Crazy crowds, crazy kids, crazy parents 6/27-29

[Alice28]

Are we crazy? In retrospect, yes, we were. Too much for even us Disney loving freaks. Why am I saying we were crazy? We packed in about 2,000 miles of driving in 12 days. 3 different hotels, 3 nights at mother in law’s, too many meals at fast food, and not enough sleep!

Let me tell you a bit about my family- I’m Robin, a Disney loving gal. Disneyland Vet, California native who grew up going to Disneyland with my family several times as a little girl, and then quite often (probably 1-3 times a year, for a few days at a time) from junior high through college. Then I moved to Portland, OR and DL wasn’t quite such an easy trip anymore. DH turned me on to WDW on our honeymoon 11+ years ago, and in the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to go to WDW 4 times. But I think, (watch out, hell is freezing over) this trip has made even ME take a few steps back from Disney for the next year or two.

My DH, Bob, also has been to DL many times, and WDW 4 times or so. He’s not as crazy about it as I am, but he appreciates it, and enjoys several aspects of it. He likes WDW more than DL though, because it feels more like a vacation. He served in Iraq for 2005, so this is our first REAL vacation as a family since he came home in January.

My older son, Sam, is 8 ½ and he will go on just about anything. I’ve totally done my job and turned him into a Disney nut. His favorites are Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates, California Screamin, and Grizzly River Rapids. He’s a pretty darn easy going kid, and I’m grateful for that because my second son……….

Joshua, who turned 5 this trip, is not so easy going. At all. We got to hear ALL about why he did not like the following attractions: Matterhorn, Tower of Terror, Pirates, Splash, Big Thunder, Space Mtn., Roger Rabbit, Haunted Mansion, and I’m sure others that I am temporarily forgetting. We were awful parents and MADE him go on a few of the above mentioned attractions, which I will get to later. He does like shopping, Tea Cups, Jungle Cruise, and his new favorite, Monsters Inc. And Muppets. Oh, and Soarin. He’s a Soarin junkie.

Molly, is about 15 ½ months for this trip. She’s our little cutie. She also is what made this trip extra hard work. It’s HARD to take more than 2 kids to a theme park! Esp when they are all different ages! She did enjoy some things, but for the most part I think she didn’t care for being in the stroller that much. I think babies under a year are much easier to tool around Disney with- I know, because I’ve done it with all 3 of mine at either WDW or DL. They are much happier to sit in their stroller and coo and be contented. Toddlers, not so much happy to sit in stroller.

Our S. CA itinerary (I won’t bore you with our family nonsense in N. CA):

Sunday- drive from San Jose to Carlsbad, CA. Eat at Benihana, our fave. Stay overnight at la Quinta.

Monday- drive from Carlsbad to San Diego; visit SeaWorld for FREE with military salute. Drive to Anaheim in mid-afternoon. Stay at Portofino Inn and Suites across street from DL.

Tuesday, Weds., Thursday- Disneyland and DCA.

Friday- head back to San Jose, CA

Sunday June 25th- I must just give props to the Carlsbad Benihana- GREAT service and food! We really had a great time! Benihana is probably our fave restaurant that we get to 2-3 times a year, and we just really had great service this time!

Monday June 26th- Since this is a DISNEYLAND thread, I won’t bore you too much with Sea World details. It’s really, really awesome that Busch offers the free passes to their parks for military families, and we wanted the kids to see the whales and dolphins. First of all, crummy traffic from Carlsbad to San Diego- a 30 minute drive was easily an hour. I should have figured that, right?

Sam and DH went on the river raft ride first, while Josh and I doused them with water when they floated by- evil laugh inserted here. We then fast walked over to the first dolphin show, then high tailed it to Clyde and Seamore. We had lunch at a pizza place and Sam and DH went on the Atlantis ride. We saw some of the exhibits (Joshua threw a FIT about going in the shark exhibit, so DH had to walk him out….sigh). And then we went to the Shamu show, where the boys sat in the soak zone. Not me.

Molly busied herself with some popcorn she found on the ground- no matter what I did, she would NOT let that popcorn get away! Ack! At least it was like the 5 second rule- the 8 year olds behind us were dropping more than eating. We went to Shamu’s Happy Harbor (play area), let the boys burn off some steam, and then we decided to go. I know we didn’t see everything, but we wanted to beat the traffic back up to Anaheim.

DH got pretty badly sunburned on his face and scalp at SW- not good for the days to come.

