Disneyland or Bust: A Mother-Daughter Coastal Road Trip

[RGirl]

Aaaaand... Going back to read... Later

Happy reading!

Can I get a pity point for saying the evil stepmother is lady tremaine?

I think that would be totally appropriate.

I missed the updates before the Christmas ones, but they all look great! I can't wait to see what dress willow finally decides on!

Thanks! She has never had so much difficulty choosing a dress at the BBB before.

I like that space mountain is a side by side ride in DL. That looks fun and different then wdw. It's weird to see paper FP though!

I definitely prefer Space at DL over WDW - but that's true of many attractions.

Oooooo, the tea cups! Best ride ever! I love how they are uncovered. And look so pretty!

Oh, you with your great love of the teacups would really enjoy the DL version, I think.

And those pics of willow and Pluto are adorable! I love how much she loves Pluto.

Pluto is definitely her favorite dog next to her own dog at home.

 

[RGirl]

Okay, joining in after reading the whole thing in one sitting last night!

Wow - that was a lot to get through! Thank you so much for taking the time!

Love the report! Driving the west coast is one of my favorite road trips! As a kid, we used to take road trips to visit family in Oregon and I know I've been to some of the touristy places you stopped at - we have pictures from the drive-through tree for sure. Then, when I was college age and beyond, I made a couple drives up the CA coast on my own. I know Highway 1 and all those gorgeous views! When Izzy is older, we'd love to do a trip much like this (with DL included, of course!) We are hoping to get to DL sometime soon (maybe even late this year), so that part of the report is great to read as well!

How neat that you have those great road trip memories too - it is so fun to relive them as a parent.

Ooooh, I hope you get to DLR soon! I know you will all love it!!!!

Really cool to hear what the mother/daughter travel is like when the daughter isn't two anymore. Sounds like you two have a really great time together - so much fun! Looking forward to more!

It definitely gets easier. Willow has done a decent amount of traveling since she was a baby (like your Izzie has), and I really think that's part of why she's such a good traveler now. I bet Izzie will be the same way.

Looks like you guys had a great Christmas!

Thanks - we definitely did!

Looks like another fun morning at DL! So many dress choices! I'm shocked that Willow had chicken strips again! Yay for Space Mountain! DL's version is my favorite!

It was very unusual that Willow took so long to decide on a dress - usually she has it picked out months in advance. The lack of Elsa dresses really threw her off her game.

 

[RGirl]

The Contest: First person to provide the movie title from which the chapter heading comes get a point; two points if the character who utters the line is also identified. If the first person doesn’t name the character, the first poster to do so will get a point.

Current Standing:
Courtney (courtneybelle): 6 points
Jill (jedijill): 20 points
pkondz: 10 points
Megan (MonsterWDWmom): 2 points
Shannon (shan23877): 6 points
Lori (STLMickeyMom): 4 points
petals: 1 point
Rob (DisneyKid4Life): 2 points

“This is a hobo suit, darling. You can't be seen in this. I won't allow it.”​

Day 10F - Sunday, 3 August 2014 - Disneyland Resort

After Space and a little shopping, it was a little after 12, so we decided to head back to the BBB to check in.

​

It was a madhouse in the BBB - people everywhere. While we were waiting to be called up, Willow settled on the Minnie Mouse dress. However, when her FGiT came to get her, she promptly changed her mind.

Willow: After I changed my mind, I chose to do Sofia the First.

The Disneyland BBB looks a little different from the one at MK.

​

Willow had a great time getting her make-over.

​

And the Big Reveal is very cool at the DL BBB. They have curtains that are closed during the entire make-over process.

​

At the end, the FGiT, pulls the curtains, the mirror sparkles to life, and the little princess gets to see her made-over self. Very cool!

​

Willow: They ask you to say Bibbity Bobbity Boo, and the curtains open, and the mirror shimmers with flowers, and there are birds.

With the Castle Package (which I am somehow always suckered into buying, but which was much less painful with the AP discount), you also get a little photo shoot. And here is another difference between the DL BBB and the MK one - the photo studio at the DL BBB is in back near the dressing rooms in the BBB, and it is ADORABLE!

Willow: Oh, and I even got to sit in Cinderella’s carriage!

​

Up Next: Day 10G

 

[courtneybelle]

I'll catch up in a bit but Edna Mode from the Incredibles??

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi Roni, back and catching up on what I've missed!

YESSSS I love Disneyland's Pirates!!! Eating at the Blue Bayou is on my bucket list.

We must have done Indiana Jones three or four times when we went to DL. It's so much fun!! Glad Willow enjoyed it

I love your snowmen doors! And oh my gosh, gingerbread AND red velvet fudge? Those are my two favorite flavors!

