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

[Dugette]

When our name was called I got in-line (which was on the stairs)

I thought that was so awkward that the line was on the stairs. I remember commenting, as Izzy tried to pull me around, "Well, who thought of the fabulous idea to make a whole bunch of toddlers wait in line ON A STAIRWAY?!"

It was also around this time that Emma started spitting up again - so lots more fun (and you will notice later that Judi had to change her shirt, fortunately she had a change with her). So we were dealing with this as they brought the entrees and the princesses started coming by ... so not our finest moment.

Ugh, sorry you were dealing with that. Good for Judi on being prepared with another shirt, though!

I will say that we enjoyed our food quite a bit and for a character/princess meal probably some of the best food we have ever had.

We really enjoyed our lunch there too. Good stuff!

I think the photo op with Ariel wasn't as nice as we had at say Cinderella's royal table or Akershus (it was just kinda tucked under the stairs) and definitely not the best friend of Ariel we ever had.

I may be a bit biased on the photo op, because they got some nice photos for us. And we had a different friend of Ariel.

On the way back to meet up with Judi we passed another one of the special 60th Anniversary Photopass cutouts and it had no line so Olivia and I got some done - which I was glad about since she didn't participate in the HM ones.

Got that one. I think we got most of them, but just never noticed the HM one. Cute photos!

We figured we better be safe and go to the nurses office, so off we went.

Wow, scary. Glad that Peter was okay. We visited first aid in Disneyland. And boy do they ever take it seriously when someone bumps their head in the castle (she's fine). I believe she got a nurse/doctor(?) Minnie sticker too.

had to try the cheddar bacon popcorn

Why didn't they have that flavor when we visited?! Our only choices were Dill Pickle or Butter.

 

[ElenaJane]

I am very impressed with the Grotto's lunch offerings! I like how a hot dog gets to be an Octo-dog...though I didn't see 8 legs. You should have sent it back.

Despite illness, injury, you guys persevere! I am glad there is still more to come!...of fun stuff, I hope there is not more illness or injury of course.

 

[Li Li]

Wow, hectic day! But looks like you made the best of it. And I love that you and Judi got some couple photos, very cute!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm sorry lunch was so hectic But I'm glad the food was good, and the princess picture did come out really nice! Nice to see Tiana at the meal!

Love those PP shots of just you and Olivia, they came out so cute!

Sorry to hear Peter had a little medical emergency, but glad you were able to take care of it easily.

Those PP pics of you and Judi are GREAT! You guys are such a fun (and cool ) couple.

Never seen that little show in CarsLand..very cool.

Overall the lunch was quite good and we enjoyed it despite the drama. The princesses were pretty good and I did like how they got introduced. I know a lot of times people complain that the food isn't great at these character meals but we felt it was pretty high quality

Thanks! I am glad we got a few of those in! Definitely feel like we got our money's worth with photopass this trip (especially given how much cheaper it is at Disneyland than WDW)

It was scary when it first happened as just not sure how bad it was, but got it taken care of pretty easily and I don't think it really bothered him too much after that

The little show was pretty neat - something different. Definitely like how even they have the waitresses at Flo in character, etc. - definitely a pretty immersive land

Aw wow - lunch sure was hectic! Poor Emma and you guys. I hope she felt better after a nap? I love the redwook creek area, were you not able to go in bc of a sleeping emma? it has a really fun ropes area that I enjoyed doing with Aria. Love the photopass pics!! Poor peter and his finger but glad it was just a little cut and nothing worse.

I laughed at your soda comment. I am not a huge soda fan - I drink water and wine DH however does enjoy soda, but you just made me laugh with your comment.

Lunch was a bit hectic - especially at that point in the trip we were all starting to wear down a bit I think. Emma was a bit better later, Peter could have used a longer nap though .....

I think it was just with Emma sleeping it was easier to stay out - and to be honest, I didn't mind having a bit of time to sit on a bench and relax while they were off doing the Redwood Creek area.

Yeah, I really just drink water, wine, beer, and coffee so was a little disappointed you could only get soda as they had other drink options at that specific cone (Lemonade, Doc's Wild Grape Tonic) but still, only soda

WOW am i behind! i think i am all caught up for now.....

Love the pics of the parade, Looks like a good one overall!

So happy the princess interactions were pretty good, i love a good meet, it can really add something to a day!

LOVE the Smee Shirt!

I am a little bummed that the train will be closed for our visit....
So happy you most of you got to ride in the front of the monorail! I remember ridding in the front of the monorail at WDW when i was little, I may see if we can do it in DL, as i really loved that as a kid... and who knows how long they will allow it in DL.

