"Let's See What We Can See!"- Surviving WDW With Three Under 3! - And now... A CRUISE?! Updated 4/19!

[Mollydolly334]

You and I have already geeked out together over this amazing excursion, but still AAAAAAHHHH reading about it all over again!!! I absolutely love that you scheduled this into your trip. Thanks for sending me the sneak peeks at the pics, too. I would have absolutely done the same and run out of the area if I'd walked upon Lisa and Ken having dinner LOL.

Also, PS, next time you're flying out of O'Hare--we literally live 15 minutes away! You can park your car and sleep here for free

It was such a "bucket list" item for us- we had talked about doing this for YEARS so it was so fun to finally do it AND see Lisa Vanderpump to boot! It was like poetic justice, LOL!

Awwww, you are too sweet!!! I'll definitely keep that in mind for future trips! It would be so fun to finally meet Rob and Jimmy (birthday twins!) too

I don't watch the Housewives but what a cool spotting! That hotel sounds so dreamy!

Sounds like a perfect start, can't wait to hear more!

It was a perfect start!! We only watch VPR, but my mom LOOOVES RHOC. Have you watched The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu?? It is ADDICTING and kind of reminds me of a Housewives show!

OMG! I am horrible when I meet a celebrity as well. I met Monica Potter (she was on Parenthood) once at a craft fair and I was so awkward. I stood in line to meet her and didn't even know what to say when I got to her. I like froze. You think I would be used to this after meeting so many Disney Characters. I am the same way just meeting local celebrities.

Sounds like you had a great start to your vacation.

Surprisingly, I've met a few celebrities (Aaron Rodgers and Robin Williams), and I was able to keep my cool then... This time, I was a total weirdo I've always been so awkward around Disney characters too!! I LOVE watching their interactions with children/other people, but as soon as they approach me, I clam up

Nothing like a sweet trip planned for the two of you!

I loved following along with your trip on FB! Definitely taking notes for when we get to Disneyland one day!

I actually really love that salad. But I am one of those people who has to have something green every day or I feel terrible.



Such a fun trip!

Gorgeous hotel!

Yum!

I hope you can get to Disneyland soon!!! You'd love it and it's got such different (yet also similar at the same time) vibes than WDW. I kept getting "Deja Vu" for WDW throughout our trip!

Yes!!! You were actually the reason I got that salad (I read about it in one of your TRs ). I think it was just a bad day for the chicken- all fo the other toppings were good, and I know my body appreciated the fiber as well

 

[Mollydolly334]

Our California Adventure- Part 2!

Day 2:

Jake and I were awake by 7:30 AM this morning! This is why I love traveling west… the time change works in your favor, and waking up early is so much easier! We grabbed some coffee from the Starbucks down the road, and had a nice breakfast at 1Kitchen Restaurant right at our hotel.



We were super happy to see that they had the same warm sea-salt chocolate chip cookies that we became obsessed with on our honeymoon at the 1Hotel in Kauai! So, we definitely indulged in some breakfast-dessert.



It was super nice to have a leisurely morning and not have to rush around while getting ready/packing up the room. Our check-out was at 11:00 AM, and then we just chilled out and I read in the peaceful lobby. We took a Lyft to the Long Beach port to catch the 2:00 ferry to Catalina Island!

Catalina Island was actually the catalyst to making this trip happen. Jake and I have wanted to visit Europe for so long (we WILL make this happen soon), and in the meantime, we have been researching cities in the U.S with a European vibe. This is why we also went to Vail in Colorado this July (and LOVED it)! Catalina Island was another one of those on our list, and Jake especially was SO excited to visit and spend some time here! We planned for 2 nights and one full day here, figuring that was plenty of time to enjoy the town and see the sights.

Off we go!



The L.A fog was in full force today, and so was the wind… which made for a not-so-happy Molly. I don’t usually struggle with terrible seasickness (but you all know my qualms with simulator rides). When I do go on boats, I usually do ok if I can see the horizon and keep my eyes forward. But, due to the fog, we couldn’t even see 2 feet in front of us, plus the waves were choppy due to the wind. We were doing some pretty big dips, and I had to keep my head between my knees and take some deep breaths to keep me from feeling ill.

Luckily, the ride is only about 70 minutes long, and it really calmed down when we approached the port in Catalina. But, it definitely made me nervous about our eventual ferry back to L.A!

As soon as we got off the boat, I felt better. It felt amazing to be on land!!



We were greeted with such a spectacular view. It was like a perfect mixture of California and Italy!!





Avalon (the “city” in Catalina Island) is really a very small town. There are barely any cars and everyone gets around by walking, biking, or golf carts!

I don’t think either of us were expecting just how small it is! The downtown area was right by the ferry port, and it was super tiny but very cute and quaint! Our hotel, the Hotel Atwater, was right smack in the middle of downtown.





This was an ADORABLE hotel. It was so pretty and clean, and best of all, reasonably priced (we paid around $225 per night, which was half of what we paid for 1Hotel and the Grand Californian)! The staff here were so nice and friendly, and we got some perks (food/beverage credit for some of the restaurants in town, free champagne, and luggage service to/from the ferry port).



After settling into our cozy room, Jake and I explored town for the next couple hours. The weather was perfect and the sights were even better! We had so much fun walking around and checking out all the cute little shops.





I figured that some dark chocolate gelato was a perfect remedy for my unsteady tummy!











We headed back to the room for a quick rest at around 5:30, then headed back out at 7:00 for some dinner! We had been planning on a light dinner at a seafood restaurant, but to be honest, we were STARVING since we had skipped lunch and we wanted something more substantial instead. So, we decided on a Mexican restaurant called Maggie’s Blue Rose!

Since it was a Sunday night, it was absolutely dead in there. This was something we noticed throughout our time in Catalina, it was REALLY quiet overall. A lot of people come here just for day visits, plus it was off season, so the crowds really disappeared this night. To drink, Jake got a Corona-Rita, and I got a Midori Daiquiri!



Then, to eat, I got the Carnitas Tacos, Jake got a Carnitas Platter, and we shared some Elote!



(Don’t mind the half-eaten Elote. Clearly, we went to TOWN!)

When we’re starving like this, we usually crave 1. Pizza or 2. Mexican food, and this DEFINITELY was satisfying!! It was delicious and there was a really nice vibe in the restaurant itself. We weren’t quite ready for the party to end, and we had spotted a tiki bar called Luau Larry’s right next door. Well, we can never say no to a tiki bar!!

Once again, we were literally the only 2 in here. We got VIP service, but it was kind of weird seeing everything so deserted!

We didn’t want to hold them up, so we just got one drink each. Jake got the “Wiki Wacker,” which was basically a rum punch and was described as the strongest drink on the menu!! He even got a free sticker to commemorate it.

“Give me your best drunk face...”





My drink was called the “Spicy Mexican Lollipop.” This thing was a concoction! It had watermelon pucker with mango, peach, and mandarin liqueurs, sweet and sour, sprite, and pineapple juice… along with Tabasco and Tajin!!