We get to Portofino Inn and Suites right around 3:30 or so. Check in went smoothly. The hotel is quite clean, staff is friendly, and it’s right on the corner of Harbor and Katella. We could see the back of Tower of Terror and the Paradise Pier section of DCA from our room. However, it is a LONG walk to the gate- that 1 block is a DOOZY. We chose to walk it for the exercise, but we’re hoping we’re rich enough to spring for the Grand Californian next trip. The rooms are quite nice- we got the kid’s suite, which had a section with bunk beds, a sofa bed, TV, fridge, microwave and small table and stools for the kids. Plus another table and 1 chair for setting up the laptop or whathaveyou. This was sectioned off by sliding doors that had sheerish curtains lining the doors. Our part of the room had a king sized bed, a dresser, TV, large armoire, nightstands and pretty decent bathroom. Definitely roomy enough for the 5 of us, which we appreciated. And the room was always very clean, and well stocked with towels, pillows, cups, etc.

We went to the pool which was small and boring. We could also use the pool at the adjacent Jolly Roger hotel, which was a bit bigger. After the pool we were getting hungry so we went to the Jolly Roger café next door- we supposedly got free kid’s meals by staying at Portofino. Well, we never found out because the server never came to our table! The place was dirty, the table wobbled, and it just gave us a bad feeling. So, we left. We tried to find parking at the nearby Red Robin & Joe’s Crab Shack- no dice. Hour wait at Baker’s Square. I’m getting frantically hungry as it’s about 7:30 and we ate at Sea World at 11. We finally just go to Carl’s Jr. and get food in the drive thru. We ate in the room and all was better. I got quite snippy there for a few minutes.

We are all in bed by 9, to try and get a good night’s sleep for DISNEYLAND!

 

[Alice28]

Tuesday, June 27th- We are up by 6:45 and out the door at 7:45. The lines just to get in DL are foreboding. I mean, backed up all the way to DCA’s California letters (just about). After I wrote this report, I went to www.miceage.com and learned that the crowds topped over 65,000 on this day- the most DL has ever had according to this author is 69,200 in one day. Half were S CA passholders, trying to see POTC before their passes were blocked for the summer. So I wasn't exaggerating about these crowds! It was NUTS! DH was not pleased. First we had to get our FREE stroller with our Disney Visa. DH had Molly in a backpack on his back to and from the parks, and then we used the stroller in the parks. Our Tribeca was TOO FULL to try and squeeze the stroller in for this trip and how I missed that stroller. To be blunt, the DL ones SUCK. Many of them have broken seatbelts. The storage is dismal, and they just aren’t nice and sturdy looking like the one we had at Sea World or the ones we have rented at WDW. I only brought a SMALL diaper bag, and it barely was able to squeeze into the storage net underneath the carriage.

The line FINALLY starts moving and we veer right to Tomorrowland. What the heck are all the people doing lined up on Main Street! DH and I look at each other like, WTH? I kid you not folks, it was the line to PIRATES! It was backed up to Carnation Café! This was only the 2nd day the attraction was open, but holy moly! I had no idea THIS MANY people would show up to ride it! I got a sick feeling in my stomach, thinking the park was going to be hideously crowded all week and we would never make it on Pirates ourselves.

I hoof it to Space Mountain and get some FPs and then we all go on Buzz. OK, Buzz ROCKS at DL! I love it! A huge improvement over WDW, the guns come out and everything! So much fun! DH takes the boys on Star Tours and asks me if I wouldn’t mind grabbing us some breakfast at Tomorrowland Terrace (I still don’t want to call it Club Buzz, OK? Sorry.). I had a plethora of gift cards and Disney Dollars I had earned either through points programs like Mypoints or Sunshine Rewards, or with our Disney Visa, so we had plenty o’ money for food this trip. The first $25 gift card went for a nice croissant eggs and bacon sandwich, a fruit platter, French toast sticks and sausage, and drinks all around. Molly and I sat there for quite awhile picking at the fruit and French Toast and FINALLY the boys showed up. DH said they only had 2 flights to Endor going, so it took awhile. We ate and Buzz Lightyear showed up in the flesh! Here we are with Buzz- Molly did not like him, so I didn’t attempt another character greeting with her in tow. And frankly, we didn’t do anymore character greetings- we saw MANY in WDW last fall, and there were huge lines for them in DL.

OK, time for SPACE! Wow. All I can say is WOW. It is so stinking smooth and just FUN. I laughed the whole time. Sam went on it with me, and then again with DH. DH really enjoyed it too. It was about 10 o’clock and we headed over to DCA. As we left we saw the line posted for POTC 120 minutes!

