Matt's February, 2015 Dapper Day Trip Report

[whoever]

Victoria set down for the night and Amy starting on her hair for the morning, Char, Katherine, and I loaded up our rain/colder weather gear and headed out for Disneyland at 19:20. Amy had snagged us some fast passes earlier in the day while we were on Jungle cruise so we used this opportunity to head over to Tomorrowland to use them. On our way to Space, we saw that Star Tours had a pretty short queue, so we hopped in the queue at 19:38 and took in all the fairly interactive queue had to offer. Alas, none of us was to be the rebel spy on this trip, but it was very fun nonetheless. I have yet to experience the water sequence, it was Hoth, and one other.

We were done with ST a mere Twenty-Six minutes after we got in queue, and by now our FP were open for Space, so off we went. We got in queue at 20:10, and the entire experience only took Fifteen minutes to the time we were off. Unfortunately, Charlotte needed me next to her as she's under seven, and being as short as she is, she never really gets a good ride-shot unless she's in front. We had a blast on it, and much prefer it to the Ghost Galaxy version at Halloween.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters had a pretty minimal queue, so we jumped on after Space. I did pretty darn good but I can't find the picture of my score for the life of me. The strategy on this one definitely paid off. I've never been able to kill it on Toy Story Midway Mania, but I can usually do pretty darn awesome on Astro Blasters.

By 20:43, we were done with Tomorrowland and it was time to head over to the West side where our real passion is. A mere seven minutes later and we were in the queue for pirates, which is probably our most experienced attraction on any one trip. It's usually our first attraction as well unless we are doing EMH. It is simply THE MOST AWESOME attraction of any Disney park to date in my opinion.

Now for the ugly... The two rows in front of us were a family from Tijuana, Mexico. They "no hablo" when I asked that they put the smart phone with its screen glaring on a selfie stick down. So irritating. I want to carry a squirt gun or something to spray those type of people in the future. If I can see your screen, you are doing it wrong. NEARLY as bad as flash photography. If you aren't going to invest in professional equipment which doesn't negatively impact the experience of others in your ride vehicle, LEAVE IT AT HOME.

I digress...

Twenty-five minutes after stepping in queue, we were off. It was starting to mildly sprinkle, so we hoofed it to Haunted Mansion. Unfortunately, those same "no hablo" selfie stick offenders had the same idea. I held the kids back after the stretching room to let them get WAY ahead of us so we wouldn't have our experience tainted by a screen on a stick being waved about.

I was trying for some new shots, but I didn't really pull them off without bad noise. These are all I was able to pull off with any reasonable degree of clarity, and they look like I shot them with a potato.

At 21:30, we exited the attraction and into a downpour. I quickly ushered the girls across the way to Harbor Galley's covered ordering area and donned our rain gear. The unfortunate part... the girl’s shoes were wholly inadequate to deal with the cold and rain. It was a miserable, cold, wet, slog back to the Grand. I stopped at the hub and grabbed a Turkey leg to feed us when we got back to the room. Even with cutting through world of Disney, the girls were barely keeping it together. We hit the room, they stripped down, and jumped in a hot tub to get them warmed back up. I dissected the Turkey leg and fed them when they got out. Katherine said with much anguish... I want to eat and sleep at the same time.. She'd had a rough day and really needed some sleep and warmth.

After they were down, I ran down to the Grand's gift shop. I picked the girls up some Chip and Dale Plush, some pins, and some shirts and a picture frame for Amy and I. I swung by the Hearthstone lounge and grabbed a Manhattan for my night cap and returned to my room with my spoils. Amy was just getting in bed, so I showed her the purchases, and I stuck Chip at the foot of Katherine's bed and Dale at the foot of Charlotte's bed for the morning. I enjoyed my Manhattan on the balcony while I listened to the sounds of the park and retired before it was too late.

 

[Speechphi]

Still love your report . And the photos are fabulous...what lens are you using? I'm trying to convince dh I need a new one bore our next trip

 

[whoever]

Still love your report . And the photos are fabulous...what lens are you using? I'm trying to convince dh I need a new one bore our next trip

These days, all I ever shoot are my 24mm f/1.4 or my 24-70mm f/2.8 on my Nikon D600. My 50mm f/1.4 stays on my old Crop Sensor D80 because the focal length on my Full Frame just doesn't frame great for what I like shooting. The Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 is HIGH on my must get list, and I hope to pick one up before my next big Disney trip. I also would like to try out a 70-200mm f/2.8 but the size, weight, and cost of it all scare me equally.

Nearly all my shots from this trip were with the 24-70/2.8. I did swap to the 24/1.4 though for the Dapper Day Meet group pic.

