It's a Great Big Beautiful California - A 2015/2016 Holiday TR- COMPLETED

[TiggerTrigger]

It makes me sad seeing some of this and knowing Mary Blair murals once graced the facades of this area.

So, we decided to make a fool out of me and do the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. I mean, we were right there, so why not?

My score was absolutely SHAMEFUL! Even the kids beat me!

I got tired of being mocked, so I fled into the store to pretend to shop while they all gloated.

I convinced them to leave by telling them the Matterhorn was next in our plans. They argued that maybe we should get in line for Star Tours, but aside from it being something we could fastpass later on, it's nothing new and was fairly low on our list of must do's. i.e. This isn't us scrambling for things to do in DHS and riding Star Tours three times in a row to pass the time. So, we were back on track with the Matterhorn. For as popular as this one is, it is not a fast pass attraction, and it also seemed prone to shut downs. So, I wanted to try and get it in early.

When we got there, we saw all of the posts for the line, but no people. We then realized that it was closed. This would also be the start of our ride closure issues and the start of me using the DL app to monitor such closures. So, whether they liked it or not, they were all going to ride my favorite...

And it's the holiday version!!!

There were some groans from DH and Sammie, but Kendall was excited and I was a squealing giddy idiot! Now I love the one at WDW, but I've always known it was inferior to the original at Disneyland. I mean, come on...look at that facade!!!

Now, I've said before that I've never...for whatever crazy reason...seen the clock part go off on the WDW version, but I also know that their clock effects are nothing compared to the Disneyland one. And just as we're approaching, I realize that the clock is going off...

They are pretty much having to push me through the empty queue at this point because I am just a picture taking maniac.

I just couldn't get over how beautiful it all was.

We finally make our way to the front of the line and we're given our own boat. I'd like to think it's because they saw how gaga I was over it, but there was really no line at this point. It wouldn't be like that for long though. I'd say it averaged a 60-85 minute wait for the bulk of the day.

Sammie coping with going on this much better than DH...

And we're on our way...

 

[TiggerTrigger]

It was around this point where I could start hearing the music and started to get really choked up.

Now, I know it's had work and modifications over the years, but this was the original. Names like Mary Blair (of course), Alice Davis, Mark Davis, Blaine Gibson, the Sherman brothers and Rolly Crump starting cycling through my head. And Walt...knowing how much influence Walt had on this...right down to the smiling face and ticking clock. Well, for an IASW fan, it was a bit overwhelming. But then, as we sailed into the attraction, all of that sort of became a blur and I went into a heightened level of my expected IASW euphoria. And the picture taking commenced.

And I know that these aren't the best pics, but it's still only about 1/3 of my pics. So, feel free to scroll past this if it's not your thing. I know this one is not for everyone.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Oh boy...the clock is going off again!

Again, I apologize to anyone who thought that was IASW picture overload and I know not all of the pics are great, but it's just so amazing to see all of these details after years and years of seeing WDWs version. Don't get me wrong...I still love WDW's, but when people talk about certain things at Disneyland being superior...this is definitely one of those things. I know some of the DL faithful weren't thrilled when all of the characters were added to the DL IASW, but I really enjoyed this touch and so did the kids. I thought Alice was particularly cute!

Kendall and I would have been game to ride again, but DH and Sammie weren't too keen on that and we knew crowds were building in the park. So, we decided to head back to the Matterhorn to see if it had reopened.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

As luck would have it, the Matterhorn was open, but the line was also stretching around the mountain. Still, we knew it would just get worse as the day went on and we still had time until Space Mountain, so we found the end of the line and waited. And I took pics of things to pass the time...

It felt so strange to hear the birds saying "Mine, Mine, Mine" and not be in the middle of Epcot...

...more waiting pics...

Hello Line!

...and still waiting...

It was about this time that we were trying to come up with seating arrangements because some people were coming off totally soaked. We saw this one poor dad who looked like he just stepped out of the shower.

I think it was also around this time that the girls were asking if that was real snow up there. Ummm- no.

We had a few delays while waiting in line, but found out it was so they could open both sides. Before long, we were pretty close to the front...

When it came time for them to place us on a side, we were put on the B side. I was nervous becuase I wasn't sure what to expect and realized I hadn't read or watched anything on it since the refurb. It was scarier than I thought it would be, but Harold (the Yeti) is great, and the ride is so much fun. I do know there's a push for them to replace the cars and after the bouncing around, I can kind of see why, but it was still a blast.

