Birthday festival trip report (1/9-11). Update thru day 3 partial. Pics included

[Eeyore11081]

DW and I just returned from what has become an annual January trip from Arizona to the magical DLR. For the second consecutive year, we have timed the event to coincide with DW's birthday. One of the things that stood out to me this trip, more so than any previous one, was the steady stream of "Happy Birthday!" that DW got from seemingly everyone wearing a cast member badge all three days of the trip. What struck me was not only the frequency of the birthday wishes, but instead the sincerity of the CM's...you'd think someone showing up with a birthday button was a unique occasion that happens once a month rather than hundreds of times a day every single day! This aspect of the trip was so special that we could hardly imagine going back any time other than DW's birthday (though there are certain special seasons like early Christmas during which we would eventually like to visit without a doubt).

Now on with the recap...

Trip began on January 9 with an early AM departure. We left our house approximately 7:30AM and were on the ground waiting for the shuttle at LAX by 9:40AM. As much as we would like to get back to WDW at some point, this aspect of the trip is unbeatable. Because the Disneyland Express (insert coupon link) runs on the :30, every hour for the first few hours of the day, we expected to get on the 10:30 bus.

During our wait an enterprising shuttle driver named Gino who promised to take us to DLR immediately instead of us waiting for another 45 minutes or so for the Disneyland Express. At first I was a bit cautious since, honestly, it seemed like a shady operation...getting in a beat up van with some random guy named Gino evokes images of some mafia movie. However, I did agree to let Gino take us to DLR and was rewarded with a smooth 35 minute trip that got us to DLH before 11AM. I guess I am just paranoid.

This was our first time staying at the DLH and our second time staying on property (last year we stayed at PPH). We were greeted outside by some remaining holiday decorations and holiday music in the lobby. It was a pleasant surprise to get some of the holiday flavor of the DLR without the holiday crowds and prices.

Because the DLH rates are relatively modest at this time of year, I opted for the upper level/park view premium option when booking. However, when we checked in I was informed by the cast member that we would be facing the interior of the DLH property, rather than the Downtown Disney side.

I asked if we could be relocated to a Downtown Disney view, but was then told, "No problem but I would have to move you out of your newly renovated room." My immediate reply was "Forget I even asked. We'll keep the new room!" (note our new friend Blaze in the picture below)

After checking in it was off to DCA! We were quite hungry at this point, having been at an open house the night before with little more than finger food and having spent much of our early morning time at home saying goodbye to our kittens. However, when you get to DCA, sustenance takes a back seat to riding on Soarin', especially when you can basically walk onto the ride. Yes, the crowd was that light at 11AM on Saturday at DCA.

Our dining location of choice was the Boudin Bakery. If there was any negative part about the trip it was the quality of DW's meal here. I ordered the Clam Chowder in the bread bowl and the bread was very good as always (though not quite as fresh as I had hoped). The chowder was good but not spectacular. However, DW said the bread (not sourdough, BTW) on her roast beef sandwich was ghastly. In an effort to eat healthy before our planned feasts at Goofy's and Stitch's (I still call it Stitch's), her strategy was to eat light and healthy. Unfortunately, the strategy backfired slightly, but such a small setback was not enough to dampen our spirits.

One of the themes of this trip was discovering characters that we had never met before. The only thing I like more than seeing other people's obscure character photos is getting some of my own photos. The first characters that we saw after lunch was Mulan and Mushu by the oriental restaurant.

Back to the narrative...Last year we did not go on Toy Story due to the nearly hour long lines. This year with three days planned in the parks (our longest visit ever), we knew our chances were good to finally see what all the hype is about. We eventually did get on the ride after a 30 minute wait, which turned out to be our longest wait of the trip by far.

Speaking of Toy Story, here's one from last year that I didn't post before...

From Toy Story we did a quick ride on the Sun Wheel and then headed over to see the Genie, um...I mean Aladdin show. For some reason that I can't quite identify, I thought this was the best Aladdin performance that I have seen. Genie is wilder than ever.

From Aladdin, it was off to visit another big blue character (Sully) with a quick ride on Monsters. Here's a pic with Sully from last year; I didn't post a report last year so I might as well get some mileage out of these photos!

DCA was a popular character spot for all three days, with Mickey, Goofy, and Stitch all holding court as we prepared to exit the park. Although we are disappointed to see Stitch removed from the breakfast title at PPH, it was good to see him getting some exposure at DCA.

Speaking of Goofy, he's a dog that wears many hats!

