left it in WDW. Because I can't pick on you in your TR if you don't have one to write.

Yah, I suspect the neither of us have the other's and that’s a good thing…
‘Cause if we did, then we’d be discussing mutually assured destruction.

As for giving me a hard time, I‘ll put up another post tomorrow, so you have that to look forward to.
And then there’s the one I should be starting up in June once we get back form the next adventure.

The nice thing is that you can hop on the monorail in DTD and ride it the rest of the way in if you want to start out in Tomorrowland. But there are good neighbor hotels that are a closer walk to the front gates.

The monorail would be a cool way of getting into DL.
Something else to think about.

You were in there, weren't you?

Not so far as you know…

DH will never allow us to come back here ever again in life. We visited with DB, Dsil, DM, DH and I. They got a pepperoni and DH and I shared a prosciutto pizza. Well early the next morning, I got sick. Then about an hour later DH got sick. We were both done for the entire day taking turns sharing the toilet DM, being the blunt one and all, went to the manager of Naples and complained and she came back to tell us that the manager had actually said, the Prosciutto was not a popular choice. What the heck?? How old was that prosciutto we ate anyway?

Not a popular choice?
That’s quite the explanation, right there.

Ok, what have you got?

First thing that comes to mind is "blowing chunks",
but instead I'll go with "bringing fluorescent christmas cheer"

I like that one. Very… ummmm…. Seasonal.

There is a "Disney" way to say it: he had a "protein spill". When I had to write about being sick in a TR way back when (2010), I found information saying that is what the WDW CMs call it.

Have heard that one first hand, while waiting in the queue for Mission: Space.
Glad I wasn’t aboard that particular shuttle.


OK…
Since the subject did come up, and since you did say…

Have at it!

Here goes…

Thanks to your TR, we now have:
“Fertilizing Disney’s Palms”

But in my travels I’ve encountered:
“The Technicolor Yawn”
and “Liquid Yodeling”

Then there are phrases like:
“Herding Yaks”
“Gastro Blasting”
“Esophageal Evacuation”
“The Upset Genuflect”
“Marinating the vocal chords”
and “Binge Drinker's Interest Payments”

Then there are the variations related the theme of
“praying to the porcelain gods” that you noted.
Those include such missives as:

“Driving the Porcelain Bus”
“Backing up the Buick”
“Bowing before the China Thrown”
“Resting upon the Pottery Pillow”
“Taking a Pilgrimage to the Holiday Hollering Hoop”
“Battle Testing the Plumbing”
And “Reverse Water-Boarding”


Just to name a few…

 

[afwdwfan]

Tractors Is So Dumb

I woke up bright and early at 6 am Wednesday morning. It was our first day in a Disneyland park and I didn’t want to be late. Not to mention, I hadn’t really slept past 6:30 all week anyway.

The parks weren’t scheduled to open until 10 am, and even with early entry at DCA being 9 am, we had plenty of time.

I showered and got ready to go and then decided to head out to the QS place, White Water Snacks, to grab some breakfast. They didn’t open until 7 am so I actually had to kill some time wandering around waiting for them to open. Once I got in, I grabbed a cinnamon roll and blueberry muffin for DW and I to split. I wanted to get some cereal for the kids. They love Cheerios, but the only options available there were Corn Flakes and Froot Loops.

Unlike most food courts at WDW resorts, I felt like the selection there was very limited. They had some hot food that was made to order, but we just wanted some pastries and cereal. I ended up going with the Froot Loops, hoping the kids would be ok with that. I bought 2 bowls of Froot Loops, 2 pastries and one cup of hot tea for DW and it came to almost $20.

When I returned to the room, we slowly got everybody up and going. DW and I shared the muffin and cinnamon roll, but neither of them were all that great, to be honest. Not bad by any means, but a little dry and they just didn’t taste very fresh.

DS woke up and seemed to be perfectly fine. He got a bath, ate some Froot Loops and everything seemed to be good. It was still well before 9 am so we hung out in the room for a while and then headed out at around 8:20. We went down to the GCH entrance to DCA and it really wasn’t crowded at all yet. We got through the turnstile and they held us at a rope near the entrance to Grizzly River Run.

Condor Flats was closed, so there was a construction wall up to the left. It was nice having that dedicated entrance to DCA, but it was kind of a pain that you really had to walk all the way around the park to get anywhere since there was no way to cut across the Condor Flats area to get to Hollywood Land or anything else on that side of the park.

We hadn’t stood at that rope for long before they moved us on around past Grizzly River Run and held us next to the entrance to The Little Mermaid ride. By this time it was about 8:45. I thought maybe they might do it the way WDW does and let us in a few minutes early. We waited in anticipation that we might be moving at any time.