Strollers moving that far is a little annoying, but at least it all worked out no problem!

LOVE Emma's outfit on the last park day! I also love its a small world, and I am very excited to ride it in DL, and look for characters!

Dole Whip! YUM!

UGH! So sorry about the rough start to DCA, Poor Emma, but i will say the food looked very good at this meal....

Poor Peter, injurys are never fun, especially at the happiest place on earth... ok the place next to the happiest on earth, but you get the idea...

I love the PP pics of you and Judi! So fun, nice to get some kidless pics sometimes!

And i am allll caught up!

Thank you - I think those were some of my favorite parade pictures I have gotten. And we really enjoyed the parade - though we haven't seen Festival of Fantasy live yet (it was rained out our last trip to WDW) so if I had seen that one first maybe I wouldn't have been as impressed by this parade.

I definitely thing the quality of character meets impacts your level of satisfaction with a day ... not saying they have to be OMG amazeballs or anything - but if you have 5 very good/great meets vs 5 mediocre ones, definitely impacts your view of the day. So definitely glad our we generally all good to very good.

I understand why they need to close the train but part of me is still surprised it will be closed as long as it is, just given how synonymous trains are to Walt and to Disneyland.

My understanding is they stopped it in WDW due to a passenger being killed during an accident but since it is really just that one loop and more of an attraction rather than a mode of transportation I would think they would keep it at Disneyland, but you never know. I was very glad it worked out and Pete was just in his glory!

Definitely like IASW better at Disneyland - the characters are really cute and fun to try and find them all

Yeah, definitely not the best moment for us - I am glad the food was as good as it was though wish it was a more relaxed time to enjoy it! Oh well, ever trip has a few bumpy moments, right?

Yeah, - and I did kinda feel bad pushing the stroller with this kid just screaming his head out (and of course had just gotten a beer) - I am sure I got some not so nice looks but wasn't really anything we could do.

I am glad Judi and I got some pictures of just us - and looking back it is kinda nice that we got that one set with just Peter and then I got those others with just Olivia.

 

[afwdwfan]

but first we had to make the long, arduous journey to California Adventure by ... well, just simply walking across the esplanade:

It's such a long walk. If only they could have made the entrances closer to each other.

It was also around this time that Emma started spitting up again - so lots more fun (and you will notice later that Judi had to change her shirt, fortunately she had a change with her). So we were dealing with this as they brought the entrees and the princesses started coming by ... so not our finest moment.

Oh no... I'm so sorry that put a damper on the meal.

The princesses also started to come by - which also was a bit awkward with having to deal with Emma and all the mess that way - so we just kept Peter and Olivia out the other side for photos. Interaction was pretty good but obviously not the best example with the other issues going on:

Well, at least the older kids got to enjoy the princesses. It really is too bad that the timing of the princesses coming by worked against you so poorly. I can actually kind of relate to this from our last trip...

The food was definitely above average for a character meal and the setting was nice. The announcement for the princesses was a nice touch too. I think the photo op with Ariel wasn't as nice as we had at say Cinderella's royal table or Akershus (it was just kinda tucked under the stairs) and definitely not the best friend of Ariel we ever had. But I would definitely do it again, largely based on the food.

I'd agree. I remember walking in and I thought it just looked very cheesy. The Ariel M&G area just seemed kind of "meh" and I guess I'd say I wouldn't expect the kind of meal I had from a restaurant that looks like this one. But the food was great and the characters were pretty good. We had some good interactions with the princesses there, although I'd say we had a similar experience with Ariel. It was more a "love and shove" type M&G with her and there wasn't even anybody in line behind us as we were coming down the stairs.

Finally realizing we are inside a wofl's mouth and worries about what this means:

I thought it was a grizzly bear?

Before we knew it Peter was screaming to high-heaven. We thought he was just being cranky but then we realized his finger had gotten caught in one of the stroller wheels or something down below the seat - to the point that it actually had a cut and he was just consolable. We figured we better be safe and go to the nurses office, so off we went.

Oh no... I'm sorry this happened, but glad everything was ok. I was afraid it was going to be something worse. Our kids tend to like to kick the wheels and I've run DD's foot before and it basically yanked her out of the stroller. I'm terrified that somebody's going to get a broken ankle or something worse.

very un-cool married couple trying to act cool:

It's like a switch flips once you have kids... you go from cool to totally lame. And there isn't a thing you can do to stop it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Looks like you had a great trip! I'm trying to decide on where we want to eat when we go to disneyland this spring. I think it is almost my ADR window. We deiced there will be no more snow so I think DH is looking at plane tickets. Girls still have no clue

Thank you! Overall we definitely did have a great trip, though the temperature and crowd levels were both higher than I was expecting and, looking back, I wish we had more days in the parks ... but just another reason to go back!

