"Let's See What We Can See!"- Surviving WDW With Three Under 3! New TR Link 5/7!

[Tatum20]

Methinks that Haley and Ryan just wanted a break from the kids, and they didn’t care how they spent it.

Valid.

You're a great sport! I'm pretty anxious about getting to reservations on time and I would be MAD if we were late because people didn't want to leave the line. Yes, everyone is on vacation but when you are the organizer of reservations for ELEVEN people at a high demand location, RESPECT THE PLANS. Especially if you get charged the reservation fee and still don't get seated.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Ummmmmm- clearly you know me very well because that buttercream board sounds AMAZING and right up my alley. Me and my co-workers like to have a "board party" around the holidays where we all bring our own themed charcuturie board, and that is DEFINITELY what I'm bringing next time!!!!

I neglected to mention the buttercream was spread out on the board in the shape of a snowman with little candy pieces for the face. SO cute! I have my aunt making one for Christmas now, too!!

50’s Prime Time Cafe (I had the toughest pork chop in my life here back in 2020, but I want to give it another chance)!

We got to eat at Rodeo Round Up the week it opened and loved it, too!! I'm not a vegetarian, but I got the vegetarian basket when we went...I can't remember why, LOL, maybe just to try more options. Everything was super yum!! I'm still sad for everyone after us that they had to get rid of the giant pencils because it was so fun to sign the check with that! We will definitely eat there again, too.

Prime Time is always a must for us! I always order the pot roast, and it's soooooooo good!! Also a PBJ shake for dessert. yummm, now I'm ready to plan my meals for next year's Disney trip already. I wish it was this year!!!!!!!

 

[piglet1979]

It was super humid out, so I treated myself to a Frozen Coke!

I love this frozen drink and am always trying to find it at Disney and I am never able to.

a tomato-cucumber salad

This looks so good. I might have to make it sometime soon. THe picture made my mouth water.

 

[Mollydolly334]

I’m glad to hear you liked Roundup Rodeo. We have an ADR there for our Jan/Feb trip!

You'll love it!! It was delish and a nice and unique dining option for DHS!!

Valid.

You're a great sport! I'm pretty anxious about getting to reservations on time and I would be MAD if we were late because people didn't want to leave the line. Yes, everyone is on vacation but when you are the organizer of reservations for ELEVEN people at a high demand location, RESPECT THE PLANS. Especially if you get charged the reservation fee and still don't get seated.

HAHA, thank you!!!! You are preaching to the choir and I'm glad someone understands

I neglected to mention the buttercream was spread out on the board in the shape of a snowman with little candy pieces for the face. SO cute! I have my aunt making one for Christmas now, too!!


We got to eat at Rodeo Round Up the week it opened and loved it, too!! I'm not a vegetarian, but I got the vegetarian basket when we went...I can't remember why, LOL, maybe just to try more options. Everything was super yum!! I'm still sad for everyone after us that they had to get rid of the giant pencils because it was so fun to sign the check with that! We will definitely eat there again, too.

Prime Time is always a must for us! I always order the pot roast, and it's soooooooo good!! Also a PBJ shake for dessert. yummm, now I'm ready to plan my meals for next year's Disney trip already. I wish it was this year!!!!!!!

Ok I definitely need to see pictures of that board!! It sounds adorable and so yummy!!

Ooooo I do love the PB and J shake. It's so unique and delicious! Glad you guys liked Roundup Rodeo too- I'll have to try the vegetarian options sometime to get the full experience!

I love this frozen drink and am always trying to find it at Disney and I am never able to.

This looks so good. I might have to make it sometime soon. THe picture made my mouth water.

I love the Frozen Coke too! I feel like I see it less and less around the parks nowadays; it seems like Disney is making more room for alcoholic beverages. But I love this dry option and it always refreshes me on those hot days!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Our California Adventure- Part 5!

Day 5:

We were up bright and early today, and made it to Disneyland by 8:50 AM! Not rope-drop, but pretty darn close.

However, it was my turn to feel tired today. I was EXHAUSTED from our late night the night before, and slightly worried about today. We had planned this to be our marathon, run-it-into-the-ground Disneyland day!

Of course, all of my worries went away when we approached Main Street USA.







I may or may not have teared up as we entered this park. I love DCA, but DL and MK just hit me in ALLLLL my feels!





We did our full tour of the Fantasyland dark rides. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is Jake’s favorite! My fave of this bunch is probably Alice in Wonderland.



To counteract my tiredness, I grabbed a Pumpkin King Cold Brew from Royal Street Veranda.



This was GREAT- heavy on the pumpkin flavor but not sickeningly sweet. The pumpkin puree gave it a thicker, richer texture too!

We weren’t able to get a VQ for Haunted Mansion Holiday, since it ended up being down for 80% of the day. I was hoping we’d get to ride this multiple times during our visit!



Jake and I loved watching DLR vloggers leading up to the trip (our favorite channel is Magic Journeys!), and we had seen a little segment about the popcorn carts! All of the popcorn carts have these little characters that are “winding up” the popcorn machine, and Jake and I thought it was hilarious! Each popcorn cart has a different character too, so we had a fun little scavenger hunt looking for all the different characters. Oogie Boogie was in New Orleans Square!



We were starting to get hungry for a late breakfast, so I put in a mobile order at Jolly Holiday for 11:00 AM. We decided to make our own macaro(o)n flight to share!



Left to right- Mickey Jack O Lantern Pumpkin Macaron, Matterhorn Macaroon, Raspberry Rose Macaron.