We beelined for Monsters Inc., and got in line. And then it broke when we were almost at the loading part. We did get passes to come back any time and not have to wait in line. But it was frustrating for the kids, especially Joshua since he REALLY wanted to ride it more than anything else.

Sam and I went on Tower of Terror next- it was fun. It doesn’t have the ‘driving’ part like WDW, so it’s not quite as encompassing or something. Still fun though. I took a picture of our picture- a trick I learned here on the DIS! Sam and I are front row, left.

We headed to Turtle Talk with Crush next. This was so cool! Sam got to ask Crush a question and my oh so genius-minded son asked, “How old are you Crush?” Uh, Sam, we already know that from the movie! It was really neat, I highly recommend.

An AWESOME little birdie told me that Grizzly River Rapids FP are not linked to the rest of the park. So, we grabbed FPs for that AND Soarin at the same time! We got some ice creams BEFORE lunch- we’re such rebels. Amazing how 4 ice creams add up to $14. I miss my free dining plan at WDW where I just handed my card over and lived in oblivion. We grabbed lunch at Taste Pilot’s Grill- some people are pretty lame at touch screen ordering, let me tell you. It really slows down the process on busy days. I had a chicken salad, the kids had little burgers and chicken fingers and DH had the kid’s burgers too as he wasn’t too hungry. He was feeling ill from his sunburn the day before. Sidenote- I hate that DL only has one size of drink to order. Sometimes I like getting a tub of Diet Coke, you know? They just have the standard size soda. Irritating.

We headed to Paradise Pier- Joshua wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel! The ONE attraction I am a bit phobic of. DH graciously takes him and Molly on it and I go get in line with California Screamin with Sam. We waited about 30 minutes in the standby line, not awful. It was pretty fun! Poor DH had to deal with Molly and her poopy buns the whole time in line for the Ferris Wheel- they were getting off as soon as we got over there so I found the nearest bathroom, and darnit, she was getting a rash. Poor baby. She fell asleep after the diaper change and a cool bottle.

The boys all went on Jumpin Jellyfish- here there are!

We went back and swapped off for Soarin (Josh and DH and then Sam and I) and Grizzly River Rapids. Joshua was talked into going on it by me….we were just watching the people gently drifting by (I purposely did not stand near the waterfall). He thought it was safe enough. Boy, was he irritated at me when we did the drop! But, he was fine and didn’t cry or anything. He just doesn’t like waterfall drops for whatever reason. We didn’t even get that wet. Molly is still sleeping, so we walk back to the Monsters Inc., and the boys ride it while I stay with Sleeping Beauty. We bought the kids golden ear hats at the main shop.

DH offers to take back Josh and Molly to the room so Sam and I can see the parade at DL. I was hoping to get on a few rides, but Pirates still had a mile long line. And when we decided to brave the line, the ride broke. Thank goodness we only waited 5 minutes! We did the Tiki Birds instead! Love DL’s Tiki Birds! Sam enjoyed all the tikis outside in the courtyard. He had fun watching them come to ‘life’.

We got dinner at Village Haus- him a decent looking pepperoni pizza and me a cheeseburger. I asked him if he wanted to go on Matterhorn and he said no! I couldn’t believe it! We did wander around Toontown, but it was so darn hot. I sat in a shady spot under Donald’s Boat while he tinkered around in the boat.

We bought Molly a cute baby-like plush Tinkerbell at a store in Fantasyland. I had bought her a Belle one at WDW and hadn’t seen the Tink before- too darn cute!

We found a spot for the parade and shared a frozen lemonade while waiting. My son is such a trooper for waiting for parades and such. It helped that I bought him a sword. Boy, was his brother MAD that Sam had a sword and he didn’t when we came back. That was quickly remedied the next morning. Anyway, the parade was so great! I loved it! We had the Pinocchio barge and the princess barge stop in front of us, and I loved the marionettes on the Pinocchio one! The ladies held onto these huge elastic rubber band things and did all sorts of neat acrobatics.

I’m really glad we were able to see this parade! We left for the hotel after this, as it was getting late, about 7:30. Oh, but I did wait in a 30+ minute line at City Hall so I could get Joshua a birthday sticker to wear the next day! The things we do for our kids, I tell you!

I get back to the hotel room, and it’s a nightmare zone. Both kids are just giving Daddy a hard time and he’s not feeling well….not a good scene. They had take out Chinese food for dinner, which somehow kind of got everywhere. I picked up many a noodle that night, so the maid wouldn’t have to. It was embarrassing. We quickly get everyone cleaned up and in bed for our next day at the parks.

