TR: And now for something completely different - a WDW Family did DLR *(new - 4/15: HK Disneyland)*

[NJlauren]

Sounds like a pretty good day! The canal boats look amazing... To bad the line always seems to be kinda long.... Toon town looks fun! I remember Toon town from the MK but don't really remember it in DL so I'm excited to see what it's all about!

Overall seems like a good day overall!

 

[afwdwfan]

On the way we did pass this guy, but the kids had no interest in meeting him so this was as close as we got:

Yeah, he looks a little scary! Kind of neat to see a less common character out and about though!

So this is one of those rides that is classic to Disneyland but is such a slooooooooow loader (and they only had 3 boats going)

Wow... only 3 boats??? That would be brutally slow!

From a cart with a really cute worker (I mean the Yeti, though nothing against the CM who was lovely as well):

I love those popcorn carts.

And the popcorn isn't too bad either.

Judi apparently is much more proficient as using the GoPro as she got great video of this ride:

Nice gifs! And I'm glad she managed to do more than just take a selfie.

Apparently I did not do a good job of capturing the feel of the place and don't have a ton of pictures - but it is rather cool and much more immersive and impressive than the area that used to exist in the Magic Kingdom. Lot's of places to explore for the kids.

It kind of makes you miss Toontown at MK a little bit less, because it really doesn't even compare.

While we were doing on it we ran into Alicia and family again! The kids had fun playing together on the fire engine:

You just can't get away from them!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I am glad you enjoyed the Matterhorn. We ride it each time, hoping we will like it. My youngest (12 yrs old) still likes it, so one of us usually rides it at least once with her. I hate to admit it, but I have never gone on the Storybook canal boats (at least not since I my age was in the single digit). Never taken my kids on it either. This next trip, maybe we will. The line always scares them away, but we did wait about 45 minutes to ride Mr. Toad last time, so I might be able to talk them into it. At least my youngest.

Toontown is such a nice area. Even though my kids are older, we still have to go back there and hang out a bit.

We had heard such good things about the Storybook Canal boats and figured the kids would enjoy it that it was a bit of a priority for us. If that was not the case I think we would have been scared by the line as well

It is neat to hang out in Toontown - some of the houses definitely have more to do in them than others, but fun to see the kids take it all in

Our first trip to DLR is in 2 months, but we have been to WDW at least 50 times. Thank you for your thorough report. Love everything you have shown so far! Your reviews are priceless!

that is very exciting to hear about your upcoming trip! Glad you have been enjoying the report. Hopefully I will get it all/most done within 2 months .... if you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask

Okay, I'm not caught up yet, but after binge-reading on the DIS all evening, I'm exhausted and need to go to bed. I'll catch up with the rest as soon as I can - I should have come here first, because I want to hear more about DISNEYLAND!!

That's hilarious!

Yum, I love cauliflower!

Awesome that you guys got to meet up right away (and more to come, it seems).

Hmmm, I guess it's good that our first entrance will be midday, so at least we won't be wasting rope drop time. Of course, other people may waste that for us, it seems.

We are following that model - late brunch at the Plaza so we can take advantage of morning ride time first.

So, are the Anna & Elsa FP disconnected from the rest?

And are DL and DCA disconnected as well?

Buzz has Rider Swap? That's different than WDW.

Mmmmm, yummy and free!

La la la, plugging my ears, can't hear you - since it's closed when we visit, haha.

I know you had been away so I am sure coming back and seeing how much you have to catch up on would be intimidating! I was glad things worked out to meet Alicia right away that first night, that was a bit of a bonus but definitely got things off on the right foot!