The Raspberry Rose Macaron ended up being my #1 favorite snack on our first trip last year, so I was SO excited to have this again. The raspberry macaron was definitely my favorite of the bunch, but the pumpkin macaron was a close second! It was described as having a “cheesecake” filling, but it tasted more like a sweet caramel buttercream and didn’t have the tanginess of cream cheese. The Matterhorn Macaroon was tasty but kinda dry and dense.

The sweet treats tasted sooo delicious, but immediately, I started to feel gross with all that sugar on an empty stomach. I needed some salt and real food! I put in a mobile order at Bengal Barbeque in Adventureland for a second breakfast.



I ordered a giant pickle and the Polynesian chicken skewer. I had heard SO much about these skewers and was determined to try them this trip!



OMG- these are so worth the hype! The chicken skewer was sooooooo juicy and saucy, it definitely didn’t taste like theme park food at all. Jake was having major food envy; this smelled and tasted scrumptious, and was the perfect little bite. He vowed that we’d stop here again during the trip! This place is perfect if you’d like some protein-forward food that’s on the lighter side; they also had some grilled veggies that looked and smelled amazing! Overall, Bengal Barbecue was one of our favorite QS spots in DLR.

Jake had never been in the Enchanted Tiki Room, so that was our next stop!



We also did MMRR and the Walt Disney Railroad!





Riding the train was so breezy and peaceful, but it made me SO TIRED. The late night and early morning was creeping up on me, and I almost fell asleep mid-train ride! It was about 1:00 at this point, and we had lunch at 2:00, so I had to stay awake! So, as we disembarked, I got my second cold brew of the day from Troubador Tavern.



I got the “Adventure Is Out There” Cold Brew, which was a dark chocolate cold brew with Butterscotch cold foam, a wafer cookie, and sprinkles!

This was my favorite specialty coffee drink that I had this week- and I had at least one a day! It was a stronger drink, so it wasn’t too sweet and was more coffee-forward (which I needed this day)! The butterscotch cold foam was perfectly sweet and salty, and the wafer cookie/sprinkles were a fun touch!

I chugged this, and slowly started to come back to life. But, spoiler alert, I was SO TIRED all day long today! To the point where I was starting to question if I was pregnant... (don’t worry, I’m not with child yet).



Coffee in hand, we headed over to New Orleans Square to check into our lunch reservation. We were sitting inside at Blue Bayou with our drinks by 2:20! I got a non-alcoholic peach Mint Julep (with a Mickey glow cube of course), and Jake got a Hurricane!





We had been looking forward to this ADR ever since I booked it exactly 60 days in advance! I was slightly worried about the food, since the menu here is super small and pretty expensive, but atmosphere definitely won out. Plus, I feel like this is a rite-of-passage ADR for DLR guests and I was excited to see what the hype was about!

We weren’t seated close to the water, but the ambience in here was very nice. It was quiet and I enjoyed the “candlelight” feeling!

To eat, I decided on the Monte Cristo Sandwich with housemade chips and a side salad. The sandwich came with a side of strawberry jam and cajun remoulade!



Jake went all out and got the Prime Rib served with mashed potatoes, roasted autumn vegetables, horseradish creme, and a peppercorn demi-Glace.



Haha, he’s holding his knife at the ready!

Ok, I was SO pleasantly surprised with this meal! I had a Monte Cristo sandwich at The Plaza at WDW a couple years ago, and it was fine but nothing special. But, this Monte Cristo was DECADENT. The breading was so light and airy but perfectly sweet and not greasy at all, and it was packed with yummy ham and cheese! I preferred the strawberry jam with the sandwich, but the cajun remoulade was a perfect dip for the house-made potato chips!

Jake had a few bites of my sandwich and really liked it, but cleaned his whole plate and loved the Prime Rib! Definitely an expensive meal, but we left feeling full and so satisfied. We would definitely eat here again- I’ve heard great things about the gumbo too!

Ugh, looking at the menu now, they have a brussels sprouts salad and cookie butter mousse dessert that looks delicious! Dang, I totally would have gotten those if they were on the menu in October!





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[Mollydolly334]

Day 5 (Continued!):

My energy was increased after our yummy lunch at Blue Bayou, and we were able to get lots of rides in with the help of Genie + (we had purchased it in advance for all of our park days and it was definitely a lifesaver towards the end of the week)!



It was a beautiful day for the Omnibus!





However, the crowds were SUPER manageable today overall. At 3:45 PM, we rode Rise of the Resistance with only a 25-minute standby!!! We were shook, since this ride usually has at least an hour wait at all times at DHS!

Space Mountain was a favorite this trip and we rode it at least 1x per day with Genie +. Soooo much smoother than the WDW version; I also think it’s a tad more thrilling and I love that it has music too!



Hahaha, I love Jake’s face!!

I started losing steam again at about 6:15. This was a really weird day; we didn’t really have a convenient time to go back and take a break, and we ended up staying at the park for probably longer than we should have, especially since I was so tired for most of today. I was getting grumpy!!

My lovely husband decided to get a couple treats to share to appease me (smart move on his part ). We shared a Pumpkin Spice Cupcake from Pooh Corner and the Banana Pudding from Hungry Bear Jamboree!







The cupcake was bad, like alarmingly bad. It was stale and the cinnamon buttercream was rock hard. But, the Banana Pudding was everything we dreamed of! We are banana pudding freaks and this was a perfect mixture of pudding, sliced bananas, and cookies. The toffee bits on top were a nice touch!

Jake and I did a couple more rides and strolled about the lands at night! We had done pretty much all of the rides in the park today, so we decided to check out Oga’s Cantina and put our name on the waitlist!

Ryan had been talking this place up to Jake on our last trip, and Jake wanted to try this! Jake is a big fan of the Star Wars movies, but only the ones before the Disney takeover. I really couldn’t care less about Star Wars, but I do love the drinks and ambience at Oga’s, so I was excited to see the DLR version!



