Going for Gold - Our Spring Break Cruise to Cabo and Ensenada on the Wonder Plus Disneyland March 2023 (Updated 6/13)

[greensombrero]

Just a couple more whale photos.







We were out there for a solid couple hours watching whales and we saw plenty. They also got out a hydrophone to let us listen to the whale songs. I'm not sure if it was the quality of their equipment or just the conditions but it was kind of hard to hear them but still cool. Before we knew it we had to say good bye.



I've never been to Alaska and never been whale watching before. So I have nothing to compare this to but it was better than I expected and we were so glad we did this excursion! It is really hard to convey how cool it was even with these photos. We saw lots of whales, we loved the boats and flying around Cabo in them. Our guide was great. Just all around probably my favorite Disney Port Adventure to date.

When we got back to the marina they walked us over to the tour company's headquarters. This tour was operated by the same group that does a dolphin encounter and some other things in Cabo. They had their photo center there where we got to see and buy the photos if we wanted. There was no pressure but I was really interested in them. They told us that there were orcas in the area, though we didn't get to see them. Apparently that made the whales a bit less active so they told us they were discounting the photos as a result. If we didn't have the experience we could have I sure didn't notice and wasn't complaining. I didn't mind discounted photos though maybe it was just a sales tactic. It didn't bother me either way though. It was such a fun excursion I was just very happy and made sure to tip our guide and crew for a job well done.

After the excursion we were all hungry but we wanted to explore Cabo a bit. I suggested maybe finding a taco place but everyone wanted to eat back on board. So we just checked out one tourist shop to pick up some Mexican vanilla and a couple souvenirs before heading back. We got a little whale statue for our travel shelves at home to remind us of this incredible whale watching adventure.

We decided to take advantage of the included room service when we got back to the ship. Post excursion is a great time I think to have them deliver food while everyone is getting cleaned up. I really like the room service wings and of course had to get a Mickey Bar! I'd looked at them in the grocery store freezer a couple times recently and reminded myself I could just wait until the cruise and get them for "free" well better stated included. None of the sandwiches/mains on the room service menu really called to me though so while we waited I ran up to the pool deck. They had a daily special at Pete's a spicy chicken sandwich. I grabbed that and brought it back. Room service didn't take too long but I had time to run up and back.

For those unfamiliar with how it works most all of the room service is menu is included. The only things that have a charge are some of the prepackaged snacks like M&Ms or a can of soda. You can grab a soda though off the pool deck. Anyhow while the food is included it is best practice to tip the delivery person. I generally do a dollar or two per item. You can give cash or they do give you a receipt to sign and you can add it there to your room bill.

Everyone enjoyed their lunch. We still had a few more hours in Cabo, the kids ran off to their clubs and my wife and I found a nice spot on deck 4 to sit in the sun and read our books. We were on the side facing some of the resorts and one of them had what sounded to be a live mariachi band playing. We could hear it quite well on the ship. It was kind of fun to listen to the music, sit in the warmth and just relax and read.

Then I realized I really needed something cool in my hand. I don't drink but I really love getting the virgin pina colavas on DCL. The mix of the standard pina colada with the raspberry syrup is something that just works for me. Unfortunately on the Wonder there isn't really a good bar option near deck 4. The Dream and the Fantasy have that one off the atrium. I ended up walking up to deck 9 to find a place open and then had to bring it down. Oh well burned off some of the calories I was about to drink I suppose.

With a pina colava in my hand, things were perfect. We really enjoyed hanging out on deck 4 for the rest of the afternoon until we started to head to sea.

Up next ... Pirate Night!

 

[MBlair]

Sorry, this was in error.

 

[newfamilyman]

I'm enjoying your report, when we covered the same itinerary a month earlier. I have to ask, though, as a similar morning runner, how did the mooring closures not drive you crazy? Maybe you will cover that later in your report.

 

[greensombrero]

Pirate Night

After our relaxing afternoon it was time for Pirate Night. Normally I like to really dress up for Pirate Night but the family decided not to pack full costumes this go around. We did get the pirate bandanas in our rooms and I had a pirate T-Shirt.



Gotta love a pirate night photo!

Dinner came way too early though considering our late lunch post excursion. We were in Tiana's for Pirate Night which I think is a perfectly themed restaurant for the occasion. I know a lot of people aren't big fans of the Pirate Night menu. Historically I've quite enjoyed it. However I decided I wanted to branch out and try something new and that didn't turn out well.

I normally love the samosa appetizer but tried the crab cake and it was just okay. I've generally enjoyed the jerk chicken. I could do with it being spicer but its a solid option. This time I tried the Osso Bucco and it was just rather bland and I was not a fan. My boys got Jack's Treasure's of the Sea pasta and they liked that. It is one of my son's favorites. So it would appear that I need to stick with that or the chicken next time. The bananas in paradise I think they are called dessert was really good though. I feel like Disney could do so much with a pirate themed menu. I'd love to see them update it. Maybe they could include some curry on the menu.

At dinner everyone was talking about how tired they were. I think the time on the water took something out of me or something. We were all debating if we would make it to the fireworks. Fortunately we caught second winds. I went to the Cadillac Lounge and listened to some music for a bit. Then I headed up to the deck for what would become one of my favorite activities of the cruise.