That definitely is good that your first day is not a full day - I think if we had more time it wouldn't have been so bad (and we may have then got to the parks our first day. That is one takeaway we had - that 3 days didn't feel like enough (though at least partly due to the elevated crowds)

Yes, the fast pass at the 2 parks is totally separate and the A&E FP is disconnected from the other FP system as well. Same with WOC if you were going to get those. So that morning at one point we had paper FP for RSR, A&E, and Space Mountain all at once

guess I never realized Buzz at WDW didn't have rider swap. Seemed like most of the rides here had it

Oh, that's a bummer the Autopia will be down while you go! Though you should have Hyperspace Mountain to see at least

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think I'd take a pass on meeting him too! Claude Frollo is not the friendliest looking guy.

This seems like sun a fun, unique ride. And unlike anything in WDW!

Glad Olivia (and everyone else) enjoyed it! And great GoPro videos!

Given all of the DL TRs I have seen, Toontown seems like such a fun place for kids. Lots of meets and fun places for them to play!

Yeah, my kids aren't into the Villains yet. We've been talking up the Star Wars Launch Bay to them for our summer trip and they are pumped to meet Chewbacca ... Kylo Ren, not so much

Definitely something unique and also old school feeling - like the type of attraction that was there when the park opened

Judi did a good job with the GoPro! Lot's of places for the kids to explore in Toontown and a number of meets - though even more characters outside would be good ... for Mickey and Minnie you have to go into their houses

Fell behind but caught up now. Enjoying the updates! Love the castle pics!

Glad you are enjoying the updates! I too like the Castle pictures and am glad that we stopped

Very cool that you got to meet Brenda. That's nice that she meets with DISers who come to her home turf.

Those canal boats are a really cute ride and the Matterhorn looks like fun. I can't get over how much they fit into the smaller space there.

I like your matching shirts. Did you or Judi make them.

I am very glad things worked out and we got to meet Brenda and Michael - it did feel like she was welcoming us to her park a bit

They really do cram things in and have tracks going around/over/under each other. It makes it cool but ramps up the crowded feeling

We made them together. I had the idea of doing the tie dye and she thought of adding the silver Mickey head.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great update! I love how much fun you're having with the kid's rides! That's what makes Disney the best - you can just be a kid! RSR looks like a blast and cars land is so cool. I can't wait to see it in December!

Nice you got another dismeet! Your kiddos are so cute!

I definitely agree about having fun on rides together with your kids at Disney. Actually, I think that is why it stood out to me that it was less true at California Adventure - there it seemed like there were more rides that were for bigger kids/adults and then others geared towards little kids. Still better than at a typical amusement park (six flags, etc.), but a bit more so than at Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom, etc.

Glad we got another meet in as well. Thank you!

Sounds like a pretty good day! The canal boats look amazing... To bad the line always seems to be kinda long.... Toon town looks fun! I remember Toon town from the MK but don't really remember it in DL so I'm excited to see what it's all about!

Overall seems like a good day overall!

We were having a pretty good day I think - things were taking a bit longer than we hoped so at the time it felt like we weren't as productive as we thought we would be, but looking back we did ok.

The tough thing with the Canal Boats is not only is the line long but as a slow loader the line moves slowly as well, so feel even longer than it is

Toontown definitely was fun and this one was waaaaay better than what they had at the Magic Kingdom

Yeah, he looks a little scary! Kind of neat to see a less common character out and about though!

Wow... only 3 boats??? That would be brutally slow!

I love those popcorn carts.

And the popcorn isn't too bad either.

Nice gifs! And I'm glad she managed to do more than just take a selfie.

It kind of makes you miss Toontown at MK a little bit less, because it really doesn't even compare.

You just can't get away from them!

It was neat to see the less common characters out ... by the flag pole they had Cruella and we saw the Queen of Hearts out as well - to bad my kids have no interest in meeting Villains

Yeah, definitely only the 3 boats so it felt like it was taking forever. Glad we went though, but with that kind of line wouldn't be a "must do" any more

The popcorn carts are so cool there!

yeah, yeah ... I did get the GoPro to work right on Goofy's Sky School, so I am not totally incompetent ... just mostly

I agree - knowing that this Toontown is out there makes me miss the one at MK much less and glad they aren't getting rid of this one for Star Wars land or anything

 

[NJlauren]

No I could look this up... But how many full days did you have in the parks?