There are a lot of good food options - I think we hit a few good ones but definitely not all of them (really would have liked to fit in Napa Rose, but just didn't work out). That is great you are keeping it a surprise from your girls!

That's too bad that your lunch was less than relaxing. Than again, how "relaxing" is any character meal at Disney!? I hope Emma's upset stomach was short lived.

The food looks really good at Ariel's Grotto. Was the price closer to Akershus than CRT?

Of course you had to bring your beer into the nurses office. You can't waste a perfectly good beer!

Those photo pass pics with Olivia and Judi are really cute.

Definitely not as relaxing as we would have like Annie, but at least the food was good. That is a good point that all/most character meals can be less than relaxing, but this added stress level just was tough. I think we were starting to wear down a bit too by this point in the trip. Emma napped a lot after lunch and that definitely helped her ... I wish Peter napped as much

The food was really good, some of the best we have had at a character meal and everything was plated like a higher-end restaurant which was nice. I just looked up prices to compare (these are all lunches, so what we did):

• Akerushus: Adult: $41.53-$50.05; Child: $25.55-$28.75
• CRT: Adult: $58.04-$63.88; Child: $35.89-$39.45
• Ariel's Grotto: Adult: $41.99; Child: $21.99

So actually, if anything, cheaper than Akershsus

yeah, that is what I was thinking with the beer - I can't just throw this out! Though I am sure I got some not-so-nice looks from people as I had the beer and pushed the stroller with the screaming child in it ... but obviously extenuating circumstances!

Thank you! I am glad we made time for some good photopass sessions and felt like at Disneyland, at least at the outside location set-up places they were consistently good about getting a good variety of poses

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I thought that was so awkward that the line was on the stairs. I remember commenting, as Izzy tried to pull me around, "Well, who thought of the fabulous idea to make a whole bunch of toddlers wait in line ON A STAIRWAY?!"

Ugh, sorry you were dealing with that. Good for Judi on being prepared with another shirt, though!

We really enjoyed our lunch there too. Good stuff!

I may be a bit biased on the photo op, because they got some nice photos for us. And we had a different friend of Ariel.

That's a good point about the stairs - especially knowing Ariel is down there and I bet they can't wait to get to meet her, etc.

yeah, Judi was good with one back-up shirt ... unfortunately she would wind up needing 2

Glad you enjoyed your lunch there as well! And that is a really sweet photo with Izzy! I think we were probably just ready to be sat and stuff and rushed a bit - and definitely wasn't the best "friend" of Ariel either. Looking back, I wish we got more pictures with just the girls too - but obviously we weren't operating with the most clear of heads

Got that one. I think we got most of them, but just never noticed the HM one. Cute photos!

Wow, scary. Glad that Peter was okay. We visited first aid in Disneyland. And boy do they ever take it seriously when someone bumps their head in the castle (she's fine). I believe she got a nurse/doctor(?) Minnie sticker too.

Why didn't they have that flavor when we visited?! Our only choices were Dill Pickle or Butter.

I think the HM one was more towards the Splash Mountain side - wasn't super obvious if you didn't look for it/didn't notice it

Oh wow! Glad Izzy was fine but I am sure that was scary. We definitely had to fill out forms and stuff but nothing too crazy. I bet with head injuries they get worried about concussions and stuff like that

Oh that's a bummer! I did notice they change the flavors a bit but, yeah, those aren't the most fun flavors you had the option of

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I am very impressed with the Grotto's lunch offerings! I like how a hot dog gets to be an Octo-dog...though I didn't see 8 legs. You should have sent it back.

Despite illness, injury, you guys persevere! I am glad there is still more to come!...of fun stuff, I hope there is not more illness or injury of course.

I was hopeful for the food at Ariel's Grotto just looking at the menu and was definitely impressed with it when we had it. Just everything had a bit more attention to detail or just at a slightly higher level than at most character meals (though I too had noticed the Octo-dog didn't have 8 legs )

Yeah, we tried our best - the fact that Emma eventually napped so well helped quite a bit. Definitely more fun to come although dinner was a bit challenged as well

Wow, hectic day! But looks like you made the best of it. And I love that you and Judi got some couple photos, very cute!

We tried - I think looking back we probably had too much planned for this last afternoon and we were all a bit run down (but with Halloween parties 2 off the 3 park days we had we were a bit limited) ... and the high temperatures (still int he 90s) didn't help. I am glad Judi and I got those pictures!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It's such a long walk. If only they could have made the entrances closer to each other.