9:00 came and went.

I began impatiently checking my watch.

9:05

Still no movement.

A female CM was standing at the rope making some kind of announcement. She might as well have been speaking Swahili because I couldn’t understand a word she said.

9:10

Still nothing.

9:15

More CM yelling. I did catch something about not running. I think.

9:20

Still waiting.

9:22

Finally, the masses started moving towards Radiator Springs.

I’ll take an aside to mention one thing. As bad as Rope Drops are at WDW… and I’m including the past cluster that was the TSMM frenzy, I think it is crazier at DL. I mean people were flat out running. And I noticed this at both parks, every time we did a Rope Drop. I’ll get a little more in depth about this with our DL Rope Drop… but it was just crazy!

Just as we got to the point where we could round the corner into Radiator Springs, we could see the crowd streaming in from the main entrance. They actually did a good job of timing it so that both entrances arrived at the same time and could merge together.

Our goal was to ride Radiator Springs Racers and then check out the rest of Radiator Springs and grab an FP for later. As we were walking down the street, the CM’s directed everyone planning to ride RSR to move to the right side. And then to park the strollers next to Ramones.

Funny thing.

Not one single CM thought to mention that RSR wasn’t operating.

Until we rounded the corner to the entrance to the queue. There was a rope up and a CM telling everyone that the ride was not operating yet. They funneled us all the way in only to turn around.

I didn’t know what to do. RSR was certainly a must-do for us, but I didn’t want to waste an entire early entry hour standing around hoping that it may open sometime.

We decided to cut our losses and head for another attraction we knew the kids would love. TSMM. We took a side street past the RSR track and through Pacific Wharf. It was actually a nice walk. Beautiful. Scenic. And there was nobody else around.

​

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and California Screamin’ and as we got to TSMM we found a familiar scene.

CM’s standing in front of a rope telling everyone the attraction is closed.

We were determined to do something, so DW took the kids to King Triton’s Carousel while I walked right on to California Screamin’.

​

Not what I had planned for my first ride to be at Disneyland, but certainly not a bad choice! It was a fun ride, and I really enjoyed it. I did think at one point I as I was being jerked around on one of the curves that it was a stupid idea to make that my first ride on our first morning. I could just feel the muscles in my back tighten as I tried to hold myself upright. But thankfully when the ride ended I stood up, stretched, and felt fine. This was when I finally knew that I was over my back issue and I’d be just fine. I actually managed to make it through our entire time at Disneyland without having to rely on the medication I had brought.

When I got done, I asked DW how the carousel was. She said they had fun, but DS didn’t look very good by the time they got done spinning around. She got some pretzels for the kids to snack on and then headed off to take her turn on California Screamin’.

While she rode, I grabbed a picture of the guts of World of Color. I was really disappointed that it was undergoing refurbishment while we were there. It is one of the main things I really wanted to see while we were in Disneyland.

​

After DW rode California Screamin’ I offered to have her wait right there with the kids. They could eat their pretzels and see if TSMM was getting ready to open and I’d go check on RSR and grab FP’s. You know, since it was now after 10 am and we had managed to do 1 frickin’ ride in the early entry hour.

Which technically was less than 40 minutes anyway.

RSR was still closed, and because it was closed, they also were not issuing FP’s yet. They had closed the line for RSR, but they were still letting people line up for FPs. They were backed all the way up into Bugs Land. I couldn’t see the end of the line and I didn’t go look for it. I guess it could have been lined up all the way to ToT for all I knew.

I started walking back towards Paradise Pier when my phone rang. I had told DW before I left that she should just take the kids and ride TSMM without me if it opened while I was gone. She said that it just opened, but she was going to wait if I was close. I was crossing the bridge near Ariel’s Grotto so she waited and we quickly rode TSMM with just a short wait.

This is where it hit me how much different DL is. There is no shade or protection from rain, to speak of, in that entire queue. I realize that it “never rains” at DL, but while a rain storm can easily be endured at WDW, it could certainly ruin a day at DL. There is just no escape from it!

We enjoyed our ride on TSMM. It was a hit with the kids as always. When we got out, we decided to avoid the rest of Paradise Pier for this trip. We didn’t think the spinny rides would necessarily be a good idea for DS after he struggled on the carousel. And since there are height requirements on most, if not all, of the rides we didn’t think it was worth dragging DD over there.

We had a lunch ADR coming up, but we had just a little bit of time before we needed to check in. We walked back over to Radiator Springs, once again, and finally RSR was up and running. The FP line was now a more reasonable length and I was able to secure FPs for around 2pm.

We headed on into Radiator Springs to check out the sights.