We were placed in a standing area at the bar and had our drinks by 7:45!!



I got the Jedi Mind Trick and Jake got the Yub Nub! I’ve had the Jedi Mind Trick before at DHS; it has a really nice floral-grapefruit flavor.

However, Jake didn’t realize that his drink had jelly boba cubes in it, and he really hates the texture of boba, so we swapped drinks. Gimme alllll the boba! I actually enjoyed the Yub Nub a lot; the Jedi Mind Trick was a little strong tonight so it was a good idea that we switched.

Jake ordered his second drink right away, since we had a strict 45-minute limit for our bar seats! He decided on the Jogan Blossom Hazy IPA- which was ube flavored!!



I even tried a sip of this- the coconut-y flavor paired very well with the beer! Definitely not something that I could have a whole glass of, but a couple sips was fine. Jake really liked it- he doesn’t always like sweet or fruity-flavored beers but enjoyed this one.

It was definitely a fun vibe in here, but the couple next to us were being SO ANNOYING. They were being super PDA-y and gross, sticking their tongues down each other’s throats. At one point, the guy even licked the girl’s face. You could tell the poor bartender was DISTURBED. That was our cue to get the heck out of there!

We weren’t quite ready to leave yet, so we booked a Genie + for Roger Rabbit’s Car-Toon Spin. This was pretty much the only ride we hadn’t done yet, and we had missed it on our last trip! Weirdly enough it kept breaking down and had a super long wait all day today, but we finally got our opportunity!



Toontown is one of our favorite lands at night!

Well, Roger Rabbit was… something. I was kind of excited to ride this ride, because I used to LOVE Who Framed Roger Rabbit as a kid and always watched it at my aunt's house. But, the constant spinning really took away from the ride and it was a hot mess. Definitely a one and done, but at least we can say we’ve ridden it!

I was absolutely DONE at this point, so we just headed over to Main Street USA to look at some shops. I really wasn’t in the park-commando zone yet! Luckily, this was cured by tomorrow.



It had gotten much more crowded as the night went on, and DL in particular doesn’t hold crowds well. It’s also not very well-lit, so the nights here are a little chaotic! We much preferred nighttime park touring at DCA.

I wasn’t starving, but I figured I should have something less sugary in my stomach before going to bed, so I decided to grab some Macaroni and Cheese in a Bread Bowl from Refreshment Corner!



We found a nice little nook over by Little Red Wagon and were able to relax and sit for a bit. The mac and cheese was fine; the portion was way too big and it was pretty heavy with all of the carbs from the bread bowl. I ended up waking up in the middle of the night with a stomachache, which actually happened the last time I had macaroni and cheese here (the mac and cheese cone from Flo’s last year). So, I came to the conclusion that for some reason, Disneyland mac and cheese makes me want to yack. Not gonna lie, this kinda put me off mac and cheese and I haven't had it since!

We were out of the park by 8:45 PM, and in bed by 9:30! I was dead to the world 5 minutes later. Check out our step count from today!!



No wonder I was tired! Luckily, this was our most commando-touring day by FAR, and we took lots of breaks in the days forward.



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[missjackiemcg]

Nothing quite like a GO-GO-GO day at Disney!! Lots of tasty treats (and drinks!) though. Whenever I do eventually make it to Disneyland, Blue Bayou is on my wish list for sure. Ick on the couple next to you at Oga's. Seriously, people. Gross. 30,000 steps is QUITE a day, LOL!!! Well deserved night of rest (besides the mac 'n cheese upset!)

 

[cindianne320]

I'm behind- but we loved Roundup Rodeo, and can't wait to go back!

I'm intrigued by the ube beer! I don't always like IPAs, but that sounds refreshing.

 

[Mollydolly334]

Nothing quite like a GO-GO-GO day at Disney!! Lots of tasty treats (and drinks!) though. Whenever I do eventually make it to Disneyland, Blue Bayou is on my wish list for sure. Ick on the couple next to you at Oga's. Seriously, people. Gross. 30,000 steps is QUITE a day, LOL!!! Well deserved night of rest (besides the mac 'n cheese upset!)

It was a great day overall!!

I feel like I have at least one weird guest interaction per trip. I mean, par for the course when you're packed in with thousands of people every day; you're bound to wind up seeing some weirdos just by pure mathematics

I'm behind- but we loved Roundup Rodeo, and can't wait to go back!

I'm intrigued by the ube beer! I don't always like IPAs, but that sounds refreshing.

I've been reading your updates on Facebook and thinking of you a lot Sending all the good vibes and warm holiday wishes for you and your fam!!!!!

Jake doesn't like IPAs either but really enjoyed it- if that convinces you further!!! I know absolutely nothing about beer and it even tasted passable to me

 

[Mollydolly334]

Our California Adventure- Part 6!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.



I hope you cherish these days with family and friends and make lots of magical memories!

Our family has been pretty busy leading up to the holiday season. Last week, Evie and Ollie had their Christmas production at school, and they did fantastic!!! Evie was an angel, and Ollie was a lamb (although personally I think he looks more like Yoda ).



They also visited Santa today!!



On Saturday, Jake and I decided to see a movie. Believe it or not, in the 4 years that Jake and I have known each other, we have NEVER seen a movie in the theaters together!!! We started dating in the height of COVID when movie theaters were closed/discouraged. Then, when we realized this about 2 years later, it kind of became a “game” that we tried to keep up. We’ve been to the drive-in a couple times, but this was our first time in a traditional movie theater together.





We saw Wicked and we both LOVED it!!! It made my theater geek heart so happy.

Then, yesterday, my mom and I spent almost 6 hours baking and decorating cookies! We are total novices, but it was fun to try something new and spend some quality time together!