Oh no... I'm so sorry that put a damper on the meal.

Well, at least the older kids got to enjoy the princesses. It really is too bad that the timing of the princesses coming by worked against you so poorly. I can actually kind of relate to this from our last trip...

I'd agree. I remember walking in and I thought it just looked very cheesy. The Ariel M&G area just seemed kind of "meh" and I guess I'd say I wouldn't expect the kind of meal I had from a restaurant that looks like this one. But the food was great and the characters were pretty good. We had some good interactions with the princesses there, although I'd say we had a similar experience with Ariel. It was more a "love and shove" type M&G with her and there wasn't even anybody in line behind us as we were coming down the stairs.

Yeah, it would be nice if the parks were closer together, you know, like at Walt Disney World

'Damper' is definitely a good word for it - just made it hard to relax and Emma was just not a happy camper. The older kids cooperated for the most part so that helped.

Sounds like we have very similar views of Ariel's grotto - food was definitely the highlight and good (but not amazing) characters experience. I think just compared to the set up even that they have for Belle at Akershus I wasn't impressed with where they had Ariel. Oh well - the kids were still happy and that, plus above average food, is a win in my book

I thought it was a grizzly bear?

Oh no... I'm sorry this happened, but glad everything was ok. I was afraid it was going to be something worse. Our kids tend to like to kick the wheels and I've run DD's foot before and it basically yanked her out of the stroller. I'm terrified that somebody's going to get a broken ankle or something worse.

It's like a switch flips once you have kids... you go from cool to totally lame. And there isn't a thing you can do to stop it.

You are probably right that it is a grizzly bear (I mean it is called grizzly peak) - but the snout seems so long and just looks more like a wolf to me .... though, to be fair, most of my 1-on-1 time has been with east coast bears so perhaps west coast bears have longer snouts

oh wow! yeah, that is definitely scary when they get their foot gets caught! It was scary with Peter just because we weren't sure how bad it was (was it broken?) but turned out not so bad. he was just really screaming so we got pretty scared.

Well, not sure if I ever was "cool" so I am just trying to own the "uncool dad" that I will inevitably be. I mean, if you can embarrass your kids, why bother having them?

 

[Leshaface]

Haven't gotten through all the updates yet but wanted to reply to some now just in case something happens on the iPad but so far it appears to be quoting okay!

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:

Yep DS got freaked out by him as well, but his character is perfect! DH was completely intrigued by him. He actually did two meets with him!

While that happened I picked up a snack in a nifty bucket:

I literally sent a text to DH this morning using the popcorn emoji and saying I was craving Disney's and that he was obligated to take me to get some since I'm pregnant. I may get my way soon

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

Good job Judi!

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

Yep can't get away from us.

At one point in the queue you can bank on one of the doors and a clot opens in it and you can hear someone talking, asking you for the password, etc. Which is cool ... but it led the kids to just bang on every other door on the rest of the queue.

I think this queue is phenomenal. We rarely go through it (actually, never go on this ride!) but when the wait is short, I don't mind waiting in that queue.

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

Ugh yes, that area is always crowded. Don't even think about going through there at night!

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?

Wow those are cool! You took it home right?

I got the Signature New Orleans Gumbo, which admittedly doesn't look like much but it was really tasty

DH loves this! I never got a chance to try it

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.

You're so lucky you said it was the best meal you had there. Cause that Monte Cristo is everything!

To pick up some Mickey shaped Beignets -

Good thinking!

but I actually preferred this version as there was more interactive elements and just a bit more fun.

Totally agree.

Good shot

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

That's perfect!!

 

[Leshaface]

Now, I can't go all the way there, be that close to a Disney park and not go - so I am taking a day to head up to visit Hong Kong Disneyland.

Woah so awesome!

Coming up is the 3rd annual Hershey DISmeet for GKTW and we plan to attend again. These have been pretty fun in the past and this year they are adding an unofficial event at Troegs Brewery so even better!

Will you be making another beer basket this year??

Disney World for the DISunplugged 10th anniversary events

That will be fun. It's sad that we actually have the time to go to WDW during the Summer, but the heat it just too much for us. I wish we could handle it better but we suck

And since we are going to plan out stops along the way, why not do it around breweries?!?!?!

Overall the trip will be about 49 hours of driving (plus rest stops) but I think will be a lot of fun and only one day do we have planned more than 8 hours of driving:

This sounds like an AMAZING time! Looking forward to this TR.

The parade is called the Soundsational parade

Great parade, but I've seen it waaaay too much now.

Love this! You guys should check out Hot Topic too for Disney shirts, they have a good assortment.