Trying to finalize my trip details and having A hard time.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

No I could look this up... But how many full days did you have in the parks?

Trying to finalize my trip details and having A hard time.

We had 4 nights in the hotel so 3 full days in the park, but just those 3 days. I think that would have been enough with low crowds but given what we had, at least one more day would have been better (and 5 days would have been perfect and allowed us to spend a little more time at hotel)

Though we did do at least one table service meal each day, so if you only did counter service and didn't take breaks you might do a bit better than we did

 

[NJlauren]

We had 4 nights in the hotel so 3 full days in the park, but just those 3 days. I think that would have been enough with low crowds but given what we had, at least one more day would have been better (and 5 days would have been perfect and allowed us to spend a little more time at hotel)

Though we did do at least one table service meal each day, so if you only did counter service and didn't take breaks you might do a bit better than we did

Thank you!

I'm looking at either 2 half days and 2 full days, or 1 half day and 2 full days, or 1 half day and 3 full days. Or just 3 full days...

With two night being grad nights so I just can't decide. DH is leaning towards 2/2 or 1/2 but I'm worried with one half day and 2 full days I'll feel like I didn't get to do enough....

Sorry for hijacking your TR....

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Thank you!

I'm looking at either 2 half days and 2 full days, or 1 half day and 2 full days, or 1 half day and 3 full days. Or just 3 full days...

With two night being grad nights so I just can't decide. DH is leaning towards 2/2 or 1/2 but I'm worried with one half day and 2 full days I'll feel like I didn't get to do enough....

Sorry for hijacking your TR....

No worries - I was hopeful this TR would be helpful

I think 2 and 2 could work, especially if the half days are mornings as that is when we got the most done ... haven't gotten to it yet but mid-afternoon we were seeing 60 min waits at Haunted Mansion and Pirates but one morning we went right to that area and did 2 rides on HM with no wait and then a 5 minute wait on Pirates

1 and 2 would be tough, unless you really maximize that first hour. Are you staying onsite and will have MM everyday or just one day?

 

[NJlauren]

No worries - I was hopeful this TR would be helpful

I think 2 and 2 could work, especially if the half days are mornings as that is when we got the most done ... haven't gotten to it yet but mid-afternoon we were seeing 60 min waits at Haunted Mansion and Pirates but one morning we went right to that area and did 2 rides on HM with no wait and then a 5 minute wait on Pirates

1 and 2 would be tough, unless you really maximize that first hour. Are you staying onsite and will have MM everyday or just one day?

Currently staying on site.... I should also mention most things that DD can't go on will be skipped, unless she is napping in the stroller. I think we will probably not take breaks, more nap in the stroller and call it quits early...... Thinking 2/2 may be the way to go....

 

[Dugette]

And then the inside parts had some awesome animatronics - some you go by a little quick, I would have appreciated some more time to, well, appreciate it all - but it is just cool and much be such a cool experience for kids that love the movies:

Yesterday, Izzy and I watched a bunch of random YouTube videos/vlogs about Disneyland and a couple of them showed a fair amount of RSR - it looks SOOOOO fun! I will need to ride that as many times possible, I think (I also love Test Track, so I feel confident this is my type of ride). I feel bad that Izzy won't be tall enough for it, though, as she'd probably love it too (she did measure at 38" the other day, though, so maybe if she stands tall and wears substantial shoes...not counting on it, though).

While we were riding, Judi took Emma and Peter to meet a Car, and it was Lightening McQueen out meeting. These meets were a lot better than the "meets" they had at DHS - even just how the Cars would "drive" out to their spot and when Matter was leaving he would have little quips to make, etc. Just cool.

This will make Izzy feel better about missing RSR, though.

That's awesome.

When I got home it was apparent that I had the setting wrong and when I thought I was starting the video taking I was taking a still picture - so all I got was this lovely image

Nice! Reminds me of when I tried to stealthily videotape RnRC and actually stopped the recording instead of starting it.