My wife wanted to stake out a good spot for fireworks and she noticed that Muppet Treasure Island was on Funnel Vision ending right before the show. So she suggested we just go watch it on deck. For some reason despite being a big Muppet's fan I've never watched it all the way through, just seen bits and pieces. Let me tell you watching Muppet Treasure Island while aboard a ship at sea, pirate night no less, was awesome! Not surprisingly my wife's idea was brilliant. It is such a good Muppet movie, I was shocked I hadn't bothered to see it before. Add in the feeling of being at sea and it was just super enjoyable. The only issue was we chose to watch it up on deck 10 in our favorite spot for fireworks and deck shows. That meant we were sitting on the deck which isn't that comfortable but I found the blanket locker and we made it kind of like a movie at the park.



They had the photographers out as the party approached. As you can tell it did get pretty cold on deck but we bundled up. I also took advantage of a late night slice of pizza, something you can't just grab at any old outdoor movie. In the end watching that movie is one of my favorite memories from this cruise. If you've never seen Muppet Treasure Island I highly recommend it.

We had a great spot for the show and fireworks. Here is another picture maybe showing where we like to be better. Up on deck 10 on the left side if you are facing funnel vision.



I forgot how different the pirate shows are on the classic ships vs the Dream and Fantasy. It was more of a dance party where the others have more of a sing along. I think I prefer the sing along but I do like when the pirates come out to "rock" and the music they play. Mickey also has a fun entrance. From what I've heard the pirate show on the Wish is next level. I hope they maybe bring it to the other ships or at least update them at some point. I failed to take any photos of the party itself. The fireworks were fun and all in all I really enjoyed pirate night! We all headed to bed to get a good night sleep after.

Up next - Another Day at Sea with Palo and lots of Frozen

 

[greensombrero]

I'm enjoying your report, when we covered the same itinerary a month earlier. I have to ask, though, as a similar morning runner, how did the mooring closures not drive you crazy? Maybe you will cover that later in your report.

Thanks for reading! I have heard about and seen the mooring closures on past cruises and plan my running schedule to not hit them. I generally don't run two days in a row very often. For this itinerary it was perfect to just run on sea days and then take our port days as rest days. Though with all the stairs I climbed and number of steps I got I'm not sure how rested my legs really got.

 

[greensombrero]

Day 06 3/27 - Day at Sea

After Pirate Night I slept in a bit and only had time for a short quick morning run. No spectacular sunrise but I can't get enough of ocean views.



Kids were hungry and wanted to head up to Cabanas so up we went. I grabbed a little but couldn't eat too much since we had Palo for early lunch. After breakfast we did a bit of packing so we wouldn't have to do it all tomorrow. Then we headed to another episode of Anyone Can Cook.

This time it was Apple Strudel, another item not served on this ship, but something I've always been curious how it is made. Here is a photo of how the classes are set up. They have a video screen behind the chef so you can better see what they are doing.



I was kind of amazed how he just rolled the strudel out on a clean tablecloth and wrapped it up.



While they don't serve it on the ship we did get to sample it as you always do in these classes. Our server happened to be one of the ones assisting today. It was fun to see him and say hi.

After we got ready for Palo we headed up on deck for a minute. We got a silly photo too.



Before too long it was time for Palo Brunch. Our server this time was Ines from Portugal. We enjoyed chatting with her and the service was great. We had a wonderful table by a window with an incredible ocean view. There is nothing like watching the ocean as you eat.

This was our third time doing Palo Brunch. We never had a chance to experience it when they had the buffet. I think having the chance to try more variety with smaller portions would be nice. However there is more than enough food without it. I suspect it would be hard to manage with that much food.

We started out with the apple cinnamon waffle because I wanted to try it again. It is good but not great. Then we moved on to the calzone, which we've never tried before. It was quite large, I should have taken a photo but we really really liked it. After that we went with our favorites, the chicken parm for my wife and the lasagna for me. They were both as good as ever. We were pretty full from all the food on the cruise and wanted to leave room for dessert so we left it there.

Last time we tried the apple sticky buns and were shocked how big they were. So we decided it would be our only dessert. This was the one food item I remembered to photograph.



They are good but the sauce was a bit bitter this time. In general I feel like the Palo desserts sometimes look better than they taste. All in all though we really loved our Palo experience as usual. It's nice to get away with my wife and enjoy a relaxing meal just the two of us especially with such a fun view off the back of the ship.

After Palo I was feeling a bit sleepy as usual. I took a brief rest in the room and then tried to meet my son for Marvel Trivia. Unfortunately it was full and so we met the rest of the family for a Frozen drawing class. I've never done one of those before. I was amazed how they were able to help even me make a half way decent drawing of Olaf.



This was the start of a marathon of Frozen activities. Tonight was Frozen in the theater so I think that is why they had all the Frozen themed activities. After drawing we did Frozen trivia. I thought 23 out of 25 was pretty good, but not enough for a prize of course.

After the trivia they had Frozen phrases which was kind of a password type game. They divided the room into two teams and selected two people to play from each team. They gave each other clues to try and get the other to guess the word. It was fun to watch & participate a bit. They allowed the audience to give hints to the one guessing.

After it was about dinner time. Tonight we were in Tritons which is one of my favorite places to eat. I had to grab a photo of my youngest enjoying his favorite, escargot.


