"I Think I Might Be a Disneyland Person!" - Feb. 2016 ~ Updated 2/19/21: TR Complete!!!

[cindianne320]

What a fun breakfast! Loved seeing all the smiles with the characters!

 

[Dugette]

Hi Dugette! Been enjoying your DLR TR.
I loved Minnie's breakfast at DLR. It was fantastic. I definitely want to do it again if we go! The character interaction was amazing, and see Izzy thought so too

Hi! Yes, it was really fun character interaction for sure! I'd like to do it again someday, but we only managed to fit in Goofy's Kitchen for a character meal on our recent trip (it was closed during this trip).

What a fun breakfast! Loved seeing all the smiles with the characters!

Thanks, we definitely had a good time - almost hard to eat!

 

[Dugette]

Dole Whip and More

Realized that I forgot to mention that Izzy was apparently in a picture-taking-refusal mood when we checked into breakfast (Photopass was there). We could not get her in a picture, so ignored her tantrum and took an adults only picture :



But, back to the end of the meal! It was getting close to noon, so I had to go park-hop to California Adventure to pull Fast Passes for World of Color while Dug got Izzy changed (I think she spilled chocolate milk on herself?) Me heading out:



As I walked, I noticed RSR had FP available for when we’d be in the park later, so I ended up grabbing us those too (3 of them in case Izzy had a mid-trip growth spurt ):



Heading into California Adventure:



Love the quick park-hop across the esplanade!

The Fast Passes for World of Color are distributed by Grizzly River Run:



I didn’t see any signage for the different colors/levels of FP, so just grabbed some from one of the machines and they were yellow. We’d been hoping for blue, as my understanding was there were decent spots available on the bridge in the blue section close to showtime. I asked a Cast Member if I could trade yellow for blue, but he said that he had none to trade and that yellow was a great view. He added that we could try to trade sections when we checked in, though. I pocketed the tickets and hoped for the best for later – and, spoiler alert, it turned out better than I could have imagined.

I made it back to Disneyland at 12:10pm:









As you can see, I met up with Dug and Izzy at Pirates and we were on the ride at 12:22pm – not bad at all! It was kind-of funny to ride by the place we’d eaten the night before. Really love the Pirates ride at Disneyland, though!

Next, Izzy and I headed over to the treehouse while Dug got in line at Bengal BBQ to try to get us some of their yummy skewers.

Chasing a toddler through a treehouse:





After that, Izzy and I found the train parked in the nearby station:



It was down for refurbishment during our visit, but they had a Photopass person stationed there to take pictures with the train. Izzy was once again unwilling to be photographed, but this guy was determined to get us a good photo. He did everything he could think of and managed to get a couple decent pictures:





Meanwhile, Dug had given up on the long, slow line at Bengal BBQ and went over to the Dole Whip stand by the Tiki Room instead. We were hoping to enjoy a Dole Whip while watching the Tiki Birds sing, but the doors closed just as she was processing our payment. Soooo close! Instead, we sat outside and finished our (shared) Dole Whip Float before the next show:





Haha, love that it looks like the tiki guy is licking our Dole Whip!

Once we got inside, Izzy chose a front row seat and I sat with her, but Dug wanted more back support and took the back row. We all enjoyed the show, but Izzy was very bossy, telling me that I was not allowed to sing along at all (despite a large crowd singing and a lady singing along with every single word behind us). I guess even toddler Izzy knew what a bad singer I was.



We were sitting almost right below Pierre (the bird) and Izzy and I were joking that hopefully he wouldn’t get bird poop on us.

After the show, we ended up passing by here:



And looks like we made another Photopass attempt with uncooperative child:



Then Izzy and I rode the Fake Dumbo:



Then we ended up over here to wait 30 minutes in the blazing hot sun for a short train ride:





Some possibly important guy in a suit was ushered into his own private car on the train prior to ours. Interesting, wonder who he was? We took the very back of our train so that we could have a good view and grab some pictures:















After that, Dug stopped into a restroom and Izzy and I tried on silly hats (no good pictures, you remember her photo mood…)

Up next: The castle walk-through leads to a visit to First Aid!

 

[amazingact21]

I love that you were able to hop from breakfast to CA and back to DL in such a short amount of time! There really is something to be said about visiting parks that are situated close together, especially when touring with little kids.

The Dole Whip looks delicious, and I laughed at the tiki placement in the background. Too funny...