​

While we were there, we decided to check out Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. We really enjoyed it. I loved the queue and the theming there. I mean, it is a simple switchback queue, but I loved all the memorabilia hanging on the walls from the Mater’s Tall Tales episodes and all the little details like radiator caps on top of the poles that held the chains for the switchbacks.

​

The kids absolutely had a blast on this ride. As did I.

It was probably a bad idea to take DS on it since we were concerned about spinny rides. But he handled it well and had a smile on his face from start to finish. We felt pretty good about him being over whatever his issues were the day before.

We finished riding and it was after 11, so we headed back over to Ariel’s Grotto to check in for our lunch ADR. We didn’t do many table service meals this trip. And as I’ve said, food was not our priority for this trip. We wanted to focus on rides and shows and just enjoy Disneyland. But after our fantastic dinner at CRT in December, we wanted to give DD a chance to visit her princesses again. And Ariel did seem to be a favorite of hers.

For some reason, neither DW or I managed to grab a picture when DD met Ariel. We did buy the picture for her and she has it framed in her room next to her Cinderella picture from CRT. But I don’t have a digital copy of it.

They quickly seated us and our server was great. He brought our drinks and offered a separate, and free, meal option for DD to partake in since she was under 3.

Given the theming of the restaurant, the menu is somewhat seafood heavy. I’ll eat seafood, but it just isn’t usually my first choice. Unless it is fried. But they had a beef dish on the menu that DW and I each ended up getting.

Red Oak-Smoked Honey-Whiskey Barbecue Tri-Tip - Thinly Sliced with Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables.

@franandaj, I lied. I have had Tri-tip that wasn’t ground up before.

We both thought it was phenomenal. We truly didn’t have high expectations for the meal. We were doing it to get some princess time for DD and given the fact that it was a seafood centric restaurant, we were really impressed with our beef. It was very tender and the bbq sauce was just the right mix of sweet and tangy. Fantastic.

DS had some spaghetti, which he didn’t eat much of. But that was fine. They brought DD a bowl of macaroni and cheese with goldfish crackers in it. It was very good. But again, she didn’t eat much. She was far more interested in watching the princesses.

During our meal, we got to see Rapunzel.



Princess Tiana



Belle



And Cinderella




​

DD had a blast meeting all of them. As you can tell from the pictures, she hardly touched her food because she was too distracted watching every move of the princesses.

As you might also be able to determine from the pictures, DS had no interest in meeting the princesses. Which was fine.

Our interactions with all of them were good. Cinderella and DD had a nice little conversation. DD was talking to Cinderella about eating at her castle. To us, we could tell she was clearly referring to our dinner at CRT about a month ago. Apparently jet lag had gotten the best of Cinderella and she couldn’t quite make that connection. She kept correcting DD that it wasn’t her castle, it was Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

After our fantastic lunch, we headed out looking for some things to do until it was time to ride RSR. Our first stop was the Little Mermaid ride. It is identical to the WDW ride but with a more “generic” ride building and queue. It basically looks like one of the soundstages from DHS. But the line was short and we enjoyed it.

After this, I made a request for a ride, that according to the Lines App on my phone, had a very short wait. It was clear across the park, but it is based on one of my favorite Pixar movies and is a ride I was excited to finally see. Monsters Inc!

We didn’t get any pictures, but it was a fun dark ride. The Laugh Floor at MK is fine, but I’d much prefer if they had a ride like this at WDW from Monsters Inc.

By the time we finished riding, it was about 15 minutes until the next showing of For the First Time in Forever, A Frozen Sing Along.

Now, we had just done this at DHS a month ago. But the kids really loved it, so we thought we’d do it again. I have to say that I think they did it much better for the DL version. They took the Muppets theater and completely redecorated it. It looked like you were inside the castle at Arendelle rather than an empty soundstage. The show was basically the same, only this time one of the historians was an apprentice. The background story throughout the show was that Anna and the other historian were setting him up to be left to tell part of the story on his own. Of course he succeeded and officially was promoted from apprentice.

Maybe they switch the story up from time to time to keep it fresh, but we didn’t get to see that kind of a storyline at DHS.

We headed out of the theater and walked on through Hollywood Land and past ToT. We ended up in Bug’s Land for a ride on Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train and then Tuck and Roll’s Drive em Buggies. DS enjoyed it.

But DD…

She hates bugs.

HATES them.

If she sees a fly across the room, she freaks out until you kill it or get it out of there.

She wasn’t crazy about riding a train shaped like a caterpillar. But she did it and survived just fine.

Tuck and Roll wasn’t quite so bad. I think she enjoyed being able to drive the bumper car.