Maybe he looks unsure but he ate it all and a second portion when our server saw how much he enjoyed it. I love how he has had a chance to discover new foods as we cruise.

Tonight we were in for a special surprise. Our head server brought us Indian food! I've heard of this happening before but this was our first time experiencing it. I had mentioned to him when we first met him that we love Indian food. He brought a curry and bindi masala which was an okra dish. I love okra and really enjoyed both that dish and the curry. I don't know why Disney doesn't offer Indian food on their main menu, it would be awesome on Pirate night. Unfortunately it was a lot of food on a night with one of our favorite menus. We all loved it though. I couldn't pass up one of my favorite desserts though.



I was looking through photos and saw this one from our dinner which reminded me of something.



At some point I got a message in the app that they did find the hoodie I wanted in my size. I was happy that Oksana came through and found it for me. It was perfect to wear on this colder cruise and I've enjoyed since getting home as well.

After dinner we got in line for Frozen. I was worried it would be pretty full but they actually had a matinee and I think a number of those with early dining/late show went to it. The theater was not full. I'm still glad we went early as we got good seats and it is probably my favorite musical on DCL. I'm not a huge Frozen fan necessarily but it is just so well done, has a great balance of humor and effects and just an enjoyable show. For this performance I thought Anna really brought it. Normally Olaf is my favorite but the actress who played Anna was super good, better than when I've seen it before. It is fun to see who really shines in each cast.

After the show I was ready for bed as we had a fairly early excursion the next morning.

Up next -- Cultural & Off Road Adventures in Ensenada

 

[buteraa]

Awesome trip report so far. Looking forward to your excursion.

 

[greensombrero]

Day 07 3/28 - Ensenada

Are we up to day 7 already? Writing these trip reports is always a good way for me to feel like I'm extending the vacation. Sadly we are nearing the end even of that. We were a bit said for this final day onboard to arrive but for this cruise we were excited that getting off the ship wouldn't be the end of the vacation.

Our last full day aboard greeted us with a beautiful sunrise.



As I recall our excursion left shortly after our planned arrival time in port. I think it was scheduled for like 8:30 AM, I didn't take very good notes this day. We went to Cabanas for breakfast and got ready to go. Our docking was delayed a bit, I'm not sure why but they did come on and announced that our all aboard time would be a bit later as a result.

Ensenada as a port isn't anything too impressive. I've heard it compared to Nassau in terms of not being an exciting port, though I think the views docked at Nassau are much more impressive. It is a bit of an industrial port so I didn't take any pictures. The meeting for our excursion took place at the Buena Vista theater I believe and all that check in process went well. Before long we were off the ship where we found out we'd be divided into two different groups and load into vans. We had to wait just a bit as the parking area was full and some buses had to leave before one of our vans could get a spot. I will comment briefly on the weather. Ensenada was much cooler than Cabo. It was a beautiful sunny day but the temperatures started in the upper 50s I think and didn't leave the low/mid 60s tops.



I should back up and say we selected for our day the EN17 Kumiai Indian Reserve Tour. As you'll see we quite enjoyed it. We met our guide Neto and headed off. He was a great tour guide and gave a running narration of what we were seeing as we left the port and headed out of the city itself. His narration covered history, culture, economy etc. Super informative and it was all right up my oldest daughter's alley as she is taking an AP Human Geography course this year. She would end the day saying this was her favorite port stop across all our cruises.

There really are some interesting things in Ensenada. The history of the famous casino there is quite intriguing. It really had its heyday during the prohibition when Hollywood stars came down to have a place to drink. When the prohibition ended it didn't survive too much longer and eventually fell into disrepair before eventually being restored. It is now a community/civic center where they have many festivals. There are also a number of nice looking colleges/technical schools on the outskirts of Ensenada and per our guide a lot of good technology education is offered there.

As we climbed the hills away from the city we got views of the agricultural part of Ensenada. It is Mexico's wine country with lots of vineyards.



The drive I think would have been 45 minutes - hour except as we got close we got a call that recent rains had made the normal entrance to the community impassible to most vehicles. So we'd have to go around the long way. At this point it was clear why we were in vans and not a big tour bus. The back way was an off road adventure. It was a long windy, bumpy dirt road. I would compare it to riding the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland. In fact after we got off it a couple days later I made the comment this van ride may have been more intense than Indiana Jones from a bumpy road perspective.

As we pulled up it was clear a lot of effort went in to making this a nice place to visit. It really was a beautiful location. The Kumiai are a native tribe in Mexico and Southern California that have lived in the area for a couple hundred years. This particular community outside of Ensenada put together this eco tourism facility and offers these tours to help support the community. It is run by a number of women in the community to help support their families. As it was explained they divide up the work and each take a different role. For our visit they each had their part to play and it was a very well run day.




Upon arrival we sat down in a little amphitheater where we were introduced to the women who would be guiding us along with the tribal chief who gave us an authentic Kumiai blessing. They all posed for a photo after.



At this point I should say a bit about language. They all spoke Spanish but the chief spoke our blessing in the native Kumiai language. There were a few other points we got to hear it as well which was really cool. The guides who drove with us took the role of translators. None of the women who ran the tour spoke in English for any of their parts. The guides spoke good English and were understandable. However as a fluent Spanish speaker I will say there were a number of points where I felt things got lost in translation and what I heard in English didn't quite match or fully convey what I heard in Spanish. It was definitely a fun opportunity to practice my language skills. Translation is hard by the way, having done it a number times. So I don't fault the guides for not doing it perfectly by any means.