The last section was for Mary Poppins - and how neat is that not only does Mary Poppins have a section in a parade, but it actually is the big finale?!?!?

This is definitely my favorite part of the parade.

Up in one of the windows were a couple of little animatronics of Figaro and a bird:

Cute!

For those unaware, the telegraph plays on a loop the opening speech for Disneyland that Walt gave:

Isn't that the best hidden secret?

and one downside was we never saw the Dinosaur section)

Aw man, primeval world is the best part!

CM if it was possible to ride in the front car and they said we could! (we had to wait one more train, but no biggy)

Score! Haven't done this since I was a little girl. Every time we get in line for the monorail the wait is always way too long so don't even consider waiting some more.

No pictures from the actual ride - but it was really cool - very impressive the technology and just everything that is going on - very immersive! It is very herky-jerky - so probably not the best for anyone who has a bad back or is pregnant.

Funny, maybe mean (?) story about Indy. DH's entire family and I had gone to DL one year and they took his grandma who had been diagnosed with dementia (and was in her mid 80's) at this point. Well DH's mom was like, "she'll be fine to go on this!" even though we suggested not to do this. My SIL was the 'driver' and at the end of the ride, his grandma said, "wow Anna is a great driver getting us through all that!"

I had Emma strapped to my back at this point (in a carrier, not using duct tape or something)

Now that would have made for a fun update!

Paint the Night

Still need to see this but have been hearing great things about it!

so yeah, she was out - and stayed that way through out the fireworks.

She's a pro at sleeping upright!

We went right to haunted Mansion as it had the Nightmare Before Christmas Overlay

Obviously my absolute FAVORITE ride during Fall/Winter!

So I got pretty terrible pictures on this - but the ride is awesome! Soooooo much better than the version at WDW. It has this very long scene at the beginning going through the caves and just everything look great! I know the version at WDW got put up quickly in response to guest complaints that there wasn't a Pirates there - so this comparison definitely shows the difference that comes form Imagineers having the time and money they need.

I'm literally the only one in all of the DIS (well and Dan) that prefer WDW's. I think it's just way too long, but you're right about the theming better better at DLR.

Also, props to her dad calmly holding onto both her and a water:

Aw you know she got soaked.

Soooooo I know the addition of these characters was a bit of a controversy among the Disneyland loyalists but I have to say it was done in such a tasteful way and they really fit into the scenes they are in and are stylized versions of the characters. I really liked it and am glad we got to experience it.

Totally agree!

We then met up with Alicia and her family and I guess we figured we had enough pictures so no photographic evidence of this meet. But it was good to see them again and say goodbye - we also wanted to say Happy Birthday to her son and give them a little something for the son-to-arrive new member of their family.

I was going to post this at the beginning on my reply until I read this. I don't think Calvin will be giving up Dumbo anytime soon to his baby brother. Every night at bedtime he requests for 'dumbo music" to be on. So he falls asleep to it every night now. So thanks again for the new baby's gift, but not sure if he'll be seeing it for a while!

Good job Peter!

Dole Whip Floats

I finally had my first float this trip! I usually only stick with the dole whip but oh man was it refreshing!

 

[khertz]

Oh man, poor Emma! And y'all for having to keep doing clean up duty, during a character meal no less! Our first trip with DD, I deal with soooooo much spit up, so luckily I was smart enough to remember to bring an extra t-shirt for me at the bottom of the stroller. I needed it more than once!

The food at the Grotto looks great, especially for a character meal! The kids lunches are so cute, and the desserts look delicious too.

Love the cutout pics with Olivia, and you & Judi in Cars Land.

 

[hokieinpa]

Well, you certainly had a full afternoon!

I really like the idea of Ariel's Grotto. Those crowns sound like a fun activity and I love that every princess is announced. And the food sounds really good - better than the offerings at many character meals. The kids meals do look really good - not your normal chicken nuggets and fries!

I'm so sorry Emma (any by extension the entire family) had a difficult time at lunch. We dealt with a round of tummy issues on this past trip and it's no fun when you're in a crowded theme park. It seems like a nap made her feel better!

Very fun photos throughout the afternoon - you and Olivia in the wolf's mouth and you and Judi in CarsLand!

Poor Peter! That sounds really painful. Glad some stickers and a nap made it better!

 

[Leshaface]

It was also around this time that Emma started spitting up again - so lots more fun (and you will notice later that Judi had to change her shirt, fortunately she had a change with her). So we were dealing with this as they brought the entrees and the princesses started coming by ... so not our finest moment.

Oh no! Did you guys ever figure out what was wrong? Think it was the heat?

