Bring Back HYPERSPACE Mountain! Sept 2016 TR - NEW 3/17 COMPLETED! THE END!

[chunkymonkey]

We did the bakery tour for the first this last trip. DD loved the samples so much we had to buy sourdough bread once we were home!

I was totally tempted to buy an entire boule of sourdough bread when we were there but I refrained as we weren't hungry enough between our large meals to eat it.

Wait, there are free chocolate samples???? How did I not know this???? Definitely next time!

There was always someone standing outside the Ghiradelli shop with a basket of chocolates. Think ours was a sea salt caramel chocolate.

I enjoyed your pictures at Ariel's Grotto. Although my kids are too old for princesses, the food and location looks awesome!

Haha I know we are WAAAAAAY too old for princesses and I'm sure DH would rather be riding TSM again, but I just couldn't resist! My sister especially is really into wearing her princess dresses and meeting them. I think they need adult BBB just for her. Yes she is in her mid-30s. LOL

and I am totally jealous of your trip to Hawaii, especially as central PA is getting all dark and gloomy. I do NOT want snow this winter....I just might have to hibernate.

It was sooo amazing. I am re-reading your TR to Hawaii....sigh it really brings back memories. It's pouring rain here in NYC and it's dark and gloomy...blech. I can't wait to share pics of our trip on my PTR! I'm so behind on everything. And we leave for WDW this Friday! I hope it's warm!

You had asked me earlier about scrapbooking getaways....I usually go to ones through a Creative Memories consultant. The one I'm going to in March is in Carlisle.

Neat! I will definitely have to tell my sister about this!

 

[franandaj]

The princess meal looked like fun! Someday I'll have to try that, there are just so many other things that are higher up on my list and never enough time!

You'll be happy to know that Hyperspace mountain. Is back. I was able to ride it yesterday!

 

[chunkymonkey]

The princess meal looked like fun! Someday I'll have to try
that, there are just so many other things that are higher up on my list and never enough time!

You'll be happy to know that Hyperspace mountain. Is back. I was able to ride it yesterday!

It's a fun lunch, food was not bad, but I don't see this as a must-do on every trip. I don't really do a princess meal on each trip but I know for sure when I take my nieces to WDW next year it's gonna be princess this and princess that!

I AM SO JEALOUS!!!!!! Oh what I would give to ride it again!
But considering I'm spending all my travel money next year with our WDW trips, it will have to wait

 

[caitlinnf]

LOVING this report. We will be there in 6 weeks and I can't wait!

 

[magichusky]

Finally caught up! What a great TR! I showed my mom your excellent photos of the WOC dessert party and now we're kind of obsessed- she still has not ever seen WOC. I'm also now craving sourdough bread!

 

[pepperandchips]

So glad I found your TR! We are planning a trip next summer visiting Aulani, Kauai, and Disneyland so you are the knowledge jackpot! Disneyland looks like it was so much fun and now I wish the next 7 months would pass faster. It's definitely a different experience planning Disneyland than our usual WDW since there's really nothing to plan this far out!

 

[chunkymonkey]

LOVING this report. We will be there in 6 weeks and I can't wait!

thank you! I'm so jealous! Have a great time. I NEED to ride Hyperspace mountain again. In fact, I was just in WDW this past weekend and I didn't ride Space Mountain once. It just did not appeal to me after Hyperspace mountain!

Finally caught up! What a great TR! I showed my mom your excellent photos of the WOC dessert party and now we're kind of obsessed- she still has not ever seen WOC. I'm also now craving sourdough bread!

Thank you! The WOC dessert party was awesome. It's so nice to have table service and seats. In contrast, we just went to the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam party this past weekend at Hollywood Studios and it was a madhouse - people lining up for food and drinks. Sigh. At least there were seats but since it was only DH and I we had to share with some others.
The sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery is soooo good! I don't get anything like that out here. I miss it!

So glad I found your TR! We are planning a trip next summer visiting Aulani, Kauai, and Disneyland so you are the knowledge jackpot! Disneyland looks like it was so much fun and now I wish the next 7 months would pass faster. It's definitely a different experience planning Disneyland than our usual WDW since there's really nothing to plan this far out!

Hi!!! Yes we love Hawaii and Disney! I have an Aulani TR here from our trip a few years ago. I'm sure things have changed a bit since then though. I have also posted some pictures from our recent Hawaii trip in my PTR in case you're interested. I love Oahu and think it's great. Kauai is wonderful as well. I spent my birthday there last year and it literally is the most gorgeous island. It sounds like an epic trip and I hope you have an amazing time!!

 

[cptmemo]

Reading your lunch report I realize we never got the bread So sad

 

[chunkymonkey]

Reading your lunch report I realize we never got the bread So sad

Oh no, no bread?!? That is sad indeed. I LOVE bread.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 6 Part 3: It's like New York but in California!