I had seen this drink on the menu, and it was described as their “signature drink.” It had intrigued me so much, and I usually tend to like sweet and spicy combinations, so I took the plunge and ordered it!!



I’m so glad I did. This drink was incredible! Honestly probably in my Top 5 alcoholic beverages I’ve ever had. It was super heavy on the watermelon flavor, which I love, and it had this little spicy kick to it at the very end. It reminded me so much of the guava and li-hing sour gummies that I always get in Hawaii!! I need to find a way to recreate this at home! I was gushing about it the entire time we were there.

We were still the only ones in there and we didn’t want to hold them up any longer, so we walked the 3 minutes back to our hotel and were asleep by 10:00.

Day 3- Part 1:

Jake and I were up early again at 7:00 AM! Our room was very comfortable with a great bed, so we slept super soundly. We were up and at ‘em pretty quickly and ready to explore. We grabbed some matcha lattes and hit the town!









We walked about 4 miles in total this morning, just peeking at all of the shops and beautiful scenery. It was another gorgeous and sunny morning!







Jake and I did a few loops around town, and around 10:00 AM, we got kind of stuck. We had done a lot of walking and exploring this morning, and had seen… absolutely everything. Like I said before, downtown Catalina Island is tiny!!! While we loved what we did see, we were kind of worried about how to fill the rest of our time here, and were afraid that we had budgeted too much time to be here. So, we decided to head to the ferry port and check out the tour brochures. A tour sounded like a good idea to explore the rest of the island!

We were eyeing up a wildlife tour to see the “outback” of the island and check out the Catalina buffalo, when Jake overheard a stressed man talking on the phone. He didn’t hear their whole conversation, but heard loud and clear...

“I don’t know what to do. My ferry tonight is canceled.”



Wait, whaaaat?? They were canceling ferries tonight??

We checked the Catalina Express website, and sure enough, the 4:00 and the 6:50 ferries were both canceled tonight due to high winds (over 25 mph). We were perplexed, because currently, the weather was absolutely sublime with no wind or clouds to be found. But, we figured that they took extreme caution, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

This worried us, because we were due to take the 7:50 AM ferry back to Long Beach tomorrow, and the wind was still due to be over 25 mph through the night. And, we had BIG plans tomorrow- that was our Oogie Boogie Bash day!! So we absolutely needed to be back in time.

I’m not gonna lie, this made me ANXIOUS and kinda claustrophobic. Nothing like feeling stuck on an island with only one way out!! Thank goodness, there were still spots on the 11:50 AM ferry back to Long Beach (AKA- 1.5 hours from now), so we switched our tickets over and hoofed it back to Hotel Atwater.

The amazing concierge at the hotel said that as long as we were out of our room by 11:30 AM, she would not charge us for the second night. She was seriously the sweetest and we were so grateful! She confided that she was pretty sure that the tomorrow AM ferry would be canceled as well, so it was smart for us to skidaddle outta there! She also mentioned that due to the wind, the ferry ride was going to be rough, so she suggested taking some Dramamine. Greatttt...

It was mass chaos with Jake and I furiously packing up our stuff and basically running out of that hotel! Then, I ran to the coffeeshop to buy a pumpkin muffin - I figured that having some simple carbs in my stomach would help me not feel so queasy on the boat ride. By the time we got this done, we just had to wait in a short line, and we boarded the ferry in no time!



The only Catalina Express tickets that were available last-minute were in their “Commodore Lounge,” which came with a free drink and snacks! We chose ginger ale and Chips Ahoy cookies.

Poor Jake was bummed to be leaving Catalina Island so early!



I was sad too, but we both were actually a tad bit relieved, since I had a feeling that we would have been bored and just “filling the time” today.

Now that we were finally on the ferry, we figured that we should, you know, make an actual plan for when we get back to mainland California. It seemed like a no-brainer and we honestly didn’t really discuss any other options- do one more day at Disneyland!!

We obviously didn’t have park tickets for this day, but we figured we could just bop around Downtown Disney and spend some time at the resort so that we’d be all refreshed and already on property for Oogie Boogie Bash tomorrow!

I consulted the Disney website, and snagged a pool-view hotel room at the Disneyland Hotel! It was a little more than I wanted to pay (about $550), but I reasoned that it was actually only $225, since we were getting a refund from Hotel Atwater. #DisneyMath. I ate the cost of this one and told Jake not to worry about paying, since I was super excited to try out DLH and basically insisted that we stay there.

We started driving towards the open ocean, and immediately I could start feeling the waves from the high winds. It was even bumpier than yesterday! Lucky for me, I actually had some unused Dramamine in my bag leftover from our May 2024 trip (I was preparing for Cosmic Rewind ). I ended up taking the Dramamine right before we boarded the ferry, and BOY, I was so happy that I did!! This stuff was a MIRACLE drug!



We were bobbing up and down the entire trip, and I didn’t feel a thing! I had music playing in my earbuds the entire time, but I’m pretty sure a couple people ended up getting sick during the ride. Jake never feels any motion sickness; he has a stomach of steel I swear. Plus, it was a nice, clear day, so I could keep my eyes on the horizon the entire ride over.

We reached the Long Beach ferry port at 1:00 PM, ready to get the Disneyland party started!!!



​

 

[Mollydolly334]

Our California Adventure- Part 2 (Continued)!

Day 3- Part 2:

We jumped into an Uber as soon as we got off the Catalina Express, and were entering Disney property at 2:15 PM!



When Jake and I went to DLR last year, we stayed at the Grand Californian, but we visited the Disneyland Hotel to eat at Goofy’s Kitchen. We were going to be staying at the GCH for the next 5 nights, but since we just added an additional night, we decided to try out the DLH for this first night. We had received a text that our room was ready while we were still on the ferry, so we were able to go right to our room to drop off our bags and get settled!





The cheapest room category available was a pool-view hotel room (a Duo Studio was actually also available for like $3 cheaper, but I figured that we’d like the spaciousness of the regular hotel room). We were placed in room #2052 in the Adventure Tower!



Our room was on the second floor and had two queen beds. I LOVED the look of this room, with the dark blue/gold and wood detailing. It felt very “classic Disney” and was super dreamy.







We had a great view of the pool!



And… the piece de resistance… THIS HEADBOARD!



When you pressed a button on the bedside table, the fireworks lit up, and it played “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella.

We didn’t stay in the room for too long; we were excited to explore our new digs!



We peeked in the gift shops, then grabbed a spot by the pool. But, it wasn’t exactly swimming weather (mid 60’s with some wind). Plus, it was just about 3:00, and we were pretty peckish after just having snack food so far today. So, we headed off in search of food and an alcoholic beverage.

They were BLASTING Halloween music all around the resort! It was super fun and festive at first, until we realized that between DTD, DLH, and GCH, they basically played the same 5 Halloween songs over and over and over. Needless to say, we got pretty tired of the Halloween music and were relieved when November 1st came!

