Aloha, Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas

[dolphingirl47]

As I was in New Orleans Square anyway, I decided to head over to Haunted Mansion Holiday. The waiting time was 45 minutes, but I love that ride so much that I was willing to stick it out. The line was right outside the New Orleans station and all around the plaza with the fountain. I used the time to finish my Coke and also had my Matterhorn macaroon that was delicious. I had every intention to get another one at some stage during the trip, but never got around to it. In the end it did only take about 30 minutes until I entered the stretching room. Some things had changed since I had previously experienced this in 2011, but it was every bit as good as I remembered.

I then headed through Frontierland. I had planned on riding Big Thunder Mountain that day, but the line was over an hour and I figured I would have plenty of chances to do this later in the trip. There was however one thing that I had to do that day. I do really enjoy It's A Small World and I especially love the version of Disneyland. I had heard so many great things about It's A Small World Holiday. So this was a must do for me. When I got there, the posted waiting time was 65 minutes. I hesitated for a moment, but then figured that the line did not look that long and it seemed to be moving fast. As I entered the plaza, a cast member came and reduced the waiting time to 45 minutes on the board. This was much more like it. In the end it was much quicker than that. Due to the nature of the ride, there were a lot of families with young children that started to fuss and they decided to leave the line. There were other families that were still waiting on other members of their family when we got near the front of the line and they let me go ahead. In the end I waited only about 20 minutes. I absolutely loved this. It felt like a completely different ride. I think the overlay for this is even more stunning than the one for Haunted Mansion Holiday.

When I got off It’s A Small World Holiday, I had enough for a day. I slowly made my way towards the exit. I stopped a few times for some Photopass photos and then I headed back to the hotel.















Graham had already arrived back and was fast asleep. I used the opportunity to catch up online for a while. I had a few issues accessing certain websites at first and headed down to guest services. They could not really understand this as some websites loaded just fine, but others not at all. It was one of the bellmen that came to my rescue. He changed a couple of settings on my iPad and it was plain sailing after that. I thanked him and headed back upstairs. Once I was all done with catching up online, I tried to wake Graham up, but had no success. By that time I was fading fast as well and I knew I had a long and busy day ahead of me the next day. We briefly woke up around 22:00, but went straight back to sleep.

 

[eeyorefanuk]

Fab update corrina . I would love to do the tour. Look forward to more

 

[dolphingirl47]

Fab update corrina . I would love to do the tour. Look forward to more

I would definitely recommend the tour. It was full of history and trivia. I think I will probably redo it at some stage if they add Walt Disney's apartment to the mix again.

Corinna

 

[PJB71]

Yeah, your back up and runningxxx

Corinna you look sooooo well in your photos Looks like you had a fantastic day

Can't wait for the next update

 

[franandaj]

I'm glad you got your computer back and everything was just fine.

Sounds like a great day! Somewhere along the line, I had heard most of the stories you related, but the one about the Autopia cars was new to me. That's pretty funny. You got a lot of really great photopass pictures that day!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Yay for Apple coming up trumps for you. And good pick-up on the 1st gen iPod. We had one of those and got a brand new replacement when the recall went out a couple of years ago.
Fantastic update and it looks like you really enjoyed the tour. Lovely pictures!
And well done on the photopass pics as well.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Yeah, your back up and runningxxx

Corinna you look sooooo well in your photos Looks like you had a fantastic day

Can't wait for the next update

Thanks. Yes, it was a pretty amazing day, but the same can be said for most of the days. This was just a spectacular holiday.

I'm glad you got your computer back and everything was just fine.

Sounds like a great day! Somewhere along the line, I had heard most of the stories you related, but the one about the Autopia cars was new to me. That's pretty funny. You got a lot of really great photopass pictures that day!

Thanks.

It was a fantastic first day. I loved the story about the Autopia cars and the way Cassie told it, it really came to life.

