25th Ann.-2 TR w/over 1500 pics!!!!

[DizNee Luver]

So now that I've added some extra pics from Sat the 7th & Sun the 8th, I figured I'd recap with extended info on the meals.

Saturday:
Most of the day was spent in the car (14 hrs to be exact).
Mike & I did get to Disneyland for a couple hours. We had 1 meal there.
We rode 2 rides: Mad Party Teacups & Big Thunder Mtn Railroad

Extras we did: Upgraded our 6-day parkhoppers to AP's (one premium for the discs & one deluxe)

COKE CORNER DINING REVIEW:

This is a walk-up counter for ordering. They fill your order while you wait. There are just a couple tables inside but most tables are located outside with a view of Main Street. Thru-out the day they have live entertainment - ragtime piano & pop-in performances from the Dapper Dans.

They have a small selection of choices:
Hot Dog Basket - hot dog with chips $5.89
Chili Dog Basket - hot dog covered w/chili & cheese with chips $6.59
Kid Meal - turkey hot dog with apple slices & drink $5.99
Pretzels, bowls of chili, sweet treats & drinks.
32 oz soda - $3.29 ($2.99 for AP)
Shot of flavored syrup - .29

The hot dogs are normal sized, nothing special but do have a good flavor. The chili is mild & a good consistency for chili dogs. They are very generous with the grated cheese on the chili dogs. They have a standard selection of drinks: Coca-Cola products, water, & hot drinks. The cherry syrup they have to make cherry cokes is specially made for Disneyland & I believe this is the only place in the park you can get this.

We enjoyed our meal here & love to sit outside & people watch. The cherry coke is delightful & highly recommended. My hubby isn't a big soda drinker but requested this a few times during our trip. It's a great place for a quick meal (even before parades or fireworks).

 

[DizNee Luver]

Recap of Sunday the 8th:

We enjoyed 3 meals today - 2 at Disneyland & 1 at the DL Hotel

We rode 17 different rides today: Peter Pan, Dumbo, King Arthur's Carousel, Matterhorn, Alice in Wonderland, Mad Party Teacups, POTC, CA Screamin', King Triton's Carousel, Heimlich's Chew Chew, Tuck & Roll's Drive em' Buggies, Francis's Ladybug Boogie, Mark Twain Riverboat, Adventure's of Winnie the Pooh, Indiana Jones, BTMRR & the Monorail.

Extras we did: Swimming at Neverland Pool at DLH, Walked the DLH grounds & viewed the memorabilia, Fantasmic & the Fireworks.


RIVER BELLE TERRACE DINING REVIEW:

This is a walk-up order counter. They fill your order as you wait. They make some of the food in front of you. They have seating inside & outside.

They have a selection for breakfast of:
Becky Thatcher's Fruit Plate - variety of fresh fruit $7.99
Mickey Pancake - large Mickey shaped pancake $6.99
Mark Twain Breakfast - scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon or sausage, & a biscuit $7.99
The Steamboat Breakfast - 3 pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage $7.99

They also have ala carte items of: small fruit cup, cinnamon roll, 3 pancakes, bacon, sausage or potatoes.

They have milk, juice, sodas, & hot drinks.
Orange Juice $1.59
Milk $2.69

The food is fresh & hot & very filling. The fruit plate was very good. The strawberries were sweet & juicy. We enjoy the outdoor seating. This was one of Walt's favorite places for breakfast because he loved to sit outside & people watch.


CAFE ORLEANS DINING REVIEW:

This is a sit-down restaurant with seating inside or outside. PS are highly recommended.
You check-in at a podium outside the doors. You wait for your host/hostess to call your name & then you are seated.

The menu has a variety of choices for appetizers:
French Onion Soup - sweet onions in a tasty broth covered in gruyere cheese $3.99
Gumbo - chicken, andouille sausage & ham in a spicy hearty stock, topped with cajun rice $3.99
Pommes Fritas - french fries seasoned with parmesan, garlic & parsley - served with a cajun spice dip $4.99
They also have a house salad

The entrees were:
Monte Cristo Sandwich - deep-fried sandwich with turkey, ham & swiss cheese dusted w/powdered sugar & served with berry puree $15.99
Chicken Sandwich, Salmon Salad, Blackened Chicken Caesar, & Creole Ratatouille.