Notice the tooth cookies in there? That’s what we get for having a dentist mom.

For Christmas Eve, my mom is hosting and we will be getting together with my dad's side of the family. Then, Christmas Day, Jake’s parents are driving down from Madison, and me, Jake, his parents, and my mom will be going out for a fancy brunch! This is a new tradition we’re trying this year since Haley, Ryan, and the kids won’t be in town, and I’m excited to have a quieter day.

Then, Jake’s birthday is on New Year’s Day. To celebrate we will be spending this weekend at the historic Pfister Hotel here in Milwaukee, having some nice dinners out downtown, and getting massages. Lots of fun stuff to look forward to!! What are all of y’all’s holiday plans???

Without further ado, here’s another Disneyland TR update!

Day 6:

Since we got to bed at 9:30 the night before, it was much easier waking up for rope-drop at DCA this morning! It was Halloween day (Thursday 10/31), so we were expecting some crowds at the parks today.



Imagine our surprise when we were able to get on Mission:Breakout, Incredicoaster, and Radiator Springs Racers, all on standby, in the first HOUR.



It was a glorious morning without a cloud in the sky!!



Jake got a Jack-Jack Num Num Cookie for breakfast.



And I got a Blueberry Matcha Latte from Pym Test Kitchen! Delish!



While in line at Pym’s, a pair of nice ladies gifted us this adorable ornament!! I was so excited- I’ve never been pixie-dusted like this from another guest before, and it made my morning! Thank you so much, kind fellow Disney Adults.



DCA was absolutely DEAD this morning!







Always love the Mickey Sourdough Bread over in San Fransokyo Square. It was a vampire Mickey for Halloween!



Since I hadn’t had any breakfast, I mobile-ordered a Baymax Macaron from Lucky Fortune Cookery at 10:30 AM. This was a hazelnut macaron with Nutella filling!



However, I took one bite and almost spit it out! You could tell that it was sitting right next to a bunch of steaming, savory Chinese food, and the cookie completely absorbed the spicy/savory flavor. Such a shame too, because I could tell that this cookie would have been super yummy otherwise.

Since I only had a bite of my macaron, I decided that I needed a treat do-over! So, I decided to get a Pumpkin Spice Churro from Willie’s Churro Cart.



This was MUCH better and super yummy!!!! It had a perfect spiced-yet-sweet pumpkin flavor and the Golden Grahams on top added a fun crunch.

We took the streetcar around the park, and realized that it was still so quiet today! I was chalking the low crowds up to it being early and doing rope-drop, until we saw THIS at 11:12 AM…



UNBELIEVEABLE!

The CM on the streetcar couldn’t get over it; he said that in the 10 years he’s been working at this park, he’s NEVER seen the crowds be this low- especially on Halloween day!

We had a Genie + to go on Soarin, but as soon as we completed the safety check, they immediately backtracked and told us to unbuckle. As we were walking out of the ride, we realized the issue…



Yeah, you can’t enjoy Soarin’ when there’s a giant blob on the screen. So, we headed out of the park and were entering Disneyland at 11:35 AM!



We didn’t stay in the park too long; we knew that after my exhaustion yesterday, we needed to take it slower moving forward and take at least one hotel break per day. We did a couple rides, then took some PhotoPass pictures before heading back to the Grand Californian at 1:30 PM!









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[Mollydolly334]

Day 6 (Continued!):

Once we were back at the GCH, we jumped into our swimsuits and headed down to the pool. We were pretty hungry for some lunch, so we put some food and drink orders in right away! It was so nice; they had CMs perusing the pool area and delivering food and drinks throughout the afternoon.

Jake wanted a Mai-Tai, and the CM somehow persuaded him into ordering a PITCHER…



I went with a (normally sized) Strawberry Daiquiri.



I didn’t get a picture of Jake’s lunch (I’m pretty sure he got a burger), but I got a steak Caesar salad with an absolutely GINORMOUS side of french fries!!



The salad hit the spot in the heat; and pretty soon, we both fell asleep by the pool. The pool chairs here are SO comfy and get me every time! We stopped in the hot tub for a bit as well!

Overall, we spent about 2 1/2 hours by the pool, and while it felt heavenly to rest our feet, we both were feeling kind of “off” after napping in the pool chairs. Jake was especially feeling weird after his PITCHER of Mai-Tai and was having some regrets. We knew that we just needed to rip off the band-aid and get back out into the park, and we were re-entering Disneyland at 5:00 PM!

We had been able to get in the VQ for Haunted Mansion Holiday earlier today, and although our boarding group had already passed, we wanted to test it out and see if they let us in afterwards. And, to our delight, they did!! We were able to enter anytime after our group was called all week long with no problems.



Um… EXCUSE ME Haunted Mansion Holiday!!! Rude!!



OMG… we weren’t really sure what to expect with this ride. Jake and I had re-watched The Nightmare Before Christmas a couple weeks before our trip, and actually really enjoyed the movie (I hadn’t seen it in a LONG time and remembered not really liking it in the past). We also made sure not to watch any spoilers of the ride and go in completely blind, which in hindsight was SUCH a smart decision!! We were absolutely FLOORED by this re-theme!! It was like a completely different ride!

Dare I say… we both liked this version better than the traditional Haunted Mansion? It refreshed it just enough but still had the spooky vibe. We also loved the creepy yet festive music. I couldn’t believe how they were able to transform all of the rooms and decorations. Needless to say, it knocked our socks off and quickly became a Top 5 ride of the trip!

Jake and I spent the rest of the evening in Disneyland! We had Genie + reservations for Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Caribbean- just to name a few!