Peter got the: Whozits and Whatzits Fries and Nuggetz

Ursula’s Octo-Dog

Love these names.

Judi got the fish of the day which was a macadamia crusted mahi with a fruit salsa. This was cooked quite well and she was happy with it (though probably unable to enjoy it as much as she would have liked). I went for the Lobster Tail Salad (Mixed Greens, Hickory-smoked Bacon, Avocado, Tomato, Quail Egg, and your choice of Point Reyes Blue Cheese Dressing of House Vinaigrette) - this was really a good salad and nice that it came with the lobster tail full rather than just bits of Lobster:

Wow, the dishes have really changed in 8 years since I've been!

But I would definitely do it again, largely based on the food.

id love to give this place another try one day, but not sure how that will look with Calvin who has no idea about princesses??

Normal/haven't realized yet we are in a wolf's mouth:

Haven't seen this one yet, love it!

But neither Peter nor Olivia wanted to do that so we had Peter sit in front of Emma on one of the seats. This was, um, not a great idea.

Oh no...

Before we knew it Peter was screaming to high-heaven. We thought he was just being cranky but then we realized his finger had gotten caught in one of the stroller wheels or something down below the seat - to the point that it actually had a cut and he was just consolable. We figured we better be safe and go to the nurses office, so off we went.

At first I though Emma had thrown up on him! But ouch, poor guy! Glad that first aid was able to help!

very un-cool married couple trying to act cool:

I think you guys are pretty rad! Does anyone say that anymore? Maybe I'm the uncool one..

 

[Shimmyb812]

Following along, and loving your TR! It has ben many years since our only trip to Disneyland, but would love to go again!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Haven't gotten through all the updates yet but wanted to reply to some now just in case something happens on the iPad but so far it appears to be quoting okay!

Yep DS got freaked out by him as well, but his character is perfect! DH was completely intrigued by him. He actually did two meets with him!

I literally sent a text to DH this morning using the popcorn emoji and saying I was craving Disney's and that he was obligated to take me to get some since I'm pregnant. I may get my way soon

Good job Judi!

Yep can't get away from us.

I can see your DH and Frollo having some fun interactions

Hope you got your popcorn!

Well, it is a Small World after all

I think this queue is phenomenal. We rarely go through it (actually, never go on this ride!) but when the wait is short, I don't mind waiting in that queue.

Ugh yes, that area is always crowded. Don't even think about going through there at night!



Wow those are cool! You took it home right?

DH loves this! I never got a chance to try it

Roger Rabbit did have a neat queue - though I think the fact the kids didn't know what Roger Rabbit is and stuff they were more confused than anything

New Orleans Square is really cool - but it is awful narrow so I can see it getting crowded. That whole area seemed to attract crowds even out near the water in front of Pirates and stuff

We did take home the glow cube/diamonds!

You're so lucky you said it was the best meal you had there. Cause that Monte Cristo is everything!

Good thinking!

Totally agree.

Good shot

That's perfect!!

I was definitely going back and forth wheater to get the monte cristo or not but the pork chop was just calling me - but I agree with what you said, in that I am super glad I liked it ... would have been major bummer if it wasn't any good!

We are fans of beignets (have tried making them at home a few times) so knew I wanted to try the mickey shaped ones!

Woah so awesome!

Will you be making another beer basket this year??

That will be fun. It's sad that we actually have the time to go to WDW during the Summer, but the heat it just too much for us. I wish we could handle it better but we suck



This sounds like an AMAZING time! Looking forward to this TR.

Definitely excited to get to Hong Kong Disneyland - and have my flights booked and will have time before the conference starts so (fingers crossed) it should work out.

So far I have a basket full of 60th anniversary stuff I got while at Disneyland to auction off. I likely will put together another beer basket too. I got a bunch of glasses from Brooklyn Brewery so might go with a Brooklyn or at least New York theme this year.

I typically don't do well with heat but we survived August 2 years ago so I am hopeful. Also, we wound up getting 7-day hoppers so we can do shorter days, etc. and really try to avoid the afternoon heat as much as possible

Very excited for the road trip and hope to do a TR for that as well ... at the pace of this TR that 2.5 week long one will be like 253 updates long

Great parade, but I've seen it waaaay too much now.

Love this! You guys should check out Hot Topic too for Disney shirts, they have a good assortment.

This is definitely my favorite part of the parade.

Cute!

Isn't that the best hidden secret?

Aw man, primeval world is the best part!

Score! Haven't done this since I was a little girl. Every time we get in line for the monorail the wait is always way too long so don't even consider waiting some more.