We ended up rotating through a number of activities throughout our visit. They kept the whole group together for all of them. Up first was a guided tour of the tribal museum. They asked no photos or videos inside so I don't have any. I'm not quite sure why they have that restriction but we all were respectful of it.

This was probably the least kid friendly part of the excursion. The museum had a number of artifacts and photos they showed us and explained. They kept things moving but it did require the ability to listen as they guided us through each section. I found it super interesting. They did have some native kids toys/games and they let the kids try them so there were some specific opportunities to engage with kids but otherwise it was a pretty typical look and listen museum tour. It probably took us 45 minutes or so.

My favorite part was at the very end where I took a minute to ask some questions about a replica of a rock painting/pictograph they had. As I understood it they replicated what was found on some nearby rocks put there by tribe member hundreds of years go. Talking through the meaning of it with the women who gave our tour was really interesting to me.

After the museum it was time for arts and crafts. They had two different activities. The kids were given a number of types and colors of beads to make necklaces. The adults or teens got to learn some traditional weaving to make our own necklace. They gave it to us already started and then showed us how to finish it. Part of the trick was keeping the reeds wet so they remained pliable. They also had a specific tool which was basically a nail with a handle we had to use to help with the process.



It was a lot harder than it looked at first. They had several of the women around to help as needed. This is totally not up my alley but it was actually a lot of fun to learn and do something completely different. Mine did not turn out much like what they sold in their gift shop but I did it! It now holds a lot of meaning for me as a reminder of the day and what we experienced. I have mine hanging from the rear view mirror of my car.



I didn't pay very close attention to timing but we probably spent about an hour doing the craft activity. As people finished up we were invited to head over to their restaurant area. I think they offer an authentic meal experience at certain times based on the signs I saw. We were invited over for more of a snack/sampling of some traditional foods.

I failed to take any pictures of the food. It was all super good. We got to try two different types of beans. One was with hominy. The other was more of a pinto bean type mixture. Then there was a hummus like offering made from acorns. All of it was served with a hand made whole wheat tortilla. I really enjoyed the sampling. It was all fairly bland to be honest. By that I mean not spicy or strongly seasoned. However it all tasted good. I asked and they do not eat spicy food traditionally so Mexican hot salsa didn't come from them. We were also given a traditional milk type drink. It tasked like milk with the remains of honey smacks cereal in the bottom. Someone else shared that description and it was totally true. Everything was given in a tasting type portion so a snack but definitely not a meal.

After the meal and really between the activities we were able to walk around and enjoy the grounds a bit.



They opened up their gift shop which consisted of a number of different booths selling mainly traditional arts and crafts type items. We bought a little basket made with the same weaving technique we learned only much higher quality than my attempt. It now has a place of honor on our travel shelf. We also got a small weaving thing we could use as a Christmas ornament. I think my girls may have gotten some jewelry. It was all unique stuff and not at all typical touristy stuff. They did accept cash only but US dollars were not a problem.

They asked us to make sure we paid attention to where our items were from because we paid each booth owner separately. I think these were made and sold by specific women in the community so it was more of a craft fair then a centrally run gift shop. I've seen a lot of arts and crafts/touristy booths in my travels throughout Mexico and South America and it was fun to see something that really seemed unique to me. The prices were also all quite reasonable and you really felt you were directly supporting those who made them.

The tour ended with a chance to watch some of the kids in the community show us a traditional song and dance. At the end we all got to join in.



It mainly involved foot movement and then one of them had a traditional instrument they used to keep the beat. You can't really see that in the photos I took. I probably could have done a better job with photos this day but got caught up in enjoying the whole experience.

We wrapped up right around 1pm and climbed back in the vans for our journey to the port. My overall review of this excursion is that it was awesome! If you like history, culture, etc it was a fascinating way to experience something different than anything else we've done. All my kids enjoyed it to varying degrees. I'm really glad we chose it and in discussions with my wife I think we'd rank this as one of our favorite Disney excursions ever. I'd probably put it slightly below our whale watching in Cabo. Our excursion experiences on this cruise were all home runs!

We made it back just after 2pm and barely made Cabanas before they closed. This is one complaint I have about Cabanas is they seem to close lunch pretty early considering they should know people are coming back from excursions. Sure we could have done the pool deck food or room service but everyone wanted to check out Cabanas again.

While they let us in they were closing stations down. I got in line at the taco/Mexican food station and was able to start making my plate but then they shutdown the cold toppings bar before I got any. I asked and they got me some guacamole but it was weird that they didn't see I had been waiting in line. Minor complaint though. We still got to eat and the food was pretty good. I love when they have variety like the Mexican food bar.

Up next - Time to Say Goodbye, Our Last Afternoon/Evening Aboard

 

[greensombrero]

I apologize life has gotten busy and I've not gotten to update this TR in a bit. Let's wrap up the time on the cruise.

