The (Foodie)Force is Strong with Us...a Feb/Mar 2016 trip! THE END - NEW 9/13 Disneyland TR link!

[Elevationist]

@Elevationist @cinderkelly - when should we have our Dismeet? I'm pretty open to changing stuff around except for Ohana and California Grill since they are such coveted ADRs.

Your plans look awesome! @Elevationist and I were talking about the possibility of meeting the morning of the 25th at the Contemporary around 9:00 maybe? We don't land until 11:30 pm on the 24th and then she leaves after her 10:00ish ADR at The Wave on the 25th. Since we have a pretty slim window for us to both meet up with Billie that option might work best if it works for you. I'll be staying at WL for our arrival night so it would be super easy for me to take the boat over.

That sounds like a plan! I think we may eat at the Wave too! Shall we all have breakfast?

My family's breakfast ADR on 2/25 isn't until 10:15am, and I'm sure ya'll will want to be off starting your park day by then. However, me being who am, I got ZERO problems with having 1st Breakfast with ya'll earlier than that, and then 2nd Breakfast with my fam when they show up. (Hobbits had it figured out for real, ya'll.)

I'd be happy to book us all table at the Wave for that morning! What time do ya'll think? Would 8:30 be good? I figure that would give us time to eat and hang, and be done before I have to head back up to the podium and find my family, and ya'll won't lose too much of the park touring day. Does that work for both of ya'll, @chunkymonkey and @cinderkelly? If so, lemme know your head-counts, and I'll set it up! Su-Lynn, is it just you and Steve this time, or is Su-Queen joining you for this trip? Kelly, I'm not sure who all is joining you for this one either?

Also, @LindseyJo22 is also arriving on 2/24, and is staying just a quick monorail ride away over at the Polynesian. Lindsey, you and your hubby totally should join us that morning! Do you think the above plan would work for ya'll? If so, let me know and I'll add ya'll to the head-count!

Su-Lynn, if I don't hear back from you before you leave, please have a FANTASTIC time at Disneyland! Looking forward to reading all about it when you get back!

 

[Elevationist]

Ooops!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Great trip report!! Looks like you guys had such a fun time-- with lots of good meals! I can't wait to read about your Disneyland trip (hint, hint . . .you are going to write up a TR right?? )

 

[cinderkelly]

However, me being who am, I got ZERO problems with having 1st Breakfast with ya'll earlier than that, and then 2nd Breakfast with my fam when they show up. (Hobbits had it figured out for real, ya'll.)

I so love how you roll!

Would 8:30 be good?

I think that sounds like a great time, works for me! Thanks for organizing that Billie!

If so, lemme know your head-counts, and I'll set it up!

Put me down for two for now, I'm not sure I'll be able to get my 18 yr old out of bed that morning, but then again I don't want to assume she won't want to join us. So I'd better say 2 for me just to be safe.

 

[Elevationist]

Put me down for two for now, I'm not sure I'll be able to get my 18 yr old out of bed that morning, but then again I don't want to assume she won't want to join us. So I'd better say 2 for me just to be safe.

You got it! I've grabbed a table for 7ppl at 8:30am on 2/25 for now, and I'll just modify that as needed once Su-Lynn and Lindsey chime in!

 

[chunkymonkey]

My family's breakfast ADR on 2/25 isn't until 10:15am, and I'm sure ya'll will want to be off starting your park day by then. However, me being who am, I got ZERO problems with having 1st Breakfast with ya'll earlier than that, and then 2nd Breakfast with my fam when they show up. (Hobbits had it figured out for real, ya'll.)

I'd be happy to book us all table at the Wave for that morning! What time do ya'll think? Would 8:30 be good? I figure that would give us time to eat and hang, and be done before I have to head back up to the podium and find my family, and ya'll won't lose too much of the park touring day. Does that work for both of ya'll, @chunkymonkey and @cinderkelly? If so, lemme know your head-counts, and I'll set it up! Su-Lynn, is it just you and Steve this time, or is Su-Queen joining you for this trip? Kelly, I'm not sure who all is joining you for this one either?