While DH and I went for a quick swim back at our hotel, CS went on her character hunting and penny pressing spree.

My sister headed back to the room to change and then we all headed to RSR where we had FP. One of the great things about paper FP is the fact you can ride these big ticket rides multiple times a day as long as you were willing to keep getting the FP before they run out. DH was on point with that!

Here we are dressed in our Captain America finest!

After RSR we went back on Towmater of course since my sister loved it so much!

It was at this point that my sister realized she left her photos that she bought at Ariel's Grotto somewhere at DCA. She traced her steps back and she thinks she left them in a store when she was pressing her pennies. So she went off to get them, in the direction of the Hyperion Theater. We thought we would just go there anyways so we followed her.

She did find her pictures at the store she thought she left them in. Whew! We walked over to where she met with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde and they had no line so we were front and center for a picture!

Se then went on the Monsters Inc ride. This ride is also not in Florida. Here's my sister posing with the pictures she had thought she lost.

I forgot how cute this was!
After Monsters Inc we had to run back to Soarin' because we also had an FP for that.

We realized then it was almost time for Spiderman and Captain America meet n greets so we headed back over to the other side of the park. Their meet n greet area was really cute and looked like a block of New York City! Which is appropriate as Spderman is from Queens and Cap from Brooklyn.

There were plenty of people in line and we waited about 15 minutes for them to come out and then another 20 minutes for our turn. It was worth it though as these are my first pics with the superheroes! Marvel Day at Sea, I'm ready for you!

Not sure what my sister was trying to say to Spiderman above but she looked very passionate about it!

Cap was very fun and I of course blurted out "Can I touch your shield?" like a rabid teenage fan, and he said sure but don't punch it as I could potentially break my arm like the last person!

After our fun meeting with the Marvel characters we hopped on over to Disneyland.

We did a few rides including BTMRR and Jungle Cruise

I captured this pic as we were walking to Tomorrowland:

We headed over to Launch bay to get our light side and dark side pics. I did a quick t-shirt change so I could wear my Star Wars t-shirt for our meet n greets.

I swear I want to crack up each time I meet Kylo Ren!

Chewie loved my t-shirt!

Since the park closed so early we headed on out. We took the monorail for the first time over to Downtown Disney and we went to Earl or Sandwich for dinner.

This was actually my first time here! The sandwiches were good, we got the thanksgiving dinner and the roast beef. Yum!

Sorry not a great pic of these sandwiches but we sat outside and it was dark. They were hot and melty and really tasty!

Downtown Disney was hoppin' so CS and I stayed to walk around and we had to get a churro for dessert!

We walked into many of the stores and shopped around before we headed back. I'm so glad Downtown Disney is open so late and is so close to our room. Definitely a Plus.

Coming up the next day...character breakfast at Storytellers!

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[franandaj]

Nice bunch of characters for that day! Where was the Marvel meet and greet? I've never seen that section of the park!

 

[ArielSRL]

Wow...seems like you guys accomplished a lot! I need to stop reading your report because it is really reinforcing that I need a DLR trip in a few years!

 

[bcwife76]

Wow you guys did so many character meet and greets, this is something we really never do at Disneyland unless we happen to walk by and see one happening (and the line is short lol)!

LOVE that photo at night of the castle and walt in the foreground, very cool!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Nice bunch of characters for that day! Where was the Marvel meet and greet? I've never seen that section of the park!

Thanks! It was in Hollywoodland somewhere in the back. It was a little hidden as it wasn't obvious until you kinda turn slightly. That's what I remember as I was looking for it!

Wow...seems like you guys accomplished a lot! I need to stop reading your report because it is really reinforcing that I need a DLR trip in a few years!

LOL, yes we did have to pack in a lot during our days since the park closed so early. By 7 everything was dead. Even if we wanted to eat in the parks, restaurants started shutting down, that's why we went to EoS. I really wanted to ttry the fried chicken at Plaza Inn for dinner but again, closed by 7 even though the park closed at 8!

Wow you guys did so many character meet and greets, this is something we really never do at Disneyland unless we happen to walk by and see one happening (and the line is short lol)!

LOVE that photo at night of the castle and walt in the foreground, very cool!!

Thanks! Yeah the Character meets were kinda random for us because we didnt' know where everyone met. Of course my sister figured it out pretty quickly!
Thanks! Always a cool shot with the partners statue!

 

[Dentam]

This is a great pic of you two!

I've still never eaten at Earl of Sandwich - need to do that on our next trip!

 

[Saphire5742]

Such cute character pics you all have.
LOVE your sister's Ariel dress.
Dining with Princesses is always exciting. That's cool that Tiana meets there too.
I remember loving Universal's NYC section so I might just have to head on over to meet Spidey and the Captain.
Earl of Sandwich is so so good. Making me hungry for a good old Thanksgiving sandwich. And their delicious sides. YUM!!!!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

This is a great pic of you two!

Thank you!!