Last Evening Aboard 3/28

After our fun excursion and a rushed lunch in Cabanas we headed back to our cabin. Returning to the ship's wifi my wife got a notification we needed to take our daughter to get checked out at the health center. I realize I neglected to mention that the night before she got sea sick in the night combined with having tried to set a record for ice cream eating. She made a "protein spill" and it was a big enough mess we had to call someone to help us clean it up. They asked at the time if she needed any medical care but we were pretty sure we knew what it was from. When she woke up fine in the morning and then went all day we hadn't given it anymore thought. They want to follow up though and make sure you don't have something you could pass to others. They said she couldn't go to any of the kids clubs until we got her signed off. She didn't really want to go to the club but figured we should get it all closed out in their system.

The only problem was that the health center wasn't open when we got back so we spent some time getting packed while waiting for it to open. Once it did it was super fast and easy, we just explained what had happened and that she was fine all day. Then they got it all closed out and gave us a note for the youth spaces if she wanted to go.

This afternoon was pretty boring just taking care of the packing and logistics but we set a record for having everything ready to go. You always have two choices, carry suitcases off with you or have them out and ready for Disney to take the last evening onboard. We always keep a couple to take off ourselves but we like having Disney take the bulk of it. It just means we've often had to rush back to do the final packing and get our bags out. It was nice later not having to worry about packing. I just had to run back and set them out. So I highly recommend getting your packing done early if possible.

We did want to do a final family photo onboard and I saw a background I thought was interesting.



There was a bit of a line. While we were waiting Josh Frielich was playing the piano in the lobby. I heard him briefly in the Cadillac Lounge one evening and we actually ran into him on deck 4 our first day. I don't recall if I mentioned that. He stopped us when he saw our t-shirts because they listed our other cruises leading up to this one on the back. He commented we barely missed him on the Fantasy.

Anyhow he was playing Disney tunes and my oldest daughter who is into musical theater and had just finished playing Golde in a production of Fiddler on the Roof started singing along to a song from High School Musical he played. He noticed and started really encouraging her and going back and forth with her singing. It made waiting in line fun and I really appreciated him engaging her like that. Well later in the evening when I wasn't with her in the lobby it happened again. He recognized her and encouraged her to sing another couple songs together. She had a lot of fun and everyone around clapped and it created a real "core memory" for her. I've really come to appreciate the live music on the cruise and not only the talent that Josh showed playing but how he engaged with his audience and really created some fun memories for my daughter.

After our photo we were up for dinner in Animators Palate, always a favorite restaurant! I was surprised that on this 5 night sailing they were doing the Animation Magic show and not the classic show. We never had a chance to experience it until our 7 night sailing so I was excited! They kept the normal menu though. I quite like the Animator's menu. The pork chop with tomato risotto is a favorite of mine. I know many people love the pasta pursettes but I'm not a huge fan, they are just ok to me. I skipped them because I suspected we might get some Indian food again and I was right. Our head server brought us two different dishes to try. These ones weren't as good as the night before but still enjoyable. He brought a shrimp curry but most of my family doesn't eat shrimp. The other was a vegetarian dish and it was good but we didn't like it as well as the night before.

I realize I was enjoying dinner and the animation magic so much I failed to take any pictures. If you haven't experienced it for animation magic night you get to draw a character in specific boxes and then the computer animates everyone's drawings. It's a lot of fun to see everyone's creativity and how Mickey brings the drawings to life.

After dinner we went to say good bye to our cast member friend in the gift shop and then line up for Disney Dreams. The theater was quite full that last night. Dreams isn't my favorite of the variety shows but I really enjoyed this performance of it. A lot of time the adult playing the tween girl about to start middle school just comes across in an annoying way but the actress handled it really well. It was just a really good performance and a great end to the cruise. The cast we had was excellent across all the shows this cruise.

After the show everyone headed to bed while I enjoyed a final evening walk around the ship.



With out realizing it I stumbled across the little evening character show they do in the atrium. I don't recall what it is called but on the last night there is a little show and chance to meet many different characters.

I got a quick selfie with the hooks



And the number 1 sailor onboard



I always enjoy the random character encounters onboard. I will have to remember this for the next cruise as there were no real lines and it was a fun chance for some quick character interactions. It was a fitting end to a great cruise.

We all slept well and were up for our final breakfast. We always go to say goodbye to our serving team. They always offer you pastries/muffins with breakfast and I had one of the bran muffins. I forgot how much I like them onboard. I never noticed them in Cabanas this cruise but they had them for our final breakfast. They are a favorite of mine on DCL. I suspect liking something like a bran muffin over a doughnut though means I'm getting old.

Leaving the ship is always sad but since our vacation wasn't over and we'd be going to Disneyland it took a lot of the sting out of leaving. I've heard bad things recently about disembarking in San Diego but it was super smooth for us. I think it was quicker and better than our last experience in Port Canaveral. The only thing that was weird to me is we didn't have to show our passports going through customs. They just took our pictures and cleared us to proceed.

It was raining as we exited the ship. We really lucked out with the weather all cruise. While it wasn't hot we didn't have any rain and did have some great sunshine on our sea days. Fortunately we just had a short walk across the street to where our car was parked. Originally I had considered hanging out in San Diego for a bit before heading up to Anaheim. However everyone liked the idea of getting lunch in Downtown Disney and potentially doing the Easter egg hunt. So we just hit the road.