On the way out, we passed the nearby popcorn cart and saw our first heavily themed "roastie toastie" of the trip. I remember watching a web show where this was the big topic. The CM manning the popcorn stand got all excited as soon as she heard me refer to the Yeti on her cart as such...like not everyone knows that this is what they're called.

We'd burned a lot of time waiting for the Matterhorn, so it was time to go use our FPs at HyperSpace Mountain.


Coming up...HyperHurl Mountain, A big breakdown, the best character meal EVER, and in the right places at the right times.

 

[coadjess]

Oh my!!! I'm in love with IASW!! I loved getting to see Donald, LILO and Stitch, Woody and Jesse. Wow! So cool!!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Oh my!!! I'm in love with IASW!! I loved getting to see Donald, LILO and Stitch, Woody and Jesse. Wow! So cool!!

It was absolutely spectacular! I still love the one at WDW, but this was just WOW!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Dec 28th continued...

So, we just finished on the Matterhorn and now we're making our way to Hyperspace Mountain. With the crowds, standby line, and fast pass distribution line...we had a hard time finding the FP return line. We wound up at the exit first...

I don't think there was any major rush, but we were going pretty quickly once we figured out where we were going and pictures were suffering to the point where I just gave up after a bit...

So, everyone in our group except for Sammie has ridden WDW's Space Mountain. DH and I are big fans, but Kendall hated it. Sammie is more of a thrill junkie (as much as you can be at 7), so we thought she'd enjoy it and we all wanted to see the Star Wars redo. The Star Wars part was really cool, but I left the ride feeling really nauseated. I usually only get like this on spinning rides and never on Space Mountain. I thought it might be that I was looking around at all of the effects since I thought DL's version was supposed to be smoother. So, I'm thinking about all of this as we're exiting the ride when I realize Kendall looks really green. Yeah- she had a bad case of HyperHURL Mountain. She was fine after that and some fresh air + water, but after this and her bad first experience in WDW...she is not a member of the Space Mountain fan club. Sammie, as expected, LOVED IT!

I'd say it was a little after 10 at this point, and our late breakfast reservation at the Plaza Inn wasn't until 10:30, so we thought we'd head into Adventureland to see about FPs for Indiana Jones.

So, while you see that the picture is blurry, it should illustrate what was going on pretty well...

We arrived at Indy and all of the attraction CMs are forming sort of a human wall in front of the entrance. The FP and Standby info sign is completely dark. Apparently, the ride had been down all morning and they have no idea IF or WHEN it would be coming back up. Still, there were people just standing there waiting. Now, this would be my first time hearing DL CMs be a little bit...well, logical instead of magical. Mind you, I agree with everything they said and I don't know if there was any better way to say it, but it kind of shocked me a little. When guests came up to ask about the ride, on top of repeating what I just noted...they made sort of a jab at those waiting...saying if they had just paid all this $ on pricey Disneyland park tickets, he wouldn't be spending his day waiting for a ride that might not open. Now, he's right and we'd find out later that this is one of the high congestion zones, so you don't want extra people just waiting there, but it just surprised me to hear a CM so loudly and boldly saying things like this.

So, we decided to just head back to Plaza Inn to check in for breakfast.

Now, let me just say that I had REALLY high expectations for this meal...and that's usually dangerous. I had watched a number of YouTube videos for this one and everything showed a minimum of 10 characters, a decent chunk were less common characters, and the interaction wasn't that stale sort of forced stuff you get at so many of these meals. But...it was the holidays and crowds were large, so I wasn't sure if we'd get that same experience...especially with a later seating.

So, I start getting worried because the family in front of us was asked if they had a reservation. Now obviously, we did, but the outside seating was fairly empty and this was a later reservation, so I was wondering if things were already winding down and wrapping up. It turns out, while there was plenty of available seating outside, inside seating was packed and I guess they were only giving parties with reservations priority for any open indoor tables. We were layered up a bit and it was turning out to be a very nice day, so we were good with an outdoor table. They also had heaters out there, so that would help as well.

After the hostess having deja vu with me...I guess someone with a similar name and appearance came by an hour earlier...they took us inside to pay...

And then back out for a picture and then seating at our table. DH and Sammie went up for food first since K and I would have to wait for the chef.