Uh oh, your next chapter sounds ominous. Hope nobody got injured too badly!


***On a side note, we got back from DLP on Sunday. Driving to soccer practice on Wednesday, Landon randomly tells me: "I miss my friend, Izzy. Maybe our next home will be near ____(where you guys live)." It's amazing to me that the kids remember each other so well and clicked almost immediately.***

 

[Princess Leia]

spotted Mary Poppins and Bert,

Great to get to see them together!

We really were happy with the morning, as it felt like what we were used to – just getting a bunch of stuff in without oppressive crowds. Fun!

Sounds like a great morning with lots of classic rides!

While Dug was inside getting his food, Captain Hook came to see us and Izzy was delighted:

Izzy's joy at seeing all the characters is delightful! I love her reaction to meeting Hook- no scaring this girl. That wasn't the case with Pete on his first trip he fled the scene only for this to happen. He had no idea Hook had crept up behind him.

 

[Dugette]

I love that you were able to hop from breakfast to CA and back to DL in such a short amount of time! There really is something to be said about visiting parks that are situated close together, especially when touring with little kids.

The Dole Whip looks delicious, and I laughed at the tiki placement in the background. Too funny...

Uh oh, your next chapter sounds ominous. Hope nobody got injured too badly!


***On a side note, we got back from DLP on Sunday. Driving to soccer practice on Wednesday, Landon randomly tells me: "I miss my friend, Izzy. Maybe our next home will be near ____(where you guys live)." It's amazing to me that the kids remember each other so well and clicked almost immediately.***

Yes, those nearby parks are the best! Not too bad an injury, but enough to scare us a bit and elicit a response from characters.

Aw, that's so sweet! I told Izzy what Landon said and she was all happy. We definitely need to meet up again sometime. Gotta love being that young when you can just be instant friends with people you've just met. Or maybe that's a DIS thing, I'm not sure.

Great to get to see them together!



Sounds like a great morning with lots of classic rides!



Izzy's joy at seeing all the characters is delightful! I love her reaction to meeting Hook- no scaring this girl. That wasn't the case with Pete on his first trip he fled the scene only for this to happen. He had no idea Hook had crept up behind him.

Yeah, Izzy was really happy with all the characters. Oh, man, Hook creeping up on him! Cute pic, though!

 

[Dugette]

From the Castle to Wonderland

Our next attraction was the castle walk-through:







Climbing the stairs to see more of Sleeping Beauty’s story:



Note that stair rail at about toddler-head-height.

The little scenes were cool, but they were a bit high up, so I had to keep lifting Izzy up to see them:











Towards the end, I set Izzy down after lifting her to see one of the scenes. She was swaying around all silly, as toddlers do (as she still does ) and it was pretty dark, so she bonked her head into the top of the stair rail. Luckily, did not fall down the stairs!

We got her outside quickly so we could see better to check her head and she had a pretty nasty bump. She’s had a number of head bumps in her life, so we knew the drill of checking her pupils, etc. and she seemed to be fine, but I did want to get some ice for her head. I was about to go find a quick-service food place to get ice, but Dug noticed we were near First Aid, so we went there instead.

Turns out that Disneyland First Aid takes their head injuries very seriously. Lots of questions from the doctor/nurse on staff and we had to fill out a questionnaire. But they agreed she seemed fine and they gave her some “Olaf ice”, which was a hit with her. We used it intermittently on her head and it stayed cold for a long time. They also gave her a Nurse Minnie sticker:



So, she was a happy camper again and we headed out around 3:20pm. Almost right away, Alice and the Mad Hatter stopped us, hoping to have a tea party :



I almost wonder if they watch for kids coming out of First Aid, just to sprinkle some extra pixie dust? At any rate, Alice saw Izzy guzzling milk from her Thermos and wanted Izzy to pour some milk in her tea. Izzy was having none of that, keeping all the milk for herself. The whole exchange was kind-of amusing. Some photos:







And I have video as well:

After that fun, we made our way to the Star Wars Launch Bay:



We checked out the displays a bit. Dug took about a million pictures, but I’ll spare you and just post a handful:







We asked about the Disney Visa meet location and timing. Had a little time to roam, so I chased Izzy around, apparently into “Become Ironman”, oops:



We got out of the way once we realized there was a line waiting for whatever was going on there, haha.

Looks like Dug was still off taking photos:



Then we found a spot where Izzy could play Xbox One:



She was surprisingly good at it!