They also have crepes (entree & dessert), beignets, & banana bread pudding.
Standard drink selections & a kid menu is available (the menu turns into a paper pirate hat)

We found the restaurant charming with beautiful dark woods & stained glass. The service & waitstaff was very quick & friendly. The french onion soup was very tasty & the cheese seemed to go forever. The gumbo has become a favorite with the family. Lots of flavor & just the right amount of kick. The Monte Cristo sandwich was crispy & hot. Also a new favorite. We were given 2 Mickey shaped beignets as an Anniversary dessert. They were delicious....can't imagine eating more than one.
We will definately include this again & recommend it to those that have never tried it.


GOOFY'S KITCHEN DINNER BUFFET DINING REVIEW:

This is a help yourself, all you can eat buffet held in the DL Hotel.

You check-in & pay for your party- $39.64/Adults $17.34/Child 3-9 This does include tax & gratuity.
After paying, you wait to be called by the host/hostess. You first stop at the character photo op area. You take a picture & you can get autographs.
The photographer will bring you a picture package you can purchase for $29.95 during your meal. You are then taken to your table. Your waiter/waitress will get your drink orders & you're free to help yourself from a large selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, salads, kid-friendly hot foods, dinner entree choices, & desserts. You will be visited by a cast of characters during your meal. Chef Goofy will also hold activities near the buffet thru-out your meal.

We love this meal for the food & the character interaction. Usual characters we've seen (not all at the same time)- Chef Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Baloo, Minnie Mouse, Jasmine, Aladdin & Alice.....there are more that rotate at this meal. This is a must every trip & not just once but twice for the breakfast buffet.


FANTASMIC DESSERT SEATING REVIEW:

This is for reserved seats during the showing of Fantasmic on the Rivers of America. You can get the reservation 30 days prior & during peak times, these seats can go quickly. We always call exactly 30 days out at 8am pacific-time to ensure our seats. You will be charged immediately for these tickets. The day of the show, you pick up your tickets from City Hall. **Remember to take the credit card you used to pay for these to prove identity**
One hour prior to your show time, you will check in by the reserved seating area. You will be seated by the order of check-in. After being seated, your host/hostess will get your drink order. They keep these filled thru-out the entire show. They also bring you your Dessert Box filled with sweet treats, fresh fruits, cheeses & crackers. It is a large box with lots of choices.

Not reviewing the show Fantasmic itself, but will say it is always fabulous!!!

If there are fireworks following your show, you are allowed to stay seated & enjoy them from there.

Adults $59 Child (3-9) $49

We enjoyed not having to fight the crowds & stake-out a place 2 hours prior to the show. It was definately a splurge but well-worth it to us. We were seated dead center with no one blocking our view. We were able to sit in comfort & enjoy the show to it's fullest. The box of goodies was wonderful & worked as snacks at the motels. The fireworks from NOS was great. You can't see the castle & an occasional low pyrotechnic, but we did see Tinkerbell & the fireworks in the sky were beautiful. Will we do this again??? You bet.....worth every penny to us!!!!

 

[auntiegem]

Thank you SO much for an really great trip report! I've just spent the evening reading the whole thing, and I feel like I've been there myself!

 

[kaoden39]

Fourteen hours makes our trip look like a commute.I feel silly stopping to sleep on the way down now.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Thank you SO much for an really great trip report! I've just spent the evening reading the whole thing, and I feel like I've been there myself!

You're very welcome.....I'm glad you could feel like you were there!!!! Thank you for spending your evening with my family!!!

Fourteen hours makes our trip look like a commute.I feel silly stopping to sleep on the way down now.

You stop over night on the way down????? Normally we'd go to Fairfield & pop back over to I-5 & then stop for the day..... but since we weren't doing our Jelly Belly run this time.... we figured we just keep going!! Besides, about the time we'd be running out of steam would be Coalinga....& who would want to stay there? The smell motivates us to keep going!!
But really.....you really stop on the way down?