​

But on the way out, we saw Flik out for his meet and greet. I was only joking when I pointed to him and asked DD if she wanted to go say hi.

I know, I’m cruel.

We only did half of Bug’s Land because we’d frankly had enough… and because it was time to go ride RSR!!!

We grabbed a Rider Swap and I waited with DD while DW and DS rode.

​

When it was time to trade places, DS didn’t want to ride again. As I mentioned in the WDW portion of the TR, he hates loud noises and the dark. Well, once your car rolls into Radiator Springs it is dark… and it is loud. He wasn’t excited about riding again, but I finally convinced him to go.

In the end, it worked fine, because he said he’d ride again if we came back tomorrow.

When we exited, I had a text from DW saying they were riding Luigi’s Flying Tires. DS and I headed into the line, but actually got on right after they got off. After we rode, we all got in line and rode again.

​

I’ve got to say that I’m sorry this ride is gone. Our kids absolutely loved it!!! It was easily DD’s favorite ride.

I can understand how it could have been problematic. It can be difficult to make the tires go where you want them to. But once you figure it out, it really is pretty simple. Honestly, I think if they’d just taken maybe 5 tires out of there, just to open it up and give you more room to move around it would have made a world of difference.

If you could avoid running into one of the tires being operated by someone who didn’t know what they were doing, you could really build up some pretty good speed. I think DD’s favorite part was just going as fast as we could and slamming into the walls. She would just laugh hysterically.

After a couple of rides on the tires, we stopped to meet everyone’s favorite race car out in front of the Cozy Cone.

​

We never decided if we wanted to get photopass or not for this trip, but at this point we decided we’d just go ahead and do it.

We were done in DCA for the afternoon, but on our way out we stopped for some more pictures.

​

 

[franandaj]

I don’t remember what time it was when DS informed us that he didn’t exactly feel very good and then… well, there’s no good way to say it. He puked.

That's not good.

Anyway, we got on the interstate and enjoyed the er… um… uniqueness of southern California drivers. I don’t know if it is legal there for motorcycles to drive as fast as they want and pass cars by driving between lanes.

It is legal. I think they have to do it between the fast lane and the #2 lane. I'm glad I'm not the only one with the urge to open the car door at the last second!

Traffic wasn’t too bad for southern California. Probably. I guess considering I've never driven there before, I really don’t know. It was bumper to bumper, but once we got outside of San Diego, we were able to run the speed limit pretty much the whole way to Anaheim.

If you were not bumper to bumper all the way to Carlsbad or Oceanside, it was a good traffic day.

I got the deer in the headlights look.

She clearly knew nothing.

That's really upsetting.

I was really disappointed by the fact that they had no plan in place, and essentially, no way to offer assistance. I mean for the love of God, I was paying a premium price for Disneyland’s flagship resort. I’d like to think I’m being reasonable here and not just taking a “me, me, me” attitude about it, but you’d think that if there’s a race causing road closures and you have to park somewhere that is a 15 - 20 minute walk from the resort that they might put something in place to help get you and/or your luggage over there.

It doesn't surprise me though. Disney employees work on a "need to know" basis. And most of the time, they don't think that most of the employees need to know.

This was my first EOS experience, but I’ve got to say, I can understand what all the talk is about that place now. That was one of the best buffalo chicken wraps I’ve ever had, if not the best. It was just really fresh and tasted great.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I always get the Roast Beef sandwich and can't bring myself to try anything else, even when it looks really good!

Lacking an affirmative answer, but finally feeling a little bit better, I headed out of the DLH lobby and decided to explore the grounds.

That's too bad that no one could seem to give you a proper answer.

There was something else that I knew would help raise my spirits. When I got to GCH, I headed to the quick service place and grabbed a Mickey Bar. If Mickey shaped ice cream can’t make you happy, nothing can.

Mickey bars can cure almost anything.

I definitely enjoyed our time at the resort and hanging out there, but as for whether I’d stay there again, it isn’t very likely. I really had a hard time saying this was worth the price tag.

I was kind of wondering that when you were asking us about where to stay. Staying there on points is one thing, but actually paying that price tag is a little hard to take. I think the DLH is a little bit better value and the rooms are really magical!

It had been several hours since DS had been sick. He seemed to be feeling considerably better and wasn’t showing any ill effects. We were all sick of staring at those 4 walls, so we decided to venture out and see some things around DTD.

Good Call.

We had all just laid down in bed when there was a knock on our door. I didn’t even realize they did this, but they were coming around to do turndown service. I went to the door and told her we were already in bed… and I put the “do not disturb” sign out.

That is a nice touch, you missed out on your chocolate pieces!

I had NO idea Naples and Via Napoli were the same company! I've still never eaten at Naples. Now I need to!