 

[Alice28]

Wednesday, June 28th, Sir Joshua’s 5th Birthday.

Of course I left the camera in the room this morning. Ughhhhhh….DH wanted to get to the parks at 8:15 or so to avoid those lines. Good idea- no lines this morning! A longer line for the stroller, but oh well. We head straight to Pirates and board in about 25 minute. Well folks, it’s really, really GOOD! Lots of great new effects, the Johnny Depp animatronics are unreal. Even the sound quality is just A+. Applause to the imagineers!

Before we boarded Pirates we grabbed FPs for Indiana Jones, but now it was broken. We go on Jungle Cruise and I didn’t know they added Piranahs! Neat! Our skipper had the boat sing Joshua Happy Birthday! We went and got some FPs for Splash Mountain. The boys didn’t really want to go on Haunted Mansion, and plus most of the line looked to be in the hot sun, so we didn’t want to go on it either. We did walk on Winnie the Pooh and mosied around the candy shop. I promised Joshua he could get a tube o’ sugar if he would go on Splash Mountain with me. Aren’t I a great mother? We took a potty break and it was our FP time. First Josh and I went on and we literally just walked on- FP really worked well for us this time. He did great! Still doesn’t love it, but that’s ok I guess. Sam and DH went on next and I bought Josh the requisite sugar tube and a Butterfinger Brownie for the rest of us to share. Yummmeeee…it was sinfully good.

We decided we needed to get over to Downtown Disney before it got to be rush hour at Rain Forest Café for Joshua’s birthday lunch. Big problem- Disney wouldn’t let us take their Disneyland RESORT stroller over into DtD! (we could take it between the parks though- the stroller pick up is in the esplanade). AND the little buggar was asleep too! So I WALKED my 27 pound dead weight baby all the way to Rain Forest Café, which basically is at the opposite end of DtD. I felt like Monica on Amazing Race last season with the swordfish- except of course I was not as whiny as Mo. And Molly did not stink like fish either, which helped. We check in, and I’m sweating like a pig, so DH gets me a big glass of water from the bar. We get called to our table about 10 minutes later and we go upstairs. We get upstairs and where the heck is Josh? DH swears he was following us, but I guess not. So DH has to tromp back downstairs (he was not happy) and found Joshua, whimpering in the toy section. No one was paying one bit of attention to him either. We get him at the table and luckily we are right by an aquarium, so we have something interesting to look at. I lay Molly on two chairs pushed together, but that only lasts about 5 minutes. She wakes up. I would too being on those hard chairs. We get some more water and sprites for the kids (milk for Molly). I was gift card wonder again here with a $25 gift card I got from Mypoints and a kid’s meal voucher a teacher had given Sam two years ago. DH and I both order the chicken sandwich, Josh gets the chicken nuggets, Sam gets the pizza and I order Molly the hot dogs. We had a faux server at first- she took our orders, brought us our food, checked on us, and then our ‘real’ waiter showed up at the end. Weird. Anyway, for the first time in gosh, 4 or 5 times of eating at RFC, I really enjoyed my meal! It was very good! Molly devoured the hot dogs, she’s my little carnivore, and the boys liked their food as well. They sang to Josh and gave him a birthday sundae, which he basically just played around with.

The bill came to $19, with tip! Woo! That beats our usual $50-70 tabs there. We head out & now the place is packed. Good timing! DH takes Molly all the way back to the room, so the boys and I can shop for awhile. First we get in the Build A Bear line. Yikes o Rama. Our mall is always pretty quiet, unless it’s a weekend. This Build A Bear line was about 30 minutes long! Joshua had $35 in gift cards from his birthday party the week before, and they had $10 in gift cards from the Build a Bear reading program this summer. So, Josh built this frog, which he appropriately named, Toad. We’ve been reading the Frog and Toad stories- cute, ain’t he?

Then we went to World of Disney and I gave the boys strict instructions to NOT walk away from me. The only time I have ever lost track of one of my kids for more than 1 minute was in this very store when Sam was just under 4. First we checked out the toys- Joshua still had about $50 of birthday money burning a hole in his pocket. He chose 4 more of the Disney Racer cars- cute little things- he got 3 of them the day before at DCA. He had a few more at home from our trip last fall to WDW. They’re really cute and relatively inexpensive for Disney standards. Sam carefully chose a Jack Sparrow that was $20. I did have this AWESOME coupon I got with the Disney planning DVD- 20% off my purchase of $100 or more, so we were trying to do all our shopping here. (or so I thought). Let’s see a coffee mug here, treats for the neighbors there, some notepads and keychains for me, some plush Donald and Goofy for Josh. I got the limited edition Pirates watch for $10, why not. I saved something like $36 with that coupon, plus I had my $68 rewards card with the Visa, so I only paid $41 out of my pocket! And, then the kids owed me about $50 for their things, so they paid me back. (we made a deal that mom and dad would buy them their ears and one gift at our discretion, but once they ran out of their money, that was it….I mean, geez, Joshua had $70 plus the build a bear cards, and Sam had $65, so it’s not like we were being Grinches or anything).