We were able to get a table on the outdoor patio at Trader Sam’s right away! We’ve been to the WDW location many times, but this was our first time at the DLR location! I went with my standard Mosquito Mojito (I get this pretty much every time we come to Trader Sam’s), and Jake got the Krakatoa Punch!





Cheers to being on “Disney Time!”

To eat, I decided on the “Hawaiian Poutine”, with sweet potato fries, kalua pork, togarashi aioli, cotija cheese, cheese sauce, lime crema, and cilantro. Jake got an Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl!





The couple next to us had an adorable service dog, and it was really nice to chat with them for a bit about DLR (they were locals and come pretty regularly). They were shocked that we would be spending 6 full nights at DLR!

I loved my Mosquito Mojito, as always. Our food was also VERY good; it absolutely hit the spot!! My poutine was delicious and absolutely covered with sauces and toppings!! We were nice and full after this and ready to rest in the room after our crazy and chaotic morning.



Jake took a nap, but I decided to just stay up and watch some TV/scroll my iPad. We also changed around some ADRs; we canceled our Trader Sam’s ADR later in the week, because we ended up getting to eat there this afternoon. We didn’t have any ADRs for tonight due to the change in plans, so we grabbed an ADR at Craftsman Grill at the GCH for 8:30 PM and just canceled our lunch ADR here that we had previously scheduled for tomorrow. Finally, we changed our Goofy’s Kitchen ADR from Thursday morning to tomorrow morning, since we were now staying at the DLH!

This break is where we started to notice little things about the room. #1. The water pressure in the shower and toilet were really bad. Like, one of the worst we’ve ever seen in a hotel room (Disney or not). 2. Every time we turned on the sink, a rotten eggs/sulfur-like smell filled the air. 3. Jake did not like their pillows.

Jake likes a flat pillow, and all of the pillows were really round and cushy. I didn’t have a problem with it, but Jake ended up having a ROUGH night of sleep! I told him to just use the decorative blue pillow or couch cushions instead, but he got all #germfreak on me and was like “Do you KNOW what bodily fluids could be on those things?”

In general, the more we were inside the room, the more we noticed the wear and tear. It was definitely showing its age! The room also lacked electrical outlets, the AC was wonky and the room got really warm during the night… it was just, well, not a $550 room. We paid the same for the GCH, and in our opinion, the differences are like night and day.

In hindsight, we definitely should have just gone with the Duo Studio; even though it was smaller in size, it’s a brand new room and, I’m guessing, didn’t have the problems we experienced in the hotel room. Once again, the problems were nothing major, but we kind of felt ripped off with the price at DLH.

Even though our room was beautiful, the grounds of the resort also didn’t thrill us and the theming seemed sterile (It kind of reminded me of the Contemporary/BLT at WDW, and I don’t prefer that resort either). The GCH is probably both Jake and I’s #1 favorite Disney parks resort, so the DLH didn’t really stand a chance! I hate giving critical reviews, and @ambula603 I know you and so many others love this resort, but we probably won't stay at DLH for a looooooong time. We’d spend the extra money and stay at the GCH, or save TONS of money and stay offsite!

OK, soapbox- off! Jake and I were able to rest up and change into sweaters/pants- it was getting chilly outside! We headed out around 6:15, ready to explore.

We strolled all throughout Downtown Disney, peeking in all of the shops! They were just starting to roll out some Christmas merch!







Since I go to Disney so much, I rarely buy souvenirs on my vacations anymore. I just love to window-shop!



It didn’t take us long to get through all the shops. Downtown Disney is TINY compared to Disney Springs. DS is the winner no contest- DTD is fun for an hour or so, but DS just has way better atmosphere and variety of shops and restaurants!

A sweet treat was calling my name… so I snagged a Cookie Butter Churro with vanilla ice cream from California Churro!



This was pretty good, but needed way more cookie butter flavor. I was a little disappointed, I love Biscoff cookie butter and I didn’t really get that vibe. I only had half of this; I didn’t want to fill up on something that was just “ok!”

Since we still had a bit of time until dinner, we decided to walk over to Pixar Place hotel and check it out!







This hotel was cute; they had Joe Gardner from “Soul” playing piano in the lobby, which was an amazing touch! It reminded me a lot of a smaller AoA in the indoor areas! Once again, though, we thought that the resort itself was not indicative of the room prices. DLR hotels are sooooo expensive! We thought this was way more on par with a moderate resort.

On our way back from Pixar Place, we circled back through DLH. We stopped to watch the “movie under the stars” for a couple minutes- it was “The Nightmare Before Christmas!”



We also passed by the Rose Garden. A long time ago, I watched an episode of “Disney Fairytale Weddings” where a couple got married here, and it looked soooo romantic.



We still had about a half-hour until our ADR, so we decided to just head on over to the GCH early and grab drinks at Hearthstone Lounge. We were happy to be back at our favorite resort and so excited to be checking in tomorrow!



I got the “Orchard Swig,” which was a sparkling mocktail that had apple cider, cinnamon syrup, Orgeat, and ginger beer. This was soooo yummy and brought all of the autumn feels! Jake got the Rye Harvest Manhattan, which was basically a Manhattan but with Pinot Noir! Jake has really been getting into red wine (especially Pinot Noir) lately and he loved this. The vibes in here were very peaceful and it was a perfect little refresher!





Finally, it was time for our ADR at Craftsman Grill! This was one of our favorite TS meals from last year, so we were pumped to be back.

Since it was a Monday night, they didn’t have any live music, but the atmosphere was still gorgeous with the twinkle lights. It was poppin’ in here; there was a World Series game going on and there were lots of Dodgers fans watching the TVs and cheering!



To drink, I stuck with Diet Coke and Jake grabbed a beer. He was bummed, because Hearthstone Lounge had Kona Longboard (his favorite beer), but Craftsman Grill didn’t! He vowed to get a Longboard sometime this week.

We already knew what we were having months before dining here. We shared a Charcuterie Pizza!



We shared this last year, and once again this year, it was DIVINE. I love wood-fired pizza like this, and it was so ooey-gooey and delicious. It was a little greasy, so I could only manage two slices, but the arugula on top really cut out the richness and gave it a great freshness.

This was such a lovely dinner with great service and even better food. We were both just on cloud nine and so happy to be on Disney property, chatting all about our big plans for the week!

We called it a night at about 9:30, but before heading out, I grabbed a Peanut Butter Blondie from the QS at GCH. It was absolutely COVERED in my favorite candy- Reese’s Pieces!



I had one of these last year and loved it, but didn’t love it as much this year. It was kinda stale and needed salt! I had a couple bites back in the room for a little dessert, but tossed the rest. No worries, though- I got my fair share of sweet treats this trip.

Jake and I were in bed by 10:15 PM, ready to finally hit the parks tomorrow!