Who we we meeting? Well, Alicia and her family again, but also Brenda (@emmysmommy ) and her lovely husband Michael as well!

However they informed us that they were no longer serving alcohol for the day. That was one thing that threw us - it appeared that the cut-off time for alcohol was different each day as the next day we got drinks later than this. Apparently it threw a lot of people off as the manager of Flo's had to make a broad announcement that they were no longer selling alcohol - after which about 1/3 of the people left the line.

How strange. Good to know.

Anyway - the menu was pretty good with some different choices. We wound up getting a Roast Beef & Cheddar Sandwich - Garlic chive bun, caramelized onions, and horseradish aioli, served with signature coleslaw; a Turkey Dip Sandwich - Potato grinder roll, provolone cheese with turkey au jus, served with pasta salad, and two kids Macaroni and Cheese - Served with fruit, vegetables and choice of small lowfat milk or small Dasani water. We also ordered 2 milk shakes, one chocolate and one strawberry - on in a souvenir glass since we didn't have enough of them.

Sounds good! And mac and cheese is always a winner with Izzy. We have this in our plans for a dinner.

We got through bag check and then got online. The park wasn't yet open - we were there close to 30 minutes before it opened, but I guess that wasn't early enough. So for those of you with trips coming up, may want to get there a bit earlier than you think you need to:

One of the YouTube videos I watched yesterday had some tips and one was to arrive 1 hour early. I was really surprised at that, but your report seems to confirm it. But, to me, I'm not sure if I'd rather spend an hour standing there waiting to get in or wait in longer lines in themed queues for the morning. I don't know. I like sleep and we are not the earliest folks.

The photopass Photographer was great and had us do a bunch of poses, plus there were some neat boarders for the 60th and some magic shots with the kids - so get ready for a bunch of photopass pictures!

You got GREAT shots! Love it!

I did also make a point to see the plaque for the 40th anniversary Time "Castle" - will be interesting when they open this up on the 80th anniversary:

That's really cool and makes me want to plan a trip for that date in 20 years...

the long line you see is for Peter Pan (we never got on that):

Yeah, I'm worried about that. Every time I bring up Disneyland, Izzy tells me how much she wants to ride Peter Pan (or "the Captain Hook ride").

... though I feel like she didn't do that great of a job as we wound up getting swallowed by a while ... though to be fair she was told to "watch" for whales - which perhaps she did, she wasn't instructed to warn us about it

Did we like it? Yes we did! It is bumpy so not a great ride for anyone with a bad back, but I thought it was really cool! (pun, partially intended). Maybe I was tainted by it being a new attraction but I really liked it!

I remember really liking the Matterhorn (10 years ago) too. But I also am not bothered by the "roughness" on WDW's Space Mountain, which I always see comments about, so I guess I'm lucky that doesn't bother me (yet?)

That is one takeaway we had - that 3 days didn't feel like enough (though at least partly due to the elevated crowds)

I am honestly worried about our 4.5 days being enough. I mean, we had 8 days at WDW in May and it didn't seem like nearly enough.

Yes, the fast pass at the 2 parks is totally separate and the A&E FP is disconnected from the other FP system as well. Same with WOC if you were going to get those. So that morning at one point we had paper FP for RSR, A&E, and Space Mountain all at once

Great info, thanks!

Though you should have Hyperspace Mountain to see at least

I am VERY much looking forward to that!