I took a few detail pics as we waited...

Oh, and since the bathrooms are outside the restaurant...they stamp your hand just in case you need to use the facilities during your meal.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

The chef came by around this time and while he would tell us what's off limits inside for K, he offered to make her safe plates of food. So, she basically put in an order of everything she might want that's available inside and the chef prepped it in a safe area. NICE!

I also started getting anxious since DH and Sammie had been gone for a while...and I could see the first of the characters coming into our area.

Yes, that's Pinocchio and Honest John!

They went in a different direction, but next thing you know, we have Pooh at our table. And this is killing me because he's Sammie's favorite. We "talked" for a while...he signed both hats...he gave Sammie's Pooh backpack a big hug...and he got a good giggle about how she has "Pooh on her Shoes."

Sadly, we'd already hogged him long enough and it was time for him to move on. I popped inside to see if I could spot Sammie and DH, but I couldn't see them. So, I jumped back out to join Kendall.

It was about this time that Pinocchio and Honest John decided to sit at a table near us and have sort of an improv meal for everyone.

The two of them were not going table to table, but you could approach them and they kept doing silly things like this, here and there.

Captain Hook next made his way to our area...

I was now getting really worried since Sammie was missing so much of this. I guess I was standing at the table just trying to see if I could see any sign of them inside, when 3 CMs came by to make sure everything was OK. I explained the situation, and they told me that a couple of the lines inside wind a bit and were moving a bit slowly. And just as Captain Hook passed by, they informed me that Hook is single and could be a consideration if I'm looking for a new guy. Hook postured a bit and I asked how financially secure it might be to be with a pirate vs. someone like DH. I'm not sure if I was supposed to take the risk or walk the plank?

FINALLY...DH and Sammie come back out. Apparently, the line for sausage, bacon, and such was super slow. Kendall had gotten her food, so now it was just on me. Thankfully, DH took pics while I went inside.

Meanwhile, I'm inside and a bit confused at first. Plaza Inn goes into quick service cafeteria style mode for lunch and dinner, and while breakfast is all you care to eat, it's more like a buffeteria. You grab a tray (which irks me since I have this crazy tray phobia) and then you get your plate (with food) from the CMs manning the food stations along the line. Whats crazy, the line for the omelettes goes super fast and the guy running that is mega efficient, but the line for basics like scrambled eggs, sausage bacon, hash browns, etc. ... i.e. stuff that's pretty much scoop and plate ... moves super slow. Now, I will say the CMs working that line are very attentive, making sure you get everything you might want and alert you to things you might not know are there...but it took quite some time. I also found the Mickey Waffles over near the pastries and they had this AMAZING banana sauce for them.

So, since you can load up 1 plate, here are my THREE plates of food for round 1.

Now, nobody go crying blasphemy, but I've never been a huge fan of Mickey waffles at WDW. I get them because it's almost a ceremonial ritual sort of thing...but they've always been a bit tasteless and overcooked from my experiences. OK...so shoot me. LOL. So, I went in with lowered expectations with these...and I was shocked! Disneyland Mickey waffles- are different! The batter tastes different- rich and flavorful, it's more dense, and no Mickey shaped hockey pucks. Yes, they had banana sauce on them, but one of them barely had any and it was so good on its own.

Not sure who had this plate of food, but another plate of food from Plaza Inn. LOL- I thought it might be Kendall's, but I think she ordered different things from the chef.

So, now that I have food, it's time for another character...

Fairy Godmother was so sweet. Everything was magical...including Sammie's fingers...

While he didn't come by our table, I think all of us at one point or another got to say hi to Max...

And now, the hostess for the meal...so to speak...

Minnie liked that the girls were also wearing Nordic themed attire.

While Chip had come by the table, I think we'd all only get to say hi to Dale in passing...

Before we left, Rafiki also came by for one last visit. He hugged the girls, but refused to go until I got up to give him a hug. I guess he noticed I was missing when he came by the first time.

So, let's do a character recap...
1. Honest John
2. Pinocchio
3. Winnie the Pooh
4. Captain Hook
5. Eeyore
6. Rafiki
7. Chip
8. Dale
9. Max
10. Fairy Godmother
11. Minnie

And I know this changes up on a regular basis. I've seen videos with one of the penguins from Mary Poppins, Wendy, Peter Pan, Tigger, Alice, Hatter, and even an older one with Rabbit. I know some people like knowing exactly what they'll see and be assured that all of them will rotate to their tables, but we loved this. This is, by far, the best character meal we've ever done. And I even went back for some plain Mickey waffles because they were SOOOOOOOOOOO good! Still shocked at how much better they are at Disneyland!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We were beyond full, but it was time to head out and see the state of things in Adventureland...

