YAY!!!! All caught up! *phew* *wipes sweat off forehead* Yeah sorry, two days just reading trip reports, it is mentally tiring, trust me. But, anyways...
Haha I completely understand. Imaging writing all of these updates and knowing how many there are to go...
Seems like this Christmas trip was going along well. I'm sorry to hear your brother was sick for the earlier part of it.
No fun being sick in Disney, but I'm glad to hear you were able to move out of Mystic Dunes into Port Orleans French Quarter. Love the renovations there btw and I think its SOOO awesome that you went down the dragon slide. Mostly for the reason I'd do the same thing and then complain after how awkward it was, being twice the size of the kid in front of me lol Moving on (again)...
It was THE BEST TRIP EVER. Yeah that stunk! I'm glad he got better though! Yay for Disney resorts! And hahaha yeah, no shame over here! If my name is connected with the word "frump," anything is possible!
to moving to BLT! That resort looks so beautiful and on my iPod I have a video of Wishes seen from there. The view is absolutely gorgeous and an interesting one too. I'm sure you know what I mean by that, but still the view looks awesome. So wanna stay at BLT one day.
And I totally agree about Swan and Dolphin, I think my friends and I were discussing this when we were in Disney how it is more like a fish than a Dolphin. They need to get their aquatic life straight
It's AMAZING! I can't wait to post the updates about it! It definitely is an interesting view! It's very cool. It's my dream resort, even though I've stayed there. I just can't get over how amazing it is! And yeahh the Dolphin/Fish is so frumpy!
Now onto exciting news... I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING TO
DISNEYLAND! YOU LUCKY DUCK! I was trying to go there for my 16th birthday (but, of course, that didn't follow through) but now I'm going to NYC which I think is... just as good because I'm such a theater buff
But now I can revel in your excitement and help out since I did a TON of research for that trip I'll just go through all of what you asked for since I've learned a lot in trying to get my "trip" planned perfectly. And since you are staying for so long at all the resorts, I think I can help point out the must-dos even if I've never been there. Hope my "limited knowledge" helps (I'll quote all your questions)
I CAN'T EITHER!!!! 59 days to go! I'm so sorry your trip didn't happen, but NYC is awesome! I went there 2 summers ago and I LOVED it! What shows are you seeing!?
First on your edit, I've heard the whole dining situation works a little bit different at DL and from what I've read of TRs on that board (I spent a whole weekend reading about twenty trips on one TR), I think OOP is better since they don't have a lot of TSs and I think that's where the DP works best, but I could be wrong. About your TiW... hmmm... not sure if it works, it may, but I forget that one.
Yeah I have decided against the DDP, it seems to make more sense to pay OOP.
In terms of places to eat... I'll go with Samantha Brown, whom I watch even more religiously than Stacy, and say for a nice meal, Napa Rose. It is basically the equivalent of the Signature Dining in WDW or more specifically, California Grill, and the food looks great there. It is located in the Grand Californian Resort. Another I've heard about is Carnation Cafe, I've heard that's very famous over there and you can get Mickey Waffles here! Speaking of those, in New Orleans Square (the counterpart to Liberty Square), there is another nice restaurant which is VERY popular and if you get good enough seats you can see into the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It is called Blue Bayou, but you need to reserve this ASAP, it is POPULAR! There is also the Golden Horseshoe which is what the Diamond Horseshoe would've been if it was still opened in WDW with a stage shoe and Table Service. Other ones I've heard bounced around are Cafe Orleans, Plaza Inn (just renovated and one of the only character meals), Hungry Bear Restaurant, Blue Ribbon Bakery (this is where they have Beignets too), Goofy's Kitchen (character meal) and Ariel's Grotto. Most of those are TSs, but I think you'll find your way around the CSs.
OMG A SAMANTHA BROWN DISNEYLAND EPISODE?!! WHY HAVE I NOT THOUGHT OF THAT!? I need to look her up! Napa Rose, Carnation Cafe, Blue Bayou, and all of those other ones sound like must do's! I keep hearing about the same ones over and over and they seem like great options! I CAN'T WAIT!
First, check out Cars Land and Buena Vista Street which just opened in DCA, those are two must-dos. I've been watching videos of both (especially the Radiator Springs Racers) and they look fantastic. DO NOT miss your opportunity to see those. Also for DCA is the World of Color and The Little Mermaid ride, I've heard good thing about both. I think DCA in and of itself has a lot to offer especially when you stay at the Paradise Pier Hotel.
It is bad that I have had dreams about going to Carsland for 3 days in a row now? I am not even a huge fan of Cars but I am SUPER excited to see this!!! And omg I NEED to see World of Color. That's my #1 priority in all of Disneyland!
For Disneyland, Main Street USA has a lot to see more-so than WDW I believe, so you may want to enjoy the sights and sound there. There also is the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough Tour where you can actually going inside the Castle (though walking across the bridge to Fantasyland is an experience in and of itself). Fantasyland is also something to really spend some time in since it is much bigger and better than the one in the current WDW one (may not be so after all is refurb'd). The Matterhorn (the first Disney roller coaster) would also be worth riding especially after it was refurb'd in the same style as Space Mountain (there SM is another one to check out too, I heard its AWESOME). I think I could go on and on about just DL. Like the Submarine Voyage, all the areas in the park not in WDW (Toontown, New Orleans Square, etc.) Also, the characters there walk around freely without a handler so I think you would enjoy that especially when more rare characters are out and about.
AWESOME. Those are all awesome tips - thank you!
Also, outside of the parks (if you are willing), in the nearby LA (aka Hollywood), they have the Disney Soda & Fountain Shop which has a lot of Disney memorabilia and history to it. I think that would be fun to be at.
OMG really!?! That's really cute. I should go there!
Definitely the Trip Reports Thread, hands down, is your best bet. The TRs there are generally short so if you find one TR thread it may have... like five or more trips and from years back. Here is the one I spent two days reading:
Belle Ella's Never Ending Trip Report The author has been AWOL for some time, but she has reports as far back as 2007, so it's kinda the report with everything to know about Disney, just expect to be reading it for a LONG time! But there are a lot of other good ones too (I have some info in my PTR (the purple writing) in my signature if you wanna look there, even if it is closed).
Sounds good! I will check those out!
I mentioned above the Soda & Fountain Shop, but there is also a lot to do in Hollywood like the Walk of Fame, the real Graumans Chinese Theater (DHS? Great Movie Ride?) and a lot of other things. Also, Universal Studios Hollywood is nearby if you want to "consort with the enemy". But besides those, most require traveling far and wide like the San Diego Zoo and such, but I'm not an expert on California geography, so maybe a native would help with that.
I wrote all of those on the list! Thanks! I think my Mom really wants to go see the San Diego Zoo, so that will probably happen!
Hope my limited knowledge helped a little!
It definitely did! Thank you SO much!!!
Can't wait to read more!