We met up with Dug at the Disney Visa line to meet Kylo Ren. We were pretty early, but the line had grown to about a dozen people from the 1 that we had seen a little while ago. Then we all stood there for a very long time, past when the meet was supposed to start. Kylo Ren was late, but the CMs had no idea why or what was going on. We were very close to cutting our losses and leaving when he finally arrived. We got into the meet about 4:25pm:





He was pretty creepy. Here’s the Photopass:







Here’s some video of Dug trying to intimidate him:

Looks like we saw some Jedi in Training on our way out:



Up next: Carsland!

 

[whitneyebz]

I'm enjoying your trip report! We met Kylo Ren a couple years ago...my daughter, who was 7, like leaned into him in the picture, smiling. She doesn't know how to read the room yet But that girl isn't afraid of anything!

 

[khertz]

What a great assortment of characters at breakfast! The smile on Izzy's face is so contagious. She looks like she is having the best time ever!

We didn't get to do the castle walkthrough last time, which was a bummer. It's really cool how they have so much to see inside the castle, unlike WDW. But oh no, a head injury on vacation doesn't sound like much fun!! I'm glad it wasn't too big of a deal and you could continue on with your day.

 

[amazingact21]

Those tall hand rails can be unforgiving on toddlers. They're that perfect height...Glad Izzy's head was all right and that you found her some "olaf ice."

Kylo Ren seems like an intimidating character to meet. I think my kids would be terrified of him.

 

[Dugette]

I'm enjoying your trip report! We met Kylo Ren a couple years ago...my daughter, who was 7, like leaned into him in the picture, smiling. She doesn't know how to read the room yet But that girl isn't afraid of anything!

Haha, cute!

What a great assortment of characters at breakfast! The smile on Izzy's face is so contagious. She looks like she is having the best time ever!

We didn't get to do the castle walkthrough last time, which was a bummer. It's really cool how they have so much to see inside the castle, unlike WDW. But oh no, a head injury on vacation doesn't sound like much fun!! I'm glad it wasn't too big of a deal and you could continue on with your day.

Thanks, she had a great time with all those characters!

Yeah, the castle walk-through was really marred by that head injury in my memory. And we didn't get around to doing it on our recent trip, so that's still my only memory of that attraction. Oh, well.

Those tall hand rails can be unforgiving on toddlers. They're that perfect height...Glad Izzy's head was all right and that you found her some "olaf ice."

Kylo Ren seems like an intimidating character to meet. I think my kids would be terrified of him.

There are just so many things that are at head-height for small kids - like doorknobs and handrails, etc! I love that even First Aid was capitalizing on the Frozen craze.

It was a super intimidating character meet!!

 

[Dugette]

Life Could be a Dream

We emerged from the Launch Bay:



It was time for Izzy to snack on leftover cookie. You can see the bump on her head here too :



On our way out of Disneyland (to park hop to DCA), we made a quick stop into the Photopass shop to see if our Kylo Ren photos might be available early, even though they had told us it would be a couple hours. Someone else was doing the same thing and we both got our prints, so that was nice.

We hopped parks around 5pm:



We headed to Carsland, as our agenda included watching the Carsland lights turn on. This was an unusual evening, though, as there was a ton of television equipment set up in the middle of Carsland to record a segment for the Disneyland 60th anniversary special, which was being taped after hours (we later found out it was Little Big Town’s performance):



I went to use our leftover RSR Fast Pass and got a Rider Swap while I was at it. The Single Rider line turned out to be shorter than FP, so they let me switch over to that one, as I was also a single rider. Basically no wait, so I was happy to be done quickly:



While I was doing that, Dug and Izzy got a Chili Cone Queso for a snack (well, mostly Dug):



Looks like I spotted a dog with a Minnie bow on as I made my way back to them. So cute:



Anyway, our mission at this time was to find a decent spot to see the lighting/hear the music in Carsland. We found a bench in front of Flo’s to sit and watch. Our view was a little blocked by all the equipment:



But it was still magical. Before the lights:



And after:



Happy Izzy:



Looking at the lights:





Life Could be a Dream played as things lit up. Here’s some video:

Just a nice little moment.

After the lighting, Dug went to go use the RSR Rider Swap or FP or whatever we had (but also did single rider instead). While we were hanging out waiting for Dug, Izzy decided she had to use the potty NOW. We cut through Flo’s and made it over to the restrooms in time. Dug met us in Flo’s afterwards.