This was about the time where we started to notice the crowds...and the CMs trying to manage them. This whole area was wall to wall people and the CMs were doing everything to keep things moving. The CMs were standing on top of pretty much anything they could find yelling at the crowds to stay to the right. It was sort of working, but it was crazy. It also didn't help that Indy was still down. So, we started to make our way towards New Orleans Square.

I was hoping we could ride PotC and the app was saying it was only 45 minutes, but we get near the attraction and we can't figure out where the line starts.

Honestly, the line wove in and out up past Haunted Mansion and we still couldn't figure out where it started, so we decided to try and get FPs for Haunted Mansion Holiday.

They even had a themed roastie toastie...

DH was getting really frustrated trying to find the FP distribution area, but I managed to find it and get FPs and be back in time for him to tell me where to find the FP distribution area. LOL

We have some time to burn before our FP return time and we find out that the PotC wait (even though we still don't know where the line starts) is about 170 minutes, so we start thinking about alternatives. We look at BTMRR, but that's down. And then I said, let's do something traditional that Walt loved...

Yup, we decide to ride the railroad. While the line isn't crazy long, we're boarding in New Orleans Square, so the trains are coming by fairly full. It would take us several trains before we could get on...so I just took pics as we waited.

Checking out the big crowds at the French Market...

Much of what you see out there is the line to PotC and a little bit HM...

And more waiting for the train pics...

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I knew it was a long shot, but I had hoped we'd be able to ride on the Lilly Belle. I guess at least we'd get to see it...

Another pic as we're waiting...

And our train has arrived!

I was bugged a bit because we wound up on a train with all front facing seating, but we'd at least follow the no dancing policy.

And while more distressed, I noticed the lights are the same exact style that are on the WDW trains...

Before taking off, we noticed that the line for the train had grown considerably. I guess people were looking for things that didn't have hour plus waits.

We'd pass by the Haunted Mansion when heading out...

And like WDW...you pass through Splash. Yes, I know this is a HORRIBLE picture...

Passing by the Hungry Bear...

And we're moving...

Mark Twain through the trees...

Light...

As we approach IASW, we see the sea of strollers...and I thank the Lord that we are past that stage! Touring stroller free since 2013!

YAY!!! The IASW clock is going off again and from the train, I can see things from a totally different vantage point.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

That's it for right now since I accidentally deleted some of what I'd put together to complete this portion (which should have had 3 or 4 more posts). Hope to get it posted soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to share that my parents are currently at WDW. I've been tortured by pictures of driving under the maingate, Mickey pretzels on the BW, a play by play of the Wishes timed ADR I helped them get (just last week) for tonight, pin trading... and this cuteness...

Yup, that's mouse ear water with lemon courtesy of Narcoosee's

Thanks for reading

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I've only just started on your trip report, but I had to immediately comment on one thing.

I love Mary Blair too!!!!!!! It's my goal in life to purchase some of her Peter pan concept art.

I think we just became best friends!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I've only just started on your trip report, but I had to immediately comment on one thing.

I love Mary Blair too!!!!!!! It's my goal in life to purchase some of her Peter pan concept art.

I think we just became best friends!

Oh how I would love to own a piece of her concept art! While the Small World pieces are my faves, I'm also really fond of the ones I've seen for Alice in Wonderland. Not sure how you feel about the Disney Dooney bags, but I'm hoping to get my hands on one in this print whenever they come out this year.

http://www.**************.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/small-world-550x307.jpg

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Dec 28th continued...

So, we're passing by IASW and it's just so cool to see some of the clock figures close up...

I felt like I was playing Disney ride camera with this shot...except that I don't think Disney would ever add such a camera to a ride like this. LOL

Next the train passed by Autopia...

Now, I have watched videos of the Disneyland train, but for whatever reason, I had totally forgotten that it takes you through the Grand Canyon. While I like WDW's railroad, this is a definite advantage for DL's.