Our next stop was at the Flag Retreat Ceremony, which is one of our favorite things at DLR. I have heard the rumors that the ceremony might be discontinued, which would be a shame. Interestingly, the Disneyland Band was joined by the Dapper Dans to provide the music. I had never seen both groups together before this time. I had seen each group individually, but I had never seen both at the same ceremony. Also one of our favorite things is the Pixar Play Parade, which we viewed right after the flag ceremony from a spot near the park entrance.

After the parade and some shopping it was off to search for more sustenance in the form of dinner at Storyteller's in GCH. We have been to the character breakfast there once and were pleased with both the setting and food quality. For this meal, the dinner food was pretty good, but the selection could have been a little better. Additionally, the waitress must have left her magic at home because her service was a bit lacking and she did nothing for DW’s birthday (event though it was clearly noted). Not a big deal, but it would have been had this been a character meal. Nevertheless, before exiting the hotel, we had the opportunity to snap a quick photo with the giant Christmas tree in the lobby.

One theme that has remained constant for previous January visits was nighttime COLD. Regardless of what thermometer reads and no matter how much clothing we seemed to bring, there was never escaping a feeling of cold when darkness set in. For this trip we came prepared and brought some of our warmest technical winter apparel. We made a quick visit back to the hotel to don this clothing. There is often discussion on these boards about how close the hotels are. We found the location to be very convenient for clothing stops such as these. Granted, we don't have any young'ns tagging along, but not once did we consider the walk between DLH and the parks to be a major inconvenience.

Our first order of business after returning to the park was to ride Pirates. DW especially enjoys this ride at night, since it goes well with the setting outside when the sun is down. From there it was off for a quick ride on Pooh, which served as a good excuse to patronize the bakery adjacent. By this time it was time for the fireworks, which were spectacular as usual. Unfortunately we didn’t pick the best viewing spot (partially obstructed tree view by the Annual Pass center), but with another viewing opportunity ahead next evening, we weren’t going to fret about such a minor detail. This was our first time with more than three days slated for DLR, so it certainly allowed for more relaxed park viewing than some of our one day park visits where we had to cram everything into a small period of time.

After the fireworks, we headed back to Fantasyland to explore the possibility of a few extra rides, such as Peter Pan and Storybook Canal, which oddly, we had never ridden before. Crowds were a bit heavier than we liked, so we decided to simply enjoy the walk, and head back to the hotel.

When going back to the hotel, we had hoped in the back of our mind that Mousekeeping would provide a treat for DW’s birthday like they did last year at PPH.

Unfortunately, it was not to be (nor would it happen tomorrow). I would say our sprits were high but I was too tired to remember. At this point (close to 11PM pacific; midnight mountain) we were so tired that all we could think about was getting rest for a big day on 1/10, which is DW’s actual birthday.

Thanks for reading. Day 2 forthcoming...

 

[DisneyJenn18]

thanks for posting pics of the newly rennovated rooms at DH, they look great!!

Looking forward to reading more

 

[Hawleys]

Loving your TR! Please post more. The red and blue matching Mickey shirts are super cute.

 

[Eeyore11081]

(Note: the Day 2 recap is getting pretty long, so I will post in two installments)

Day 2 (Sunday) was the centerpiece of this trip, as not only was this day DW's actual birthday (1/10), it was the only day of the trip that we spent entirely on DLR property. Nothing like getting up and going to sleep without having to set foot in the "real world"! Additionally, this was the day that our beloved Baltimore Ravens were to meet the vaunted New England Patriots in the first round of the NFL playoffs (more on that later...hoorah for ESPN Zone).

As guests of the DLH hotel, we were able to take advantage of the Magic Morning Hours that were to begin at 8AM for DLP. While this perk was undoubtedly a welcome benefit that we enjoyed, it was mildly bittersweet in that we would have to forgo the character breakfast at Storyteller's, which we thoroughly enjoyed during our previous visit. You might ask "why not tomorrow, instead?" Well, DW is a HUGE Stitch fan, so nothing was going to keep us away from Stitch on Monday morning, which was to be our final day of the trip and the only other time for a character breakfast.

Just a quick note about the coffee situation (VERY important to DW)....I had read that the coffee shop in DLH can get pretty busy, and that is definitely true even at 7AM. I ran down to get some coffee for DW while she was in the shower and had to wait in a reasonable length line (maybe 4-5 people). I mention this not as a comment on how long I had to wait, which wasn't a big deal at all, but instead as a note to others that if there is a steady line of 4-5 people at 7AM during the off-season, be aware that things could probably get busy during peak season...