The Patina Group owns quite a few restaurants in LA/Orange County/NYC/Vegas and Via Napoli and Tutto Italia in Florida. They own Tortilla Jo's, Catal, plus they own all the restaurants at the Los Angeles Music Center/Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.
They also have a few other restaurants in hotels and stand alone locations through LA/Orange County. It's my favorite chain!

 

[afwdwfan]

As for giving me a hard time, I‘ll put up another post tomorrow, so you have that to look forward to.
And then there’s the one I should be starting up in June once we get back form the next adventure.

It looks like tomorrow might have come today... but it will be tomorrow by the time I get over there.

The monorail would be a cool way of getting into DL.
Something else to think about.

It might not be the most efficient method of getting there, but it would save the feet a bit.

I like that one. Very… ummmm…. Seasonal.

OK…
Since the subject did come up, and since you did say…
Here goes…

I should have known better...

 

[afwdwfan]

That's not good.

No, it certainly wasn't.

is legal. I think they have to do it between the fast lane and the #2 lane. I'm glad I'm not the only one with the urge to open the car door at the last second!

I feel better. Maybe I'm not such a horrible human being for having those thoughts.

If you were not bumper to bumper all the way to Carlsbad or Oceanside, it was a good traffic day.

I didn't think it seemed very bad. At least nowhere near as bad as some of the stories I've heard.

That's really upsetting.

It really was.

It doesn't surprise me though. Disney employees work on a "need to know" basis. And most of the time, they don't think that most of the employees need to know.

They apparently didn't feel like anybody needed to know. Maybe Iger had that clearance? I'm sure someone had to know something.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I always get the Roast Beef sandwich and can't bring myself to try anything else, even when it looks really good!

I'm the same way sometimes. You get that "go to" that you know you love someplace and it is just hard to try other things. Like the pizza at VN. There's plenty of other things that look fantastic there, but I can't go there and not have a pizza!

That's too bad that no one could seem to give you a proper answer.

Mickey bars can cure almost anything.

I was kind of wondering that when you were asking us about where to stay. Staying there on points is one thing, but actually paying that price tag is a little hard to take. I think the DLH is a little bit better value and the rooms are really magical!

Makes sense. I kind of thought about it from the standpoint too though of staying at someplace like GF or Poly. There are plenty of people who pay that kind of price to stay in rooms there and rave about it. I knew it wasn't necessarily the most economical choice to make. But with a large percentage of the cost being covered by our Disney Visa Rewards it made it so that I could easily stomach the cost. I did like being as close to the parks as we were, and there is a definite value to that. But I was really unimpressed by the room itself.

Good Call.

We needed that!

That is a nice touch, you missed out on your chocolate pieces!

Not exactly. I may have ended up with a hand full of them.

The Patina Group owns quite a few restaurants in LA/Orange County/NYC/Vegas and Via Napoli and Tutto Italia in Florida. They own Tortilla Jo's, Catal, plus they own all the restaurants at the Los Angeles Music Center/Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.
They also have a few other restaurants in hotels and stand alone locations through LA/Orange County. It's my favorite chain!

And if it weren't for people on the DIS, I'd have probably never known it or made an effort to try Naples.

 

[glennbo123]

I'm sorry your son wasn't feeling well Andy. Probably just some carry-over from Jay Leno.

One of my favourite planes!
I used to watch (and love) a show called Baa Baa Black Sheep (later called Black Sheep Squadron)
that had some great F4U Corsair flying footage.

I agree! I loved that show and especially the Corsairs.

For those of you who might not know, Naples is basically Disneyland’s Via Napoli. It is owned by the same company, and the pizza is pretty much the same. So yes, it was frickin’ awesome.

Regarding Via Napoli -- I'm counting on you Andy.

How crazy that no one seems to know anything about the traffic situation during the race!

Yeah, I was surprised to read that they've done away with the Luigi tire ride. I was hoping to try that someday. Sounded like you did okay getting some rides in once you finally got going.

 

[KatMark]

What a great update, Andy.

I can't believe that it had early opening for you at 9 a.m. and yet you didn't get in until almost 9:30. What was the point? And that stinks about Radiator being down and only getting one ride in that "extra" hour you had.

DD looks so happy on the caroursel.

California Screamin'--no thank you!

The princesses! Your DD looks so happy to see them (and I have to say they look MUCH better than the ones at DW). Kids never eat at character meals with all the princess and Fab Five around.

The bumper cars look like a lot of fun.

I didn't know they closed Luigi's Flying Tires.

What great family photopass pictures. I'm glad you ended up getting it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Glad to see everyone's backs and stomachs were doing at least OK .... bummer about the big rides being down and you not getting much done during the EMH

The theming of Cars Land really is pretty cool!