Not sure why I was tearing up over dinosaurs, but by the time we got to the primeval section with the Magic Skyway dinosaurs, well...I was a bit emotional. So, I made to point out that we were at the front of the park and could see DCA, so that I had some time to pull it back together.

And we're right up at the front...

And we're off again...and you can even see a bit of Grizzly Peak...

And we're back from our lovely ride.

On our way out, I noticed the sound of jazz. And when I peaked through into the French Market, I could see the musicians.

Before our trip, I'd heard Disneyland does live music better than any other Disney park, but I didn't really think much of it until I was immersed in it. I mean, this was live jazz playing on a stage at quick service dining spot. And it was good too!

We still had some time until our HHM FP, so we picked something that had a more reasonable standby time posted on the app.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

The line felt like it was moving more slowly than posted. So, I start taking pics of things over by Splash as well...

Almost time to ride...

It's pretty much the same ride as WDW, but WDW gets the advantage here with their interactive queue. I did like these things of 'hunny.'

Saw holiday Eeyore on the way out...

I asked DH if he wanted to try the canoes. I was shocked at his response since he's much more outdoorsy than me...but he said "not if I have to row!" Well.

Love the Country Bears reference at the restroom...

Regret not getting to ride the Columbia...

Passing by the front of Splash...

(if you look through the fence slats, you can see a Splash boat)

I kept telling everyone that the wait wasn't too bad and nobody was looking wet, but nobody wanted to take the chance.

So, we head back to the Haunted Mansion since we're now just a few minutes before the opening of our FP window...

Now, I don't know if you noticed, but there are no guests up near the mansion in these pics. That's right, Haunted Mansion was also now closed. We were told they would honor fast passes at any time should they open back up, but that nobody could stand there. So, we start heading back towards Indy...even though everything is still showing that's closed.

Oh yea...and it's wall to wall people...can barely move...can barely tell where the crowd stops and the PotC line begins. It was a MESS!!!

CMs were back to standing on things and screaming to people to keep right. It sort of worked, since we made it past a still closed Indy and decided to try the Jingle Cruise.

We weren't very far in line when we noticed something going on to our right. We could see the Indy queue and we could see CMs opening the ropes. The family behind us ducked under the Jingle Cruise ropes and headed that way. DH and I quickly glanced at each other, I took the girls by the hand, and then sort growled the word....RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And we ran right next door to a now open Indiana Jones.

The standby line was moving just like lines for popular rides move right when the parks open. We were weaving in and out and a super fast pace...everyone hoing the ride wouldn't break down again. I still tried to take some pics along the way...

 

[TiggerTrigger]

(and yes, I know we weren't supposed to run...it was really more of a very fast walk)

Looking into the Jingle Cruise as we were rushing through the queue...

And back to Indy queue...

I think we made it through the queue in less than 15 minutes! I thought it was a great ride and loved that we got the "tourists" diaglogue from Indy at the end; however, both kids were a bit scared. Still not so scared to ask to ride again. DH and I told them not today and we headed back out into the crowds...

DH had the brilliant idea to check on HM. The app was still saying it was down, but considering the app had been off on wait times for PotC...maybe it would be wrong with this too? It was so crowded and everything had such long waits by now that it couldn't hurt. So, we head back and wouldn't you know it...people were just starting to file in...

We handed over our fastpasses and joined the line...

As you can tell, this is Haunted Mansion Holiday. And since Sammie LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES Jack...she's pretty thrilled. Although, she got a little freaked out by it all when I made a big deal out of it...

Not sure why, but the color contrasts in these trees really were appealing to me as we waited...

You may also notice that the sky was looking a bit gray. I think we had a 20-30% chance of afternoon showers. This was the only day I packed our ponchos, but it was nothing more than a few sprinkles. Great for us, but CA really needs rain. Every single place we stayed this trip had all kinds of in-room signage about various ways to conserve water and resources.

Getting close to the door...

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We're inside now, but it's such a strange feeling with how different it all looks from the WDW version...

I know...a chandelier doesn't fully convey this...but it just felt strange to be in a garden district feeling structure when you're used to it feeling like the WDW style.

I got sort of blurry pic in the stretching room...

We also had a ride stoppage right near Zero's bone area...

We had another stop in front of Leota, but it started back up just as I was snapping the pic.