Yay for Apple coming up trumps for you. And good pick-up on the 1st gen iPod. We had one of those and got a brand new replacement when the recall went out a couple of years ago.
Fantastic update and it looks like you really enjoyed the tour. Lovely pictures!
And well done on the photopass pics as well.

A friend of mine was not aware of the recall either and has one of those. So she is now going to send her's in as well. Unfortunately it is coming UPS and they don't have access to where I live. So I have now asked this to be delivered when I have a day off midweek week after next and asked them to call me on my mobile phone so that I can come down.

The tour was great and I would not hesitate to recommend this. At full price it was quite expensive, but with my DVC discount, it was worth every penny.

Corinna

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

WOW !!
What a long and beautiful day ! Your breakfast experience sounded so good ! I seem to recall that restaurant ! and the food you described looks so yummy ! I would like to try those flatbread bites !! They sounded interesting.
Oh, BTW all of your photos are so NIIIIIIICE indeed !!
The tour looks great, I suppose that Marco and I would LOVE it ! We always like to hear about stories and trivia. The suite is spectacular !!
and YES I was curious about Walt's apartment too !!
Maybe I can talk Marco into stopping at Disneyland a couple of days during our next trip towards Hawaii !

What a great start to your holiday !!

 

[dolphingirl47]

WOW !!
What a long and beautiful day ! Your breakfast experience sounded so good ! I seem to recall that restaurant ! and the food you described looks so yummy ! I would like to try those flatbread bites !! They sounded interesting.
Oh, BTW all of your photos are so NIIIIIIICE indeed !!
The tour looks great, I suppose that Marco and I would LOVE it ! We always like to hear about stories and trivia. The suite is spectacular !!
and YES I was curious about Walt's apartment too !!
Maybe I can talk Marco into stopping at Disneyland a couple of days during our next trip towards Hawaii !

What a great start to your holiday !!

I think it worked out great stopping over at Disneyland for a couple of days before heading over to Hawaii. It is such a long way to go that I cannot imagine doing it in one go.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Day 4

I was awake at 3:30 AM again and followed the usual routine of checking in online and then trying to get some more sleep. At 5:00 AM we were both awake. Graham mentioned that you could see Crystal Cathedral from the fire escape at the end of the corridor and we wondered if it would be lit. It was not, but as soon as I left the room I saw some interesting lights and decided to go explore. Near our room was a window overlooking California Adventure and they were practicing World of Color. Radiator Springs Racers was also all lit up and I was absolutely spellbound by what I was seeing. After a while, I headed back to the room to see if I could get a bit more sleep. At 6:30 we gave up and started our day.











We had a 7:30 reservation for the Critter Breakfast with Chip and Dale at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian that morning. We got ready and headed over there. We got to Storytellers Cafe a little early, but they actually start serving breakfast at 7:00 and we got seated almost straightaway. I had been in two minds about this before the trip. We had breakfast there twice before. They used to have both an a la carte menu and a buffet for breakfast. The first time we had the a la carte option and that was great. The second time we had the buffet and that was OK, but nothing special. It definitely was not on par with the buffet at PCH Grill. I had read that earlier in the year, they had changed to buffet only at breakfast. Still, I figured we needed some breakfast anyway and Storytellers Cafe is in the perfect spot for the back entrance to California Adventure where it was early admission that day. So I decided to run with this.

