Bring on CarsLand! A Fun-Filled Mother-Daughter Birthday Trip! FINAL UPDATES 9/8!!!!

[librarygeek]

I'm catching up again!!

I think this might be the first time I've seen a picture of the DL Space Mountain ride vehicle! It's funny to compare, especially since this one is side by side. And Buzz looks much better with the guns coming off of the cars! I can never tell where my red dot is either. Hershey Park has a similar ride that I like a lot because your dot is really big lol, and your gun lights up when you hit something so you at least have an idea if you're in the right area!

It seems like it's pretty easy to meet characters in DL, which is awesome!

I feel you on those water rides. I don't mind getting a little wet, like Splash Mountain, but those river rapids types will get you soaked! The boys wanted to do Kali River Rapids in December but I refused. (It ended up broken down so nobody rode it). It has to be boiling hot for me to do a ride like that!

Those Disney cupcake shirts are amazing!! I love them, just too cute! I don't remember if I've mentioned it to you before, but I have a Disney blog (www.disneyinyourday.com), and I often feature Etsy sites that make Disney related things. So if you're ever interested in getting your shop out there a bit more send me a PM or something!

Those monorail slides are awesome! And you did a fantastic job decorating for her birthday. I know those in-room celebrations are super expensive but what you did was so fun too!

Wow, awesome early entry morning! Personally, I like to sleep in a little bit so 9 am being the early time would work well for me! We almost never do EMH at WDW because we can't get up that early! I love the stormtroopers passing through!

 

[chattadisser]

I didn't realize how far behind I had gotten behind here on the DL TR!

Your shirts are too cute! I need to venture back over to Etsy to see what you've got...I'm plotting for a cruise in the fall.

Yea on the birthday suprise! It is silly that I want to stay at the DLH just for the headboards and the monorail slide??? It's for the girls...yeah for the girls.

Thank you, thank you for taking pictures on the Matterhorn. They are seriously the first ones that I have ever seen on the ride. I suppose I could google it and find a bunch more - just never occured to me. The pictures do give some perspective of what the ride is actually like. And wow to everything that you all got done in a morning!

Christine

 

[STLMickeyMom]

9 o'clock early entry sounds perfect! more time to sleep in!

I love the picture of you and willow on space mountain--you look like you're both having a blast!

your pictures are making me SO EXCITED to get to DL! I want to ride the matterhorn! it looks so fun! and walking from the hotel right into the park sounds divine!

I'm not a huge star wars fan, but those storm troopers are pretty cool! if my DH had been there, I'm sure he would have been 10 again and freaked (geeked, might be more accurate!) out!

 

[amandaw]

I'm so amazed by how much y'all were able to get done in a short amount of time! And I love the Storm Troopers!

Can't wait to hear about breakfast!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

The wait here actually ended up being quite a bit longer than the posted 5 minutes. Just before being sent to our boarding area, a couple of these guys wandered through.

​

A guest stuck out his hand for a fist bump, and one of the storm troopers went to do it and then pulled back his hand and smoothed his helmet. We were all cracking up. This was a really fun touch.


Up Next: Minnie’s Breakfast

Very funny!!

 

[hstrickland]

Thank goodness for Spring Break....I'm finally caught up


Awesome updates!!!! One day we'll get to DL!!! I hope! Super cool that the characters were in the hotel lobby. WDW should try that...I've never seen it there.

Not sure why people try to compare WDW to DL...it's like comparing apples to oranges. I think the castle looks amazing! Very appropriate for the size of the park. I so wish Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was back at WDW...it was one of my favorites as a child.


I had to laugh at y'all when you got soaked....sorry When I started reading, I knew that was going to be the outcome!!! It is a miserable feeling to have wet jeans. At least you didn't have to travel far to reach your hotel. Guess you'll skip that ride next January!


Looking forward to more!!!
Heather

 

[courtneybelle]

Haha, I remember when we went to Disneyland, some days DCA didn't open until 10 and I thought that was so late!

I'm still really bummed that the Matterhorn was being refurbished when we went. Oh well, I just have to go back

Willow is too funny in that first Space ride pic!

Oh my gosh, the storm troopers sound hilarious!

Eeep I loved Minnie's breakfast! So excited to hear about it.