When we were in line for BTMRR, Jake made a confession; “I think I’m Disney-ed out.” And, I’m shocked to say; I actually AGREED with him!! We have done a LOT of Disney trips this year… and while we continue to love all things Disney, we were just a bit burnt out with having so many park-centric trips this year.

We vowed to 100% enjoy the rest of our time here this year, but focus on non-Disney locations next year!

Later on, I enjoyed a Monstropolis Float from Tropical Hideaway for a little snack! This was DELICIOUS- it was a pineapple dole whip with passion fruit juice, ube powder, and lychee “eyeballs.” It turned my lips and tongue BRIGHT green though!



Jake and I also shared some (unpictured) hot honey chicken tenders and french fries from The Golden Horseshoe for a little dinner. We had originally had an ADR at Din Tai Fung at Downtown Disney, but we cancelled it because we just weren’t that hungry after our big lunch by the pool. In hindsight, I kind of regret this, since this restaurant always gets rave reviews, but I just knew that we wouldn’t have enjoyed it this night and it would have been too much.

I looooooved The Golden Horseshoe’s interior and it was already all decorated for Christmas, so it was very festive on the inside! The food was pretty good, but it was at this moment that I declared that I was DONE with chicken tenders and fries this vacation!! I was ready for food that was less beige.

We got some rides done after dinner; we LOVED doing the Storybook Canal Boats at night.



Around 9:15 PM, we decided to head out of the park. We momentarily thought that we would stay and watch the Halloween fireworks, but it was absolutely SLAMMED and we did not want to deal with the crazy crowds! So, we heeded back to the Grand Californian and got a nightcap from Hearthstone Lounge instead (a cocktail for Jake and a decaf coffee for me).



This cake statue of the Evil Queen in the GC lobby was soooo cool!



Back at the room, I was very excited to see that we had gotten turn-down service!



As my second snack of the night, I had a Peanut Butter Square that I had grabbed from Candy Palace on the way out of the park!



This was super rich and peanut-buttery but needed more salt! I have to say… I have been disappointed in Disney bakery desserts lately (I had the same issue at the Confectionary at WDW back in May). I LOVED this dessert when we went to DLR in April 2023, but it just didn’t hit the same this time!

Jake snacked on some Halloween candy, we watched some TV, and we hit the hay at 11:00 PM. Another full day was ahead of us!



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[cindianne320]

Love all your yummy snacks/drinks. What a nice, uncrowded day!

Thank you for thinking of me and my family. That really means a lot. <3

 

[alohamom]

OMG… we weren’t really sure what to expect with this ride. Jake and I had re-watched The Nightmare Before Christmas a couple weeks before our trip, and actually really enjoyed the movie (I hadn’t seen it in a LONG time and remembered not really liking it in the past). We also made sure not to watch any spoilers of the ride and go in completely blind, which in hindsight was SUCH a smart decision!! We were absolutely FLOORED by this re-theme!! It was like a completely different ride!

Dare I say… we both liked this version better than the traditional Haunted Mansion? It refreshed it just enough but still had the spooky vibe. We also loved the creepy yet festive music. I couldn’t believe how they were able to transform all of the rooms and decorations. Needless to say, it knocked our socks off and quickly became a Top 5 ride of the trip!

I experienced Haunted Mansion Holiday for the first time last year with my daughter and I completley agree with you! Mind you, HM has never been my favorite ride and I LOVE The Nightmare Before Christmas soooo for me it was always going to be a winning combo.
It really floored me how well Disney has put this together, the overlay is just the right amount of Nightmare and the large Jack Skellington animatronic is so good.

 

[Mollydolly334]

Love all your yummy snacks/drinks. What a nice, uncrowded day!

Thank you for thinking of me and my family. That really means a lot. <3

Those first few days at DL were so blissfully quiet! The crowds definitely picked up in the last couple days after Halloween. Hope you guys have a great New Years

I experienced Haunted Mansion Holiday for the first time last year with my daughter and I completley agree with you! Mind you, HM has never been my favorite ride and I LOVE The Nightmare Before Christmas soooo for me it was always going to be a winning combo.
It really floored me how well Disney has put this together, the overlay is just the right amount of Nightmare and the large Jack Skellington animatronic is so good.

I so wish that they would bring it to WDW!!! My mom loves HM and is a purist, so I don't think that she would prefer it. However, I know that my sister/brother-in-law/nephews and niece would LOVE it!!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Our California Adventure- Part 7!


Hi everyone! Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season and have a very happy New Year. I’m going to finish up my last couple October Disneyland updates! I just have 2 more days to recap (but still sooooo many pictures) on our May WDW trip, then I’m hoping to finish this bad boy up ASAP!

Day 7:

Jake and I woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated today and 100% READY to enjoy our last two park days! I really think our little confessional at BTMRR last night lifted our spirits, and we felt a lot less “pressure” to commando-park tour. We agreed to be leisurely and really wing it the next couple days.

We were entering Disneyland by 9:45, and it was another GORGEOUS morning.





The weather was interesting this trip; it was chilly but pleasant in the morning, then got super hot between like 12-3, then got REALLY chilly around 4:00 PM on. Layers were definitely the name of the game! We were just happy to not have any rain; a WELCOME change from our September WDW trip.





We hung out and did some rides in Fantasyland, and we saw Mary and Bert hanging out on the carousel. There were also a few musicians along with them, and they were playing “Let’s Go Fly a Kite!” It was such a cute and magical moment!



I grabbed a Pumpkin Cheesecake Cold Brew from Red Rose Taverne, and this was perfect. It wasn’t cheesecake-y at all (which was perfect for me); just really rich and creamy. It tasted like pumpkin pie and was my second favorite cold brew I had this trip!