 

[horse11]

Getting caught up here and see you have gone to town on your TR!! Wow you added a lot!!
1st let me say I LOVE the tie dye tee shirts!!! If I recall you have a creative side and designed your own magic bands your last trip. Thinking you made shirts last trip if I am not mistaken so is it safe to assume you made them? That blue is beautiful and it really complements all of you guys!!! Love the pictures of your three kids by the castle!!! That is precious!!
Oh my the Mr Toad Wild Ride brings back sooooo many memories. I have been to Disneyland once when I was a kid. That ride was probably one of the most memorable. Silly thing is I do not really remember much about the ride itself but what I do remember is a grown man that had placed the shoulder strap around his neck!! We could see him from the place we were in line. Mom and I were laughing so hard I though we would wet ourselves lol!! As you had said I remember the ride being jerky so that made us laugh even harder!!!
Several rides look awesome!! Pinoccio Daring journey, Snow Whites Scary Adventure, and the boat ride through the canals are all rides I would enjoy. The Matterhorn looks awesome!!!
I would love to get one of those Popcorn buckets, I really like the ghost one. They should make that so it glows in the dark.

 

[chillitsanne]

The photopass Photographer was great and had us do a bunch of poses, plus there were some neat boarders for the 60th and some magic shots with the kids - so get ready for a bunch of photopass pictures!

These photo pass pictures are so great!! You have such a cute family! Did you think the photo pass was worth it at DL? I tried looking up some info about it and I'm undecided about paying for it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yesterday, Izzy and I watched a bunch of random YouTube videos/vlogs about Disneyland and a couple of them showed a fair amount of RSR - it looks SOOOOO fun! I will need to ride that as many times possible, I think (I also love Test Track, so I feel confident this is my type of ride). I feel bad that Izzy won't be tall enough for it, though, as she'd probably love it too (she did measure at 38" the other day, though, so maybe if she stands tall and wears substantial shoes...not counting on it, though).

This will make Izzy feel better about missing RSR, though.

I was really worried that Peter would throw a fit that he didn't get to go on RSR - but it worked out ok. The ride is in the back of Cars Land so while he did see parts of it at time it wasn't like the Mine Train which was right there and he was upset he didn't get to go on while Olivia did. So that, combined with enough else to keep him occupied and he was fine .... so hope the same works with Izzy

That's awesome.

Nice! Reminds me of when I tried to stealthily videotape RnRC and actually stopped the recording instead of starting it.





How strange. Good to know.

Sounds good! And mac and cheese is always a winner with Izzy. We have this in our plans for a dinner.

There were a bunch of neat photo ops like that (a couple more coming up later in the TR) and I think they should still be up when you go

Well, glad to know I am not the only one with a camera fail

I tried the mac & cheese at Flo's and it was pretty darn good - so I bet Izzy wil love it!

One of the YouTube videos I watched yesterday had some tips and one was to arrive 1 hour early. I was really surprised at that, but your report seems to confirm it. But, to me, I'm not sure if I'd rather spend an hour standing there waiting to get in or wait in longer lines in themed queues for the morning. I don't know. I like sleep and we are not the earliest folks.

You got GREAT shots! Love it!

That's really cool and makes me want to plan a trip for that date in 20 years...

Yeah, I'm worried about that. Every time I bring up Disneyland, Izzy tells me how much she wants to ride Peter Pan (or "the Captain Hook ride").

If you can get there really early - like first in line early - it can help a lot as they do start scanning tickets before the official open and I think that helps a bit, but we obviously missed that so if you aren't committed to doing that it might be a decent trade off to get some more sleep ....

... but I do have to say that first hour even on non-MM we were able to get a lot done in other parts of the park. It's coming up later but we found during the day the wait at Haunted Mansion and Pirates was generally around 60 mins, but our last full day we went right there first thing in the morning and were able to ride HM back-to-back with no wait and then Pirates with a 5 minute wait, so just keep that in mind as well.

Thanks - generally pretty happy with the PP pics we got during this trip, and glad we did it, even if it cost us getting on 1 or 2 more rides

yeah, the Time Castle is pretty cool - also was part of a recent Disney Fiction series I was reading where they have to dig it up and get something out of it, so I thought that was pretty neat to see it in person

The PP line there is just crazy and seemed like that almost all the time ... I understand it is a little different than WDW but not drastically different so we just opted to skip it, so I hope you get lucky and find a time when not that long ... at least for Izzy's sake!