Also, @LindseyJo22 is also arriving on 2/24, and is staying just a quick monorail ride away over at the Polynesian. Lindsey, you and your hubby totally should join us that morning! Do you think the above plan would work for ya'll? If so, let me know and I'll add ya'll to the head-count!

Su-Lynn, if I don't hear back from you before you leave, please have a FANTASTIC time at Disneyland! Looking forward to reading all about it when you get back!

Billie, yes yes yes and yes! Put us down for 2 please! Unfortunately SQ won't be joining us as she's saving all her Disney days for our big family trip in August of next year! 8:30 is great! YUM!! I'm SSOOOOO EXCITED to see you and @cinderkelly and @LindseyJo22 in February!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Great trip report!! Looks like you guys had such a fun time-- with lots of good meals! I can't wait to read about your Disneyland trip (hint, hint . . .you are going to write up a TR right?? )

Thank you!! Haha, yes of course! It'll be my pleasure to write a trip report! Keeps the excitement going until our next trip!

I so love how you roll!

@Elevationist yes, you rock girl! And hobbits are the bomb. I mean, they did save Middle Earth! And I am a big fan of the 2nd breakfast.

I think that sounds like a great time, works for me! Thanks for organizing that Billie!

Yes thank you Billie! And can't wait to see you too Kelly!

Put me down for two for now, I'm not sure I'll be able to get my 18 yr old out of bed that morning, but then again I don't want to assume she won't want to join us. So I'd better say 2 for me just to be safe.

Hee hee, this is gonna be so much fun!

I can't wait to see all our TRs after the trip!

 

[LindseyJo22]

You got it! I've grabbed a table for 7ppl at 8:30am on 2/25 for now, and I'll just modify that as needed once Su-Lynn and Lindsey chime in!

We actually booked a 9:30 breakfast at BOG that morning, so I am not sure if I'll be able to make a breakfast meet

However, I'd be happy to hang out at the Poly the evening before with whoever might want to join! We have got a 7:30 reservation at 1900 Park Fare, but other than that I'm free all evening

 

[ArielSRL]

Great finish! I really have to make time to meet Chewy next time.

Also, plans look great for Feb! Today is the day you leave for DLR! Wahoo! Have a great time!

Oh and sorry for the crappy reply...I'm so far behind on my Dis TRs and catching up with notifications. The new school year is still kicking my tail. I'll try to do better next time.

 

[Elevationist]

We actually booked a 9:30 breakfast at BOG that morning, so I am not sure if I'll be able to make a breakfast meet

However, I'd be happy to hang out at the Poly the evening before with whoever might want to join! We have got a 7:30 reservation at 1900 Park Fare, but other than that I'm free all evening

I can work with this, long as you don't mind me showing up kinda late-ish! I'll be at Epcot that night, but as soon as Illuminations ends, I can bee-line it to the bus or monorail and head to the Poly!

 

[bcwife76]

Well, sad this TR is over but you have so much to look forward to!

We just returned from Disneyland last night (will do a small TR over on my huge PTR lol!!) and had a fantstic time so hopefully you will too! We also took a bullet for you re:weather. It was HOT last week, 35C when we were at DCA (close to 100F) and thankfully a little cooler the day we did Disneyland and this week coming up it's supposed to be mid 80's so...you're welcome

 

[Neverland_Girl]

So sad you TR is over . Can't wait for you DL report. We'll be at WDW at the same time in Feb. Enjoy your trip to the Land.

 

[LindseyJo22]

I can work with this, long as you don't mind me showing up kinda late-ish! I'll be at Epcot that night, but as soon as Illuminations ends, I can bee-line it to the bus or monorail and head to the Poly!

That sounds great to me!

 

[allybabba98]

Have a great time in California! I think today you start your day early to head to the parks...have a wonderful time. You sold me on trying different food, you sold me on trying a Disney Cruise. I have no doubt you will sell me on visiting Disneyland. I hope you both have a wonderful time!

 

[elphie101]

Sanaa!! I swear every post I see where someone is there makes it look more and more appetizing. Too bad I seem to only travel with picky eaters :/ Someday!