For a little breakfast, Jake grabbed some garlic pretzel bread from a cart near Sleeping Beauty Castle. He loved this; he was feeling something savory this morning and it hit the spot!



We used a Genie + on one of our faves this trip- Space Mountain! We definitely noticed that the crowds were a bit higher today compared to yesterday; we were wondering if it was because of all of the new Christmas merch!



We didn’t want to eat too big of a breakfast before our brunch ADR, so I just snacked on a strawberry hand pie from Candy Palace this morning. I tend to not like the hand pies from here or Woody’s Lunch Box at WDW, but this one was actually pretty good and not too dry! I’m a purist- give me a real Pop Tart all day long.



Our brunch ADR was back at the Grand Californian, so we took a pit stop through DCA to ride Incredicoaster and use a Genie + on Mission: Breakout! We were really excited to ride the traditional version of Mission:Breakout and see what song we were going to get, since before this, we had just ridden the “Monsters After Dark” version with only one song.

Last trip, 4 out of the 5 of the times we rode this ride, we got the song “Give Up the Funk” by Parliament. There are 6 different song options that you can get (same number as Cosmic Rewind), so we had TERRIBLE luck apparently. We were really hoping to get some different songs this trip.



Well, what do you know… when we rode this ride today, we got… “Give Up the Funk.” Jake just busted out laughing as soon as the song started… I mean, really?? It’s comical at this point. This song will haunt us in our dreams!! We made a promise to ride this ride as many times as humanly possible the next couple days to see if we got some new songs!

After our productive morning, we were ready for some grub! We had an ADR for brunch at Storyteller’s Cafe for 1:00 PM, so we headed on over there for our second buffet of the trip!



I love the vibe of the Grand Californian so much, and I really wanted to to try some of the other dining options here this trip! We always peeked through the windows in here on our last trip, and we thought it would be a perfect brunch since we love buffets!



The restaurant and characters were all decked out in autumn clothes/decorations!

Once again, the characters had a perfect amount of interaction with us; they waved/blew kisses from a distance, but focused their attention on the cute toddlers and babies at the tables around us! We grabbed our plates right away; we wanted to make this a quicker lunch since we still wanted to get some pool time in.



Chilaquiles, BBQ chicken leg, hash brown casserole, bacon, and kale quinoa harvest salad



Mickey waffle, french toast sticks, chocolate muffin, and bread pudding with vanilla anglaise.

Honestly, I took maybe one bite of everything, and then 100% realized that I needed some fiber and nutrients in my gut. So, I gave the rest of my food to Jake, doubled up on the kale quinoa salad, and also grabbed some Greek yogurt with berries and Raisin Bran. You know it’s the end of your vacation when THIS is what you decide to eat at a buffet. It absolutely hit the spot though and was a great decision in the long run; it filled me up but didn’t make me feel gross or groggy.

Overall, we both really loved this meal. The atmosphere was quiet and a lot less chaotic compared to Goofy’s Kitchen, and the autumn vibes were immaculate! This is definitely a “hidden gem” in my opinion and it was one of our favorite meals this trip. If we didn’t have a special dinner ADR tomorrow, we totally would have gone back again for another brunch!

We were out of there and down at the pool by 2:05! We decided to be super fancy and wear our robes.



Jake learned his lesson from yesterday and stuck to beer , while I decided on a Passion Fruit Mojito!



I had this drink last year and loved it; super tart, and the passion fruit wedge was very fresh! It was quite strong though; I definitely had to pace myself to avoid Drunk Molly!!!

Again, we spent about 2 glorious hours down by the pool/in the hot tubs today! I got some good reading time in as well!



We were re-entering Disneyland by 4:45 PM! We just had a couple more things that we wanted to accomplish in this park before heading over to DCA. We had another VQ for Haunted Mansion Holiday that was past due, so we rode that right away!



Giving a thumbs down to the crossed-off “Molly." What do they have against Molly's anyway??

Then, we had booked a Genie + for Indiana Jones Adventure right after!

Despite the Genie +, we had a little bit of a wait. There was a large group of 12ish year olds in line that were being SO obnoxious! But it was very obviously in a “12-year old, trying to be cool” way, and I’m sure I was like that at age 12 too, so it was more funny than anything. But, we were PRAYING that we didn’t have to ride with them!

Well, the Disney Gods were smiling down on us, and they were placed in a different ride vehicle. Which ended up being a huge blessing, because THE RIDE GOT STUCK!!



The lights turned on, and we ended up hearing an announcement about something to the effect of “CMs will be coming around and checking up on the ride status.” We were waiting for 5 minutes, then 10, then 15…



Don’t let this picture fool you, I was actually REALLY excited about the prospect of getting evacuated off a ride!!

However, a CM came through and was clearing off some of the track, and pretty soon we were on our way. Something must have fallen out of a purse and was blocking the track! All in all, we were stuck for about 20 minutes!

As we pulled back into the station, a CM stopped our car and asked, “SHOULD WE GO AGAIN??”

Of course, our entire car cheered “YES!!!!” We were so excited to be able to ride this twice in a row!

But... around the exact same spot in the ride, we got stuck again. Luckily, it was only for a couple minutes, but sheeesh!

It was 7:00 PM at this point, so we headed over to DCA in search of food and fireworks!





Right when we arrived, we headed over to the San Fransokyo Area and placed a mobile order at Cocina Cucamonga. I was getting hungry for some dinner, and I had heard pretty much EVERY Disneyland influencer talk about the QuesaBirria Tacos from here. I was a bit concerned; I had never had this type of tacos before, and I was worried that the consome dip would have a lot of garlic/onions in it. But, I figured that if it tasted too strong, I could always give it to Jake! I ordered the QuesaBirria Tacos, the SanFransokyo-Style Street Corn with Chicaronnes, and Frijoles Charros (baked beans with chorizo and bacon).