Love the note for Santa, and props to Willow for using the right "your"-I know college students who can't do that! She's wicked smart as we say in MA.

I love the Olaf robe!! I got some Elsa pajama pants but I'm guessing the Olaf robe doesn't come in my size…

I'm pretty sure I mention this in all your DL reports, but the Matterhorn was down for maintenance when we were there, and I'm STILL sad about it four years later. It seems like my kind of ride!

Wait, I love that they have Pumbaa pillow pets! I had a much-loved stuffed Pumbaa when I was younger. Excited to see which one Willow picks out…

Great choice on Sofia. I love the color of that dress! Willow looks gorgeous and I love how they do the reveal.

I LOVE the carriage and the animals in the photo shoot!!! Too cute!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I still get so sad that Matterhorn was closed when I was there. I know it's not the most thrilling coaster on the planet, but I think it was the first steel coaster ever made. Not to mention I always loved the photos/video of Walt riding it. It would have been nice to ride.

Haha, the single rider thing really threw me at first because of the little card. I got used to it though.

I really adore the teacups in Disneyland. Having them open air with no roof adds to it I think. So pretty at night.

Are you sure Willow is as young as you claim? Single rider... table finder... I think she's an adult in a child's body, lol.

Awww Willow is clearly a pro at BBB. And that is so cute how they do the reveal. AND the photoshoot backdrops are ADORABLE!!

 

[RGirl]

I'll catch up in a bit but Edna Mode from the Incredibles??

And TWO POINTS for Courtney!

Hi Roni, back and catching up on what I've missed!

Good to see you. As you know, I am very familiar with the catch-up game. I hope you had/are having a great break!

YESSSS I love Disneyland's Pirates!!! Eating at the Blue Bayou is on my bucket list.

Isn't PotC at DL just markedly better?????

I remember eating at Blue Bayou when I was a kid - very vague memories, but I'm 95% sure it happened. And, spoiler alert! we did eat there on this trip.

We must have done Indiana Jones three or four times when we went to DL. It's so much fun!! Glad Willow enjoyed it

Willow LOVED it. I am sure that we will be doing it a few times in about 5 days.....

I love your snowmen doors! And oh my gosh, gingerbread AND red velvet fudge? Those are my two favorite flavors!

Awww - thanks! We had a lot of fun with the doors. I'm guessing we will have every door covered in a snowman next year.

I wish you had been here - I don't eat sweets, and Willow is only about chocolate. Let's just say that I threw out a lot of delicious sweets.....

Love the note for Santa, and props to Willow for using the right "your"-I know college students who can't do that! She's wicked smart as we say in MA.

Well, she got the "your" right - the rest is a little more questionable. Their idea of spelling at this age is so funny. The child has had 100% on every weekly spelling test this year, but I don't she actually retains any of it - I think the whole concept is probably beyond their years.

But I do think she's wicked smart. And you would love this - I did a clerkship with a federal judge in Boston. He loved my Boston accent so much that he would have me do command performances during our lunches. It was hilarious! (I lived in Southy so I was VERY attuned to the lingo . )

I love the Olaf robe!! I got some Elsa pajama pants but I'm guessing the Olaf robe doesn't come in my size…

Ooooh, I want Elsa PJ pants!!! I need to shop for myself once in a while.....

I'm pretty sure I mention this in all your DL reports, but the Matterhorn was down for maintenance when we were there, and I'm STILL sad about it four years later. It seems like my kind of ride!

It's a really fun ride - I mean, you may not be able to count on me for that, but Miss Willow is obsessed with it. As you will eventually see in this TR.....

Sadly, it will be down for refurb during our trip next week. That is actually one of the reasons that I told Willow about the trip in advance - I wanted her to have fair warning that the Matterhorn would not be an option.

Wait, I love that they have Pumbaa pillow pets! I had a much-loved stuffed Pumbaa when I was younger. Excited to see which one Willow picks out…

I was surprised by what she chose but not unimpressed - it is a really nice one. They had several that I hadn't seen/noticed before, including the Pumbaa one. You should get one!!!!

Great choice on Sofia. I love the color of that dress! Willow looks gorgeous and I love how they do the reveal.

Thanks! She really had a terrible time choosing a dress given all the dang long sleeves and the lack of Elsa mercy, but the Sofia one ended up being very cute. And the sparkly/flowery/birdy light up mirrors at the DL BBB were great - I wonder why they don't have them at WDW.

I LOVE the carriage and the animals in the photo shoot!!! Too cute!

That was a surprise to us! We LOVED it!!!

 

[RGirl]

I still get so sad that Matterhorn was closed when I was there. I know it's not the most thrilling coaster on the planet, but I think it was the first steel coaster ever made. Not to mention I always loved the photos/video of Walt riding it. It would have been nice to ride.