Pretty much as soon as we were seated, Chip came to visit. Graham took a photo of us. Our server came by to offer us something to drink and we ordered coffee and orange juice. Then we headed over to the buffet. Graham went with the healthy option again and had fruit. I was not quite so healthy and had a Mickey waffle with strawberry compote. Unfortunately there was no whipped cream to go with it, but it was still lovely. When I got back to the table, Kenai was approaching. I had some quality time with him until Graham told him to put me down. Once Kenai had been to see us, there was a little break as far as characters are concerned. I had time to finish my Mickey waffle and went for some hot food. I got Eggs Benedict, a sausage and hash brown. I learned something new that morning: Eggs Benedict should really not be served on a buffet. They had gone slightly soggy. The rest of the food was nice though. Graham went with bacon, sausage, ham, tomato, mushrooms and scrambled eggs. At some stage while we enjoyed this course, Meeko came by and I had some fun with him. Once Meeko had left, I decided to head for the omelet station. I had an omelet with ham, black olives, mushrooms and cheese and this was the best omelet I have ever tasted. Graham went for the healthy option again and had some porridge. Once we were done with our breakfast, we still had not had a visit from two characters. Dale came by shortly afterwards, but Koda never came to visit. We saw him as we checked in. He also was in the parade and I saw him in the section closest to the check in podium when I went to the bathroom, but he never came to our section. Eventually I gave up and we left.









As we were heading out, I saw a huge line for the entrance to California Adventure and we still had a good 30 minutes until Extra Magic Hour was due to start. I did not fancy that at all. I had read on a few trip reports recently that it is usually quicker to enter California Adventure through the main entrance for Extra Magic Hour. Graham was heading this way anyway as he wanted to explore the area using the ART network. When we got to the entrance plaza, the lines were just as bad that side. However, there were not many people waiting to get into Disneyland. So I decided to head into Disneyland first and then hop over to California Adventure later.



I was under the impression that Disneyland opened at 9:00 that day and I was not the only one as people I spoke to while waiting thought so, too. Still, this all worked out perfectly well. We were let in about 9:30 and I power walked down Main Street. Once I got to the hub, there were cast members with Frozen signs directing people to the walkway on the left side of the hub. A line had started to form there. Cast members kept making sure that everybody understood how this was going to work and that the tickets of the whole party needed to be present and have been used to get into the park that day to get the return tickets. At 9:45, the cast members explained to us that 5 minutes later the first 40 people would be walked over to see Anna and Elsa straightaway and that a bit later the remaining people would be escorted over to get return times. I was in the first group, but they must have miscounted, as there were about 10 of us that were redirected to the line to get return time tickets. They started to give those out at 10:00. They had two cast members scanning tickets and one giving out the return tickets. I had mine seconds later. My return time was 10:20.

I figured that this would give me enough time to ride It's A Small World Holiday. I headed in that general direction and came across Captain Hook in the process. He was hanging around by the carousel. There was one couple in the area and they asked me if I could take a photo of them with Captain Hook, which I was happy to do. They offered to take one for me in return.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I then pushed on It's A Small World Holiday. This was a walk on and our boat was not even full. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and managed to get a lot of photos.





























When I got off the ride, my return time window for Anna and Elsa had opened and I headed back there. There was nobody waiting so I was able to go straight in. I had a nice interaction with the two of them and got a bunch of photos.









I headed back towards the hub to check out the information board. What a difference a day makes. Nothing seemed to have a longer waiting time than 20 minutes with many only 5 to 10 minutes. I decided to head over to Big Thunder Mountain first. This has had a major makeover fairly recently and I was very keen to try this out. When I got there, the posted waiting time was 5 minutes. In fairness, that is about as long as it takes to walk from the entrance to the loading dock. There was a train loading when I got there and once that had left, I was directed to a gate. The next train pulled in shortly afterwards and I was on my way. I have always liked this ride, but initially I wondered what all the hype was about. Yes, it may have been a bit smoother, but other than that, I did not spot any differences. This rapidly changed when we got to the explosion seen. This has been completely redone and now has some really neat special effects. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and did consider getting straight back on, but decided against it.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I headed towards Big Thunder Ranch to check out if the Jingle Jangle Jamboree was already open, but that area was still all boarded up. So I dropped back to New Orleans Square. Haunted Mansion Holiday was calling me. As I headed over there, I spotted Tiana near the French Market restaurant. So I stopped to meet her. She did not have a Photopass photographer with her, but her escort was happy to take a photo with my camera.