This was a TON of food! Jake and I both nibbled on this and it was perfect for the two of us. All of our food was delicious and this was one of my favorite QS meals that I had this trip!! It was really nice to have something different and it was perfectly spicy/flavorful without being too much. These tacos are definitely worth the hype!! They were super rich, so we each had one and that was perfect for us.

For dessert, I grabbed another Ube Soft Serve from Cozy Cone, and we took a seat over at Sonoma Terrace to just chill before World of Color, which was about 30 minutes away. We were really excited because we thought that this would be a great spot to watch the show and still have a table/seat. I FaceTimed my mom for a bit and enjoyed my ice cream, and Jake got a glass of red wine.

But when the show started, we realized that we couldn’t see anything. We moved a bit closer to see the show, but it was crazy crowded over at Pixar Pier! The show was cool, so we stayed and watched for a few minutes, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth fighting the crowds for.



So, we rode Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Soarin’ before calling it a night.



We made sure to send this picture to Haley! Two of Ollie’s favorite things- Cars and Haunted Mansion!!



We were back at the Grand Californian and in bed by 10:30. Friends wasn’t on tonight, so Boy Meets World it is.



Last full day tomorrow!



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[Mollydolly334]

Days 8 and 9:

Jake and I were up and at ‘em for rope drop on our last park day!! We were entering DCA by 8:01 AM.



Straight to Mission:Breakout! We wanted to break our “Give Up The Funk” curse today!! The standby line was only 20 minutes, so we got 2 rides in back-to-back without having to use Genie +!



Remember how I said that 4 out of 5 times last year, we got “Give Up the Funk” as our song? Well, the one other time we rode it, we got “Burnin’ Love” by Elvis. And, lo and behold, for both rides this morning, we got “Burnin’ Love." Hey, we were happy to at least hear a different song!



Luckily, we still had an opportunity to use a Genie + reservation on this later, so we were REALLY hoping that we at least would get 3 out of the 6 songs this trip!

We rode IncrediCoaster on standby, then shared a Jack Jack Num Num Cookie for a delicious breakfast!



Jake usually isn’t a fan of Toy Story Midway Mania, but since he won on our first day, he offered a rematch. Interesting how his mindset changes when he wins. It was a close one, but ultimately, he just edged me out again.



It was sooooo funny; he was so excited because his score was being shown as “Best This Hour.” He was (jokingly) boasting and bragging about it, so I checked the time…



OMG we both were laughing so hard. Way to go babe, best score for 1 whole minute!!





I grabbed an Iced Pecan Crunch Latte from Starbucks, and Jake got some Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread from a stand at HollywoodLand. He enjoyed all the garlic-y treats this trip and loved this; although he said he slightly preferred the cheesy garlic pretzel bread over at DL.





Then, we headed over to Disneyland at around 11:45! We spotted a PhotoPass photographer on Main Street USA, and we felt like we had to take advantage of this!! Does anyone else notice this?? There are barely any photographers hanging around DLR, whereas in WDW they’re EVERYWHERE!

I am SO glad we stopped. These were my favorite pictures of the whole trip!! This photographer was an absolute gem and had such amazing photo ideas!!





My heart. I really should have given her a cast compliment!





Since I had just had half of the Num Num Cookie this morning, I was craving some “real food.” So, I put a mobile-order in for Hungry Bear BBQ Jamboree for 12:30. We had gotten the banana pudding here a couple days ago, but the food had smelled sooooo good and I was having some order envy. We took a leisurely walk through the Frontierland/New Orleans Square/Bayou Country loop and grabbed some popcorn. I’m not a big buttered popcorn person (I prefer kettle corn), but I always have to get this at least once in Disney because it smells so good!

I hate to say it, but this loop is my least favorite area of the park. It always felt soooooo crowded and chaotic!!! We actually saw a young boy who was lost in this area later today and helped him find his mom!

Then, we headed over to Hungry Bear and picked up my food! I got a brisket sandwich with Cuties on the side.



When Jake and I went to Colorado this summer, we tried the famous brisket sandwich from Buc-ee’s for the first time and I fell in LOVE. Sadly, this did not compare. It was edible, but the meat was super fatty. So, I kind of had to eat around the fatty parts and drown it in BBQ sauce. I was disappointed, because the food here had smelled so good and I was excited to try a brand new QS! Moral of the story: come back for the banana pudding, but leave the brisket to Buc-ee’s!

After my subpar lunch, we took a ride on the Mark Twain Riverboat (along with some other rides)…



Jack, I’m flying! (and yes, I did DIY cut my dress with kitchen scissors because it was too long ).

Got more snacks…



Pork Belly and Banyan Beef skewers from Bengal BBQ for Jake!



Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae from Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor for me!

Around 3:00, we took a break back at the Grand Californian for about an hour and a half. It was a little too cold to swim, so we just chilled in the room and made sure that we were all packed up for tomorrow. Since we were in the room the whole time, we didn’t realize that it had been raining all afternoon, and that it was still lightly raining when we left the hotel at 5:00!!

We had booked one final Genie + reservation for Mission:Breakout during our rest, hoping to get one last chance to get a different song! We got lucky and got…



“Hit Me With Your Best Shot!” by Pat Benetar! Success! Also, I'm perfectly replicating the emoji, but Jake's just being a weirdo.

We didn’t have too long before our eagerly-anticipated dinner ADR right at DCA, but Jake had worn the wrong shoes in the rain, and was having to deal with wet socks!! We had been spoiled all trip with no rain, but it did drizzle for a few hours tonight. Luckily (one of the many reasons why the GCH is the best), Jake was able to run back to the room and change his shoes/socks in only 10 minutes! This could NEVER happen at WDW!!