Up next -- San Diego to Anaheim, Easter Eggs and Beignets

 

[greensombrero]

Road Trip Up the 5

For those who aren't familiar with the West coast, San Diego is about 95 miles from Disneyland. This is in comparison to 67 miles from Magic Kingdom to Port Canaveral. The real wildcard is Southern California traffic. It's usually just under a 2 hour drive give or take for traffic.

We had our car so it was easy for us to leave the parking garage and just hop on the infamous 5 freeway and head north. If you flew into town say from the east coast aside from renting a car there is a train option that heads north. I've not taken it in years but my family did take it down from Orange County to San Diego at least once that I remember as a kid. It is a beautiful train route along the coast and the station in San Diego is centrally located not too far from the cruise port. I've heard it is a quick Uber ride from the Anaheim station to Disneyland but haven't experienced that side. So if you are considering a trip to the West Coast for a cruise and Disneyland trip the train would be worth considering.

We did need gas but not desperately so I figured we'd just stop somewhere along the way. I decided to try a new strategy. Because this wasn't a long trip and we didn't really need a rest stop I had my wife check for Costco locations along the route. I figured we might as well get a small amount of relief from California gas prices by getting gas at Costco. It was easy to find one right off the freeway as we approached the Anaheim area. I don't normally think about saving on gas by going to Costco while traveling but it worked out well.

Traffic wasn't too bad, we hit some rain and few slow downs but nothing too bad. Before we knew it we were pulling on to Katella Ave and then arriving at our hotel. We booked the SpringHill Suites by Marriott at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center. This was our second time staying at this hotel. Our last Disneyland trip we also stayed there. It isn't our favorite Disneyland hotel but it offers family suites at a reasonable price and is located a short walk from the parks. It also has a free breakfast which is nice. If the rates were lower I would have stayed at the Marriott Courtyard Theme Park Entrance down the street. It also has nice family accommodations and a really cool pool/waterpark area. Given the time of year and temperatures the waterpark wasn't worth the extra cost.

What I find really interesting comparing those two hotels and our stay on the Wonder is what a difference room design can make. The room we had gave us two queen beds, a set of bunk beds and there was also a coach bed. It was significantly larger than a cruise cabin probably almost double. Yet it felt more cramped and less organized to be in it. This is where Disney does a great job with their cabin and storage layout.

The other big difference is the bathroom. The split bathroom on the cruise is great for a family. Of course with connecting cabins we also had two which also helps. The Courtyard has its own split bathroom type design with the toilet and a shower in one room and the sink and a bath/shower in the other part of the bathroom. The SpringHill Suites we were at though just had a traditional bathroom design. This was a bit of a pain for the 6 of us and led to lots of congestion as people tried to get ready but it was only for a couple nights.

The other thing to know about this SpringHill Suites is the pool at the top of the hotel really is small and there is no hot tub. We didn't care about that for this little stay but the last time we were here we were disappointed with the pool set up. On the plus side though I like that you can grab a quick breakfast before hitting the park. It isn't anything great from a hotel breakfast perspective but they have a number of grab and go type items which are great to grab if you are a rope dropper.

Anyhow upon our arrival our room wasn't ready so we just parked the car and walked to Downtown Disney. This is the equivalent of Disney Springs except it is located right by the parks. This is one thing I love about the Disneyland Resort over Disney World is everything is in one spot. So once you walk over from your hotel you are by both theme parks and the shopping/dining district.

We decided to grab lunch at Earl of Sandwich. This is a chain we don't have at home and we really like it. They've moved locations since the last time we were here. There was that whole project Disney announced and then cancelled which saw a number of places at the far end of Downtown Disney close. Now they have taken over the old La Brea Bakery location. We got our sandwiches and enjoyed lunch. Sandwiches maybe don't sound exciting but the flavors they offer and their style is something we can't get at home so we enjoyed it.

Being Easter season Disney was offering an egg hunt activity. If you paid I think it was like $15.00 you got a little sheet that told you where to look for different eggs. If you found them all you could turn it in for your own souvenir egg. In essence you are paying for the egg at the end. I wasn't going to do it for all of us but my youngest two were interested so we decided to do it while exploring the shops. It was actually a pretty fun activity. Here are some of the eggs we found.





Some of them were inside shops.





In total I believe there were 12 eggs and we found them all!

The candy shop is always fun to visit and my son decided he wanted this Grogu apple more than getting ice cream later. I have to admit it was pretty cool looking.



It was a cool rainy type day though we weren't spared any rain while we were there. It meant the line at Salt and Straw was not very long though and despite the cool temperatures I wasn't going to pass up their ice cream. I think I got the same thing I did in San Diego, I liked it too much to try anything new.

We were supposed to get a notification in the Marriott App when our room was ready but I've not always had good luck with that working. It was about check in time so I figured we were probably safe to head back. Sure enough we could get into our room and get settled. Shortly after we did I got the notification.

We had some laundry to do. They have a coin operated laundry at the hotel. Also worth noting is there is a CVS basically on the main floor of the hotel. You have to exit the hotel to get to it but it was convenient for laundry supplies and other sundries. So the rest of the afternoon was taking care of that while the kids chilled.

Before the trip I scored us 7pm dinner reservations for this night at the Jazz Kitchen. I was a bit worried at first because the Jazz Kitchen is going through a whole remodel/rebrand process. They were closed for a while but were open by the 60 day mark for me to get reservations. I was excited to get back there and so after some downtime and laundry we walked back for dinner.