Maybe we liked the parade so much because it was new/different - but definitely enjoyed it more than I was expecting.

Definitely bummed we didn't see the Primeval World - one of the regrets I have from the trip ... oh well, reason to go back (in like 5 years or whenever they re-open the train)

We only had to wait like one extra monorail to get up front so I was happy about that

Funny, maybe mean (?) story about Indy. DH's entire family and I had gone to DL one year and they took his grandma who had been diagnosed with dementia (and was in her mid 80's) at this point. Well DH's mom was like, "she'll be fine to go on this!" even though we suggested not to do this. My SIL was the 'driver' and at the end of the ride, his grandma said, "wow Anna is a great driver getting us through all that!"

Now that would have made for a fun update!

Still need to see this but have been hearing great things about it!

She's a pro at sleeping upright!

That is a great story!

Oh wow, surprised you haven't seen Paint the Night yet - it is really amazing and definitely worth camping out a bit for. Definitely encourage it!

Obviously my absolute FAVORITE ride during Fall/Winter!

I'm literally the only one in all of the DIS (well and Dan) that prefer WDW's. I think it's just way too long, but you're right about the theming better better at DLR.

Aw you know she got soaked.

Totally agree!

I was going to post this at the beginning on my reply until I read this. I don't think Calvin will be giving up Dumbo anytime soon to his baby brother. Every night at bedtime he requests for 'dumbo music" to be on. So he falls asleep to it every night now. So thanks again for the new baby's gift, but not sure if he'll be seeing it for a while!

The nightmare before christmas overlay was just phenomenal - so much more and better than I expected!

Maybe it again is that it was new different that we liked the DLR version of Pirates better. I guess I could see that first part get a bit boring after multiple trips.

aw, well glad that Calvin likes the Dumbo at least!

Good job Peter!

I finally had my first float this trip! I usually only stick with the dole whip but oh man was it refreshing!

We pleasantly surprised how well Peter did with the pictures ... following directions isn't typically his strong suit

The floats are my favorite! Usually get twist in the pineapple juice

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh man, poor Emma! And y'all for having to keep doing clean up duty, during a character meal no less! Our first trip with DD, I deal with soooooo much spit up, so luckily I was smart enough to remember to bring an extra t-shirt for me at the bottom of the stroller. I needed it more than once!

The food at the Grotto looks great, especially for a character meal! The kids lunches are so cute, and the desserts look delicious too.

Love the cutout pics with Olivia, and you & Judi in Cars Land.

Yeah, definitely felt bad - but she would seem fine in between spitting up. Made the character part of the meal a little awkward but we survived

Very happy with the food at the Grotto - just felt like more care that typical for character meals was put into the food.

Thanks!

Well, you certainly had a full afternoon!

I really like the idea of Ariel's Grotto. Those crowns sound like a fun activity and I love that every princess is announced. And the food sounds really good - better than the offerings at many character meals. The kids meals do look really good - not your normal chicken nuggets and fries!

I'm so sorry Emma (any by extension the entire family) had a difficult time at lunch. We dealt with a round of tummy issues on this past trip and it's no fun when you're in a crowded theme park. It seems like a nap made her feel better!

Very fun photos throughout the afternoon - you and Olivia in the wolf's mouth and you and Judi in CarsLand!

Poor Peter! That sounds really painful. Glad some stickers and a nap made it better!

Yes! definitely a full afternoon and in hindsight probably too full for being our last day - I think we were all getting a bit worn out.

I was quite happy with Ariel's Grotto all the way around - I guess the setting wasn't as nice or fancy as Akershus or CRT, but food was really good and presentation was nice

Yeah, exactly right that just not fun when in the themepark and you have limited time and want to get things done but aren't sure how serious things are, etc. We survived but wasn't our finest moment

Thank you! I think we got some good pictures out of it!

He bounced back pretty quick but was a scary moment

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh no! Did you guys ever figure out what was wrong? Think it was the heat?

Love these names.

Wow, the dishes have really changed in 8 years since I've been!

id love to give this place another try one day, but not sure how that will look with Calvin who has no idea about princesses??

Haven't seen this one yet, love it!

Oh no...

At first I though Emma had thrown up on him! But ouch, poor guy! Glad that first aid was able to help!

I think you guys are pretty rad! Does anyone say that anymore? Maybe I'm the uncool one..

It was the heat and just everything at that point - we had 3 pretty full days and didn't get as many breaks as we hoped so I think she was just worn out.

The food was really good at Ariel's - maybe worth another try at some point. I am sure Calvin would get along with the princesses juuuuuuust fine

Yeah, thrown up on would have been bad enough. I am still not entirely sure how he got his finger wedged where it did, but no fun - especially as we didn't know how bad it was.