Back to our trip. Upon entering the park, we were greeted by a cast of characters that included Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale, along with Mickey posing with Pluto (we haven't seen that combination before, as Mickey seems to usually pose with Minnie)...

The Magic Morning Hours proved to be a godsend. While the crowds at all times during this trip were relatively modest by DLR, nothing could compare to the ease of park navigation during the early morning. Here are a few pics taken in the first hour after the park's opening. The crowds were so light that I commented to DW that it was almost "unsettling" to see the park this empty during daylight hours.

Our first ride was Peter Pan. Since we didn't get to the park immediately at 8AM, we had a brief wait of approximately five minutes before riding. Pan doesn't have a FastPass option and ALWAYS seems crowded, so this ride was naturally the first priority of the morning. Because of the pending football game with a kickoff of 10:15 Pacific Time, we had a deadline of approximately 10:00 for our early morning park activities.

Did I mention that Magic Morning is a godsend? During the next hour and a half (about 8:30 to 10) we were able to ride Small World, Big Thunder Railroad, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Alice, and Dumbo. And no, we weren't playing "park commando" hustling from ride to ride trying to jam as much as possible into a short time. The crowds were so light that we casually walked from ride to ride with virtually no wait. In fact, at Splash Mountain and Small World we could have stayed in our vehicles and ridden again if we wanted. If you have Magic Morning Hours and don't want to wait, don't let the privilege go to waste!

Around 10AM, it finally came time for us to head to ESPN Zone for the big game and our first real food of the day. However, on the way out of DLP, we couldn't resist snapping a couple of photos with characters that we had never met before, including Pinocchio and Cruela

At ESPN Zone we were fortunate to snag one of the comfy booths that had both a personal screen and a clear view of the big screen without having to turn your head. Even more fortunate was seeing a 14-0 Baltimore lead upon our arrival! Regarding the food, I must say we were pleasantly surprised. For main courses, I ordered a burger and DW ordered the chicken wrap, both of which exceeded our expectations in terms of quality.

Our great day got even better as the Ravens closed out the victory and moved on to the next round of the playoffs (but unfortunately lost this past weekend to Indy). I must say, I didn't expect quite the level of crowd support the Baltimore Ravens had inside the Anaheim ESPN Zone, but if you ask many football fans who their SECOND favorite team is, they will tell you "Whoever is playing against the Patriots!" At any rate, we enjoyed the exciting victory shared with many Baltimore "fans for a day" and were ready to get on with the rest of DW's birthday fest. Since the food at ESPN Zone was more plentiful than we had expected, we changed our original 5:00PM Goofy's reservation to something around 7:30PM. We probably didn't NEED ADR's for either of those times, but I always like to be prepared for the restaurants.

One of the benefits of staying multiple days on property is that you have some extra time to look around and smell the roses without having to cram as many attractions into a one day trip. After the game we took some time to explore the DLH hotel. I wish I had more pics to share from the DLH, but we encountered so many unexpected characters on this trip that we had to erase some of our non-character photos to make room on the final day. Memo for next time: Bring extra photo card...

After about an hour or so at the DLH, it was time to get back to the parks. We chose to take a ride on the monorail, since we hadn't seen much of Futureland yet. When we arrived back at the park, the crowds were a bit heavy (but not horrible), so we were limited to some less busy attractions including Buzz Lightyear, Tiki Room, Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-thru, and Mr. Lincoln. We also used this time to browse the shops and determine where some of our Disney Visa Dollars would go. These attractions, though certainly not the pinnacle of any trip, were a very enjoyable way to fill the 'crowded' time in the parks without having to wait in lines.

Our next event was to watch the new Celebrate! parade during the mid-afternoon. We had never seen this parade before, so we positioned ourselves in the Town Square, since the crowds were fairly modest there and we had watched other parades from that vantage point. While this may have been a good viewing spot to see the end of the traditional parades that run continuously down Main Street and straight into one of the Town Square exits, we didn't realize the "parade" was actually a moving show that simply performed at three different locations. Ooops! Rookie mistake on my part. While we could see and hear basically what was going on during the parade, were certainly missed the full immersion experience of sight and sound. Fortunately, because we had already accomplished so much of our basic "to-do" list, we knew that we could return for the 7PM showing in a better viewing spot without having to cannibalize any major part of our itinerary.

Because DW loves the Pixar Play Parade so much, we headed back to DCA for our second viewing of the parade in as many days. We had some free time to use, so in addition to browsing more shops we paid a visit to Blue Sky Cellar to refresh our memories as to what changes are planned to DCA in the coming years. Presently, if you go on the Sun Wheel you can see significant work being done on both the Little Mermaid ride and Cars Land. On a similar construction note, the center of Hollywood Blvd was barricaded for what I would presume is the installation of the trolley tracks. Hollywood Blvd was still open to foot traffic, but only on the sidewalks.