The Jazz Kitchen has long been my favorite restaurant at Downtown Disney and quite possibly my favorite at any Disney property and a top pick for me worldwide. It's New Orleans style food and used to offer live music in the evenings. In addition to the sit down restaurant they had a quick service "express" location next door where originally you could get some quick food items but most importantly hot beignets.

Not surprisingly things had changed since our last visit. I'm not really sure how things will pan out after the remodel/rebrand is fully completed but being there in the middle couldn't have helped. The menu was smaller but fortunately still had some favorite items. Their blackened chicken mac and cheese is a favorite for my wife. I got their classic Pasta Jambalaya. I'm not sure if I've actually gotten it before but the other menu items I remember were no longer on the menu which didn't bother me too much as I always struggled with what to order. Less options made that easier!

I did however really miss the live music. They aren't offering that during the construction as the whole space isn't opened. Previously they had this awesome decorated piano and would have a Jazz pianist or sometimes a full band would play. Hopefully that will return post remodel.

The service was also a bit lacking. Not bad but just okay, of course after 5 nights on the Wonder we were spoiled with service which probably played a part. The food though was still really good and all in all it was a fun dinner even if it didn't quite live up to past memories.

They do sell beignets at the restaurant but my tip is they are a better deal at the express next door. So while I waited for the check my wife headed over to order some we could eat on the walk back to the hotel. We didn't want to go to bed too late as we'd have an early morning the next day. We have always been rope droppers and with only one day in each park we knew we'd want to take advantage of every minute.

The beignets were hot, sweet and awesome. Better than on the Wonder, and I think I honestly like them better at the Jazz Kitchen than even in Disneyland. They were a sweet ending to a great "in between" day.

It had been 3 years since our last time in California Adventure. We went to bed excited to see what Avengers Campus would have in store for us. For me I also really wondered how well we would navigate the park with all the changes and the fact we only had one day. Historically we always did 4-5 days with park hoppers. With the cost of tickets and the fact this was just a post cruise add on we only had two one park per day tickets. So I got us reservations the first day for California Adventure and the second in Disneyland so we could end at our favorite park.

Up next Rain, Webs and Traffic in Radiator Springs

 

[greensombrero]

Day 09 3/30 - California Adventure

Apologize for the long delay. Life got super busy but I want to get this TR finished out. When I left last off we had arrived at Disneyland Resort and enjoyed a fun afternoon and evening of shopping and some good food.

We decided to spend our first park day at California Adventure so we could end our trip at Disneyland. The park was set to open at 8:00 AM so we planned to leave the hotel right around 6:30 AM so we could rope drop and be near the front of the line.

One challenge with being at a hotel with free breakfast is it didn't open until 6:30 so we planned to just grab a little something to take with us. They had bagels, muffins, yogurt, bananas easy things to grab and go. Maybe we are crazy but we've always liked to try to be at the front or near the front of a line to enter the park. We got there about 7:15 and weren't first in line but were second or third which worked for us. They normally let you into the park about 30 minutes before but we were let in a bit earlier than that.

By 7:24 AM we were at the "rope" and enjoying the rain that had started.



For those who haven't experienced it when they let you into the park first thing they generally have ropes up to keep you in the main area. This is where the term "rope drop" comes from. You can enter the park but rides and attractions don't open right when they open the gates. So if you are there first thing you can wait for the "rope to drop" at the official opening time and then leave the main hub and go to the different rides and attractions. Depending on what you want to do first will dictate which rope you line up at.

I was debating if we wanted to try and do Radiator Springs Racers first or Web Slingers. Avenger's Campus was all new since our last visit. We decided we should probably head there first since it was most important for us to experience new things. Good thing because they let everyone know as we lined up that Radiator Springs Racers would not be opening first thing that morning. So it wouldn't be a good option to head to it first.

We ended up heading right for Web Slingers, there was a decent crowd with us but the wait was only 10-15 minutes and much of that was walking the line or waiting right before the pre-show. It does have a pretty cool pre-show.



I have to say I really enjoyed the ride. I heard when it first open it isn't really an "E" ticket attraction. That may be true but it is really really enjoyable and uses some cool tech. It is similar to Midway Mania or Buzz Lightyear in that it has an interactive element and you earn a score. I wasn't super good at it for my first ride but I still had fun.

While we were in line though I did watch the wait times on all the other attractions rise significantly. Before coming my wife and I had multiple conversations about Genie Plus, do we do it or not? We used MaxPass on our last Disneyland trip and really enjoyed it. Genie Plus though is not MaxPass and has gotten mixed reviews plus its more expensive. We went in thinking we probably wouldn't do it but then I had saved some hotel money being able to use points where I hadn't expected so there was some left in the budget. After seeing the rising wait times we talked again and I ended up buying it right before we got on Web Slingers. Ultimately I'd be glad we did.

I booked the family a reservation for Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout for right after I figured we'd get off. I've ridden it once before. It is a really cool ride I think from a story perspective and it has a fun pre-show. However it has the honor of being the closest I've ever gotten to creating a "protein spill" on a ride. Drops don't normally bother me but unlike Tower of Terror it doesn't just have a big drop, there is a lot of down AND up. I haven't ever dared to ride it again.

