Darn DIS! What have you done with my notifications????? Don't you know I have people responding that I need to know about???? Anyway, my apologies to my readers for not getting back sooner!
I am so glad to here that about WCT. I was a little concerned about whether it was worth it or not. Thank you.
I worried and fretted that my family would never forgive me for dragging them to a show that took up so much of our time and a bunch of it just standing around... waiting. As it turned out they were all very "go with the flow". I guess they are getting to where they trust my planning choices. Boy, is that a nice feeling! Anyway, we did NOT spend as long waiting in lines as some people have reported and still ended up with a reasonably good spot. Of course, I am sure a great deal of that had to do with purchasing a dining package. We passed the time harassing each other during the time that we did have to waste. That's right up kids alley so they were happy. I still am not sure why they didn't design the viewing area where you can actually sit down but it wasn't too bad. Overall I am even pretty sure they would all be willing to do it again on some of our future trips. The show itself is impressive too, of course!
Toontown looks like so much fun!!! And so much bigger than WDW's.
I had never heard of the Lilly Belle but that too looks like a lot of fun.
So glad you got to meet up w/ a fellow Diser. Sounds like a great match.
We also LOVE the Rainforest Cafe.
Especially the one in WDW. However we have been making a point to always eat at RC if there is one in the area, across the USA. So far we've done...
Gurnee, IL
Woodfield Mall in IL
WDW
WDW @ AK
Grapevine, TX
Minneapolis, MN
Disneyland's Toontown is MUCH bigger and just so much different. We did not stay long at WDW's when we went because it was just so packed with people in such a small area. In DL there can be tons of people but since there is so much room it never feels quite so crowded. I think at DL many people also think of Toontown as being for kids only and don't even venture back there. Don't get me wrong. It stays pretty full but I suppose it does help to thin the crowd out some that some adults just seem to avoid it. That said, there really is a lot of fun stuff for all ages to look at. Gags everywhere.
The Lilly Belle is one of those special touches that you only find at Disneyland. That's the sort of stuff that adds to it's charm. Being the original park, it is full of history on top of all the rides, shows and attractions. I think at Disneyland you can get so much more absorbed in Walt Disney's vision. DL just has a more personal feel. I don't know if that makes sense. It's kinda like you can go to the park and feel like it is your park. At WDW I never felt that way. It was more like everybody else's park.
It is so much fun to meet other people in the park! I met 6 Disers on this trip alone! I wish I had not missed getting to meet you when we were at WDW! I just felt lost and out of my element and then the weather was so uncooperative. Nothing seemed to cooperate so I guess it is no small wonder that the timing didn't either. I'm still rooting for a TKer meet at DL!
Oh man! The RFC at WDW was wonderful! It was our favorite meal of our whole trip. We ended up eating there twice. The food there blew DL's RFC out of the water! So sad! I am so jealous that you have visited so many different ones. Does the food pretty much stay the same or have you found that many of them vary much? And what is up with you having been to the one in Grapevine???? It's probably only about 30 minutes from us and I have never been! I really need to do something about that! Right now I am craving Mimi's Cafe after having eaten there on our trip. There's also one of those in Grapevine so I am trying to come up with a plan to get there... Valentine's Day or birthday maybe? Maybe after that I can start working on another plan to get us to the RFC.
Enjoying your pictures. Looks like I need to go back just to check out Toontown. We really don't bother with that area. I've only been to DLR once during Christmas. I just remember crowds. Don't remember reindeer.
Didn't know about Lilly Belle. Learn something new everyday.
Sounds like you and D&D need to both come check out Toontown! It's really quite fun back there. Lots to look at plus you can usually find Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto. Every now and then you might run into Chip and Dale or even Donald and Daisy. Roger Rabbit is fun and even Gadget's Go Coaster is good for an ultra quick spin.
The Christmas season is the best season to go so you did good! The park is so beautiful at that time of year. It does get crowded but with a little careful planning you can optimize your chances of picking a better week. Not right near Thanksgiving or Christmas. One of the in between weeks will always be much better. I am not sure how long they have been having the Reindeer Roundup but it is nice. Mega decorations and the best Santa ever! This will be our 10th year to go to DL and I still learn new things all the time too.
How wonderful you got to ride the Lily Belle. I was going to ask while we were there, but I am pretty timid and I was not brave enough. Next time I will!!
I don't think that girl was mesmerized by the staring contest; I think she was mesmerized by your son
Guess what? I found my son in MattsPrincess's trip report!!
It was at the flag retreat ceremony on Nov 19th. I was so excited. I really didn't think I would ever see ourselves in a TR!
Yes indeed! You work up that courage! You will be glad you did if you manage to swing a trip. You can also ask to ride tender on the train. That's fun too but not nearly as swanky! I also think you can ride the caboose but I am not positive. I've not asked about that one yet.
LOL! My son got a kick out of your response about the girl being mesmerized by him. I think you may be right.
Sometimes the strangers in a picture can really bring new life to your photo.
Hi Marie!!
Somehow I missed that you took your yearly trip. I always love your reports & pics!! You really got to stay for a nice long trip!!!! The holiday decorations are amazing.......one of these years I'll get to see them in person!! Can't wait to see more!!!!!!!!
RFC......every trip we go & we've been noticing a decline in the quality of the food. 2005 everyone's food was good, 2008 only one meal wasn't very good, 2009, a couple dissatified eaters.....2010.....most of us we're disappointed. Not sure we'll plan on going again.....maybe try the breakfast in March but undecided if we will or not. Love going there but something needs to be done about their cooks!
Hi Laurie! Nice to see you around here on the DIS! It's been awhile! Glad you finally caught up and found me. Long stays are the best! I'm already thinking about our next trip... trying to decide how many days we can pull off this time. I cannot believe you haven't made it during the holiday season! You really must! The park is absolutely beautiful. Plus all the special seasonal extras. I suppose you probably have to work around the kid's schedule, right? Hopefully, I will get another day added to my report this week.
I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has noticed the decline on RFC's food. Kinda sad really. On the other hand if it has been going downhill for some time maybe one of these days it will reach the point where it can't go down any more and has to improve! I'm not ready to give up yet. You know how it is when you only go during vacations. You so look forward to going. Pretty sure my DD would have a big old fit if I told her we weren't going. It's her favorite. In our case it's more about the experience than the food so I guess we'll just have to keep hoping it gets better.