One more construction note regarding DLH. I have read many questions on these boards regarding the DLH renovation project with regard to noise, clutter, and the like. Since our primary visit dates were on the weekend, there was no active construction work being done on the hotel. Certainly there were safety barricades around the active areas, but with the knowledge that these were only temporary additions to aid the long term improvement process of the resort, I didn't feel these presented an eyesore in any way. We did notice a greater level of activity around the hotel prior to our departure on Monday, but again, it was nothing that would seem to detract from the quality of a stay on the DLH property.

Thanks for reading. I'm excited to share our dinner pictures from Goofy's in part 2 of Day 2.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Enjoying your report! Wow, your Magic Morning sounded (and looked) wonderful. Love those uncluttered shots with your DW.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Great report!.

Jack

 

[Eeyore11081]

Resuming with part two of Day 2. Thanks to all for reading so far...

We picked out what was for us a different viewing spot for the Pixar Parade just outside the Blue Sky Cellar. This elevated vantage point placed us on a level close to the parade's aerial performers. We have seen the parade numerous times right up front, so it was an interesting change in perspective. Perhaps the highlight of the parade for me was when one of the bouncy feet guys who trails the Incredibles float called out "Go Ravens" as I was still in "uniform" after the win.

After the Parade, we had some time in between our planned second viewing of the Celebrate! parade/street party. We used this time to visit A Bug's Life and then Disney Animation, two of the more underrated attractions in the parks, in my opinion. We then made our way back to DLP and staked out a good location on Main Street for Celebrate!. One of the nice things about this "parade" is that your experience can be quite different every single time based on where you are positioned.

From Celebrate! it was then time for DW's big birthday dinner at Goofy's. You may recall from earlier in this post that originally we had planned on 5:00 PM, but due to being served more food than expected at ESPN Zone we pushed dinner back until after 7:30. Note those times...I have become a huge believer in attending character meals at the most off-peak times possible, as it can make-or-break the quality of your dining and character interaction experience. I have read a few horror stories on these boards about families having poor character interaction during busy times. However, one thing I have noticed at Goofy's from our previous visit, this visit, and the accounts of others, is that they sometimes flood the place with characters so even in a crowded restaurant there are often plenty of characters to go around.

Excess crowds were not a worry on this evening as we entered a relatively empty restaurant around 7:45 PM. The food was good, as expected, with my personal favorite peanut butter and jelly pizza. Of course, the dessert area is perhaps one of the best in either DLR or WDW. The main course section was actually quite similar to the previous night's offerings at Storyteller's with a few extra choices. Nothing spectacular, but I have no real criticisms either. However, the mozzarella and tomato plate at the salad bar was a very nice touch.

By far the most special part of this meal was the character interaction. As I alluded to before, you know you are set up for a great experience when you have approximately as many characters as you have occupied tables. The character roster for the evening included......

Goofy (I posted the picture below previously)

Minnie

Chip

Dale (he didn't care for the Goofy hat...)

Belle

and Jasmine (note...I think Goofy was doing something in the background to make DW laugh hysterically for this pic)

Pluto was also there but we didn't get any solo pics with him...but that would change tomorrow!.

One of the tables near us had a family with a young girl (approximately 3yo) who was celebrating her birthday. She was enamored with all the Disney princesses and because the restaurant was pretty empty by 8:30, Belle came over and spent some time with her. Shortly thereafter, the ENTIRE on-stage character ensemble came over the wish her happy birthday. Since we knew that being in the company of this many characters simultaneously was an extremely rare treat, we decided to join in the fun and ask for some pictures of our own. I've been eagerly waiting to share these pics, because this seemed like a once-in-a-decade, if not lifetime, photo-op...

Alas, we couldn't stick around forever as the fireworks show was looming and we again needed to don our arctic clothing for the sometimes chilly Anaheim evenings. Unlike the previous night, we found a much better fireworks viewing spot, which was far easier to secure due to somewhat lighter crowds...not surprising, since it was Sunday night as opposed to Saturday night. Today, it seemed like a significant portion of the crowds (locals, I would gather) departed around 4-5 PM. After the fireworks, we again paid a nighttime visit to Pirates, FINALLY rode the Storybook Canal boats for the very first time, and then paid a visit to Buzz Lightyear. By this time we decided to end our time in the park and pay a visit to one of our favorite attractions, the World of Disney Store, to 'adopt' Blaze as a new member of the family.