 

[livsmom04]

All caught up on the trip report! Love the pixie dust that you've had so far on this trip! Can't wait to read more.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[RGirl]

Wow! You guys really got a ton done that morning! I'm with Willow, bring on the thrill rides.

It really was a great morning!

Her face in that ride pic is outstanding. I love it

That one turned out funny, huh? Still can't believe I thought I didn't need ride pictures at one point in my life!

Can't wait to hear about breakfast!

Coming up - finally!!!!

 

[RGirl]

How funny that early entry was at 9.

You got so much done that morning! It seems so strange that Star Tours and Space Mountain are in the same place.

I know - I sometimes get kind of turned around at DL, thinking I'm at the MK, but things aren't quite where I think they should be.

Yeah for early entry! I for one am used to early entry starting at 9 - sounds a lot like DLRP to me. Only difference? DLRP only has about 3 rides open, while the US parks just open up!

It was certainly a nice time to start early entry - made for a very relaxing morning.

No FP for PP? Now that is NOT good. One of the rides that has a huge wait even WITH FP in DLRP. Love Matterhorn and SM! The one in CA is awesome. So much fun and you are right - front row DOES make a difference. Can't put my finger on it why, but it does.

I know - no FP for PP makes it quite difficult to do! I'm so glad you know what I'm talking about on Space!

Can't wait to read about breakfast!

Coming up - finally!

You guys accomplished a lot of the E ticket rides before breakfast! Great start to your day. Your Space Mtn photo is great!

It was a fabulous first morning at DL!

What a great way to sprinkle some pixie dust for Willow's birthday with the room decorations and the Frozen dolls. I'm sure she was beyond thrilled!

Thanks - she was very excited. And it was a lot of fun to do!

Awwww she fell asleep at dinner. At least it was a great day filled with lots of wonderful activities and fun.

She has NEVER done that before.

Another great update! DL looks like so much fun. Early entry at 9:00 just blows my mind! Oh my goodness, Willow on Space Mountain is so cute!

Thanks! DL is a wonderful place, for sure. I really enjoyed the 9:00 early entry - it was such a relaxed morning for making rope drop.

 

[RGirl]

So sorry. I fell behind in my Dising this past week.
The photos of your t-shirts are now visible. Great job!!! They turned out really awesome!

No problem - as you can see, I have fallen way behind myself!

Your pool photos were great! When we were there in 2011, only the monorail pools/slides were completed and they were taking out the Peter Pan themed pool area. What is there now? And I agree that it is difficult to really tell what the slides are like. I imagine the big one is similar to the Flying Jib at Yacht and Beach Club?

There is a huge pool area with a large pool, then another pool (almost like a lap pool) and then the slide area. It's a really fun spot.

Such a great idea decorating the room for Willow's birthday. So nice your friend was able to help you work out that surprise. Too bad she fell asleep at dinner. But she hung in there a long time for a travel day.

It was really fun to do the room up - Willow really enjoyed it.

Early entry at Disneyland!! You really did get a lot done in a short amount of time. I love how everything is so close together there and you don't have to spend a long time walking from ride to ride.

It was a really fun start to our first full day!

Ooh, my favorite treat in DL is the Frozen Apple cider (I think) slush. Be sure to try it next time. It is sold at a little stand towards the back of Fantasyland. Soooo refreshing.

I will have to look for that! Thanks!

I'm catching up again!!

Me too!

I think this might be the first time I've seen a picture of the DL Space Mountain ride vehicle! It's funny to compare, especially since this one is side by side. And Buzz looks much better with the guns coming off of the cars! I can never tell where my red dot is either. Hershey Park has a similar ride that I like a lot because your dot is really big lol, and your gun lights up when you hit something so you at least have an idea if you're in the right area!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't find her dot on Buzz!!!!

It seems like it's pretty easy to meet characters in DL, which is awesome!

We've always had good luck with the character meets there. I'm sure it will be quite different in the crowds of August though. I'm seeing a lot of pool time on that trip.

I feel you on those water rides. I don't mind getting a little wet, like Splash Mountain, but those river rapids types will get you soaked! The boys wanted to do Kali River Rapids in December but I refused. (It ended up broken down so nobody rode it). It has to be boiling hot for me to do a ride like that!