We needed to hustle back to the room for some quiet time. We laid down for about 40 minutes and then I took the boys swimming so Molly could sleep some more in peace. We went to the bigger pool next door and it was ok. I dipped my feet in. Would you believe that I managed to pack everyone else TWO swimsuits and forgot my own!?!?!? I was so mad at myself. We never did stop at a Target to grab me another one. Dumb Mom moment for sure. Not that I revel in walking around in a swimsuit in public, but I would have liked the option.

We went back to DL around 6 or so. We decided to grab use our Indy FPs from that morning. First Sam went with DH- I went and bought DH this hat he wanted in Adventureland, and I bought the wrong size. Sometimes I seriously think I am losing my mind sometimes. It clearly said SMALL and I thought it said LARGE. Duh. So I go on Indy by myself cause Sam was a little freaked out by it. DH takes all 3 kids on Jungle Cruise again- brave man! Then DH tries to return the hat (they didn’t have an L) and they don’t know how to do a charge return! What the heck? So they give him cash. Some manager had a headache that night trying to balance the til, I am sure. We met up at Rancho del Zocalo- this is a pleasant lil spot, that used to be a family favorite, Casa de Mexicana. I had a taco salad, Dh a big platter of lime chicken, rice and tortillas, Josh a burrito, Sam a taco. The boys weren’t too thrilled with their food, but too bad. Life isn’t all chicken nuggets, pizza and burgers. They had to eat at least half of it. Molly ate some of DH’s chicken and was quite pleased with herself.

We used our Disney Visa here cause we got a discount. Cool. It was about $40 for dinner and drinks, and an extra side of rice- not too bad considering how huge the portions were.

Afterwards DH and Sam wait in stand by for Big Thunder (DH tells me Sam inquired why in the heck they were not using FP- he’s becoming quite the aficionado, no?). The little ones and I head to Fantasyland to try and do a few rides. We get in line for Dumbo. It breaks. We go on Tea Cups. Cute! Here is Josh ready to SPIN!

And here is an ambiance photo PIC.

We then see Sam and DH and we try to head for Mr. Toad’s- now closed for fireworks….they close most of Fantasyland for the fireworks show. Makes things frustrating for those of us who don’t want to sit in the hub for two hours to wait for the show. DH and Sam go on the Matterhorn, of which the Tomorrowland side is only open. They liked the new crystal effects. We decided to go to Tomorrowland to find a spot to watch the fireworks. I had to go change a blowout on sore buns Molly, and so DH took the kids on Buzz again. I was bummed I had to miss it. We meet back up in the Buzz shop and Molly has ANOTHER blowout! Find another bathroom and then we park it near Innoventions to watch the show. DH gets us all some waters and juices. Let me just say that the fireworks was an amazing show even from Tomorrowland- I can’t imagine what it was like in front of the castle! I am just not keen on dealing with a MOB SCENE while also trying to deal with my own 3 children. No thanks.

We decide it would be fun, and would also avoid some crowds, to exit the park via the train. Plus we would get to see the cool dinosaurs. The kids really liked it- they remembered it from our 2004 trip. They asked if we could go on it the next day and it was noted, but not ever done. We head back to the hotel- the walk was much more pleasant without the sun beating down on us! And with our afternoon rest, our feet weren’t so tired either.

 

[Alice28]

Thursday, June 29th- the kids were so darn tired, we just let them sleep in. We wanted to storm Fantasyland, but we would rather have happy children. Dumbo will be there next time. We didn’t get to the park until 10. The stroller line was super long again, but the park entrance lines were nothing. I really wanted to go on Alice, since she’s my fave Disney gal, so we went there first. And then we got stuck on it right when we were coming out of it. We had to sit there in the hot sun while 4 CMs stare at a computer screen. Finally DH says loudly, “SIR, CAN YOU PLEASE LET US OUT, WE ARE IN THE HOT SUN AND WE HAVE A BABY.” (They had let the car out in front of us, looked at us, and walked away). So they came and let us out, and then a few minutes later escorted the rest of the riders out.