​

 

[ambula603]

I am so sad you didn't love DLH but I wouldn't either, based on how you described it. It is wild to me that some of the buildings can be so different. We stayed at the DVC part of the Poly and had a great room, but it was totally different from the hotel-type room I have seen others post about and watched YouTube videos about. And then they will have the DVC tower to add another level of rooms. So it really makes it hard to recommend a resort with such different types and ages of rooms. I think you would have liked the DVC tower, so maybe someday you could try it!

When we stay at the GCH we will be in a DVC room. I wonder if it will be any different!?

We love that charcuterie pizza. Since we are staying so long I hope we get to eat at all the places, multiple times! We didn't get a Trader Sams ADR last trip, maybe I will be able to snag it this time. It looks and sounds so yummy!

Giddy with anticipation for more!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I would have been SO ANXIOUS if the ferry had actually been canceled!! Thank goodness you overheard that guy's conversation!! Otherwise, you wouldn't have had any notice, right? Just crazy.

Love the extra Disney time, but a bummer that the room wasn't worth $550....or $225 LOL depending on whose math we're using. Having never been to Disneyland, I always love reading other people's experiences, so I can plan for my probably one and only trip there someday! I always hear people say 2 or 3 days is more than enough, so I'm excited to hear how you fill your 6!

 

[angelmav]

Loving your TR but had to stop reading to give you a couple Colorado tips. Red Rocks while very cool is not going to hold you for long. Great view, but where you park you walk up to the top of the amphitheater which is where you get a great view. Not much else to do there though. I graduated HS there and we used to run the stairs for track. After that I’d drive over to Dinosaur Ridge which is just a couple miles away, fossils imbedded all over and quite interesting. After that i’d try and get a reservation to go to Casa Bonita for lunch from there. It’s not that far away and is a very cool experience! Hope you have a great time!

 

[piglet1979]

That boat ride would have done me in. I could only imagine how bumby that ride was. We had 30+ winds on a cruise ship and it was really rocky. But Yay!!!! for more disney.

 

[Mollydolly334]

I am so sad you didn't love DLH but I wouldn't either, based on how you described it. It is wild to me that some of the buildings can be so different. We stayed at the DVC part of the Poly and had a great room, but it was totally different from the hotel-type room I have seen others post about and watched YouTube videos about. And then they will have the DVC tower to add another level of rooms. So it really makes it hard to recommend a resort with such different types and ages of rooms. I think you would have liked the DVC tower, so maybe someday you could try it!

When we stay at the GCH we will be in a DVC room. I wonder if it will be any different!?

We love that charcuterie pizza. Since we are staying so long I hope we get to eat at all the places, multiple times! We didn't get a Trader Sams ADR last trip, maybe I will be able to snag it this time. It looks and sounds so yummy!

Giddy with anticipation for more!

Definitely have to try the DVC tower at DLH one day!! We peeked inside and it looked like a completely different resort! I think the GCH is more similar across rooms; there's no dedicated DVC building and all of the rooms/villas are spread out. I think it's like AKL Jambo in that way!!

For Trader Sam's, you only need an ADR for the indoor tiki bar! The outside terrace has the same food/drinks and always had like a 5-10 minute wait at most

I would have been SO ANXIOUS if the ferry had actually been canceled!! Thank goodness you overheard that guy's conversation!! Otherwise, you wouldn't have had any notice, right? Just crazy.

Love the extra Disney time, but a bummer that the room wasn't worth $550....or $225 LOL depending on whose math we're using. Having never been to Disneyland, I always love reading other people's experiences, so I can plan for my probably one and only trip there someday! I always hear people say 2 or 3 days is more than enough, so I'm excited to hear how you fill your 6!

Seriously! We would have had no idea and would have been MAJORLY stressing! I guess it's a pretty uncommon thing too; we were stalking their FB page, and the last time a ferry had been cancelled was like 5 months ago! So super rare (and of course, the one day that we were there ).

Ooooo Jackie you must go to DLR someday; you would love it! It's like WDW Lite. 3 days is perfect in my opinion!! It was great having the flexibility of 6 days, but we did a lot of resort time and were pretty leisurely, and it was still more than enough time.

Loving your TR but had to stop reading to give you a couple Colorado tips. Red Rocks while very cool is not going to hold you for long. Great view, but where you park you walk up to the top of the amphitheater which is where you get a great view. Not much else to do there though. I graduated HS there and we used to run the stairs for track. After that I’d drive over to Dinosaur Ridge which is just a couple miles away, fossils imbedded all over and quite interesting. After that i’d try and get a reservation to go to Casa Bonita for lunch from there. It’s not that far away and is a very cool experience! Hope you have a great time!

Thank you for all of the tips!!! I did do a little Colorado recap on this TR when we went back in July We didn't make it over to Red Rocks, but had a great time exploring Estes Park, Boulder, and Vail!!

And YES- we did try to make a reservation at Casa Bonita- both Jake and I are huge South Park fans! (I know that show is a love-it-or-hate-it show and we are firmly in the love-it camp ). But, they use some crazy lottery system where you basically just get on an e-mail list, and they randomly pick who gets the privilege to make a reservation there! So, I don't think we could dine there in our wildest dreams Such a bummer too; I think it used to be relatively easy to eat there (my brother in law did about 5 years ago), but COVID made it crazy!!

That boat ride would have done me in. I could only imagine how bumby that ride was. We had 30+ winds on a cruise ship and it was really rocky. But Yay!!!! for more disney.

The Dramamine was a life saver for sure!!! I couldn't imagine being on a cruise ship in that weather- the 70 minutes felt like an eternity!!!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 8 (The One With All of the Sunshine, Pool Time, and Cookie Dough Balls, But NO Diapers To Be Found!) - Part 3


I know I’ve been switching off between trips lately, but I’m here with a May 2024 update! Where I last left off, the fam had a fantastic pool day at CBR, and planned to spend the evening on the Boardwalk with dinner at Cape May Cafe. To my delight, we were all ready exactly on time at 7:00 sharp! Everyone was excited to hop on over to the Boardwalk!

Evie was wearing an outfit that Jake and I had gotten her for Christmas, so I had to grab a pic. An Anna doll in one hand and my mom’s Alex and Ani bracelet in the other- can you say “girly girl??”



We walked over to Riviera Skyliner station and were on our gondola by 7:10.



Up we go!!



In a drastic turn of events, Evie actually WANTED to sit by Auntie Molly instead of Mama or Dada!! This NEEDED to be documented!!!



We disembarked at 7:25 and headed for the Boardwalk. It was golden hour, and the Boardwalk area was showing off its beauty.





We decided to head over and check out the midway games and shops on the Boardwalk!







We were all very impressed with this live statue performer. How in the world did he hold his body at such a strange angle?? His abs must be ripped!

We took a peek in Screen Door General Store for about 20 minutes to pick out some souvenirs! I love this store and all of the Boardwalk-specific merch- they even have their own bakery case of goodies! I didn’t buy anything; I’m very picky when it comes to souvenirs and tend to wait until the last minute to see if I’m still thinking about something in particular.