I've still never eaten at Earl of Sandwich - need to do that on our next trip!

It was our first time! I thought it was good. But I was also really hungry. It's basically a really good sandwich which I'm sure you can find at other places. But the combinations we got were really tasty. I would definitely return. There's actually an EOS in NYC although I never visited. It's in midtown in the heart of tourist/office central so I don't bother going there much.

Such cute character pics you all have.
LOVE your sister's Ariel dress.

Thanks! Yes, my sister takes her Disney dressing up very seriously!

Dining with Princesses is always exciting. That's cool that Tiana meets there too.

I was happy Tiana was there! It was a cute meal and I loved that we got to sit outside in nice weather.

I remember loving Universal's NYC section so I might just have to head on over to meet Spidey and the Captain.
Earl of Sandwich is so so good. Making me hungry for a good old Thanksgiving sandwich. And their delicious sides. YUM!!!!!

I was really happy to meet the Marvel heroes as it was our first character pics with them. I'm excited to go on our Marvel Day at Sea cruise next year!

EOS was very tasty! I didn't try their sides though, so maybe next time!

 

[ArielSRL]

I started the ground work for a summer 2018 DLR trip. My dad wants to rent an RV so I said, let's do it and drive out there. We will get one for a couple/few weeks and hit some national parks, too (I did a 7 week road trip one summer before kids and dad did 2.5 weeks of it with me). Now, to convince Mom.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I started the ground work for a summer 2018 DLR trip. My dad wants to rent an RV so I said, let's do it and drive out there. We will get one for a couple/few weeks and hit some national parks, too (I did a 7 week road trip one summer before kids and dad did 2.5 weeks of it with me). Now, to convince Mom.

Sounds like a fun trip! I've always wanted to do an RV road trip either down to FL or maybe cross country and visit all the national parks and landmarks too!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 7 Part 1: Breakfast with the Critters

We awoke this morning for an early breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe. It was very convenient that the restaurant was actually in the Grand Californian so we didn't have to go far. Breakfast is a character meal called Chip n Dale's Critter Breakfast. It sounded like a lot of fun and we were looking forward to this!

The feeling inside the restaurant is very warm and inviting. I liked it as soon as I walked in. We were seated almost immediately when we arrived.

I really liked this border around the walls of the restaurant.

Breakfast here is a buffet affair. We ordered our coffees and juices and hit the buffet.

The buffet wasn't huge but everything looked fresh and appetizing. There's also an omelet bar:

There's your standard breakfast fare including Mickey waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns etc. Everything was prepared well.

I liked the chilaquiles as that is something we don't see very often in the north east.

After we were done with our "first" round of the buffet, the characters started appearing! First up was Chip.

DH conveniently wore his Chip n Dale t-shirt today!

When I saw this bear I thought he was Koda, so I asked, are you Koda? and he responded by nodding his head happily! I figured it would be either Kenai or Koda since I have never seen Brother Bear.

Then our favorite pup himself, Pluto! Pluto had a strong bear hug so I had to contort myself a bit weird in the pic below, LOL.

Apparently Dale was having an off day because we saw Chip again, but no Dale.

He played a game of peek-a-boo with us!

Sadly we waited a while and there was no Dale. Think he was being held up in the other section. Since we had already had a few rounds of buffet at this point, we weren't going to eat anymore and we were just waiting around for Dale. We decided to just head to the park. Oh well! Otherwise a nice enjoyable breakfast at Storytellers.

We headed into DCA that morning using the entrance from the GC. It was EMH so we headed straight to Carsland to RSR. I think the ride might have been down that morning...because I don't remember riding it and we don't have a ride pic, so we did other rides while we were there...including Towmater and Luigi's.

Since those two rides barely took up any time, we headed to Soarin.

There was literally no one here at this time. While we were second on line, we were chatting with the lovely family in front of us. The mom worked part time at the Disney Store and she said even part-timers get incredible benefits at Disney Parks. She said she gets something like 16 free day passes to the parks each year for friends n family! Sounds pretty cool to me and I kept nudging my sister to go get a job there!

When EMH was over we grabbed some FP+ for Soarin' for later. I know DH grabbed FP+ for the Hyperion theater for the Frozen show as well as World of Color. As he was doing that I think CS and I hung around Carsland a bit and took some PP pictures.

I think DH went to get a head start running over to TSM so we met up in Paradise Pier.

I had to take a picture of my score this time as I think this is my second-best score I've ever gotten! 206,500!

After TSM, we ran back to Soarin to use our FP+ and grabbed an FP+ for RSR for later. At this point, DH and I had to leave the park to meet DH's parents for lunch. DH's dad had a doctors appointment near Anaheim so we were going to meet them for some dim sum. CS decided to stay in the park and meet more characters. We would meet up after lunch to use our RSR FP+

Coming up this evening, more DCA , the Frozen show, and WoC take 2!
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