Izzy decided that she wanted popcorn for dinner. It was vacation and she’d had a successful potty visit, so I decided to treat Izzy to her wish AND upgrade to the special Lightning McQueen bucket :





She loved it!

I went and ordered our food and we managed to find indoor seating near an outlet to charge our ailing phones (had to move a table, with CM permission). Dug had ribs, we got apple cheddar pie, I got a veggie hotdish thing – all was good and filling. (The apple cheddar pie is timely now – Dug’s grandpa just passed away and he always said, “apple pie without cheese is like a hug without a squeeze”. )

Here’s our view:



And our food:







My notes say that after dinner, I used up another Rider Swap at RSR (probably didn’t need it before since we did SR line instead). Photos as I made my way up there:







Another great ride in the dark (around 7pm):



As I left, I saw a RSR FP that had fallen on the ground, but just let it be, as we didn’t have time to ride it again that day, even with another FP. But I hope someone else found it and got an extra ride in that night.

Dug wanted to try to get in one more ride with his last RS, so I took Izzy over to Mater’s ride while he did that:



That ride is fun in general, but I really loved it after dark. There was no line, so we went twice. Dug made his way to us and it turned out that the line for RSR was just too long, even with FP, so he just got my ride photo for me and left. We had World of Color to get to and didn’t want to be late!

Up Next: Some surprise Disney magic…on the ground.

 

[whitneyebz]

Ah, I just love Carsland! We got back from our trip a week ago and I already miss it! (well, I miss all of Disneyland, but Carsland is just special...)

 

[amazingact21]

Watching the lights turn on in Carsland sounds like a really nice, relaxing thing to do. It also seems like a great way to slow down and enjoy the park.

Love the Lightning McQueen popcorn bucket, but I feel like it would be a pain to pack back in a suitcase due to its size.

Okay...I've never heard of putting cheese on an apple pie before. I'll have to give it a taste the next time I encounter one!

Hope someone found that RSR FP! I do miss those paper FPs days, where you could give one away or luck into finding one on the ground. Helped you feel like you were spreading the magic around a little.

 

[Dugette]

Ah, I just love Carsland! We got back from our trip a week ago and I already miss it! (well, I miss all of Disneyland, but Carsland is just special...)

I totally agree - it is a really special area and I wish I could spend so much more time there!

Watching the lights turn on in Carsland sounds like a really nice, relaxing thing to do. It also seems like a great way to slow down and enjoy the park.

Love the Lightning McQueen popcorn bucket, but I feel like it would be a pain to pack back in a suitcase due to its size.

Okay...I've never heard of putting cheese on an apple pie before. I'll have to give it a taste the next time I encounter one!

Hope someone found that RSR FP! I do miss those paper FPs days, where you could give one away or luck into finding one on the ground. Helped you feel like you were spreading the magic around a little.

Yes, the lighting was a nice little break and special moment.

At this point, I can't say I remember how we brought the bucket back. Maybe in carry-on for her to play with?

Yes, I hadn't heard of the apple pie with cheese either, but I quickly found out it was a family tradition for Dug - and it's not bad. Not my first choice, but acceptable.

I miss those paper FP somewhat too. Though, on our recent return to DLR, I did really like the MaxPass and how we didn't have to run around so much and safely store those little buggers.

 

[Dugette]

A Fortunate Find

We headed over towards the FP area for World of Color to hopefully figure out where our best view would be since we didn’t get Fast Passes for the area we were hoping for. As we were walking along, I noticed some paper on the ground ahead. I didn’t think anything of it right away, but then I remembered seeing Fast Passes on the ground a couple times already this trip, so figured I’d pick it up and see what it was, since there was nobody around or searching for anything there. It would probably be useless to us, since we had plans the rest of the night, but why not check? I thought it was a single paper FP until I picked it up and unfolded it to reveal two tickets. And then I had to do a double-take, as these weren’t FP at all….they were World of Color Dining Package viewing section passes from Carthay Circle – the best viewing area for the show!

We quickly thought through what to do with our magical find. We looked around again and didn’t see anyone searching for dropped items. The check-in time had already started, so if someone was missing these, they likely already realized it and talked to CMs and showed a receipt for their package and got in anyway. These were most likely to just be stepped on for a while and then end up in the trash. Might as well swing by the nearby WoC dining package viewing area and just hold them up and see what happens? We really weren’t sure how strict they were or if there were any further verifications of identity/proof to get in, but Dug was tired and hurting (back problems acting up with all the walking) and this was nearby, so we headed over there. Technically, we really should have had three passes, but Izzy was not that far past her 3rd birthday at that time, so she could likely pass as a non-ticketed child.