Hmmm, I think this is another indication that you probably need to make another trip to DLR.

Haha, the single rider thing really threw me at first because of the little card. I got used to it though.

Me too! And to be honest, I still don't understand the purpose of the cards. I mean, you are IN THE SINGLE RIDER LINE - why do you need a card too???

I really adore the teacups in Disneyland. Having them open air with no roof adds to it I think. So pretty at night.

Yep - it's another attraction that just has a little something extra at DLR.

Are you sure Willow is as young as you claim? Single rider... table finder... I think she's an adult in a child's body, lol.

Well, let's be clear. When acting as table-finder, she is only allowed in the section I can see from the food line. I guess I am comfortable with these things because I have been very clear with her about what to do in any situation and feel very confident that she would do what we have talked about (as shown by her actions when we did get separated on our cruise in 2013). It's a fine line we walk as parents between being freaky helicopters and providing opportunities for independence and growth. I find it a hard one, but I try to follow my child's indications of what she can do. I still am not comfortable with single-rider lines in certain attractions - but for RSR and Matterhorn where we are almost always in sight of each other and there is virtually no waiting alone or being in an enclosed environment and where she knows exactly what to do in a break-down situation, I am willing to let her do it. It's hard, but I think it's good that she is confident in herself and has my confidence in her. I will admit that it is much easier to do during the off season, but that is very hard to explain when the next trip is in a more crowded season. And I suppose part of it is that it's just the two of us - she is probably more independent because she has HAD to have more independence with only one set of eyes on her and two hands to hold when those hands are both full, etc.

Awww Willow is clearly a pro at BBB. And that is so cute how they do the reveal. AND the photoshoot backdrops are ADORABLE!!

She definitely loves the BBB. And we were both so pleasantly surprised with the additional magic at the DL version of it.

 

[Dugette]

Aw, what a sweet little princess! That is a really cute photo shoot too! I'm surprised WDW doesn't have those special touches!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I totally knew that one was Edna Mode, but now all I can hear is her yelling "No capes!" we love that movie!

Willow surprised me! I thought for sure she'd stick with Minnie, but Sophia's dress is awfully pretty! I ADORE her picture in the carriage--how stinkin cute is that? And the mirror sparkling and birds flying--that is SO very princessy! Maybe we'll have to try the BBB at DL whenever we get there. We've never done it so it'd be fun to have them try it there first!

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Roni and Willow,

first off, even if it is a little late .........

​

As always, I just love all your updates, but there is far too much to comment on individually, so let me just say that I WANT to go to DL right now. Unfortunately it is not in the cards in the near future, but we must make plans for it soon.

Willow, what a wonderful princess you are! Doesn't matter which princess you are, you are always the fairest of them all.

You are bringing up a sweet princess there, Roni. I only warn you, the way she looks you are going to have your hands full when she gets a little older.

 

[petals]

Luvin all your updates esp the pics with Pluto. Looks like you had a great Christmas as well.

 

[pkondz]

Sugar dogs - I make them once a year on Christmas Eve, and Willow will never let a Christmas Eve pass without them. They are horribly unhealthy but wildly delicious - basically hotdogs cut into bite-sized pieces, wrapped in bacon and then cooked in brown sugar.

Oh, dear Lord... That sounds good.

That's hilarious! Does she still like them???

Oh, yes. Keeping pickles in our fridge for any length of time only happens if I accidentally buy ones that she doesn't like.

And those are few and far between.

We haven't fired it up yet, but my mom (who purchased it) said that they no longer use a light bulb as the heating element.

Huh. I wonder what they use now.
Couldn't possibly be anything weaker...

Willow: I like when you do comments, and I like that card that says Happy New Year. Thank you! And a happy new year to you too! I hope you liked our card.

I'm glad you like my comments Willow! And I'm glad you liked my card to you!

I did like your card!! Thanks!!

(Yep - Disneyland Resort still sports the old paper FP system. )

Hmmm, looks like the stand-by wait was only 25 minutes.

Shows you just how much we hate standing in line.

Disney snobs!!!!

What to do when in Tomorrowland and waiting to use a FP for Space? Well, head to the Matterhorn, of course - one of Willow's absolute favorite attractions.

Seems reasonable.
I will almost certainly never get to ride it.

Willow LOVES the single rider line here and always flaunts her little green single rider card.

You go girl!
If you've got it, flaunt it!

As usual on my first ride of the trip on the Matterhorn, I tried to get some pictures for you. *sigh*

Love the *sigh*

blur

big rock, probably some sky

blur again

more rocks. more sky.

Yup.... *sigh*

After the Matterhorn, Willow was hoping to do the Alice ride, but the wait seemed quite long, so we opted for the teacups instead. The cups had no wait whatsoever - my kind of attraction!

