8lovesmickey
Down at the Laughing Place is where I'll be!
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
- Messages
- 442
We're Baaaack!
Just wanted to report on a few things while they're fresh in my mind. First the basics-
-Four grown-up friends - three AP holders & one not
-Three nights (arrived 1/23 and left 1/26)
-Grand Californian Hotel
-Goal: Escape reality and have some fun together!!
Mission: Accomplished
In an effort to end on a high note I will start with the not-so-good.
1. TONS of closures. I knew about them ahead of time (but not when we booked 5 months ago), but it was still kind of sad. At DCA the entire Grizzly River Run side was closed - including Grizzly, Soarin' and the adventure trail. There was also no World of Color (and the 'lake' was empty so it looked very industrial). At Disneyland, the whole section by Splash was walled off - including Splash, Pooh, and the food carts. There was also no Matterhorn. At the hotel, the Storyteller's Cafe was closed. At different times, we also ran in to 'technical difficulties' at Autopia, Tower of Terror, and Radiator Springs Racers.
2. The DCA back entrance - because of the above mentioned construction, when we used the back entrance from the Grand, we could only turn right because of a giant construction wall. That meant that if we were trying to get to the main street or even Cars Land, it was much easier to go through Downtown Disney. That seemed to negate one of the main advantages of the Grand.
3. The shopping - two of the things I really wanted to buy weren't in stock. The CM's said there was a dockworkers strike and they were having trouble keeping some things on the shelves.
4. No fireworks - they were cancelled due to "prevailing upper level winds." That was a bummer.
5. The measles. Even though I had the disease as a kid, (yes, I'm old) I found myself being a little paranoid and using the anti-bacterial wipes constantly!
Now for the Good -- and there was a ton.
1. The weather. It was in the 70s and 80s all weekend. We had some quality pool time and were never too cold or too hot. I'm sure there's some luck involved there, but it was amazing nonetheless.
2. The service. We had great service everywhere we went, from the hotel to the restaurants to all the rides and shops.
3. The Fantasmic seating. Even though it was pricey ($61 each), the dinner at the Blue Bayou was great and the viewing site was fabulous. AND we got to actually sit (with our "free" seat cushions), so that was a great bonus over standing for an hour like we used to do. Honestly I had heard horror stories about the Blue Bayou but we found it to be darn good. The cheddar biscuits were great and plentiful, the salad was delicious, there were six entrees to choose from (I had jambalaya and it was excellent), and the dessert was yummy. It was definitely darker in there than I would have liked, but our server was awesome and overall it was worth it.
4. The extra magic hours / moderate crowds. On Saturday we got 5 rides in between 8:00 and 9:00 am at DL. The rest of the day we used a touring plan and got everything in we wanted with no more than 15 minutes of waiting on anything. On Sunday, we did all of the following before 9 a.m. (EMH were from 7 - 8): 2 Rides on Radiator Springs Racers, a ride on Mater, Luigi's tires, Little Mermaid, California Screamin' and Toy Story. All that and we were at the pool by 9:30!! Then we went back to the park for lunch, shows, etc., (and fastpassed T of T). On Monday we had to head to the airport by 11, but EMH at DCA was from 9 - 10 and during that time we rode everything on the Pier (roller coaster, carousel, Toy Story, ferris wheel, swings, zephyr and Goofy's Sky School). We got SO MUCH in in two full days and parts of a 3rd.
5. The food! We had an amazing lunch at Carthay, the above mentioned Blue Bayou, and I finally got to try the Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. We also had dinner on Saturday night at Tortilla Jo's - it was great Mexican food (American-ized), amazing service, and great margaritas too!
6. The laughs -- it's always great to hang out with friends, and hanging out at Disneyland is even better!
Those are the basics. Thanks for reading
Just wanted to report on a few things while they're fresh in my mind. First the basics-
-Four grown-up friends - three AP holders & one not
-Three nights (arrived 1/23 and left 1/26)
-Grand Californian Hotel
-Goal: Escape reality and have some fun together!!
Mission: Accomplished
In an effort to end on a high note I will start with the not-so-good.
1. TONS of closures. I knew about them ahead of time (but not when we booked 5 months ago), but it was still kind of sad. At DCA the entire Grizzly River Run side was closed - including Grizzly, Soarin' and the adventure trail. There was also no World of Color (and the 'lake' was empty so it looked very industrial). At Disneyland, the whole section by Splash was walled off - including Splash, Pooh, and the food carts. There was also no Matterhorn. At the hotel, the Storyteller's Cafe was closed. At different times, we also ran in to 'technical difficulties' at Autopia, Tower of Terror, and Radiator Springs Racers.
2. The DCA back entrance - because of the above mentioned construction, when we used the back entrance from the Grand, we could only turn right because of a giant construction wall. That meant that if we were trying to get to the main street or even Cars Land, it was much easier to go through Downtown Disney. That seemed to negate one of the main advantages of the Grand.
3. The shopping - two of the things I really wanted to buy weren't in stock. The CM's said there was a dockworkers strike and they were having trouble keeping some things on the shelves.
4. No fireworks - they were cancelled due to "prevailing upper level winds." That was a bummer.
5. The measles. Even though I had the disease as a kid, (yes, I'm old) I found myself being a little paranoid and using the anti-bacterial wipes constantly!
Now for the Good -- and there was a ton.
1. The weather. It was in the 70s and 80s all weekend. We had some quality pool time and were never too cold or too hot. I'm sure there's some luck involved there, but it was amazing nonetheless.
2. The service. We had great service everywhere we went, from the hotel to the restaurants to all the rides and shops.
3. The Fantasmic seating. Even though it was pricey ($61 each), the dinner at the Blue Bayou was great and the viewing site was fabulous. AND we got to actually sit (with our "free" seat cushions), so that was a great bonus over standing for an hour like we used to do. Honestly I had heard horror stories about the Blue Bayou but we found it to be darn good. The cheddar biscuits were great and plentiful, the salad was delicious, there were six entrees to choose from (I had jambalaya and it was excellent), and the dessert was yummy. It was definitely darker in there than I would have liked, but our server was awesome and overall it was worth it.
4. The extra magic hours / moderate crowds. On Saturday we got 5 rides in between 8:00 and 9:00 am at DL. The rest of the day we used a touring plan and got everything in we wanted with no more than 15 minutes of waiting on anything. On Sunday, we did all of the following before 9 a.m. (EMH were from 7 - 8): 2 Rides on Radiator Springs Racers, a ride on Mater, Luigi's tires, Little Mermaid, California Screamin' and Toy Story. All that and we were at the pool by 9:30!! Then we went back to the park for lunch, shows, etc., (and fastpassed T of T). On Monday we had to head to the airport by 11, but EMH at DCA was from 9 - 10 and during that time we rode everything on the Pier (roller coaster, carousel, Toy Story, ferris wheel, swings, zephyr and Goofy's Sky School). We got SO MUCH in in two full days and parts of a 3rd.
5. The food! We had an amazing lunch at Carthay, the above mentioned Blue Bayou, and I finally got to try the Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. We also had dinner on Saturday night at Tortilla Jo's - it was great Mexican food (American-ized), amazing service, and great margaritas too!
6. The laughs -- it's always great to hang out with friends, and hanging out at Disneyland is even better!
Those are the basics. Thanks for reading