I think people still totally say Rad! and I think you're righteous!

Following along, and loving your TR! It has ben many years since our only trip to Disneyland, but would love to go again!

Thanks for following along and posting! We just got back and I'd already love to go again! (though ideally with lower crowds)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 45 - Disneyland - Part 26
October 18th
It's not you, it's me ... well, it might be some of you too​

We then headed towards our dinner location - for which we got the World of Color Dining Package. We were headed here:

We were a little early so we caught some of the parade that was going past while we waited:

We then went to check in and while our table was getting ready one of the cast members opened the side door and let Olivia watch the rest of the parade from there - I thought it was a nice touch and not something she had to do, so it was appreciated

I love the history of this building - or at least the real version that this was modeled after. For those that don't know, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater - so they have a lot of really neat photos around:

So I am going to preface this dining review as being a bit incomplete. Peter woke up very cranky so I was dealing with him and Emma still wasn't 100% and spit up one last time. So what I was hoping would be our one "fancy" meal of the trip turned out not the way I envisions.

We did start off with a nice bottle of wine, the rose from John Lassater's Winery which is one of our favorites of his:

This was the adult menu:

For starters, Olivia had choice of either Roasted Tomato Soup or ceaser salad. We had her get the soup so Peter might eat it since he was off-and-on asleep and in a mood when he was awake so didn't want to order anything. I tried it and it was pretty darn good!

I opted to start with the Red Pumpkin and Thai Chili Broth accented with Lemongrass (and with Roasted Chicken, Tuscan Kale, and Haricot Vert) ... OMG this was soooooo spicy I couldn't even finish it. I can handle a bit of heat but this was just nuts! The flavors were pretty good but I just couldn't get past the heat!

Judi got the salad which I guess we never got a picture of (I said this wouldn't be the best dining review *sigh*)

Olivia ordered the Soba Noodle Bowl ( with Beef, Snow Peas, and Broccoli). I think this wasn't what she was expecting - she did pretty good eating a bit of it and I tried it and it was good - just threw her off.

I again opted for the pork chop - this was described as Thick-Cut Pork Chop (California Mushroom Chili, Onion Fondue with Fresh Cherries). This was definitely solid - but I much preferred the one I had a Blue Bayou:

Judi, I believe, got the Trofie Pasta with Smoked Chicken (Roasted Roots, Idiazabal Cheese, Truffle Butter). She enjoyed this quite a bit, if falling short of being amazing.

(Sorry for the picture quality - the lightening in the restaurant wasn't the best and we probably weren't at our best)

Here is Olivia entertaining herself by coloring, and you can see a bit of the restaurant:

And here she is with our waiter who was explaining to her how her dessert worked. Our waiter was quite good and patient with us. For her dessert she got the Green Apple Caramel Parfait Push Pops (Green Apple and Lemon Raspberry Sorbets layered with Caramel). This was really good, if a bit messy at times:

For dessert Judi and I split two of the options. The Dark Chocolate Mouse Bar and the Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee Tart. Both of these were very good - probably the highlight of my meal at least:

I also ordered to have as a bit of a surprise treat for Judi the special 60th Anniversary Truffles - though we wound up having them later. They were quite good - though not sure if they were worth the price tag.

Overall, it was a bit of a letdown experience for a meal I had high hopes for. Nothing was bad (well, my soup was too spicy for me) and it certainly was at least partially because we were a bit off at this point. Oh well, they can't all be winners

Coming up next, some good times and then WOC!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 46 - Disneyland - Part 27
October 18th
Pictures with Walt - and a ride with Mater​

After dinner Judi wanted to look for a new shirt as even her replacement shirt wasn't fully clean at this point. Plus it was a tank top and she wanted to have something on her shoulders as it headed towards nighttime. she didn't fine anything (or at least not anything she wanted to spend the money required on) though Olivia apparently enjoyed shopping:

We then saw another photpoass location that I knew I wanted to hit up. Peter was still not fully awake so this round was just Judi, Olivia, and myself. (you can see that Judi is wearing my back-up t-shirt so she at least has some sort of sleve):

And we were instructed to do funny poses for some reason:

After this we went back to Cars Land so Peter could get on Mater's Junk Yard Jamboree. We had a rider swap card but I think only one side was functioning properly so it still took a little bit of time

You can see Peter showing off his bandaged finger - he was definitely in a better mood now:

it's definitely a cute ride and a fun time - we all had a good time. Not sure if it was worth the wait times that it typically had, but I am glad we did it.

Coming up next - we finally see World of Color!!