I remember really liking the Matterhorn (10 years ago) too. But I also am not bothered by the "roughness" on WDW's Space Mountain, which I always see comments about, so I guess I'm lucky that doesn't bother me (yet?)

I am honestly worried about our 4.5 days being enough. I mean, we had 8 days at WDW in May and it didn't seem like nearly enough.

Great info, thanks!

I am VERY much looking forward to that!

I think I am similar to you - I notice the "roughness" of Space Mountain but it doesn't really bother me so maybe I am not a good judge of the Matterhorn, but I thought it was a lot of fun!

I think 4.5 days will be ok especially if you can get there for at least a few mornings to crank out some attractions. Hopefully crowds are a little lower for you too!

Best of luck with the rest of your planning!

Getting caught up here and see you have gone to town on your TR!! Wow you added a lot!!
1st let me say I LOVE the tie dye tee shirts!!! If I recall you have a creative side and designed your own magic bands your last trip. Thinking you made shirts last trip if I am not mistaken so is it safe to assume you made them? That blue is beautiful and it really complements all of you guys!!! Love the pictures of your three kids by the castle!!! That is precious!!
Oh my the Mr Toad Wild Ride brings back sooooo many memories. I have been to Disneyland once when I was a kid. That ride was probably one of the most memorable. Silly thing is I do not really remember much about the ride itself but what I do remember is a grown man that had placed the shoulder strap around his neck!! We could see him from the place we were in line. Mom and I were laughing so hard I though we would wet ourselves lol!! As you had said I remember the ride being jerky so that made us laugh even harder!!!
Several rides look awesome!! Pinoccio Daring journey, Snow Whites Scary Adventure, and the boat ride through the canals are all rides I would enjoy. The Matterhorn looks awesome!!!
I would love to get one of those Popcorn buckets, I really like the ghost one. They should make that so it glows in the dark.

Thank you - we did make them. I had the original idea (and using the shades of blue to "tye" into the color scheme of the 60th/diamond anniversary) and Judi though to add the Silver Mickeyhead ... though I think she then executed most of the tye dye and I did the Mickey Heads using a stencil and shimmer spray paint. I think they came out pretty well and the kids still wear them a lot! (Olivia often wears mine as a night shirt)

Definitely some neat dark rides that aren't at WDW (either no longer or just never there) I do wish we got on Alice, but oh well - can't get on everything!

We have a popcorn bucket from WDW that is shaped as Mickey as a ghost and that does glow in the dark

These photo pass pictures are so great!! You have such a cute family! Did you think the photo pass was worth it at DL? I tried looking up some info about it and I'm undecided about paying for it.

Thank you! I think they came out pretty well and I am glad we stopped!

I thought the PP at DL was definitely worth it and that is for only 3 days. We did do a couple of character meals so got the prints there and then the ride photos as well so that combined with the regular PP, the special set-ups, and the special boarder I thought it was definitely worth it ... plus quite a bit cheaper than at WDW

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 31 - Disneyland - Part 12
October 17th
The mayor of the bayou​

At this point it was time to head to our lunch ADR - though on the way we stopped by the bathroom and picked up Fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to use after lunch.

Where were we heading? Well to New Orleans Square and Blue Bayou specifically! This was one meal location that was a "must do" for us - and specifically sitting waterside to watch the Pirates boats go by. To help ensure this we booked the first lunch seating they had for the day, 11:30am and arrived about 20 mins early to check in and let them know we would wait for a waterside table.

We arrived in New Orleans Square and I must say this part of the park was quite crowded - though I absolutely love the themeing here and it looks even more authentic that Port Orleans French Quarter does:

By the way, it the door to Club 33 is just above the right shoulder of the guy with the towel around his shoulders. It's pretty cool on non-descript it is and we even just parked our stroller right in front of it while we waited (unfortunately we never got to the other side of that door, but someday)

And here you can get a sense of where this is and how crowded it was:

Our plan worked out really well as we were actually led into the restaurant at about 11:20 and led to a table right by the water. I will warn you that it is sooooo dark in there so the pictures didn't come out great. Here is us being led through an empty restaurant:

And here is a we-sie of Olivia and I at the table - I think at this point she had already gotten mad at me because I kept calling her "the Mayor" as she would wave to every single boat that would come down the river and generally get waves back. Of course the fact this ticked her off led me to say it even more, but hey if you can't tease your kids who can you tease?