We head over to It’s a Small World for some air conditioned bliss. Molly and Josh liked this ride a lot. Lots of pointing on Molly’s part. We wanted to do Toontown, but again, it was just so darn hot! Dare I say it, even I, the Disneyland fool, was getting tired of it. I have been lucky and since 2003 I have been to either WDW or DL 6 times including this trip. I can see why I was getting a little burnt. Anyway, DH took the boys on the carousel while I found a bathroom for Molly, and I took some pics of my boys on the carousel- aren’t the cute?

We head over the back way to Frontierland- we also had thought about either of the boats or the canoes around the river, but guess what I’m gonna say- it was TOO hot! (and no canoe for Molly, but the thought of keeping her corralled on either the Mark Twain or the Columbia wasn’t sounding fun either). We got FPs for Big Thunder and decided to get some popcorn and sodas over by HM and decide what to do for lunch. We made small talk with the CM and she said it was really hot, even for S. CA standards. I mean, it felt like Florida hot, with some humidity thown in there. It sprinkled the first day we were there, in case I didn’t mention that. Very strange. We got a fun Pirates souvenir bucket o’ corn and a DC for me and sprite for the men. It hit the spot. We looked at the new Café Orleans menu- wasn’t working for me, although I was intrigued with trying the new table service restaurant. I took the boys into the MOBBO Pieces of Eight Pirates shop and they bought one more thing each- Josh another sword and Sam a Davy Jones action guy. He is gross if you ask me.

We settled on French Market, a longtime favorite, for lunch and it didn’t disappoint. I got a French Dip with steak fries, a side salad and water, DH got a seafood dish over rice and some salad, and I think the kids all got chicken strips. No more Mickey nuggets folks, sorry. Kind of a tight squeeze to get the stroller in there though, and all outside seating- shady, but hot. I knew that, but I don’t remember being at DL when it was quite so darn hot! When I was younger we would almost always go anytime BUT summer. We used the last of our Disney Dollars for this meal and we were all out.

After lunch Sam and I went on Big Thunder, which Sam had proclaimed his new favorite. He was hooting and hollering through the whole thing- here he is.

DH bought the kids some Mickey shaped plates and then he and the boys shot off a few rounds at the Shooting Gallery. DH could hit everything- the kids thought he was so awesome.

After we ran out of quarters, we did some more shopping down Main Street; I decided I couldn’t leave DL without getting Molly a visor and t-shirt. And some lollipops for the kid’s cousins we were seeing after Disneyland. Here is Molly with her visor- what a ham!

Goodbye Disneyland! We love you, but we won’t be back until probably 2009. (Yeah, right….then again, Hawaii is lined up for 07, and WDW for 08, so I guess it may be true!). We head back to the room for a rest- DH’s turn for pool time with the boys. After I feel rested, I take the boys back to DCA for a couple more hours.

The boys wanted to see the Muppets 3D movie, so we head that way. They laughed throughout the whole thing- I like that they appreciate Muppets humor.

As a child of the late 70s/early 80s, I just loved the Muppets. We peeked over at Monsters to see what the line was like and it was long, so we skipped it. We got some FPs for Soarin for later, and then got some ice creams and parked it for Pixar’s Block Party Bash. I don’t think I would call it a bash. It was pretty lame if you ask me. We ended up rocking with the Bug’s Life gang, you know, the not so popular kids of the group. It was basically just lots of loud dance party music, dancing by eager Disney dancers in weird costumes, and then some audience participation, which my kids reluctantly did…they just looked confused and a little annoyed. Don’t you think?

Mr. and Mrs. Incredible only show up at the very end of the ‘bash’ and we could only see Mrs. Incredible from where we sat. Rather disappointing. At the very end some rubber bouncy balls shoot out and my kids were disappointed they didn’t get one, but didn’t say a word. I could just tell by the looks on their faces, esp when the boy next to them grabbed 3-4 of them. It’s not like we don’t have enough toys.

This was really one of the VERY few times I have been disappointed with a Disney parade, and viewed it as a waste of time. It was just stupid. I guess if your child is REALLY enamored with Toy Story, Monsters, or Bug’s Life and you get to sit in their section, it might be worth it, but otherwise, no dice.

We went to the Bug’s Life area after this and the boys had a ball in the fountains.

We went on Flik’s Fliers afterwards and enjoyed the breeze. We wanted to go on the bumper cars, but the boys were too wet to go on! I didn’t even think about that, but the kind CM told them they didn’t want to get an electric shock, right?