Glad you enjoyed lunch at Areil's grotto - we are planning on doing lunch there our trip (figure, take advantage of my daughter still being at that princess stage) so glad to hear you enjoyed the food too

I think at DHS they are going to move the singalong into a new theater and I wonder if that one will be more themed - we shall see.

Looks like you were getting on a decent number of rides and having a good time, which is great!

 

[SarahDisney]

Tractors Is So Dumb

This title hurts me. Very much. Just because Mater said it, doesn't mean poor grammar is acceptable.

They love Cheerios, but the only options available there were Corn Flakes and Froot Loops.

And that's why I sometimes bring my own cereal ...

I’ll take an aside to mention one thing. As bad as Rope Drops are at WDW… and I’m including the past cluster that was the TSMM frenzy, I think it is crazier at DL. I mean people were flat out running. And I noticed this at both parks, every time we did a Rope Drop. I’ll get a little more in depth about this with our DL Rope Drop… but it was just crazy!

So ... I've never really done rope drop at WDW (and I've only done it once at DL ... I don't really do mornings very well), but at DL it definitely seems crazy from my experience. The second they drop the rope, people are running to one of three places: RSR, RSR FP, or World of Color FP (at least that's how it was when I was there in 2012).

Funny thing.

Not one single CM thought to mention that RSR wasn’t operating.

And why would they? That's not important information!

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and California Screamin’ and as we got to TSMM we found a familiar scene.

CM’s standing in front of a rope telling everyone the attraction is closed.

Now that's just cruel.

This was when I finally knew that I was over my back issue and I’d be just fine.

Yay! California Screamin' is probably my favorite Disney ride, so I'm glad to hear you were able to enjoy it without pain!

DS didn’t look very good by the time they got done spinning around

Uh-oh. Sounds like bad news.

RSR was still closed, and because it was closed, they also were not issuing FP’s yet. They had closed the line for RSR, but they were still letting people line up for FPs. They were backed all the way up into Bugs Land. I couldn’t see the end of the line and I didn’t go look for it. I guess it could have been lined up all the way to ToT for all I knew.

It's very important to stand in line for RSR FP. Really, do you want to wait on the standby line for 2 hours? You need the FP, even if you have to wait on line for 2 hours to get it - at least then you don't have to wait on the standby line!

This is where it hit me how much different DL is. There is no shade or protection from rain, to speak of, in that entire queue. I realize that it “never rains” at DL, but while a rain storm can easily be endured at WDW, it could certainly ruin a day at DL. There is just no escape from it!

In my experience (meaning that I've had rain on both of my DL trips) ... there are 2 groups of people in the rain: those who run for shelter/go back to their hotel and those who tough it out and take out the umbrellas. There are things that close in the rain (Tea Cups is the first one that comes to mind for me, but there are other closures too), but if you're willing to get a little wet, you can make it work.
Seriously, on a rainy Sunday night we still had to wait in a 1.5 hour standby line for RSR.

The FP line was now a more reasonable length and I was able to secure FPs for around 2pm.

Yay!

While we were there, we decided to check out Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. We really enjoyed it. I loved the queue and the theming there. I mean, it is a simple switchback queue, but I loved all the memorabilia hanging on the walls from the Mater’s Tall Tales episodes and all the little details like radiator caps on top of the poles that held the chains for the switchbacks.

​

​

Totally agree. One of the things that I love so much about Cars Land is how intense the theming is everything ... from the lines to the rides to walking down Route 66, it all fits in to the theme and it's amazing.

It was probably a bad idea to take DS on it since we were concerned about spinny rides. But he handled it well and had a smile on his face from start to finish. We felt pretty good about him being over whatever his issues were the day before.

Yeah, not sure that was a great idea, but I'm glad it worked out - it really is such a fun ride!

We did buy the picture for her and she has it framed in her room next to her Cinderella picture from CRT. But I don’t have a digital copy of it.

It's pretty easy to get a digital copy ... it's called a scanner!

Our interactions with all of them were good. Cinderella and DD had a nice little conversation. DD was talking to Cinderella about eating at her castle. To us, we could tell she was clearly referring to our dinner at CRT about a month ago. Apparently jet lag had gotten the best of Cinderella and she couldn’t quite make that connection. She kept correcting DD that it wasn’t her castle, it was Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

I guess Cinderella was just having a blonde moment.
(Also, is there a restaurant in Sleeping Beauty's castle?)

Our first stop was the Little Mermaid ride. It is identical to the WDW ride but with a more “generic” ride building and queue.