Once I had said goodbye to Tiana, I went over to Haunted Mansion Holiday. As I walked up, I realized that all was not well. The park was very quiet that morning, but there was absolutely nobody there. This did not feel right. Sure enough, the ride was down. Still, that gave me the opportunity to take some photos without any crowds. I hang around for a little while in the hope that the ride may re-open, but I soon gave up.











As I was walking away, Jack Skellington walked towards the Rivers of America for a meet and greet. I followed him and got in line. This was one of the longer waits that day, but it was still less than 15 minutes. I had a really fun interaction with him.





I then decided to make my way back to the entrance. I had a wander around New Orleans Square and spotted the Lilly Belle as the train pulled into the station. I stopped for a photo and then carried on walking. When I walked past Pirates of the Caribbean the posted wait was 5 minutes. This was too good to pass up. In the end I waited closer to 10 minutes, but that was still great and I enjoyed the ride.





On my way out of the park, I spotted something that I never would have thought possible: the kiosk selling Dole Whips had no line. That was too good to pass up. When I commented on this, the cast member said that it was winter and people don't fancy ice cream that early in the day. It was not that early. It was gone 11:30 and in any case, I can eat ice cream any time of the day or night. I had a Dole Whip Float and found myself a bench near the hub to sit down and enjoy it.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I finally made it over to California Adventure just before midday. As I made my way down Buena Vista Street, I stopped a few times to get some Photopass photos. I also spotted Mickey and Goofy out and about and went to see them and then I spotted Pluto and said "hi" to him. Then I suddenly remembered in a panic that I was going to get a Fastpass for World of Color. I figured that I would be out of luck that late in the day, but decided to head over to Grizzly Peak anyway.















World of Color is my favourite Disney show. I knew that during the holiday season this would be replaced by World of Color Winter Dreams. I was excited about watching this, but I was sad that I would miss the original World of Color. For some reason I figured that it would not run for a couple of days before the change over. So I was delighted that I would get a chance to see this after all. I was even more delighted when I realized that there were still Fastpasses available. I checked with the cast member by the Fastpass machines if the normal World of Color would be shown that evening which he confirmed. I thanked him, got my Fastpass and was on my way.

I next headed to Paradise Pier and stopped on the bridge for some photos. It was sad to see that Duffy's little area has gone and the area outside the shop looks a little bare now. My destination was Toy Story Midway Mania. However, as I approached, there were a lot of cast members by the entrance. This ride had gone down as well.





There was nothing else I wanted to do in this area so I headed over to Carsland instead. There was one thing that I definitely wanted to do. When I had a very brief visit to Disneyland in 2013, I really enjoyed Luigi's Flying Tires. At that time, I waited 45 minutes for that ride. Shortly before we left for this trip, I read that Luigi’s Flying Tires would permanently close this year. So I definitely had to do this again. This time round, the waiting time was 5 minutes. When I got to the loading area, one session had just finished and the next group of people got on. I was in the next group after that. This was a lot of fun again, but unfortunately I never made it back during the rest of the trip.

I figured as I was already in the area, I may as well check out the situation at Radiator Springs Racers. I was not too hopeful that late in the day. The standby line at that point was 90 minutes, but nobody seemed to be heading down the single rider line. I actually thought it may be closed. I asked the cast member near the entrance and he told me to head down. The first time I stopped was on the ramp leading up to the loading dock. Including the time it took me to walk down there, my waiting time was 10 minutes. That was pretty sweet. I love that ride and I was glad that I had the chance to do it at the beginning of the trip. I got another bonus. Immediately before the race part of the ride, there are two differently themed rooms that act as a holding area. When I did this in 2013, I ended up with Ramone's Body Shop both times. This time round I got Luigi's Casa del Tires. This has some rather neat special effects at the end. Our car ended up winning. I claimed my Photopass photo and then I was on my way again.