Evie got a Snow White clip-on earring and necklace set and some figurines from the movie Wish, Ollie got some Toy Story themed cars, and Haley got a super cute Disney Lilly Pulitzer zip-up!

After our shopping spree, Ryan and Kahla were jonesing to play some games! They decided on a game where you basically try to fling rubber lobsters so they land into a pot. This game has been there forever; I remember my dad winning me a stuffed penguin as a prize with this game at least 15 years ago!!



Check out Kahla’s adorable purse!

Evie got some of her energy out while Kahla and Ryan played. The Boardwalk was super quiet tonight and there was so much open space! All week, we had been telling her “Stay by us, don’t run,” etc. So, when we told her that she could run as much as she wanted tonight, she was one happy camper.



They played a few rounds, and luckily, they got enough lobsters to win prizes for both Ollie and Evie! I’m pretty sure the workers are forced to offer prizes for every kid present. *Disney Difference* everyone!

Ollie chose a multi-colored shark (shark #2 of the trip)!



And Evie decided on a rainbow owl.



We grabbed some more pics on the Boardwalk before looping around towards the Swan and Dolphin.





I have still never made it over to Jellyrolls! We were planning on going during my bachelorette party, but most of the girls had flown in that day and everyone was tired. Someday I will go here!



It took about 3498309438 tries, but I managed to grab a decent family picture for Haley.

So, I have stayed at or visited every WDW resort (except Saratoga Springs- I’m coming for you someday, SSR!). My “favorite” resort has honestly ebbed and flowed throughout the years; sometimes I think I’m affected by recency bias too (like thinking that the resort I just stayed at last trip is now my new “favorite”).

We’re not a family that likes staying at the same resort every trip; we like variety and we love checking out the different vibes that each resort has to offer! But, as I’ve gotten older, I’m more certain that the Boardwalk area is my favorite resort area in WDW, with Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club as my favorite resort (I can’t choose between the two)!



We grew up staying here a lot; my mom had a few conferences over at the Swolphin, and we would would always stay at the BC/YC during them. So, this resort brings ALLL the nostalgia for Haley and I. Plus, it has one of my favorite pools on Disney property with the fun slide, pool bar, and sand bottom. YC/BC just also has great vibes; I love the pastel colors and the themes are magical and whimsical, but also not too exotic or in-your-face. The location is also unmatched. You can walk to TWO PARKS, and with the Boardwalk area right outside, you always feel like you are in the middle of the action!



OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Every Disney fan has a resort that just feels like home, and for me, this is it!!



I mean COME ON. The beauty was unreal tonight, and I was just soaking it all in!

Which Disney resort feels like home to you??? I'm so curious to hear everyone's different responses!

We were rushing over to BC/YC, because we were secretly planning to meet Thomas and Mel! Cici had been covertly texting with Chief (all 3 of them had spent the day over at Marriott Grande Vista together), and he said that they were waiting in the courtyard at the Boardwalk-facing entrance to YC!

As we were walking up to the resort, I spotted Thomas and Mel sitting on a bench with their backs facing us. I was leading the pack, and I turned to Haley and Ryan and said, “Wait a second, those people sitting over there look familiar?”

Immediately, Haley responded “That looks like Thomas!! OMG- it is Thomas!!!”



(No pictures of the reveal, I was WAY too distracted)!

Then, Ryan let out the loudest squeal I think I’ve ever heard come out of a grown man. Haley and Ryan (and the kids) were the only ones in the group that didn’t know about Thomas and Mel’s addition, and they were SO surprised!!! Haley in particular had a shocked look on her face for a good 10 minutes afterwards.

We had big hugs all around; Thomas and Mel were so excited to be here and finally be on vacation, since they had worked remotely all day while at the Marriott! It felt so great to all be together in one big group. I was definitely missing Jake in this moment!! Evie, Ollie, and Ethan are some lucky kids with such a big support system rallying around them for their first Disney vacation.

All on a high, we headed into the Yacht Club. We decided to take the scenic route and walk through both resorts to get to Cape May Cafe!



If this picture looks abnormally dark, that’s because it was. I usually LOVE the YC lobby, but it was way too dark tonight. It was weird, almost like the power went out or something? I was so thrown off!

The BC lobby was its normal bright and beautiful self.



When we stayed here back in July 2023, the check-in area was under construction. I absolutely love all of the cute artwork they added behind the desk!





We checked in right on time for our 8:45 PM reservation at Cape May Cafe, and they seated us immediately!


​

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 8 (The One With All of the Sunshine, Pool Time, and Cookie Dough Balls, But NO Diapers To Be Found!) - Part 3 (Continued)!


Cape May Cafe seemed to be expecting us; greeting our party by name and paying extra attention, which was a nice surprise! Maybe they saw that we were a party of 12 with three children under 3 and got intimidated.





Our waiter was super chatty and personable. The restaurant was basically empty at this time of night, and we really seemed to get the VIP treatment!

I was initially nervous about booking at this restaurant; I’ve had breakfast here once back in 2019 and loved it, but the last time we had dinner here was 2005 (almost 20 YEARS AGO- I was 10!). Also, I kind of remembered this place to be really gross and fishy-smelling since it’s primarily a seafood buffet. However, as soon as we were seated, I noticed the lack of fish smell, so we were really off to a great start!

We ordered beverages right away, and got started with our trips up to the buffet! To drink, I got the Pink London Spritzer (Lyre’s Pink London Spirit, Grapefruit Soda, Pomegranate Green Tea, Lime, and Mint).



This was very refreshing!! It reminded me of a fruity mojito.

To eat, I got a smorgasbord of their options!



Caesar salad, tomato mozzarella salad, fried shrimp with cocktail sauce, a rib, and a piece of cornbread.

(The multi-colored sugar packets seemed to be the best form of entertainment for the twins this trip ).



Cheese pizza, mac and cheese, grapes.

All of the food was super yummy. It felt good to have some of the fresh salads; they had quite an extensive selection of veggies! The BBQ ribs were also amazing; they were fall off the bone tender and covered with a delicious sauce. I grabbed at least 3 more after I finished my first one; they were that good!!

Like I said, I was initially nervous about Cape May Cafe, since I’m really not a big seafood person. Pretty much the only seafood I consume is shrimp or any raw seafood (ahi tuna, smoked salmon, etc.). But, they had tons of non-seafood options too!!

It ended up being one of my favorite dinners of the trip. The vibe in there was so chill and relaxed, we could all sit together, and they had variety so everyone found something they liked!

We had a great time just chatting and catching up!! Evie tried on her new Snow White clip-on earrings and was FEELING HERSELF. Diva!



Mel also got some Ethan snuggles!!



There were talks about going to Boardwalk Ice Cream after dinner, so I just got a couple options for dessert.



Two cookie dough balls, mini chocolate-banana tart, vanilla cupcake

Yes, this was me restraining myself. I could have had like 10 more of those cookie dough balls; they were absolutely addicting!! Kahla agreed; she took an entire to-go cup of them back to CBR so she could munch on them throughout the week. Smart lady!