By the time we got to the graveyard, I was really missing the traditional Haunted Mansion. I was happy to have the chance to see the holiday version and Sammie loved it, but I was over it before it even ended. By the time we got to Little Sally...I was drowning her out with Little Leota in my head. At least they had a few cute Zero moments that helped it for me, but never again will I be jealous of DL for this one. Now, I don't want you to think this is all negative. Disneyland made sure to leave one very special ghost on display during the holiday overlay. Yes, the Hatbox Ghost was left in his spot in the mansion in all his glory. And I may or may not have squealed "HATBOX GHOST!" as we passed him.



Coming up...playing in the castle, a wild ride to nowhere in particular, cats and dynamite, and downtime before dinner

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

How cool was the hatbox ghost?! I just saw him for the first time too in mid December.

It's kind of amusing to me I guess.... I keep following along with your day and being like....I hope they're getting hyperspace fps instead of getting in line... Then kind of nodding to myself when you do what I would have done haha.

I also love dl's iasw. I usually try to get a pic of each Disney character in every scene.

I'm one of those people who think Matterhorn is way too jerky, ugh. It's a one and done for me, whereas we did hyperspace about ten times.

I'm a character nut so I'm very jealous of your honest John sighting!

Your report is making me want to go back to dl very much

Can't wait to read more!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

How cool was the hatbox ghost?! I just saw him for the first time too in mid December.

It's kind of amusing to me I guess.... I keep following along with your day and being like....I hope they're getting hyperspace fps instead of getting in line... Then kind of nodding to myself when you do what I would have done haha.

I also love dl's iasw. I usually try to get a pic of each Disney character in every scene.

I'm one of those people who think Matterhorn is way too jerky, ugh. It's a one and done for me, whereas we did hyperspace about ten times.

I'm a character nut so I'm very jealous of your honest John sighting!

Your report is making me want to go back to dl very much

Can't wait to read more!

I remember listening to the podcasts and reading all of the news stories regarding the holiday overlay and praying they'd leave hatbox ghost in place. Prayers answered! Of course, first world struggles. LOL

I'm thankful that we had our WDW legacy fp experience to fall back on for DL. You'll see that there will be some times where we decided it was best to brave standby, but considering it's peak of peak when we were there and we had some ride closures, we had to also had to make some tough decisions on waiting. I plan on doing some day by day ride/attraction breakdowns at the end since people swore we'd only get to do 5 things per day since I think we did pretty well considering these were lvl 10 crowd days. In the end, I think we did very well considering the circumstances.

I haven't seen Honest John outside of a parade since the 80s, so I was shocked.

I know the feeling! I told my mom I was jealous that they were at WDW right now...she replied that I just got back from Disneyland, her childhood dream, so I had no room to be jealous. Parents.

Thanks for reading

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Dec 28th continued...

At this point we have no real plans, but we head off to find some new things to do and explore. I tried to convince DH to go to the Tiki Room because it only had a 5 minute wait and he kept trying to tell me that's not right because he saw a long line. I kept telling him that was the line for Dole Whips, but go on...don't trust the knowledge of the person who is the Disney fanatic and does all of the planning and research. So, we start walking away from Adventureland...

[

Pass by the Golden Horseshoe...

And then we hit a snag in our walking plans. We were rerouted back into the front part of Adventureland as sort of a crowd management plan. It may have also been parade related as parts of the hub were completely roped off from entry, but we could hear a CM yelling that it's faster this way.

We make our way back towards the castle and realize the roping was really all about crowds, but I'm still not sure how much it helped. Oh well, we were heading to the castle...something we'd only seen from afar at this point.

I think this is my favorite castle pic of the trip...

I get everyone to slow down a bit because the reality is that wherever we're heading is going to have a wait, so there's no reason to rush to avoid a building line. So, I take more pics around the castle.

Now it's time to walk through the castle...

There's no line, so we decide to do the castle walkthrough as our next activity.

The whole thing is actually pretty neat and some of the animated scenes are cool. My fave was where the good fairies are putting everyone to sleep and putting out the lights (candles).

And we're back out...

The girls noticed BBB. While Kendall still likes princesses, neither one has any desire to do the whole dress up thing...so, I'm glad I got it in a few times when they were younger. I also noticed at DL that not as many girls were walking around all done up from BBB. In fact, I just didn't see a ton of princess dresses on kids in general. In some ways it was sad, but in others...it was nice to not see a sea of Elsas like we did at WDW in 2014.

We start walking through Fantasyland because I have a plan.