Have a great trip to California!! Looking forward to reading about your next adventure

 

[chunkymonkey]

We actually booked a 9:30 breakfast at BOG that morning, so I am not sure if I'll be able to make a breakfast meet

However, I'd be happy to hang out at the Poly the evening before with whoever might want to join! We have got a 7:30 reservation at 1900 Park Fare, but other than that I'm free all evening

Sounds good!! Maybe I'll finally get a drink inside Trader Sams!

Great finish! I really have to make time to meet Chewy next time.

Also, plans look great for Feb! Today is the day you leave for DLR! Wahoo! Have a great time!

Oh and sorry for the crappy reply...I'm so far behind on my Dis TRs and catching up with notifications. The new school year is still kicking my tail. I'll try to do better next time.

Thank you! It was an awesome trip.
Chewy has the best Meet n greets! He's always so furry and friendly!

We had a blast in Disneyland but it was an exhausting trip. I don't know how we could have been there for 5 days and still not see everything. We did do a lot of rides multiple times though.

I can work with this, long as you don't mind me showing up kinda late-ish! I'll be at Epcot that night, but as soon as Illuminations ends, I can bee-line it to the bus or monorail and head to the Poly!

That sounds like a plan!

Well, sad this TR is over but you have so much to look forward to!

We just returned from Disneyland last night (will do a small TR over on my huge PTR lol!!) and had a fantstic time so hopefully you will too! We also took a bullet for you re:weather. It was HOT last week, 35C when we were at DCA (close to 100F) and thankfully a little cooler the day we did Disneyland and this week coming up it's supposed to be mid 80's so...you're welcome

I cannot imagine it being that hot in DLR. We had wonderful weather...but it did get hot during the days, and the nights were cool. And no humidity! That was such a treat. When I got off the plane yesterday back home it was like walking into a steam room. Yuck! But we had an awesome time and now we're just really tired and back at work.

So sad you TR is over . Can't wait for you DL report. We'll be at WDW at the same time in Feb. Enjoy your trip to the Land.

Thank you! Trip report coming soon! As soon as I download and organize all my pictures, lol.
We had an amazing time!

That sounds great to me!

Me too! Looking forward to it!

Have a great time in California! I think today you start your day early to head to the parks...have a wonderful time. You sold me on trying different food, you sold me on trying a Disney Cruise. I have no doubt you will sell me on visiting Disneyland. I hope you both have a wonderful time!

Thank you!! Hahaha I'm glad to be such a "bad" influence, I think! But you will love the cruise! It's so relaxing plus you get all the Disney magic. I think I may prefer that to the parks now...almost hehe.

Sanaa!! I swear every post I see where someone is there makes it look more and more appetizing. Too bad I seem to only travel with picky eaters :/ Someday!

Have a great trip to California!! Looking forward to reading about your next adventure

Sanaa is sooo good! Maybe you should treat yourself to a solo meal there, while everyone grabs a bite at Mara. LOL. That bread service is just so delicious!
Thank you!! Getting all my pictures organized now...It's so crazy how many pictures we take!

 

[chunkymonkey]

We're back from California!

It was a really great trip but now I'm tired and back at work.

I'm in the midst of sorting and organizing our pictures so will get started on the TR over on the Disneyland Trip Report forum soon. I'll post a link here and in my signature when I've started. We had an amazing time, the weather was gorgeous, and staying at the Grand Californian was awesome in terms of location.
Here are my top 10 initial thoughts, coming from a WDW veteran:​

1) DLR was much more crowded. We've been to WDW and now DLR during labor day week and DLR felt more crowded whereas WDW was pretty light. Granted DLR is a smaller park but I was expecting much lighter crowds during the weekdays. I guess school hasn't started for a good portion of kids yet!

2) I liked the compactness of DLR and how easy it is to walk from park to park and to DTD. The Grand Californian is right above the heart of Downtown Disney, plus you get an entrance from the hotel to California Adventure (for all Disney resort guests, not just Grand Californian), just around the corner from Soarin'. The line for that entrance though, was really long in the mornings, but was very light the rest of the day. The best feature about the Grand Californian was the location and the restaurants. I thought the hotel itself was rather dark and dated and our room was in need of some updating. The restaurants looked really nice though, and the one we did eat at, Storyteller's Cafe, was bright and fun.