We were at Cape May Cafe until about 10:15 or so, just catching up and chatting. The kids did absolutely fantastic- I think it helped that they got a nice long nap in their beds and the AC earlier today!

Evie watched some TV while we decided what to do next!



There was a small fiasco; the Skyliner was closed, and we were banking on that for our way back to CBR. It literally closed at 10:30, and we got out to the Boardwalk at 10:32. And, with 3 kids, we also needed 3 carseats, so our options were limited.

In addition, Haley and Ryan had realized earlier today that they were almost completely out of diapers!! So, Chief offered to drop them off at CBR (he had taken the rental car from them to pick up Thomas and Mel from the airport), and they would stop at the Speedway on the way to grab diapers. The rest of us took Ubers back to CBR!

This meant that we couldn’t stop for ice cream. I was irrationally sad about this. I was really craving a Thundering Surf Sundae from Boardwalk Ice Cream!!



Not my pic, but look at this peanut butter-chocolate gloriousness. It’s an exact dupe of the No Way Jose Sundae from Beaches and Cream, just a smaller size (and you don’t need an ADR)!

I could also just feel myself getting tired in general; I was on Day 8 of a Day 11 vacation, and I was starting to realize the fatigue that was setting in. Usually, when I'm near tears over lack of ice cream, it's because I'm either PMSing or exhausted. It was definitely best just to go back and get to bed!!

We Ubered back safely and crashed into bed. We later found out from Haley and Ryan that they drove around to 3 different stores looking for diapers!! They eventually found some at a Walmart off-property. But ugh, what a nightmare!!

I managed to stay awake until midnight to book Genie + for the next day, but then, I was out like a light. I needed to be prepared for our Hollywood Studios day tomorrow!


​

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

The Beach Club is my absolute favorite. The lobby smell, the awesome location, the amazing pool, the ultra relaxing vacationy vibe…hands down my fave resort

 

[suse66]

Catalina Island was actually the catalyst to making this trip happen. Jake and I have wanted to visit Europe for so long (we WILL make this happen soon), and in the meantime, we have been researching cities in the U.S with a European vibe. This is why we also went to Vail in Colorado this July (and LOVED it)! Catalina Island was another one of those on our list, and Jake especially was SO excited to visit and spend some time here! We planned for 2 nights and one full day here, figuring that was plenty of time to enjoy the town and see the sights.

Catalina Islnd looks amazing!

I consulted the Disney website, and snagged a pool-view hotel room at the Disneyland Hotel! It was a little more than I wanted to pay (about $550), but I reasoned that it was actually only $225, since we were getting a refund from Hotel Atwater. #DisneyMath. I ate the cost of this one and told Jake not to worry about paying, since I was super excited to try out DLH and basically insisted that we stay there.

Totally Disney girl math!

When you pressed a button on the bedside table, the fireworks lit up, and it played “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella.

Love that!

We were able to get a table on the outdoor patio at Trader Sam’s right away! We’ve been to the WDW location many times, but this was our first time at the DLR location! I went with my standard Mosquito Mojito (I get this pretty much every time we come to Trader Sam’s), and Jake got the Krakatoa Punch!

Yum! Bill lobes Trader sam's so hopefully we will get there in March.

Jake likes a flat pillow, and all of the pillows were really round and cushy. I didn’t have a problem with it, but Jake ended up having a ROUGH night of sleep! I told him to just use the decorative blue pillow or couch cushions instead, but he got all #germfreak on me and was like “Do you KNOW what bodily fluids could be on those things?”

Flat pillow club here too!

I got the “Orchard Swig,” which was a sparkling mocktail that had apple cider, cinnamon syrup, Orgeat, and ginger beer. This was soooo yummy and brought all of the autumn feels! Jake got the Rye Harvest Manhattan, which was basically a Manhattan but with Pinot Noir! Jake has really been getting into red wine (especially Pinot Noir) lately and he loved this. The vibes in here were very peaceful and it was a perfect little refresher!

I love that they are offering more mocktails these days.

We shared this last year, and once again this year, it was DIVINE. I love wood-fired pizza like this, and it was so ooey-gooey and delicious. It was a little greasy, so I could only manage two slices, but the arugula on top really cut out the richness and gave it a great freshness.

That pizza looks incredible.

In a drastic turn of events, Evie actually WANTED to sit by Auntie Molly instead of Mama or Dada!! This NEEDED to be documented!!!

Cuteness overload!

It took about 3498309438 tries, but I managed to grab a decent family picture for Haley.

So nice!

We’re not a family that likes staying at the same resort every trip; we like variety and we love checking out the different vibes that each resort has to offer! But, as I’ve gotten older, I’m more certain that the Boardwalk area is my favorite resort area in WDW, with Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club as my favorite resort (I can’t choose between the two)!

I really like Yacht Club of the available resorts in the boardwalk area.

We had big hugs all around; Thomas and Mel were so excited to be here and finally be on vacation, since they had worked remotely all day while at the Marriott! It felt so great to all be together in one big group. I was definitely missing Jake in this moment!! Evie, Ollie, and Ethan are some lucky kids with such a big support system rallying around them for their first Disney vacation.

Sweet!!

We ordered beverages right away, and got started with our trips up to the buffet! To drink, I got the Pink London Spritzer (Lyre’s Pink London Spirit, Grapefruit Soda, Pomegranate Green Tea, Lime, and Mint).

That sounds fantastic!

 

[ambula603]

Usually, when I'm near tears over lack of ice cream, it's because I'm either PMSing or exhausted

THIS! I cry every trip, without fail, and it is almost always because I don't get the food I expected. It's completely ridiculous and irrational and yet we can bank our salaries that it WILL happen at some point! It is the pressure of entertaining, which is what most of our trips feel like - me setting everything up and entertaining my guests. At least we can all laugh about it, after the fact!

As for a favorite - I feel you on nostalgia. For me, that would be Wilderness Lodge or Port Orleans Riverside. I actually haven't stayed there since I was a teen and while I want to, I also like that they are in my memory-bank only. Someday we will stay there, but I am afraid it won't live up to my mems!

My family would say they love Old Key West the most. We had the most amazing room there on our first trip so it brings back THEIR nostalgia. Plus, we love the laid-back vibes and the girls love that pool. And Olivia's is delicious.

For me NOW, it is the Boardwalk. Maybe because we always snag a last-minute reservation at Christmastime (actually looking after I post this!) but it just feels like HOME to me. I absolutely LOVE the location and the whole atmosphere. As soon as I can, I want to try to get Beach Club because I think that is the perfect combo of the positives of Boardwalk and OKW!

I cannot forget about the Polynesian. They took such amazing care of us during the hurricane but I definitely need a re-do since we weren't there long and we weren't able to be outside on the property as much as I had hoped. But the DVC room had two showers and for two teen girls, that was priceless! So I will be revisiting that one someday, too!

So glad they found diapers - that would be a real problem!!