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[Mollydolly334]

Days 8 and 9 (Continued!):

Then, we headed straight to dinner at Carthay Circle!



We were very happy to get some shelter from the light rain that was still going on outside. They led us upstairs to the dining space within 5 minutes!



Initially, I had booked us at the “Alfresco Lounge” here because the menu had more of a small-plates feel with more variety. However, upon further research, I actually switched our ADR to the regular restaurant, because I really wanted to dine inside and see the stately dining area. And boy- was that the right call! It was GORGEOUS in there and so fancy!



We started off with some of the warm Cheddar Parker House Rolls with Chilli-Pine Nut Romesco butter. These were so delicious and we inhaled these!!



To drink, I believe that Jake got an Old Fashioned, and I decided on a Shirley Temple! I loved the Hidden Mickey that my maraschino cherries made.



It was really nice to slow down and have a leisurely dinner. The pace was a little slow tonight, but we really didn’t mind. We had gotten everything we wanted to get done and more this trip, and were just ready to relax and enjoy our last night!

There were these two older ladies at the booth next to us, and they had ALL the tea. I couldn’t help but eavesdrop and be entertained by all of their drama and gossip. I hope that’s what my sister Haley and I are like when we're older.

I was looking at the menu, and it looks like Carthay Circle did a complete menu overhaul since Jake and I were there in November. So, I’ll do my best to remember what we got…

Jake got some sort of seafood pasta with clams, scallops, and shrimp! He really enjoyed this and was happy to have some seafood this trip, since it’s not my favorite.



I know that I got a salad with grilled chicken, which I completely forgot to take a picture of!!! It had kale, butternut squash, dried cranberries, walnuts… it had a “fall harvest” vibe and hit the spot!

We were both pretty full, but I was tempted by an item on the dessert menu… the Pumpkin Cake!



This was sooo rich and decadent; it came with a little pot of warm chocolate sauce to pour over it, making it more of a “sticky toffee pudding” texture. This dessert was literally what dreams were made of. It was so moist and pumpkin-y. We shared this, but I took the majority and I licked the plate clean. I was soooo full after this though; no late-night snacks for me!

Overall, we both really enjoyed this meal. It was definitely one of my favorites of the trip (I think it was #2 after Storyteller’s Cafe!). The vibes in the restaurant were fancy but calm, and it brought all of the Old Hollywood vibes! We will definitely make a point to eat here again on any future DLR trips!

I was stuffed, but we wanted to make the most of our night, so we headed over to Disneyland at 8:00!



We didn’t have any plans or Genie + reservations for the rest of the night. We moreso just wanted to have a wander around the park and take in the last of the nighttime scenery!





There was no way I was riding the teacups after our huge meal!

We went on both of our favorite dark rides in Fantasyland (Mr. Toad for Jake, Alice in Wonderland for me), and decided to end the trip with a ride on the carousel.





It was so peaceful to listen to the carousel music and look at the castle all lit up. Since we had an early flight tomorrow, we were planning on just heading out of the park. But, we saw everyone all crowded around on Main Street for the fireworks, and we made a last-minute decision to stay and watch too! We found a spot right at the entrance of the park, where it was much chiller and the crowds were basically nonexistent.



We stayed and watched the “Mickey’s Mix Magic” fireworks show, and I’m so glad we did!! This show wasn’t anything super emotional like Wishes or Happily Ever After, but it was fun and upbeat, and it was the perfect length! We were both SO happy with our decision to stay and watch; we felt like fireworks were a perfect end to our trip!

And… that’s pretty much where the trip ended! We headed straight back to the GCH to shower and go right to sleep. Then, we woke up at 3:00 AM to catch our 6:00 AM flight from LAX to Chicago! It was Daylight Savings Day, so we at least got an extra hour of sleep!



We got a whole row to ourselves, which was AMAZING because we could really stretch out and sleep. By the time we got home to Milwaukee, it was 2:30 PM, and we immediately took a 2-hour nap. I’ve really come to love early morning flights on the last day of a trip, because then you have most of the day back home to chill and get your bearings before going back to work. We just relaxed and unpacked for the rest of the night, and ended our vacation with…



Pizza Hut and the Love is Blind reunion.

Overall, it was such a fun-filled and busy trip with so many magical memories. It was so amazing to explore West Hollywood and Catalina Island with Jake; two places that we fell in love with and were totally new to us! And, even though 6 nights in Disneyland was maybe a *smidge* too long, it actually ended up working out beautifully because we really got our fill of DLR and were fully satisfied with our visit.

It’ll probably be awhile before we visit DLR again, and to be honest, our travel plans are unknown for 2025! We have some trips booked, but nothing is for sure yet. I think this may be the year where we fully settle down and try to buy a house, so traveling will have to take a backseat amidst that whole process. So, super exciting, but also, UGH being an adult is the worst sometimes!!

Thanks so much for reading along on our California Adventure!



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[alohamom]

It’ll probably be awhile before we visit DLR again, and to be honest, our travel plans are unknown for 2025!

This happened to us about 15 years ago. We had been to DLR quite a bit and our last trip was just a smidge too long.
Fast forward to last year and a mother-daughter SoCal trip that was like re-discovering DLR for me.
It justified all the park ride and experience changes that I used to get peeved about.
Give it an extra little bit of time before you return and you will see it all through new eyes.

 

[cindianne320]

Thank you for the comprehensive DLR updates! We have never been there, and it's fun to dream and get recommendations. Someday!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thank you for sharing your California trip with us! Brought back so many great memories of the trip my DD and I shared together there in 2022. We want to return!

All the best in your house purchase adventure. So exciting!!!