But not a pkondz ride!
pkondz does not do spinning rides.

Nope.
Nada.
Not gonna happen.

I love the little cottage for the CMs!

Especially that thatched roof.

After we left the Teacups, it was about 10:45.

See?
If I was writing this TR it would be like this:
"After we left the Teacups, it was about time to revisit what I had for breakfast."

However, she had been torn for months on what dress she was going to get (which shouldn't really be surprising since she already has almost every dress ).

What? Comment? Nope. Not me.

Willow looked around in here for a LOOOOOONG time.

Do not rush a young lady picking out dresses.

You just don't.

By the time we left, Willow was pretty sure that she was going to go with the Minnie Mouse dress for a little change of pace.

Really!

Times have really changed.
Before they had meet 'n greets with the princesses, I'm pretty sure every girl wanted to meet Minnie.
She's now been relegated to a minority role, I think.

So I got in line to order while Willow went to find us a table (no easy feat).

I already read your comment on this, but still, good for Willow being self assured enough to do this on her own.

Check out the Stormtrooper mug! Are these at WDW too now?

I don't know.... but if they are, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to get one!

Willow went out on yet another limb with chicken strips and French fries.

No way!!! Was this the first time ever that she's had that?!?!?!?!?


What?

Awesome gif!

“This is a hobo suit, darling. You can't be seen in this. I won't allow it.”

I'm too late... But even though I've seen it, I never would've gotten this one.

It was a madhouse in the BBB - people everywhere.

I read that and gave silent thanks that my girls are too old for this now.


Then thought... "If I ever have granddaughters, I know I'll be taking them."

While we were waiting to be called up, Willow settled on the Minnie Mouse dress. However, when her FGiT came to get her, she promptly changed her mind.

Woman's prerogative.

Willow: After I changed my mind, I chose to do Sofia the First.

Sorry, maybe I'm dumb, but... Who's Sofia the First???

And the Big Reveal is very cool at the DL BBB. They have curtains that are closed during the entire make-over process.

At the end, the FGiT, pulls the curtains, the mirror sparkles to life, and the little princess gets to see her made-over self. Very cool!

Cool!

Willow: They ask you to say Bibbity Bobbity Boo, and the curtains open, and the mirror shimmers with flowers, and there are birds.

Wow! That's really a nice touch!

And might I add that you looked absolutely beautiful?
Even more so than you usually do.

With the Castle Package (which I am somehow always suckered into buying,

Because if you don't, you're a bad parent of course.

Willow: Oh, and I even got to sit in Cinderella’s carriage!

No way!!

Up Next: Day 10G

Whew! Thanks for all the posts!

 

[KatMark]

More fun updates, Roni. Willow sure looks excited holding her single rider ticket. Fun picture on Space Mountain (yet another ride I can't do anymore).

Willow, you make a beautiful Sophia the First. I have to say I like the extras that they have at the BBB in DL. Very cool.

 

[RGirl]

Aw, what a sweet little princess! That is a really cute photo shoot too! I'm surprised WDW doesn't have those special touches!

Thanks!

WDW has a nice photo shoot for sure, but we really enjoyed this cute little spot.

I totally knew that one was Edna Mode, but now all I can hear is her yelling "No capes!" we love that movie!

It's a great movie, right?

Willow surprised me! I thought for sure she'd stick with Minnie, but Sophia's dress is awfully pretty! I ADORE her picture in the carriage--how stinkin cute is that? And the mirror sparkling and birds flying--that is SO very princessy! Maybe we'll have to try the BBB at DL whenever we get there. We've never done it so it'd be fun to have them try it there first!

Oh, you should! We have always enjoyed the WDW BBB, but I dare say that I liked the DL one better. It is definitely very crowded (at least in the height of summer), but I just loved the mirrors and the photo shoot spot.

 

[afwdwfan]

The Matterhorn... I was soooo looking forward to riding it. Darn refurbs. Thanks for the pictures though.

I'm glad that Willow finally decided on a dress. And you, thinking you could talk her out of it... yeah, right.

I'm glad she got to enjoy her DL BBB experience!

 

[RGirl]

Hey DIS Friends!!!! I promise I will be back to finish replies and update this report very soon.

We are headed for Disneyland tomorrow morning!!!!

I may try to post from there in the evenings since the parks aren't open super-late, but I can't promise anything. You know how tired one is after a day of fun! I will definitely play the catch-up game on all of your awesome TRs when we return though.

 

[Dugette]

I was just going to stop by to wish you a wonderful trip! I hope you have a fantastic time and happy birthday to Willow!

 

[pkondz]

We are headed for Disneyland tomorrow morning!!!!

Have a great and fun trip!!

 

[dizneeat]

Have a great trip with lots of magical moments!