 

[CariadMartin]

That's so great that the little ones were able to get some freedom and run around the Boardwalk. I really noticed with our 3yo in Disneyland this summer, he got really frustrated with having to be like two feet away from us at all times for the entire trip!

 

[footballmouse]

Loves from your last update:
- Beach Club, my favorite!!!!
- Beach Club's pool
- Evie's earrings
- Cape May

We been to Cape May for the seafood buffet and the character breakfast. Both were amazing!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Check out Kahla’s adorable purse!

That is SOOOOO cute!!!!!! Do you know any details?!

I have still never made it over to Jellyrolls! We were planning on going during my bachelorette party, but most of the girls had flown in that day and everyone was tired. Someday I will go here!

Have you heard the rumors that it's closing permanently!?!! We've never made it there either, so I am pretty bummed about it. Still rumor and not officially announced by Disney, so fingers crossed for now!

Which Disney resort feels like home to you??

Pop Century is where we stayed for Jimmy's first trip, so it really holds so many memories for us that we just keep booking there. I have also stayed three times at Port Orleans, which we absolutely adore, but we spend such little time in the room that I will almost always defer to Pop to save $ and stay more nights!

 

[Mollydolly334]

The Beach Club is my absolute favorite. The lobby smell, the awesome location, the amazing pool, the ultra relaxing vacationy vibe…hands down my fave resort

Definitely on the same wavelength there!! The SMELL!!!! They have the same smell over at the GF too I think. It's heavenly and I always try to buy the Aloe and Green Clover candle to recreate it in my house!!

Catalina Islnd looks amazing!

Totally Disney girl math!

Love that!

Yum! Bill lobes Trader sam's so hopefully we will get there in March.

Flat pillow club here too!

I love that they are offering more mocktails these days.

That pizza looks incredible.

Cuteness overload!

So nice!

I really like Yacht Club of the available resorts in the boardwalk area.

Sweet!!

That sounds fantastic!

I'm always pleasantly surprised at Disney's mocktail options!! I love me an alcoholic beverage every once and a while, but I can't do them back-to-back like that and my stomach (and head) always thanks me for going zero-proof.

I think out of YC and BC, YC SLIGHTLY edges BC out. It seems a bit more fancy and adult I love the nautical theming in general; Jake and I really want to try out the Cape Cod/Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard area sometime soon. It looks right up our alley and perfect for a summer trip!!!

THIS! I cry every trip, without fail, and it is almost always because I don't get the food I expected. It's completely ridiculous and irrational and yet we can bank our salaries that it WILL happen at some point! It is the pressure of entertaining, which is what most of our trips feel like - me setting everything up and entertaining my guests. At least we can all laugh about it, after the fact!

As for a favorite - I feel you on nostalgia. For me, that would be Wilderness Lodge or Port Orleans Riverside. I actually haven't stayed there since I was a teen and while I want to, I also like that they are in my memory-bank only. Someday we will stay there, but I am afraid it won't live up to my mems!

My family would say they love Old Key West the most. We had the most amazing room there on our first trip so it brings back THEIR nostalgia. Plus, we love the laid-back vibes and the girls love that pool. And Olivia's is delicious.

For me NOW, it is the Boardwalk. Maybe because we always snag a last-minute reservation at Christmastime (actually looking after I post this!) but it just feels like HOME to me. I absolutely LOVE the location and the whole atmosphere. As soon as I can, I want to try to get Beach Club because I think that is the perfect combo of the positives of Boardwalk and OKW!

I cannot forget about the Polynesian. They took such amazing care of us during the hurricane but I definitely need a re-do since we weren't there long and we weren't able to be outside on the property as much as I had hoped. But the DVC room had two showers and for two teen girls, that was priceless! So I will be revisiting that one someday, too!

So glad they found diapers - that would be a real problem!!

Ahhhhhh you listed so many good options!! I've never stayed at OKW before but I loved it when I visited!!! It was so cute and kinda reminded me of a cross between CBR and BWI. I wish it had better QS dining options though! Olivia's is always on our list but then gets knocked aside for one reason or another. SOMEDAY I will stay at OKW/eat at Olivia's!

The Poly is a close second for me too. We stayed there in 2002, for my second Disney trip, but it really felt like my first because I was so much more mature/less scared of everything compared to my first trip in 2000. This trip at the Poly was what really got me bitten by the Disney bug The theming is so colorful and just screams "happiness!"

I just wish it wasn't so expensive! Also, I did kind of have to laugh at the over the water bungalows the last time I visited. After visiting the real Hawaii, this resort doesn't give me as much "tropical paradise" vibes with the murky Seven Seas Lagoon as a backdrop

I feel like my interests in resorts always cycle... I didn't really have strong feelings about AKL the first two times I stayed there, but I absolutely LOVED when we stayed in October!

That's so great that the little ones were able to get some freedom and run around the Boardwalk. I really noticed with our 3yo in Disneyland this summer, he got really frustrated with having to be like two feet away from us at all times for the entire trip!

Yesssss!! Ollie was fine being in the stroller, but Evie is our wild and free girly!! She just loves to be at her own pace (which is usually running)

Loves from your last update:
- Beach Club, my favorite!!!!
- Beach Club's pool
- Evie's earrings
- Cape May

We been to Cape May for the seafood buffet and the character breakfast. Both were amazing!

I'm so happy we went to Cape May Cafe!! This restaurant definitely went up a few pegs in my book! It was nice and chill, and perfect for our big group.

That is SOOOOO cute!!!!!! Do you know any details?!


Have you heard the rumors that it's closing permanently!?!! We've never made it there either, so I am pretty bummed about it. Still rumor and not officially announced by Disney, so fingers crossed for now!


Pop Century is where we stayed for Jimmy's first trip, so it really holds so many memories for us that we just keep booking there. I have also stayed three times at Port Orleans, which we absolutely adore, but we spend such little time in the room that I will almost always defer to Pop to save $ and stay more nights!

Kahla's bag is a Loungefly!!! Here's a link to it on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Loungefly-Di...cphy=9018839&hvtargid=pla-1689802280151&psc=1

Ugh, that's really sad about Jellyrolls! I'm honestly surprised it's lasted as long as it has; I feel like businesses on the Boardwalk are constantly in jeopardy just because it's not nearly as poppin' as it used to be!

Mom and I checked out Pop when we stayed at AoA in September, it was SO cute! I stayed there for a night back in 2020 but it was basically just to sleep; I need to do a longer stay there! We LOVED AoA with the kids the past two trips and I think that resort will bring back special memories for a long time

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 9 (The One Where Molly Swells Up Like a Balloon, Ollie Wears Daisy Dukes, and There’s Drama at the Rodeo!)- Part 1


It was an EARLY one this morning! Nana was up at 5:30 AM for her morning walk (she invited me, but I politely declined ). I woke up right at 7:00 AM to book a Genie + reservation! I managed to snag Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway for 9:45- 10:45 AM, then went back to sleep until about 8:15. I figured that I needed some more shut-eye after being so tired the night before and almost having a menty-b over a sundae.