Here is the lunch menu:

I started with the Mint Julep and Judi had the Louisiana Lemonade (Minute Maid Light Lemonade and Sprite with flavors of Mango and Raspberry) - we both got them served with a Souvenir Glow Cube.
(with Flash and without)

and the glow cubes were pretty cool - and of course diamond shaped like everything during the 60th annivesary:

I am not sure what a real Mint Julep tastes like, but pretty sure not like this. I really liked it actually, but I can't imagine a strong alcoholic drink tasting like this. Judi really liked her lemonade as well. One thing I liked was throughout the meal the wait staff would come by with pitchers of each drink and keep refilling our glasses - so we both definitely got our fill, which was great!

First we were brought a bread basket with a few types of bread, one of which was a type of corn cake that was really good:

For Judi and I our meals came with an appetizer. I got the Signature New Orleans Gumbo, which admittedly doesn't look like much but it was really tasty! Enough spice and flavor without being overpowering

Judi decided to upgrade to the shrimp cocktail. I want to ensure I state that there were quite a few pieces of cut-up shrimp inside the cup and not just the one shrimp on the edge. She really liked this as well and was happy she decided to do the upgrade:

Apologies to Judi as not the most flattering picture, but this one came out the best as far as being able to see where our table was and view of the restaurant ... plus Emma looks pretty cute in it. And you can see the kids had chocolate milk to drink:

For food for the kids we had them split a mac & cheese and a roasted beef strip loin kids meals. Both were pretty darn good, especially the mac & cheese and the two meals were definitely enough for the three of them to split:

Judi decided to get the Pan-seared Blackened Salmon (Cajun spiced, served with hearty mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, tomato caper relish, and basil puree blanc). She enjoyed this quite a bit. Salmon isn't my favorite but the potatoes with the sauce were really good!

I know the monte cristo sandwich is really popular here but I decided to get the Halloween special which was the Cajun-rubbed bone in pork chop (served with goat-cheese mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, and smoked tomato pepper jam). O.M.G. - this was so good ... honestly, probably the best thing I ate all trip. I notice on the new menu the salmon now has the goat-cheese mashed potatoes now, which is a nice call as they were really good

We decided to get dessert elsewhere. I must say we had a great meal here. I have read some mixed reviews but we have nothing but good things to say (well, other than that it isn't a cheap lunch). The setting is just amazing and I am so glad we went early and got the waterside table. Lot's of fun watching the boats go by and The Mayor, um, Olivia, had a blast waving to everyone. Like I said, it isn't cheap so not something you can do everyday but definitely a place I think everyone should do at least once.

Coming up next - dessert and a then we have a blast!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 32 - Disneyland - Part 13
October 17th
Dessert and we have a blast!​

As mentioned we opted to not get dessert at Blue Bayou - not that they didn't sound good but there was something else we wanted to get. So while Judi took the kids to the bathroom I stopped by the Mint Julep Bar:

To pick up some Mickey shaped Beignets - they had regular and pumpkin flavored ones and I was able to get a 6-pack split between the flavors, 3 and 3:

They were really good and fun to split. The pumpkin ones were a little denser for some reason so in some ways I preferred the original, but it was nice to have both to try.

One thing I saw offered there that I thought was cool but in no way could I justify spending $25.99 on a drink mug:

As I was taking a little while with this, after the bathroom trip Judi took the kids on the Tarzan Treehouse which was right there:

After I joined them and we ate our snack the kids wanted to take me on the treehouse as well, so back up we went:

I also liked how you could see the Matterhorn while climbing up:

I actually really love the classing Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and don't want that classic to change at WDW - but I actually preferred this version as there was more interactive elements and just a bit more fun.

