NannyBeBe
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
We were at the DLR for four days, June 29 thru July 2.
Took the Disneyland Express from the airport and back. We were very impressed with this service and will definitely use it again. They were on time, the drivers were friendly and competent and drove well. We paid $48 round trip. We came into Terminal 1; the driver stopped at each terminal on the way out of the airport, then to the Disneyland hotels before taking us to the HoJo. The entire trip, from the time we got on the bus, took 1.5 hours.
Since we did not want to go to the parks the first night, we had dinner at Pizza Press (next to the Carousel Hotel). We really liked it. They offer individual pizzas (could be enough for two light eaters), all $10.00 each. But they also allow you to make your own pizza, with as many toppings as you like, for $10.00. It was better than any of the other pizza places we’ve eaten at in the area.
The next morning (Monday), we had breakfast at Denny’s and headed off the the parks. We got to the parks at 9 a.m.; rode POTC, HM, and Splash with only a few minutes of waiting. I got soaked to the skin on Splash and stayed wet until around 4 p.m. My advice: Do not sit in Seat #2! We rode the Columbia and BTMRR (10 min. wait). Had a corn dog for lunch (oh so good) and then headed over to DCA. By then it was getting warm, so we rested for a while in the Fiddler with a cool drink. Rode Soarin’ (30 min. wait), LM, and TSMM (25 min. wait). When we rode Soarin’, we asked for Section B, Row 1, which we think is the best seats on the ride.
For dinner we had the buffet at Storytellers. It was a delicious meal. I tasted almost everything and it was all well prepared and tasty. The menu included turkey, roast beef, citrus salmon, beef stew, mac & cheese, green beans, pasta, chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, corn chowder, rolls, and six desserts. I highly recommended the bread pudding with the warm vanilla sauce.
On Tuesday we had a breakfast reservation at Carnation Cafe (very good). Around 10 a.m. my daughter talked me into riding SM with her, which left me with a headache and tummy ache until about 4 p.m. No more SM for me. Rode Soarin’ again.
That evening we had dinner at Ralph Brennan’s. Oh. My. Goodness. This was the highlight of our trip. My husband and I took figment’s advice and had the Bourbon Street Sampler and the Shrimp & Grits. My husband and daughter also had the Gumbo Ya Ya. For dessert we had the chocolate soufflé. This was some of the best food we have ever eaten. I highly recommend it.
The next morning (Wednesday) we had the brunch buffet at Goofy’s. The spread of food was enormous and we enjoyed everything we had. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, and Minnie. They all came to our table twice and I got a picture with Minnie. After brunch, we took the monorail to Tomorrowland and rode FNSV (40 min.), BLAB (25 min.). Took a break from the heat, then rode IJA (40 min.); found the hidden Mickey. Went to the petting zoo. Headed over to DCA for a late lunch at the Pacific Warf Cafe. The taste of the food was good, but there was very little soup in my husband’s bread bowl, and the sourdough bread on the sandwiches is very hard to eat if you do not have strong teeth. Thankfully, I do. Next time I would get the soup with the bread on the side. Headed over to Ghiardelli's for dessert. Rode RSR as single riders (20 min. wait with a short breakdown).
Thursday was our last day. My daughter and I decided we wanted to check out the new PP, so we got up for MM and got to the park at 7:15 a.m. Headed straight for PP and waited 40 mins. I must say there was not much different in the ride; still one that I would not wait long for in the future. We rode RSR again as singe riders and waited 10 mins. Had lunch at Naples -- excellent pepperoni and shrimp pizza.
After all the years of going to DLR, I finally rode the horse-drawn carriage down Main Street. I learned that DLR has 13 draft horses -- 11 geldings and 2 mares. They all live at Big Thunder Ranch.
My daughter road Matterhorn twice as a single rider (10 mins. first time, no wait second time).
As you can see, we never used FP’s; never felt the need to do so.
We did not see the parade, WOC, or F!, and watched the fireworks each night from our hotel room at HoJo.
We saw Mickey and the Magical Map and the Frozen Sing-Along. Both were very enjoyable.
The weather overall was very good -- cool in the mornings and evenings with a couple of warm hours in the afternoon. We did not encounter any rude people and there did not seem to be a lot of strollers. And thankfully, no selfie sticks.
I was disappointed to see that the commemorative stones on the esplanade are wearing off. Most of them are nearly obliterated and impossible to read. If I had paid for one of these, I would be very upset. I wonder what Disney is going to do about it. They should either fix them all (which is probably impossible at this point), or grade them off.