So I was really happy not to have to wait for my family to go through a long line because they all wanted to ride it. It was a great first lightening lane to get. While they went to ride it I explored Avenger's Campus and took some photos.



The quinjet is cool but would be cooler if you got to go inside it. I heard a rumor there was a planned attraction with it at some point but it was cancelled or at least delayed. It'd be cool if they eventually do something related to it. There really isn't that much to do in Avenger's Campus at this point.



I had recently completed a project at work I code named Tivan so I had to get some photos of the logo for fun.

The rain had stopped but it was still pretty wet/cold feeling. I was really craving a hot chocolate but I couldn't go up to the pool deck and get one. I was missing the cruise life already. Surprisingly finding anyplace open to get one was also difficult so I didn't.

My wife messaged that she snagged a Midway Mania reservation once they had scanned in for Guardians. I like that if you have reception once you scan in you can reserve your next attraction time with Genie Plus. Since we had Genie Plus we also got photopass so we went and poised at the Avenger's Campus sign on our way to Pixar Pier.



I can't recall and my notes don't make it clear if our time for Midway Mania was right then or if we rode the Incredicoaster first but I know those were our next two. I've not ridden Incredicoaster since the retheme. I did ride California Screaming back in the day. I love roller coasters but not when they go inverted as it really makes me sick. However I really wanted to check out the Incredibles theming and I knew it didn't make me as sick as Guardians the last time I rode it. Plus I hoped maybe my seaband would help a bit. So I went for it. It did leave me feeling off but it wasn't bad enough I regretted it. The new theming really was a fun addition.

My DS really wanted to try Jack's Cookie Yum Yums so we got two to share amongst the family. They were good but not incredible, I wouldn't bother again. It was good for me to have a bit of sugar after the ride. I find eating when I'm recovering from being motion sick can be helpful.

I think it was after Incredicoaster we did our reservation for Midway Mania. I sure love that ride. I think I'm a sucker for the interactive rides and trying to get a high score. I feel like I've always struggled a bit to do as well as I want with Midway Mania but I did pretty good and was happy.

We snagged a Soaring reservation after Midway Mania. We were super excited to learn right before our trip they had returned it to Soaring over California I think as part of the 100 year celebration. Soaring has long been a favorite of mine but I much prefer the "California" version to the "World" variation.

We ended up walking the long way from the pier back around the lagoon. We passed a Food and Wine booth with the brisket slider I really wanted to try. It wasn't very large but it was a nice thing to taste. We then got in line for Little Mermaid and rode it. The line wasn't too long, maybe 10 minutes or so. Then it was time for Soaring which was a fun ride as usual.

After Soaring the kids were hungry and ready for lunch. We wanted to get our next reservation and ended up grabbing Monster's Inc for a good after lunch time. Maybe not a highly sought after lighting lane reservation but it worked out well time wise for us.

Originally I thought the kids were going to push to eat in Pym's Test Kitchen but the menu didn't really appeal to them. They had memories of the Smokejumpers Grill and so we mobile ordered for it. Now that I think about it I think we mobile ordered it while we were going into Soaring for a pick up time after. I really like how convenient mobile order can be!

Anyhow our lunch at Smokejumpers was just typical burgers and fries. They do have interesting burger flavors there. I had seen somewhere they had a green chili burger at one point but then it wasn't available when we were there. I got some sort of a BBQ one instead. The food was OK but nothing incredible. Kids liked it though and it was convenient.

Ride about this time we noticed no line to meet Pluto so we grabbed I think our first character photo with the whole family of the trip. The lines were so long on the Wonder we never got one with all of us on the cruise. That felt backwards, usually character photos are easier on the cruise and long lines in the park.



Grizzly River Run had been closed all morning but we had been told it would open about 1pm. So we decided to run over and see if we could get on with a minimal wait before doing our reservation for Monsters Inc. It worked out perfectly except it isn't quite as much fun to ride on a colder rainy day. I got a bit wetter than I would have liked but oh well.

We stopped for a photo along the main street, what do they call it at California Adventure?


We had a great experience with one of our photo pass photographers this day. He wanted to make sure we were getting our full value from our Genie Plus day. He let us know about some special photo filters we'd have access to in the app. I was completely unaware of these but we'd play with them throughout the rest of the day. Some were only accessible in certain parts of the park.



Here is a fun sample which was only available in Avenger's Campus, a little Groot Selfie.

I really appreciate it when cast members go out of their way to educate you on things you might not otherwise know. I had no idea about these filters and they provided some great entertainment for the kids especially with some longer lines later.

After our photo we took a ride on Monsters Inc which I think is a fun dark ride. Nothing over the top but there is a lot of subtle theming and nice touches if you read all the signs throughout the queue and ride.



After Monsters we were able to snag a reservation to do Web Slingers again since our first ride had just been the normal line. That is one thing I didn't like about Genie Plus in comparison to Max Pass. You can only do each ride once so no repeating your favorite without a wait a second time.

We did have to kill a little time so we looked through some shops. There was a Marvel Store with some photo props and things to keep the kids interested for a bit. We didn't have too long until Web Slingers again though.

I love how detailed the pre-show area is. I'm a big WD-40 fan so I loved this WDI-140 I found.



We are getting towards the end of the day but also my photo limit and my bed time so I'm going to leave it there for now and pick back up in the next post.