 

[Eeyore11081]

Thanks to all for reading up to this point. The final day of a Disney trip is always a bittersweet time, but our disappointment at having to conclude our stay was somewhat mitigated by the knowledge that we had our longest trip ever at DLR.

First order of business was a meeting with our good friend Stitch at Paradise Pier hotel for the character breakfast that once carried Stitch's name, but now carries the name of Mickey Mouse. This meal was to be our fourth time visiting Stitch at PPH, including one visit that we made during a non-Disney trip!

We had an 8:00AM ADR that we suspected should be fine from a crowd standpoint on a Monday morning. However, because the walk from DLH to PPH was shorter than it appeared, we actually arrived sometime around 7:45. As expected the restaurant attendance was relatively light with approximately three or four parties in the entire place.

Now, I have a hard time finding any 'problems' with the way DLR is run since it is as close to Utopia as you can get in this world, but if there is any serious critique that I have it is that ritual photo taken before entering many of the character dining establishments. They take perfectly good pictures, but since we (and presumably 99% of other guests) have loads of our own photos as well as other Photopass shots from other places, the last thing we need is to have a cast member come up to us and try to sell a $30 photo set in the middle of the meal. Not a serious complaint, but after several meals over the years it has become a forced and awkward ritual. I get the whole "bring a photo of Mickey to the table and hope that DD begs parents to drop another $30 on a pic that we could take on our own camera and print for $0.10 at Walgreen's or CVS", but the ritual does get old after a while. Needless to say, we didn't buy the token photo with Mikey taken upon entry to the restaurant.

Sorry for the rant...back to positive vibes...As any DIS veteran will tell you, WHEN you attend the parks will often determine the quality of your experience. The same concept does apply on a micro level when talking about the restaurants. I made that observation when talking about Goofy's and it bears repeating in the context of this meal. Our previous visits to Stitch/PPH hotel have been some of our greatest memories from our DLR trips, as we have always been able to visit before 8:00AM and had a nearly personal audience with Stitch. This trip was no different.

Early in the meal we had a chance to meet our good friend Stitch, who was jumping all over the room as usual.
Of course, Pluto was at his best this morning doing whatever he could to cause mischief. We wanted to spend some more time with Stitch, but he had to run off to do a brief surfing clinic on the other side of the room.

However, when the surfing concluded we called Stitch over for a serious conversation expressing our unhappiness that he was no longer the title character for the breakfast. He completely agreed with our perspective, but seemed appreciative to still be part of the cast there. I also asked him why Angel wasn't there (he responded with a crying motion); where he parked the Big Red Battleship (he said tied up to the bike rack in the back of the hotel); and told him that we watch him nearly every morning and Disney channel and they better not cut his show from the lineup (he appreciated our support). One of the best things about meeting Stitch (which may be hard to describe through words), is the sense of Stitch warming up to us ever more after we showed that we are serious Stitch fans through our series of questions and comments to him. Stitch also agreed to pose with "our" Stitch, who happened to be quite the popular figure among the characters.

We then returned to the hotel to do our final packing and sadly check out of our DLH hotel room. A small bright spot in this process was the convenience of leaving our bags with the front desk (at no cost) so we could enjoy a nearly full day in the parks before our evening departure. This service, combined with the direct Disneyland Express service from DLH to LAX allowed us to take full advantage of our limited hours.

Our first stop once arriving at the parks was to visit Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Surprisingly, we were first in line upon our arrival and there was only one group behind us when our time came to meet the Princess and the Prince. However the line got much bigger later in the day when we passed by. Fortunately, there seemed to be ample visitation hours here, though DW loved the movie so much that she made a visit to Tiana our number one priority of the morning.

Since the crowds were rather light at this time, we used the opportunity to take another flight with Peter Pan (can't seem to get enough of that ride) before finally getting to ride Matterhorn and Space Mountain. When walking through the Space Mountain queue area, I simply could not fathom dealing with the summer crowds and waiting in that queue area that seems to extend for half a mile. On this day with light crowds we were able to walk right into the loading area and had maybe a 5-7 minute wait at most. I think we spent more time walking through the queue area than we did waiting in the actual line!

During today's visit, we also met some new characters that we hadn't seen before, including the Mad Hatter, Fairy Godmother, Mary Poppins, and Hook. (Note, Mary was a bit grouchy...not the welcoming sort that we met at the Grand Floridian...it was actually kind of funny).

To be concluded (thanks for reading)....