Totally agree on the building/queue - I did it in DCA first, and when I saw did it in MK a year later, I was amazed by the queue. In CA the queue is just there, it's not really themed much.

The Laugh Floor at MK is fine, but I’d much prefer if they had a ride like this at WDW from Monsters Inc.

YES!!! The ride is so cute and I would love to have something like that at WDW ... it's so much better than the laugh floor!

But on the way out, we saw Flik out for his meet and greet. I was only joking when I pointed to him and asked DD if she wanted to go say hi.

I know, I’m cruel.

I think you just lost your father of the year award ...

I’ve got to say that I’m sorry this ride is gone. Our kids absolutely loved it!!! It was easily DD’s favorite ride.

Totally with you on this - we loved it, my parents loved it, and I really can't believe it's gone. I really hope whatever they replace it with is awesome, because I miss it already.

I think DD’s favorite part was just going as fast as we could and slamming into the walls. She would just laugh hysterically.

Awesome!

I love this picture! I think the border makes it extra special ... but it's also a cute family (+ Lightning) portrait.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I would've been so frustrated by that early entry experience. I suppose it's nice that they made sure you all entered at the same time?

I love all the pictures of your daughter with the princesses! How fun that Tiana was at the meal - I don't think she's available at any of the princess meals at WDW!

I would LOVE riding the Monsters Inc. dark ride at Disneyland. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

The Bug's Life and Cars areas look so fun and well-themed. I'm glad you got to ride the flying tires before they disappeared!

 

[jedijill]

What a great day! Too bad about the rough beginning to EMH but looks like the rest of the day made up for it. Loved the pics of you DD with the princesses. She is adorable!

Jill in CO

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I ended up going with the Froot Loops, hoping the kids would be ok with that. I bought 2 bowls of Froot Loops, 2 pastries and one cup of hot tea for DW and it came to almost $20.

Yikes that seems pricey for so little.

I’ll take an aside to mention one thing. As bad as Rope Drops are at WDW… and I’m including the past cluster that was the TSMM frenzy, I think it is crazier at DL. I mean people were flat out running. And I noticed this at both parks, every time we did a Rope Drop. I’ll get a little more in depth about this with our DL Rope Drop… but it was just crazy!

And this is where FP+ wins the day. At least in my book.

Funny thing.

Not one single CM thought to mention that RSR wasn’t operating.

So what you are saying is that Disneyland CMs really need to work on their communication skills...

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and California Screamin’ and as we got to TSMM we found a familiar scene.

CM’s standing in front of a rope telling everyone the attraction is closed.

I actually managed to make it through our entire time at Disneyland without having to rely on the medication I had brought.

Well thats a good thing!

Red Oak-Smoked Honey-Whiskey Barbecue Tri-Tip - Thinly Sliced with Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables.

Mmmmm reading while hungry and this sounds really good.

DD had a blast meeting all of them. As you can tell from the pictures, she hardly touched her food because she was too distracted watching every move of the princesses.

I am preparing myself for this kind of reaction at our character meals.

Our interactions with all of them were good. Cinderella and DD had a nice little conversation. DD was talking to Cinderella about eating at her castle. To us, we could tell she was clearly referring to our dinner at CRT about a month ago. Apparently jet lag had gotten the best of Cinderella and she couldn’t quite make that connection. She kept correcting DD that it wasn’t her castle, it was Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

Silly Cinderella!

But DD…

She hates bugs.

HATES them.

If she sees a fly across the room, she freaks out until you kill it or get it out of there.

Sounds like Little Miss. DH and I keep laughing because my mother is all worried that we plan on taking her on the "Scary and intense roller coasters" {Aka Barnstormer} and won't stop to realize that Height restrictions and psycological trauma are not automatically hand in hand. I can just imagine Little Miss on It's a Bugs Life!

But on the way out, we saw Flik out for his meet and greet. I was only joking when I pointed to him and asked DD if she wanted to go say hi.

I can imagine how that went down.

I know, I’m cruel.

Meh, if you don't traumatize them a little at least every now and then you really aren't doing the whole parent thing correctly.

 

[pkondz]

I wanted to get some cereal for the kids. They love Cheerios, but the only options available there were Corn Flakes and Froot Loops.

What kids would say no to Froot Loops?
It's not even really cereal. It's candy!

I bought 2 bowls of Froot Loops, 2 pastries and one cup of hot tea for DW and it came to almost $20.

Yeah, but that tea was really expensive stuff.

DW and I shared the muffin and cinnamon roll, but neither of them were all that great, to be honest. Not bad by any means, but a little dry and they just didn’t taste very fresh.

Well, what do you expect at the end of the day...
Er... oh. Yeah.