I’m sure I forgot some things we did. If anyone has any questions, just ask.
Took the Disneyland Express from the airport and back. We were very impressed with this service and will definitely use it again. They were on time, the drivers were friendly and competent and drove well. We paid $48 round trip. We came into Terminal 1; the driver stopped at each terminal on the way out of the airport, then to the Disneyland hotels before taking us to the HoJo. The entire trip, from the time we got on the bus, took 1.5 hours.
Since we did not want to go to the parks the first night, we had dinner at Pizza Press (next to the Carousel Hotel). We really liked it. They offer individual pizzas (could be enough for two light eaters), all $10.00 each. But they also allow you to make your own pizza, with as many toppings as you like, for $10.00. It was better than any of the other pizza places we’ve eaten at in the area.
The next morning (Monday), we had breakfast at Denny’s and headed off the the parks. We got to the parks at 9 a.m.; rode POTC, HM, and Splash with only a few minutes of waiting. I got soaked to the skin on Splash and stayed wet until around 4 p.m. My advice: Do not sit in Seat #2! We rode the Columbia and BTMRR (10 min. wait). Had a corn dog for lunch (oh so good) and then headed over to DCA. By then it was getting warm, so we rested for a while in the Fiddler with a cool drink. Rode Soarin’ (30 min. wait), LM, and TSMM (25 min. wait). When we rode Soarin’, we asked for Section B, Row 1, which we think is the best seats on the ride.
For dinner we had the buffet at Storytellers. It was a delicious meal. I tasted almost everything and it was all well prepared and tasty. The menu included turkey, roast beef, citrus salmon, beef stew, mac & cheese, green beans, pasta, chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, corn chowder, rolls, and six desserts. I highly recommended the bread pudding with the warm vanilla sauce.
On Tuesday we had a breakfast reservation at Carnation Cafe (very good). Around 10 a.m. my daughter talked me into riding SM with her, which left me with a headache and tummy ache until about 4 p.m. No more SM for me. Rode Soarin’ again.
That evening we had dinner at Ralph Brennan’s. Oh. My. Goodness. This was the highlight of our trip. My husband and I took figment’s advice and had the Bourbon Street Sampler and the Shrimp & Grits. My husband and daughter also had the Gumbo Ya Ya. For dessert we had the chocolate soufflé. This was some of the best food we have ever eaten. I highly recommend it.
The next morning (Wednesday) we had the brunch buffet at Goofy’s. The spread of food was enormous and we enjoyed everything we had. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, and Minnie. They all came to our table twice and I got a picture with Minnie. After brunch, we took the monorail to Tomorrowland and rode FNSV (40 min.), BLAB (25 min.). Took a break from the heat, then rode IJA (40 min.); found the hidden Mickey. Went to the petting zoo. Headed over to DCA for a late lunch at the Pacific Warf Cafe. The taste of the food was good, but there was very little soup in my husband’s bread bowl, and the sourdough bread on the sandwiches is very hard to eat if you do not have strong teeth. Thankfully, I do. Next time I would get the soup with the bread on the side. Headed over to Ghiardelli's for dessert. Rode RSR as single riders (20 min. wait with a short breakdown).
Thursday was our last day. My daughter and I decided we wanted to check out the new PP, so we got up for MM and got to the park at 7:15 a.m. Headed straight for PP and waited 40 mins. I must say there was not much different in the ride; still one that I would not wait long for in the future. We rode RSR again as singe riders and waited 10 mins. Had lunch at Naples -- excellent pepperoni and shrimp pizza.
After all the years of going to DLR, I finally rode the horse-drawn carriage down Main Street. I learned that DLR has 13 draft horses -- 11 geldings and 2 mares. They all live at Big Thunder Ranch.
My daughter road Matterhorn twice as a single rider (10 mins. first time, no wait second time).
As you can see, we never used FP’s; never felt the need to do so.
We did not see the parade, WOC, or F!, and watched the fireworks each night from our hotel room at HoJo.
We saw Mickey and the Magical Map and the Frozen Sing-Along. Both were very enjoyable.
The weather overall was very good -- cool in the mornings and evenings with a couple of warm hours in the afternoon. We did not encounter any rude people and there did not seem to be a lot of strollers. And thankfully, no selfie sticks.
I was disappointed to see that the commemorative stones on the esplanade are wearing off. Most of them are nearly obliterated and impossible to read. If I had paid for one of these, I would be very upset. I wonder what Disney is going to do about it. They should either fix them all (which is probably impossible at this point), or grade them off.
I’m sure I forgot some things we did. If anyone has any questions, just ask.