By then I started to flag a little. However, I stopped a few times on the way to get some Photopass photos. This happened to be a good job. When I got back home, I saw a lot of photos by the Radiator Springs City Hall that did not have a Christmas tree on front. Indeed, I had taken photos in that area in the second part of our Disneyland trip that did not have a Christmas tree. However, when I edited my Photopass photos from this day, I noticed that there were photos with the tree. I am glad that I managed to see the tree before it was taken down for some reason.











I pushed on towards Condor Flats. There was absolutely no way that I could finish my first day at California Adventure without riding my favourite ride Soarin. The standby line was 30 minutes so I headed to the single rider line. This was probably the only time when this did not really pay off. There were already 7 people in front of me and I ended up waiting nearly as long as I would have done in the standby line. Still, it was worth it. I absolutely love this ride and as they are going do major refurbishments on the ride on both coasts, this trip was the last chance to ride it in its original format.

Once I was done, I headed towards the exit. There was one thing that I definitely wanted to do that day however long I had to wait for it and this was meeting Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. I was delighted when I read in summer that Oswald would meet and greet people at California Adventure from September onwards. So on the way out of the park, I went to look for Oswald. He was just outside the Chamber of Commerce with his escort and a Photopass photographer. There were no guests anywhere near. His escort was actually trying to get people to come over. I could not believe my luck. I had some quality time with Oswald.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Eventually the escort had managed to tempt a family over. So I said goodbye to Oswald and headed for the exit. I decided that I may as well quickly head back into Disneyland to see if any of the characters were out in their holiday costumes in Town Square. As I approached the turnstiles, I had a great photo opportunity. The Lilly Belle was just pulling into Main Street station. I stopped and took a few photos and then moved on. I was out of luck as far as characters were concerned. I decided as I was there, I may as well have a quick ride on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. The posted waiting time was 10 minutes, but the actual waiting time was half that. So I ended up doing this twice in a row.





Once I was done, the plan had been to take the monorail back to Downtown Disney and then head back to the hotel. Unfortunately this did not quite work out as planned as the monorail was down. So I headed back towards the exit and then walked up through Downtown Disney. One the way I had a quick look at World of Disney. There was nothing that caught my eye.

I then headed back to the hotel. Graham was already there and was taking a nap. I quickly took some photos of our room and then I went in search of the business centre to do our online check in for the following day. This did not take long and it was a nice surprise that at Paradise Pier the printing of boarding passes is free. At the Grand Californian I had to pay 50 Cent per page. I headed back to the room and we spent some time talking about what we had been up to that day. Graham had brought me back some hand sanitizer, which I put on a cut that I had acquired somehow and that was looking like it was getting infected. We got treated to a lovely sunset and then it was time to head out for dinner.















I had made a reservation for Steakhouse 55 for that evening. We both like a good steak and we had two pretty nice dinners there before. I had heard a while ago that the former executive chef of Club 33 is now in charge of Steakhouse 55. Better still, a couple of weeks before we left for this trip I found out that the famous truffled macaroni cheese that used to be on the Club 33 menu had made an appearance on the menu of Steakhouse 55. So this was a no brainer. We got there a little early and checked in. We were asked to take a seat in the lounge. A couple of tables over was a family with two relatively young children. They were probably 6 and 8. Graham made a comment that he hoped that they would not be seated next to us. I told him that I though it would be OK as in my experience children who would appreciate a restaurant like this would know how to behave. I was right, but also wrong about this.

We were seated soon afterwards. Service left much to be desired that evening. Soon after we were seated, our server brought us water and the menus. Then we did not see him again for ages. It was a good 20 minutes later when somebody else brought us a breadbasket and another 10 minutes or so after this until our server returned to take our order. We both went with the Bone-in Ribeye with Signature "Steakhouse 55" Rub and the truffled macaroni cheese. Then we waited again. In the meantime, the tables around us had been served their appetizers and entrees even though some of them had arrived later than we did. I started to wonder if we would ever get our dinner, but finally somebody else brought it to us. The steak was divine, but the truffled macaroni cheese was not quite as good as I had remembered it although it was still very nice.