For dinner I decided I wanted a salad in one of the sourdough Boudin bread bowls, so we headed to the Monterey wharf area to get one. I knew the boys wouldn’t want a sandwich, so I walked my chicken/apple salad in a bread bowl all the way back to Taste Pilot’s Grill. I cannot tell you how many people commented on my salad and asked me where I got it- it truly is beautiful! Even the CMs at Taste Pilot’s were asking me where I got it, how much it was, what was in it. I got the boys their kid’s meals, with carrots and milk, and some onion rings to share and we sat down. I am still drooling over the thought of that salad. One of the extremely few things I miss about living in the Bay Area- no more Boudin’s bakery nearby. We enjoyed our dinners- I was mad I couldn’t eat more of mine, but I was just so darn full!

Time to go on Soarin! Josh was so excited- he really enjoys this ride- really, who doesn’t? We got the bottom seating, darnit- I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the tippy top- I’m usually in the 2nd row. We enjoyed our tour of the Golden State and we then took a churro break to decide what to do next. I wasn’t even that hungry, but it isn’t a trip to DL without a churro. We decided some playing in the Redwood Creek Challenge was in order. So we head over that way and do some exploring. (do you like Joshua's sour puss face? Who knows what it was about this time...)

First we head to the zip line and oh what fun this was! Both boys just loved it and Joshua esp was enamored with it since he was JUST tall enough. Then we did some climbing in the net bridges, and checked out various looks outs and ranger stations. We made it to some slides and checked out what our Brother Bear alter ego is (I already forget). And then, my boys decide to act like dorks. They go through this log crawl thing and decide to fight over who gets first- another boy was trying to get through, and his dad was looking at me like my boys were total hellions. I get them out of there and they get sat on a bench for time out in Disneyland. I don’t think they have forgotten that yet. Usually they just don’t act like that, so I’m mortified when they do.

OK, time to shop one last time. Joshua picks out an organizer for his cars and Sam picks out one last Pirate of the Caribbean toy, some minion of Davy Jones who is just grosser than gross looking. We decide to park it for the Light Parade, something we all have looked forward to. We sit for about 45 minutes and I realize it’s coming from the other way, so it’s going to be awhile, since we are at the far end of the parade route. A woman comes and asks me if her daughter can squeeze in with my boys (who were front row, since we got there 45 minutes early). I said, “Sure, why not.” But then she squeezes in too (she could have easily sat right behind her daughter, like I was doing with my boys). I just kind of look at her, as now Josh is torked sideways. I said, “Gee, Josh, do you want to sit on my lap since you have been squeezed out of your spot?” And he nods and she just looks guilty. I swear people…..have some couth.

We leave after the parade, which was magical as always, and catch the fireworks from DL in the esplanade. A perfect way to end our Disney vacation, I think I will remember watching my boys shuffling along, pausing to look back at the fireworks, take a few more steps, look again- those are some pretty impressive fireworks! We shuffle back to the room, shower and go to bed.

 

[popeyeohoh]

Great report. I really enjoy the pictures. Your children are very cute.

 

[Alice28]

I hope you enjoyed what I had to share. It wasn’t
always pretty, but it was Disneyland, and even the worst day at Disney is better than a boring day at home, right? If you have any questions, please ask away! Final thoughts-

Do I still love Disneyland? Of course I do! I think the conclusion I finally came to is this: going to Disneyland, in the summer, after driving a lot, with 3 young kids, is frankly, hard. I’m sure most sane people would realize that before even going, but being the Disney dreamer that I am, for some reason I was just sure everything would fall into place. In retrospect, it really did. The boys had a blast, Molly did relatively well in the stroller and seemed enamored with lots of the sights and sounds. I think my husband and I missed the days of just being able to do what we wanted. Those days are over for awhile. And going with 3 kids verses 2 really is hard! I hate to say it, but it is! I am sure the next time we go, it will be easier, as Molly will be over 3, Josh 7 and Sam 10.

Highlights- Buzz Lightyear attraction and meeting Buzz with no lines; Space Mountain; Pirates of the Caribbean; Birthday serenade on the Jungle Cruise; watching the fireworks in Tomorrowland with my family. Pretty much all of DCA except for Block Party Bash- if I didn’t mention it in the trip report, DCA was extremely easy to navigate crowd wise- no congested walkways, lines tolerable with FP, and good play spots with Redwood Creek Challenge and Bug’s Life. I also enjoyed our meals at French Market and Rancho del Zocalo. Oh, and my boys at the Shooting Gallery was pretty cute too!