I've only done DRR once - thankfully, I wore a poncho!

Those Disney cupcake shirts are amazing!! I love them, just too cute! I don't remember if I've mentioned it to you before, but I have a Disney blog (www.disneyinyourday.com), and I often feature Etsy sites that make Disney related things. So if you're ever interested in getting your shop out there a bit more send me a PM or something!

Oh, thanks so much! I may take you up on that when I have a few more items up.

Those monorail slides are awesome! And you did a fantastic job decorating for her birthday. I know those in-room celebrations are super expensive but what you did was so fun too!

Thanks! She was quite happy with it.

Wow, awesome early entry morning! Personally, I like to sleep in a little bit so 9 am being the early time would work well for me! We almost never do EMH at WDW because we can't get up that early! I love the stormtroopers passing through!

We really enjoyed it - it was a very relaxed morning even with making rope drop. Perfect!

 

[RGirl]

I didn't realize how far behind I had gotten behind here on the DL TR!

No worries! At the rate I'm updating lately, it should be easy to catch up.

Your shirts are too cute! I need to venture back over to Etsy to see what you've got...I'm plotting for a cruise in the fall.

Thanks! Willow and I are having so much fun with the shirts. I posted a new one tonight on the other TR too.

Yea on the birthday suprise! It is silly that I want to stay at the DLH just for the headboards and the monorail slide??? It's for the girls...yeah for the girls.

I think those are two VERY good reasons to stay there!!!

Thank you, thank you for taking pictures on the Matterhorn. They are seriously the first ones that I have ever seen on the ride. I suppose I could google it and find a bunch more - just never occured to me. The pictures do give some perspective of what the ride is actually like. And wow to everything that you all got done in a morning!

You're welcome! I just wish they were better.

It was a great morning!

9 o'clock early entry sounds perfect! more time to sleep in!

It was actually very nice - we had time to stop and get coffee/cocoa, wander through DTD, etc. No crazy rush at all.

I love the picture of you and willow on space mountain--you look like you're both having a blast!

We had a great time!

your pictures are making me SO EXCITED to get to DL! I want to ride the matterhorn! it looks so fun! and walking from the hotel right into the park sounds divine!

It really is a wonderful place! Go!!!!

I'm not a huge star wars fan, but those storm troopers are pretty cool! if my DH had been there, I'm sure he would have been 10 again and freaked (geeked, might be more accurate!) out!

It really was very cool.

I'm so amazed by how much y'all were able to get done in a short amount of time! And I love the Storm Troopers!

Off season is the best! I knew you would love the Storm Troopers!

Can't wait to hear about breakfast!

Coming up soon - finally......

 

[RGirl]

Very funny!!

Thank goodness for Spring Break....I'm finally caught up

Spring Break just put me further behind!

Awesome updates!!!! One day we'll get to DL!!! I hope! Super cool that the characters were in the hotel lobby. WDW should try that...I've never seen it there.

I hadn't seen it at DL before either - I wonder if it was just a fluke or something. Whatever it was - it was awesome!

Not sure why people try to compare WDW to DL...it's like comparing apples to oranges. I think the castle looks amazing! Very appropriate for the size of the park. I so wish Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was back at WDW...it was one of my favorites as a child.

I agree - both places are wonderful for their own reasons.

I had to laugh at y'all when you got soaked....sorry When I started reading, I knew that was going to be the outcome!!! It is a miserable feeling to have wet jeans. At least you didn't have to travel far to reach your hotel. Guess you'll skip that ride next January!

Yes, it was awful! The ONLY reason I did it was because I knew we were going straight back to the hotel.

Looking forward to more!!!

Coming right up! Finally......

Haha, I remember when we went to Disneyland, some days DCA didn't open until 10 and I thought that was so late!

Exactly - those off-season hours are hard to get used to.

I'm still really bummed that the Matterhorn was being refurbished when we went. Oh well, I just have to go back

It was under refurb the last time we went too - I hope you get back soon to try it out!

Willow is too funny in that first Space ride pic!

I loved that one!

Oh my gosh, the storm troopers sound hilarious!

It was a very funny exchange - everyone was laughing.

Eeep I loved Minnie's breakfast! So excited to hear about it.