After this, our Fastpass time for Big Thunder Mountain opened up, so we headed that way. Olivia decided to ride with me first and she seemed pretty excited about this:

I had taken her picture further down the line but then had her go back for another picture so I could get one of her with the train going by in the background:

Then we were ready to get on the car and Olivia couldn't even wait for everyone to get off:

This ride is so good and much better than the current version at WDW ... they have re-done the entire track so it is so smooth and the inside areas have a lot more action going on - and the explosion scene towards the end is amazing. Rumors are this is coming to the WDW version which I think would be great!

BTW - I love in the middle gif above that woman two seats up facing backwards to take a picture/video of her kid, but then freaking out once it starts going fast

After this we decided to take a break - it was very hot and we had been there since the MM hour, so a break was needed. I went swimming with Olivia while Judi and the younger two rested (or she tried to get Peter to rest, I think he woke up cranky ... which is likely since he always wakes up from naps cranky).

Coming up - parade time and some of my favorite pictures I took of the trip!

TTFN

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Phil! Seriously in love with this TR. It's bringing back so many memories from my Disneyland trip! Granted, it was several years ago, but I remember eating in Blue Bayou and loving it!

And I agree, DL BTMRR is so much better than the WDW version. The Pirates of the Caribbean at DL is better than the one at WDW, too. But, tragically, Disneyland does not offer a PeopleMover.

Kids are cute as always and looking forward to the next update!

 

[chillitsanne]

Blue Bayou food looks pretty good! Glad you enjoyed it. I am not so big on the cajun flavor so i can't decided if it is something i want to do. Although the atmosphere itself looks awesome and worth a trip.

To pick up some Mickey shaped Beignets - they had regular and pumpkin flavored ones and I was able to get a 6-pack split between the flavors, 3 and 3:

These look delicious!

I had taken her picture further down the line but then had her go back for another picture so I could get one of her with the train going by in the background:

This photo cracked me up, she's like "dad, really, let's get on the ride already" Very cute!

BTW - I love in the middle gif above that woman two seats up facing backwards to take a picture/video of her kid, but then freaking out once it starts going fast

All your gifs are awesome! the lady in the middle is the best haha

 

[afwdwfan]

Our plan worked out really well as we were actually led into the restaurant at about 11:20 and led to a table right by the water. I will warn you that it is sooooo dark in there so the pictures didn't come out great. Here is us being led through an empty restaurant:

Awesome! I'm glad it worked out!

We decided to get dessert elsewhere. I must say we had a great meal here. I have read some mixed reviews but we have nothing but good things to say (well, other than that it isn't a cheap lunch). The setting is just amazing and I am so glad we went early and got the waterside table. Lot's of fun watching the boats go by and The Mayor, um, Olivia, had a blast waving to everyone. Like I said, it isn't cheap so not something you can do everyday but definitely a place I think everyone should do at least once.

Your lunch certainly looks good. I'm glad you got to try it, and get your waterside table. We didn't eat there, but I loved the ambience of the restaurant as we sailed past in our boat. It was a beautiful setting!

After this, our Fastpass time for Big Thunder Mountain opened up, so we headed that way. Olivia decided to ride with me first and she seemed pretty excited about this:

I'm glad to see that she apparently got over you calling her mayor.

This ride is so good and much better than the current version at WDW ... they have re-done the entire track so it is so smooth and the inside areas have a lot more action going on - and the explosion scene towards the end is amazing. Rumors are this is coming to the WDW version which I think would be great!

I love the explosion sequence on the final hill. I was thinking about it while riding BTMRR in MK just a couple of weeks ago. They could really give it a nice upgrade with just that one little thing.

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the Blue Bayou! I know we certainly enjoyed our dinner there.

Still regretting not being able to try the beignets! Glad to hear they were good!

Love the pics of Olivia getting on BTMRR. That gif you mentioned is too funny!