 

[kaoden39]

You're very welcome.....I'm glad you could feel like you were there!!!! Thank you for spending your evening with my family!!!



You stop over night on the way down????? Normally we'd go to Fairfield & pop back over to I-5 & then stop for the day..... but since we weren't doing our Jelly Belly run this time.... we figured we just keep going!! Besides, about the time we'd be running out of steam would be Coalinga....& who would want to stay there? The smell motivates us to keep going!!
But really.....you really stop on the way down?

Well, yeah we do. But we got in the habit because we leave Fairfield at about 7:30 PM after Scotty gets off work and he is usually dragging by the time we get to Buttonwillow and I don't want to drive over the Grapevine with him asleep. I want company to keep me awake. When we went down just the two of us we were fine and didn't need to stop but we also left about 9:00 AM. Next trip I drive all the way down and go straight to our hotel to sleep before going in to the park.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Extra pictures from day 3, March 9:

ToonTown Morning Madness:

Carnation Cafe for Breakfast:

 

[kaoden39]

Love, love, love the pictures but you know that. I want one of those umbrellas for my table in my court yard. They are adorable.

 

[DizNee Luver]

More day 3:

Saw Bert & Mary Poppins on our way out:

Tyler's pics from Innoventions & Tomorrowland while we were changing motels:

Back to the parks for us & lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace-kids meal:

Buzz Lightyear.....yup we rode it after Ty & Derek later in the day:

Met up with kids in the esplanade:

More House of Blues pics:

 

[DizNee Luver]

Love, love, love the pictures but you know that. I want one of those umbrellas for my table in my court yard. They are adorable.

Those umbrellas just scream Disneyland & Mary Poppins to me.... I'd love a patio set of them!!

Thanx again for loving my pics....glad someone's looking at them...lol

 

[kaoden39]

Cute hat on your son. I am sure that there are a lot of lurkers looking at your pictures. I do that a lot of times. I will go several days without commenting on threads sometimes, but that doesn't mean I am not there.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Cute hat on your son. I am sure that there are a lot of lurkers looking at your pictures. I do that a lot of times. I will go several days without commenting on threads sometimes, but that doesn't mean I am not there.

LOL....Addy had got the Minnie "golden" ears at the character warehouse & was showing them off when Derek put them on...glad Tyler had his camera ready..... blackmail for later!!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

On to random pics from Day 4, March 10 (I think I marked the day 3 with the wrong date.....they should say March 9.....anywho....)

Prior to our Princess Breakfast at the motel:

At Ariel's Grotto:

More Ariel's next post!

 

[DizNee Luver]

On to More Ariel's Grotto:

Additional Construction pics as well as random shots from Paradise Pier:

Up by GRR:

Next post...Anthony's pics, Cars & Condor Flats.

 

[DizNee Luver]

More Day 4:

Anthony's pictures....notice the fingertip on the left?

Cars & Condor Flats:

Off the Page Pics:

Minnie Mouse:

Award Weiner's (most from inside in the seating area):

Hollywood Backlot random shots:

More Day 4 in next post.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Day 4 con't:

Playhouse Disney random pics:

Next post Monster's Inc.

 

[Sarah84]

More fantastic photos & the recap on days with extra info on the food is great.

I don't want your trippie to end its been full of such great pictures and info, very useful

 

[DizNee Luver]

More fantastic photos & the recap on days with extra info on the food is great.

I don't want your trippie to end its been full of such great pictures and info, very useful

Well thank you!!! I'm love sharing all this stuff..... it keeps me out of trouble

Still have a ton more to get on....so keep checking back!!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

An entire post with pictures from Monster's Inc. (wish I had gotten these on all the rides!!):

Next up: BugsLand, Snacks & Pixar Play Parade

 

[DizNee Luver]

Snack Attack:

Kid's Meal from Taste Pilot's Grill:

Pixar Play Parade...more pics:

More parade next post.