This is where I realized that I was both right and wrong about kids and signature restaurants. On the table next to us was a family with a teenage son. He was probably 14 or 15. From the get go it was obvious that he did not really want to be there. He had been complaining about everything and nothing very loudly all meal and shortly after we got our dinner, he got his iPhone out and played some video at full volume without earphones. We just looked at each other and waited if the parents were going to say something, but they did not. I would have thought he was of an age where he did not need electronic devices to get through dinner, but this would have been perfectly fine if he had used earphones. Graham decided to point out to the parents that this is meant to be a signature restaurant and this was not really appropriate. The mother apologized and asked her son to put the iPhone away, but the father was ranting for quite a while. Still, peace was restored and we could finally enjoy our dinner. Those kids that we saw earlier? They sat two tables over and were impeccably behaved.

When we were finished, our server again was nowhere to be found. I started to panic. I had planned to have a dessert, but there was no time for this. We had a clear 3 hours from the time we were seated until I had to be at California Adventure. Not in my wildest nightmares did I think that there was a risk that I would not make this. In the end, it all worked out. Graham headed back to the hotel and I headed down towards the Grand Californian and through the back entrance into California Adventure. I got to the viewing area for my Fastpass about 15 minutes ahead of time. They now have an interactive game that you play on your mobile device while you wait and I decided to give this a go. However, I could not quite figure this out.

Around that time, I realized that all may not be well. There were a couple of announcements that World of Color Winter Dreams would commence shortly. I had not come for World of Color Winter Dreams, but the regular World of Color. So I decided to check with the cast member who was at the entrance of my section. She assured me that they were just doing a rehearsal for Olaf's spiel and that the original World of Color would be shown that evening. So I headed back to my section. I had lost my spot by the railing, but I still got a decent spot. Shortly afterwards the show started and sure enough it was World of Color Winter Dreams. I had actually been quite excited about this before the trip. I am a huge Frozen fan and particularly love Olaf. So I though this would be right up my street, so much so that I had requested this for our VIP tour. Well, it was a huge disappointment. There were some Frozen segments that I enjoyed. I particularly liked Let It Go. The Toy Story version of The Nutcracker went straight over my head. The worst part was the middle, which was essentially Karaoke. I think they would have been better off showing the normal version of World of Color and just adding a couple of Frozen elements. I had the feeling that I wasted 30 minutes of my life.

After the show, I headed back through the Grand Californian to our hotel. Graham was already fast asleep. I quickly put a few odds and ends into my suitcase and then I got ready for bed. The first part of my big birthday trip was over and the next day we would be on our way to Hawaii.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Oh my word I am so super pleased you are back in techno land Apple sound like they really pulled out the stops for you I am delighted. Good customer service! Nice one re you ipod. Your breakfast at Surf's up! What a great selection of characters. Loving Stitch and oh my those cute outfits for Mickey and Minnie. I have never heard or seen Paradise Pier Hotel before I must look it up. I love your t shirt for your birthday and love the sound of the one you spotted for Graham. I hope he buys and finds one in his size later in the TR! But I love the t shirt he has on also at the breakfast. Very cool. Great photos with tink in your hand!

Was it an AP you guys can use at WDW also?

Oh my that tour is amazing thank you for sharing with us. Do you know why Walt's apartment is out if bounds? I would love to see that Dream suite at either DL or WDW. Can you imagine staying there!

Great update. Wonderful photos. Amazing TR. So pleased to have you back online!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Oh I missed the later post about dinner and photos of your hotel room. Also you at California Adventure. Again what wonderful photos of you and the characters. I don't know why but that rabbit character gives me the creeps lol. Shame that some rides were down but good you managed to score some favorites. Your room looks lovely. I love that Mickey lamp. What cute little soft bunnies on the couch. I just love soft toys. I buy loads every vacation if Jo will let me have the luggage space. Nice big bathroom.

The service doesn't sound impressive at dinner and if I had kids no way would they be allowed to use iphones etc at the dinner table. Just rude. Glad you made the show in the evening. What a let down though the Frozen added items. But sounds like a great day.