Lowlights- the crowds, esp in the New Orleans Square area! Hideous! The heat was pretty intense as well. Block Party Bash parade. Getting stuck on Alice in Wonderland and having Dumbo break down as well…..Fantasyland closing so dang early (before 8 when the fireworks begin at 9:30).

And I think, in a nutshell, for as special and unique as Disneyland is, it doesn’t quite have that vacation feel that WDW has to me. People just don’t seem as relaxed or something at DL- there was a frantic vibe this trip and it annoyed me. I don’t want to diss AP holders, but there were a TON of them there, especially on Tuesday. (like I mentioned at the beginning, according to www.miceage.com, 33,000 of the 65,000 in the park on Tuesday were AP holders!).

But for those of you who have never been to DL, you have to go. So many things are just unique and special there, not to be found at WDW.

Of course we will be back someday- DH kept teasing that we were going to go back, just the two of us, sometime next year and stay at the Grand Californian. That sounds heavenly, but boy, would I feel guilty, esp since my oldest has become such a fan! We’ll see though.

 

[llij]

Robin,

Excellent trip report!! You are a great writer and captured the spirit of your trip beautifully. You've got a wonderful family too and I love seeing the pictures of them!

 

[stagemomx3]

We ended up rocking with the Bug’s Life gang, you know, the not so popular kids of the group.

Great reports, thanks for sharing. We had the same floats in front of us for Block Party Bash and I thought the same thing. I wish we would have been in the Monsters Inc. section, but my kids still enjoyed it. DH even liked it, he commented on how hard the dancers were working. The boys jumped at the chance to get up and dance during the audience participation part. Daisy at 10 going on 14 was to cool to do anything so immature, though I do have a picture of her particpating from the side!

 

[krismom]

Great report! What a beautiful family, you captured the magic in those pics- thanks for sharing!

Was the Bugs Life sprinkler area in the FLik's fun fair area? I don't recall seeing it?

Thanks for the tip about Grizzly River- gotta try that!

 

[Alice28]

Great report! What a beautiful family, you captured the magic in those pics- thanks for sharing!

Was the Bugs Life sprinkler area in the FLik's fun fair area? I don't recall seeing it?

Thanks for the tip about Grizzly River- gotta try that!

Yes, the sprinkler was kind of before you get to all of the rides. Then we saw other sprinklers in some other part of the Bug's life area- the came down more from the top, rather than water shooting up from the ground. And then there was MORE water stuff in the farm section outside of the Bug's Life area....lots of opportunities to get wet!

 

[NostalgicDad]

Great report. We were there with our 3 kids (DS12, DD8, DS5) on Tuesday the 27th, the last day of our trip. We were also in that POTC line that you saw going up Main Street 1st thing in the morning. But, it moved really fast and within an hour, we were on the ride since it opened at 8am. But, once the queue filled up, I can believe it was a 2-3 hour wait. We opened and closed the park that day and even hung around DTD until about 1:00am. A full 18 hours of enormous crowds to cap off a wonderful first ever DL visit. We just didn't want it to end.

 

[mshrm]

WOW you sure had your hands full! What a great detailed trip report.

It certainly sounds like you guys had your fair share of ride breakdowns. Ive never had an experience there that included more than one ride breakdown. I hope things are in better working order when we get there.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reports ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[doombuggy]

Alice28: Sounds like you had fun anyway! Looks like you picked the wrong time to go, however, with the opening of POTC (premiere & rehab'd attraction) and just before the holiday weekend. I have heard that it has been hotter than normal (which doesn't bode well for us when we go later next month ).

And remind your hubby to take a hat next time. He wore one overseas, he just forgot about it. My cousin was over there from Feb - Oct and has the same problem when they spend the day at the beach in NC (he's now at LeJunne).

Thanks for the report! I am now very hungary.......

 

[ryan840]

Loved the report! We're now definately thinking about maybe going next year I still think that Molly looks like you, BTW.

 

[deekaypee]

Great trip report, good details and I love the pictures. I'd wondered what DLR would be like during that time--knew it would be busy--so it was fun to read it from your perspective.

 

[pppiglet]

Hi! Found your link from our "other board" (wink, wink)

Loved reading your trip report. Boy you were busy! We do have passes so when we go we just kinda cruise through and play it by ear. I know when we finally get to go to WDW next year, our days will be like yours were this trip! Even with passes we still haven't been back to ride the POTC since we went for the red carpet event. It's just been too darn hot! After reading how you described WDW as feeling more like you are on vacation, I am really looking forward to our trip next year!

Debbie

 

[Disney owl]

Great review thanks