3) Characters at DLR had much longer lines, also many of them ended their appearances early, at like 4pm and after that they don't come out anymore. The ones that did show up at night though had really long lines.

4) Although I love WDW, I admit that many of the rides it has in common with DLR, DLR's version was just better. This included: Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, PoC, Autopia and perhaps a few others.

5) I like the Disney "bubble" of WDW better as you become fully immersed in the experience, with magic bands and FP+. You technically don't need to bring any money with you. At DLR I found I was using cash a lot as when paying by credit card, they check your ID for everything, including a coffee at Starbucks, and I always seemed to misplace it in my wallet or bag, so I just used cash for smaller purchases as it was easier.

6) I am going to say it...like FP+ better than paper FP. DH is the opposite. He prefers to run and grab paper FP so he can ride everything multiple times. I realize there are benefits to that, but I also like being guaranteed a ride on something with an FP+ reservation.

7) I found that I can still do power Disney! LOL. I thought my days of power Disney were over since I turned 40, but apparently we just wanted to keep going and we often did.

8) Paint the Nite is best Disney parade I've seen. And we only got to see it once.

9) My favorite regular ride out of the 2 parks is Radiator Springs Racers...it's soo much fun and beautifully themed. Makes Test Track seem like an afterthought...however my favorite "seasonal" ride was Hyperspace Mountain, which sadly ended after our first day in the parks, only to become "Ghost Galaxy" which was just disappointing. Which brings me to my final thought...

10) BRING BACK HYPERSPACE MOUNTAIN! I think this should be the title of my new TR! What do you think?

Here are some random iPhone pics from our trip. TR coming soon!

​

 

[bcwife76]

Yay!! Been following you on Instagram, can't wait to read your report. I still haven't started my mini TR, nor have I finished my Maui report I had great plans to bash them both out today but now I've got one kid home sick from school with a pulled neck muscle so.....soon ;-)

 

[Saphire5742]

Awesome photo! Also LOVE LOVE LOVE your ears!

The restaurants looked really nice though, and the one we did eat at, Storyteller's Cafe, was bright and fun.

Yipee! That's one of the restaurants on the ABD itineray. Something more to look forward to then

Characters at DLR had much longer lines, also many of them ended their appearances early, at like 4pm and after that they don't come out anymore. The ones that did show up at night though had really long lines.

I do love characters so it looks like I'm going to have to have a good strategy. Looking forward to reading how you managed.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Yay!! Been following you on Instagram, can't wait to read your report. I still haven't started my mini TR, nor have I finished my Maui report I had great plans to bash them both out today but now I've got one kid home sick from school with a pulled neck muscle so.....soon ;-)

Aloha!! Aww hope your kid feels better. Having a sprained neck is...really a pain in the..neck.


Hope your trip was just as fun as ours! It was so exhausting though. Doing Disney twice a year is kinda crazy. Oh but wait...I have a sorta surprise trip in December to WDW. Well a surprise to me that I even booked it. LOL, but that is another PTR!

Awesome photo! Also LOVE LOVE LOVE your ears!

Thank you! These are the 60th Anniversary ears. I bought them on the last day of the celebration (our first day in the parks) and they said they were going to pull all the 60th merchandise after that day. So I bought them literally minutes before we entered Disneyland. But the next day, I still saw those ears everywhere. LOL. They had some 60th merchandise still left as well, they didn't pull everything, they just rearranged their displays haha. Maybe you could still find some on your trip!

Yipee! That's one of the restaurants on the ABD itineray. Something more to look forward to then

We had a lot of fun there! The characters were so cute during breakfast!

I do love characters so it looks like I'm going to have to have a good strategy. Looking forward to reading how you managed.

The characters were my sister's priority. I did not have the patience to always wait on line with her. Sometimes the line will be shorter and I'll wait, but most of the meet n greets are outdoors and it was hot. The best bet is to go early, and line up before the characters are scheduled to appear, or just do a lot of character meals.