Coming right up! Sorry for the looooooong delay.....

All caught up on the trip report! Love the pixie dust that you've had so far on this trip! Can't wait to read more.

Thanks for continuing to read along! Sorry for the delay in updating.

 

[RGirl]

Minnie’s Breakfast​

We were celebrating Willow’s birthday in style with a brunch at the Plaza Inn Minnie and Friends Breakfast. We were excited for this one because I had read a lot of good things about it.

​

It is really pretty in here - I failed miserably at getting pics of the interior.

​

The outside area is also really nice - I think I may have gotten a couple of pics another day. Oops….

This experience was fantastic! As with our only other DLR character dining experience (two years ago), the characters were random and plentiful and made multiple stops to visit with us. We had a fantastic time here! While we were waiting for the chef to come by about my gluten issue, we had plenty to do!

​

See what I mean!? All of that was before we even got any food. The chef who came by was wonderful - at this establishment, they don’t have folks with food allergies/intolerances eat from the buffet except the omelet station. Instead, the chef does everything else to order. And there was a lot! After visiting with the chef, we went up to the buffet to get some food for Miss Willow and an omelet for me. The food here was great!

Up Next: Minnie’s Breakfast (cont.)

 

[RGirl]

Minnie’s Breakfast (cont.)​

Here is Willow’s food - Mickey waffles, biscuit, potatoes, bacon. These items were not serve-yourself, so I don’t know how Willow ended up with so much bacon.

​

Here’s my omelet. Yummy! (I like my omelets to be a bit over-cooked. )

​

Here’s all the food the chef brought out for me!

​

Here’s where things got kind of funny. There was a table next to us, and the family was a little loud - yelling for characters to come over (even when they’d already met them) and such. Well, they saw the chef deliver my food, and they called him over. They wanted him to deliver Mickey waffles to them too. (They were done eating, so I don’t know why.) He explained that it was an allergy thing, etc. They were insistent that they wanted some too. (Yes, there are normal - and much tastier, I’m sure - Mickey waffles on the buffet.) The chef was so sweet - he tried to explain several more times, but they were absolutely insistent. So he went into the kitchen and cooked them up a bunch of gluten-free Mickey waffles and delivered them to these people. They left shortly thereafter, and I couldn’t help but take a peek to see if they ate them. Nope, they were all still sitting there on the plate he had delivered them on.

While we were eating, even more characters came back to say hello.

​

By the time we were done eating, we hadn’t met Hook yet, and Willow did not want to miss out on that! So she went and asked a nice CM standing near the front of the restaurant whether Hook would be back out soon, and the CM went in the back and got him for us! He was hilarious too, so I’m glad we didn’t miss out. While he was “chatting” with us, Minnie stopped by, and the two of them got in an argument about whether Willow should dress as Hook next time instead of Minnie.

​

After Hook, we gathered up our belongings and headed out. The characters circulate outside to tables as well - we had watched Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore forming a little chain and parading around out there earlier. When we walked outside, guess who was walking by? Willow ran right over to say good-bye.

​

It’s not every day a chipmunk picks you up!

Up Next: Waiting to Freeze

 

[STLMickeyMom]

aaawwww, willow looks like she is having an absolute blast! and her dress is perfect! did you make it? she looks adorable in her picture with Minnie!

oh my gosh, all the characters....so awesome! we met hook at the pirates fireworks cruise once. i thought he was awesome but Hannah was more in love with smee and Madison was too tired to want to have anything to do with anybody.

what was with those people at the next table? weird....how nice of the chef to go ahead and make them something special though!

 

[DisneyJo]

Oh wow your breakfast looked amazing, the amount of characters Willow saw and the interaction she received looked fabulous

 

[Imagineer5]

Mmm looks so good and fun!! It is such a bummer it is closed during our trip (THIS weekend EEK!) as I would have loved to go to Minnie's breakfast!! Glad it was great!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I love the breakfast! It's amazing how different the character experience is at DLR! I love all the rare characters you got to see! So neat! And Willow is totally adorable as usual!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

That character breakfast looks worth every penny!!!! How fun!!

Willow looked so cute in her Minnie dress, and I love how Minnie noticed right away.

Hook looks awesome.