Nana and I quickly got ready ourselves, then headed next door to help Haley get the kids all ready. Evie and I were pigtail twins today!





OMG, I love her little hold on my chin. Precious!

We met up with Kahla and Cici, and were out the door by 9:40 and headed for the Riviera Skyliner Station! This was so convenient and I loved that our room was so close. However, I’d rather just stay at Riviera next time.



The clouds were out!! We were hoping that we could at least make it to the park without the Skyliner stopping, since rain was in the forecast!

Luckily, we made it to DHS in the nick of time. As soon as we approached the turnstiles, we were welcomed with CATASTROPHIC rain!!



We managed to find an umbrella, and set up camp underneath it. We tried to wait it out, but unfortunately, it didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon.



Time to break out the stroller cover!

We waited for about 20 minutes, but our Genie + for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway expired at 10:45, so we knew we had to move it. Plus, we had an 11:00 AM lunch reservation at Sci Fi Dine-In Theatre, so we were definitely on borrowed time! We scanned into the park at 10:20 AM, completely soaked to the bone!



Everyone else had put on a poncho, but I figured that we would be inside soon, so I went poncho-less. I had chosen the wrong day to wear tennis shoes. I could hear my feet squelching with every step!

Luckily, we were on the inside part of the MMRR queue by 10:34 AM. I was NOT a happy camper.



While in line, I put in a mobile order at Backlot Express for a sweet treat. I was hoping that this would salvage the morning for me!

I’m so glad that we ended up doing this ride, though! The kids LOVED it! This ride is quickly becoming a new favorite for my family. It’s one of Nana (and Jake’s) favorites! It was so funny; Haley had a steel grip on Ethan’s head during Daisy’s “Conga” scene, and the look on his face was pure bewilderment.

We were running a smidge late to Sci Fi, but once we arrived, they said that it would be about a 20-minute wait. Perfect timing for me to run over to Backlot Express and pick up my mobile order! I was kind of banking on this… I feel like you always have to wait for your table at Sci Fi.



I got a Wookie Cookie! Little Debbie snack cakes are my weakness, and Oatmeal Creme Pies are one of my faves! So, I figured that this would be an upgraded version of that.

We met up with the Marriott crew (Thomas, Mel, and Chief) and snapped some cute shots while we waited! We were inside Sci Fi Dine-in Theatre by 11:25 AM.





We were super lucky and all got car seats! I was worried that we’d get seated at a table since we were such a big group.





After we got seated, I made our next Genie + reservation for Toy Story Mania from 1:25- 2:25 PM. To drink, I ordered a vanilla milkshake!



This was fine, but needed some malt powder. I much prefer malts to milkshakes, and I’m always so surprised that an “old-timey” place like this doesn’t have malt powder!

Sci Fi used to have much better milkshake options; they used to do a “milkshake of the month” with fun flavors before COVID. I remember enjoying flavors like Birthday Cake, Cherry Pie, Pineapple Orange, and Peppermint Mocha in the past!

I dug into my Wookie Cookie, figuring that my vanilla milkshake would pair perfectly with it. I’m sad to say that I was SUPER disappointed in this. The vanilla cream was good, but the cookie was pretty hard and DEFINITELY not an oatmeal cookie. It tasted stale and didn’t have much flavor at all…I took a few bites and shared the rest of this with the table. Bummer! I’ve heard that this treat has gone very downhill, and I wish that I had enjoyed it in its original form.



Had to get a pic of our favorite scene- The Amazing Colossal Man! This part always makes me think of my dad, he would laugh so hard when the man got stabbed with the giant needle.

I will say… there is something about this restaurant that gives me SUCH peace. It’s so nice, dark, and relaxing in there, and I love listening to the old video clips. I immediately feel calm when I sit down at Sci Fi, and it’s a nice change of pace from commando park days!

I wasn’t in the mood for anything too fancy, so I decided on a grilled cheese sandwich with french fries for my meal!



Mostly everyone else ordered burgers, and Haley decided on the Black Garlic Chicken Caesar Salad.

My sandwich was perfectly fine, nothing special, but I was kind of craving bland, “normal” food so it worked. Everyone enjoyed their burgers, but Haley took one bite of her salad and immediately spit it out.

She proclaimed, “This is the worst salad I’ve ever had in my life.” She said that the dressing was super sour and tasted rotten. We all shared some of our food with her, so she didn’t go hungry.

When our carhop returned, she told him about it, since if the food was indeed spoiled, she didn’t want anyone to get sick! He responded, “Oh yeah, we get that a lot. Many people hate that dressing, it’s quite polarizing.”



Ummmm…. Then why would such a universally-hated item still be on the menu? We were all PERPLEXED by that response.

Had to grab a picture of the twin’s fun dessert. It was some kind of chocolate pudding that was riddled with food dye and turned their mouths purple for the rest of the day. They loved it!



I hate to say it, but this will be my last time at Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre for a while. Even excluding Haley’s nasty salad, we have felt that the food here is going downhill. Readers of my previous TRs know that this restaurant is one of our favorites and we try to dine here almost every trip! That being said, I’ve been here at least 10 times, and the old video clips just don’t hit the same as they used to. It’s time for us to move on and try different TS dining options at DHS for the next few trips!

We were out of Sci Fi by 12:40 PM and headed for Toy Story Land!



The rain had officially stopped, so I did a super gross thing and ditched my (still soaking wet) socks. I put them in a Ziploc bag in my backpack. I was super worried that I would be uncomfortable all day in my tennis shoes with no socks on, and was already mentally preparing for going back to CBR to change or having to buy new shoes.

However, the Disney Gods were smiling upon me, and I actually was super comfortable all day long. My feet did great without socks and could breathe in the tennis shoes, and I didn’t have any problems with stinky feet either! Thank the lord for small miracles!

Ryan and his siblings wanted some pics with the kids in front of Slinky Dog Dash!



The rain had seemed to stop for good, but it was STEAMY out today! You can really see the humidity in this picture!



After we took these pictures, I turned to Haley and asked, “Uhhh, is Ollie wearing girl’s shorts??”

She was immediately like, “OMG he definitely is. I must have put him in a pair of Evie’s shorts by mistake.”

Oh my goodness, I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard. Once we saw it, we couldn’t unsee it!!! It took Haley and I so long to regain our composure. Haley was saying “I thought they looked super short this morning, but I figured that it would be good for the hot day."





Work it, Ollie! He looks absolutely adorable wearing ANYTHING!






​

 

[disneyAndi14]

I will say… there is something about this restaurant that gives me SUCH peace. It’s so nice, dark, and relaxing in there, and I love listening to the old video clips. I immediately feel calm when I sit down at Sci Fi, and it’s a nice change of pace from commando park days!

I feel the same way! The food is nothing special but the atmosphere puts me at peace and I love it! Remember our Epic trip and we had a reservation here and didn’t Leslie even take a little nap in here,
Ollie and the shorts love it!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Seriously laughing at the short shorts