 

[tiggrbaby]

You managed to accomplish a lot in one day once again! I'm sorry that your evening did not turn out as well as you had hoped.

Looking forward to Hawaii!

 

[franandaj]

Another very full day with lots of Character interaction!

We need to visit Steakhouse 55 and eat off the regular menu again, they have some tasty new choices now that Marcel has had time to settle in there!

Onward to Hawaii!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Oh my word I am so super pleased you are back in techno land Apple sound like they really pulled out the stops for you I am delighted. Good customer service! Nice one re you ipod. Your breakfast at Surf's up! What a great selection of characters. Loving Stitch and oh my those cute outfits for Mickey and Minnie. I have never heard or seen Paradise Pier Hotel before I must look it up. I love your t shirt for your birthday and love the sound of the one you spotted for Graham. I hope he buys and finds one in his size later in the TR! But I love the t shirt he has on also at the breakfast. Very cool. Great photos with tink in your hand!

Was it an AP you guys can use at WDW also?

Oh my that tour is amazing thank you for sharing with us. Do you know why Walt's apartment is out if bounds? I would love to see that Dream suite at either DL or WDW. Can you imagine staying there!

Great update. Wonderful photos. Amazing TR. So pleased to have you back online!

I am definitely glad to be properly back in the world of online. It is amazing just how much I have come to rely on my computer.

The Surf's Up breakfast is a real gem. This is probably my favourite character meal anywhere in the world.

Paradise Pier is a nice hotel. It is the best value of the three onsite hotels at Disneyland. I really love the understated theming. It is kind of a cross between the theming of Beach Club and Bay Lake Tower.

Graham did end up with the Grumpy Christmas t-shirt. The one he wore for breakfast is one he got in 2011 when he went to Mickey's Halloween Party with me.

The annual pass is only for Disneyland, but it ended up being cheaper then getting park hoppers for the amount of days that I needed. I am also in the planning stages of a sneaky Halloween season trip so that I can enjoy some of the 60th anniversary celebrations as well.

The Dream Suite is literally a dream. The reason why Walt Disney's apartment was out of bounds is that it was in the process of being refurbished.

Oh I missed the later post about dinner and photos of your hotel room. Also you at California Adventure. Again what wonderful photos of you and the characters. I don't know why but that rabbit character gives me the creeps lol. Shame that some rides were down but good you managed to score some favorites. Your room looks lovely. I love that Mickey lamp. What cute little soft bunnies on the couch. I just love soft toys. I buy loads every vacation if Jo will let me have the luggage space. Nice big bathroom.

The service doesn't sound impressive at dinner and if I had kids no way would they be allowed to use iphones etc at the dinner table. Just rude. Glad you made the show in the evening. What a let down though the Frozen added items. But sounds like a great day.

I love Oswald. He is a great character and of course very significant from a historical point of view. Those bunnies travel everywhere with us. I acquired a few new fury friends as well as the trip went on.

Service was awful that evening and unfortunately the show was not any better. I really hope that they are doing a better job with World of Color - Celebrate!, which they will show for the 60th anniversary.

You managed to accomplish a lot in one day once again! I'm sorry that your evening did not turn out as well as you had hoped.

Looking forward to Hawaii!

It was one very busy, but hugely enjoyable day apart from the set backs in the evening. Still, they did not spoil the day. The next update will be start of the Hawaii trip.

Another very full day with lots of Character interaction!

We need to visit Steakhouse 55 and eat off the regular menu again, they have some tasty new choices now that Marcel has had time to settle in there!

Onward to Hawaii!

I have to be honest, after the awful service that we had that evening, I am not sure if we will be back to Steakhouse 55.

Corinna

 

[PrincessInOz]

What great character pictures you got. Love the Oswald ones!
You also got a lot of rides in. Well done!

Shame that you didn't enjoy your time at Steakhouse 55.