Baked fresh last week, packaged and shipped across the country just for you!!!

DS woke up and seemed to be perfectly fine. He got a bath, ate some Froot Loops and everything seemed to be good.

With anxious parents hovering on either side with buckets.

9:00 came and went.
I began impatiently checking my watch.
9:05
Still no movement.
A female CM was standing at the rope making some kind of announcement. She might as well have been speaking Swahili because I couldn’t understand a word she said.
9:10
Still nothing.
9:15
More CM yelling. I did catch something about not running. I think.
9:20
Still waiting.
9:22
Finally, the masses started moving towards Radiator Springs.

I've figured it out.
I know what they were yelling.
"RSR is down! We're just going to hold you all here in hopes that it will be running shortly!"
Followed by:
"RSR is still down! It will not, repeat not be up and running any time soon. Do not go there! Ride something else!"

As bad as Rope Drops are at WDW… and I’m including the past cluster that was the TSMM frenzy, I think it is crazier at DL. I mean people were flat out running.

Whoa. And that right there is why I like FP+.

Not one single CM thought to mention that RSR wasn’t operating.

Or... did they?

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and California Screamin’ and as we got to TSMM we found a familiar scene.

CM’s standing in front of a rope telling everyone the attraction is closed.

No. Seriously?
"Come stay at one of our resorts where you'll enjoy such perks as early entry to select parks where you can buy souvenirs and do nothing else."

I walked right on to California Screamin’.

Well, that's good at least.

I could just feel the muscles in my back tighten as I tried to hold myself upright.

Now that you mention it, I did the same thing on EE which was my first ride.

But thankfully when the ride ended I stood up, stretched, and felt fine.

Ditto.
Sense of relief, right?

I actually managed to make it through our entire time at Disneyland without having to rely on the medication I had brought.

Nice.

DS didn’t look very good by the time they got done spinning around.

Uh, oh. No spewing though, yet.

I was really disappointed that it was undergoing refurbishment while we were there. It is one of the main things I really wanted to see while we were in Disneyland.

That... well... sucks.
That'd be one of the main things I'd want to see at DL too.

You know, since it was now after 10 am and we had managed to do 1 frickin’ ride in the early entry hour.

Which technically was less than 40 minutes anyway.

I demand a re-do!

we quickly rode TSMM with just a short wait.

I've heard that's a big difference between DL and WDW. Low to no waits for TSMM at DL.
Weird.

The FP line was now a more reasonable length and I was able to secure FPs for around 2pm.

Not bad!

the little details like radiator caps on top of the poles that held the chains for the switchbacks.

Love stuff like that.

It was probably a bad idea to take DS on it since we were concerned about spinny rides. But he handled it well and had a smile on his face from start to finish.

And parents breathe another sigh of relief.

For some reason, neither DW or I managed to grab a picture when DD met Ariel.

What? That's the only reason to go there!!



Then again, she would be wearing a gown and not her preferred outfit.

DS had some spaghetti, which he didn’t eat much of.

Not surprised, after yakking all the previous day.
Probably a good thing he didn't eat all that much too.

During our meal, we got to see

A plethora of princesses... and your DD looks like she's having a great time!

DS had no interest in meeting the princesses.

Apparently jet lag had gotten the best of Cinderella and she couldn’t quite make that connection. She kept correcting DD that it wasn’t her castle, it was Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

Silly Cinderella. But jet lag will do that to you.

We didn’t get any pictures, but it was a fun dark ride. The Laugh Floor at MK is fine, but I’d much prefer if they had a ride like this at WDW from Monsters Inc.

Space issues? Cost?

But DD…

She hates bugs.

HATES them.

So of course you take her to Bug land.

I think she enjoyed being able to drive the bumper car.

I love how she can juuuuust reach the wheel.

But on the way out, we saw Flik out for his meet and greet. I was only joking when I pointed to him and asked DD if she wanted to go say hi.

I know, I’m cruel.

In the end, it worked fine, because he said he’d ride again if we came back tomorrow.

Great! Glad he got over his fears.

I’ve got to say that I’m sorry this ride is gone. Our kids absolutely loved it!!! It was easily DD’s favorite ride.

Huh. I've not heard a lot of positive comments about this one.

Honestly, I think if they’d just taken maybe 5 tires out of there, just to open it up and give you more room to move around it would have made a world of difference.

Interesting.
But then you'd have the other side of the coin...
"This ride always has such long lineups! Why on earth don't they just add 5 or 6 more tires so more people can ride at the same time?"

I think DD’s favorite part was just going as fast as we could and slamming into the walls. She would just laugh hysterically.

Better watch out when she turns 16 and gets her licence!

Thanks for the update, Andy!