Well, it turned out that the second they saw us approaching with the tickets, they just collected them and led us right inside. Um, well, that was easy. Then I asked the CM if there was a best place to stand within the area. They recommended standing right behind the groups that were seated on the stairway, so I started to walk over there.

With his back bothering him so much by that point, Dug asked the CM if there were any other seated areas (or just the stairs). I mentioned that he had back pain, but could stand if seating was needed for those who could not stand. They said there was plenty of room on the benches they had blocked off and they were there for those dealing with pain/trouble standing, so he was welcome to have a seat and we could join him if we’d like (me and Izzy).

I had Izzy in the stroller and didn’t really want to sit in case someone else needed the spot, so I chose to stand next to the bench within that taped-off box that nobody was allowed into without permission. It worked out perfectly, as an elderly couple arrived and took the rest of Dug’s bench. And Izzy and I had a front-row view from the tier we were on. Plus, we had plenty of room for her stroller, which she spent most of her time in while waiting and during the show.

Our view:



Then we waited. This looks like an adorable picture of an affectionate daughter admiring her mom, right?



Nope, Izzy had created a game where she got complete control of my head and thought it was hysterical :







As you can see, it wasn’t quite as fun for me. Kinda looks like she knocked me out here, with the way the Fun Wheel lights reflect into the picture. We apparently moved on to family selfies to pass the time then:



Dug played the smart phone color wheel game they had going on during the wait:



Izzy ate more popcorn:



So pretty at night:





I guess Dug finished his game, but did not win control of the colors of the Fun Wheel :



Then Izzy repurposed her popcorn bucket as a hat:



As you do.

Pretty soon, we were enjoying this beautiful and magical show:







Music, water features, projections, all the colors of course…very enjoyable! BUT, one problem during the latter part of the show – we were right behind these little flame-blaster things that went off randomly and were very loud :



This, of course, resulted in a terrified toddler that was crying and miserable and hiding in her stroller until the show ended. She required lots of comforting every time they went off and there was really nothing we could do about it. I showed her what it was and explained to her what was going on and that we were safe, but it was still too scary. So, beware those innocent looking things in the greenery. Poor kid.

Two of us enjoyed the rest of the show while one of us cowered in the stroller pushed into the corner away from the noisemakers:







World of Color ended and we all got ready to head out, which couldn’t happen soon enough for Izzy. But still pretty:



It didn’t take long after we started walking for her to pass out:



On our way out, around 9pm, I had stopped back over to Lost and Found to inquire about my missing FitBit again, but the line was long, slow, and smelled of smoke, so I just gave up for the night:



We just made our short walk back to the hotel instead:



Once we got back to the hotel, I indulged in this amazing late-night snack Dug had gotten for me:



Yum! I need one of those right about now!

We got checked in for our return flights the next day, got Izzy transferred into her bed, and I got packing done for myself and Izzy before passing out myself.

Up next: We can’t depart without one more character meal!

 

[Lesley Wake]

What an awesome find! And great to have the benches too - I never knew if they were for VIPs or others.

 

[amazingact21]

Luck was on your side that day! What a surprise find. I'm happy to hear they had specific seating for people who needed it; I'm sure that made the experience more enjoyable for Dug, to not be in as much pain the whole time.
But yikes! I can totally see those flames being scary for a toddler. Sorry her time watching World of Color wasn't great.

If you just look at the first photo and don't know about the rest in the set, the shot of you and Izzy with the fun wheel in the background is adorable!

 

[khertz]

WOW, what a great find!! Maybe some good karma for leaving that RSR FP on the ground for someone else to find?! Looks like it was a really amazing view for the show. I wish we would have been able to see it more than once last year when we visited DL. It's my favorite nighttime show at the U.S. parks!

 

[schmass]

I don't know how I missed your last few updates but glad to get caught up! Carsland looks soo cool at night. We should (finally!) be there exactly one year from now and I'm hoping that Rory is still into Cars when we finally make it there!

That is awesome that you found the WoC passes!! Looks like a great show! I'm sorry that Izzy didn't enjoy it much.