 

[Speechphi]

Thank you! I have a Canon, but really, really, REALLY want the 24-70...I have a 28mm f/1.8 that I keep on my camera, & with the crop sensor it's great lens. However, it doesn't zoom

 

[whoever]

Sunday, 3/1/2015... It's Dapper Day!!!

After the cold, wet night, it was a bit of chore getting everybody up and going this morning. On top of our normal routine, there was some packing/prepping going for our later events. The girls were thrilled to find their Chip and Dale plushes at the foot of their beds I had picked up the night before, and they definitely helped set the mood for the day. We made the decision that there was no way we were going dapper this morning. We were just not up for it. We would return to the room prior to checkout, change into our Dapper Attire, pack, check out, and then go enjoy the rest of the day dressed to the nines.

We finally left the room at 06:40 and headed for the park. Amy was pretty happy I had picked her up the Grand Californian uber soft zip up hoodie. She LOVES this thing. Amazingly comfortable or so I'm told. I am quite pleased with all of our GCH merch from this trip. My only regret.. I didn't get it all.

I always LOVE the early morning walk through Downtown Disney. SO much happier heading towards the park when nobody is around vs. heading away from the park with the crowds.

We got to the esplanade and it was EMPTY. The rains the night before had clearly had an impact on those willing to brave EMH.

The kids were jazzed as always.

Victoria was studying her map...

What does she want to ride? Geeki!!! Her favorite ride has to be hands down, Mickey's fun wheel of DOOM!!! Swinging gondola required.

Who happened to be next to us in line? The selfie stick family. They were just as rude this morning as last night.. more on that in a bit. We opened up the park right around 07:00 and headed for the Car's land rope drop... only they weren't doing it, just ushering us to the right. The Grand people arrived nearly the same time, and tried to hop in line. No easy one on that besides the fact that there was already a line extending back towards Carthay. They cut in regardless.

 

[whoever]

And here's where selfie stick family comes trudging by. They just pointed to their kid who they had run ahead so they could line jump. Ugh... If your entire party isn't there, the person up front needs to wait for the party to catch up in line, not the inverse. I give you evil selfie stick family. Previously, most of my Disney angst was held by evil cutter lady.. (see my February 2014 Dapper Day TR for evil cutter lady). I'm glad we were well back from him so we didn't have to have our attraction experience ruined by a glowing screen being waved about. The nerve of some people.

Here is how Amy spends every DCA EMH for the first 15 minutes or so... over in the RSR waiting area with Victoria. Hopefully Victoria grows like Katherine did and she'll be with us in short order. We made our way through the bottle house at 07:08 and up the switchbacks towards the loading platform.

Rider swap helps with this.

Another strained embrace by the sisters..

My only halfway decent shot of Mater jumping the moon... EVER.

Getting some whitewalls.

And some coaching from Doc!

A personal cheer section and we were OFF!!

We ended up racing an empty car.... We won!!

We were off at 07:23 and Amy and I rider swapped, and I chilled with Vic while she and the girls gave it a go. Their round trip would take around twenty minutes.

 

[whoever]

We wrapped up with Racers and spent the next seven minutes walking across the park to Toy Story Midway Mania. It was all but walk-on and only took 17 minutes for a full experience on the attraction. I ended up smoking Katherine and got best in vehicle. Not my best showing, but I'd take it.

Even Chip got into it

On the way down the stairs, Charlotte dropped Dale, tried to pick him up, and promptly started to fall down the stairs. Amy stopped her, but not before she'd skinned her knee. I've never brought a FAK to Disneyland (stays in the vehicle), but I'm going to going forward. Thankfully there was a family nearby who had a Band-Aid we could have. We patched her up and she, Amy, and Victoria hit King Triton's Carousel while Katherine and I headed for Screamin'

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this shot. I may crop it slightly and print it in fact. Check out the snow on the peaks...

I HATE, HATE, HATE second rows of the ride vehicle...

Time to do it again..

Not as good as the last one.

OK, this pic is just trippy

Hidden Mickeys!!

Yay!! Front row!!

 

[Tricia's mom]

Ive never used ride swap.... So mom and the girls got to all ride again together ?
I have never had the need to use it. DH doesn't like fast rides.

 

[whoever]

Ive never used ride swap.... So mom and the girls got to all ride again together ?
I have never had the need to use it. DH doesn't like fast rides.

Yep. You can take up to 3 others with you when doing it. Helps if you have a child who's not tall enough to ride.

 

[Tricia's mom]

That's a bonus !!

 

[whoever]

While Katherine and I were having some fun on Screamin', Amy, Charlotte, and Victoria headed for the Wheel of DOOM!!! After we got off, we picked up a few churros and headed that way. I spotted them right away.

That doesn't look the least bit dangerous...

We collected them at 08:37 and we started walking towards Silly Symphony. Charlotte is still too short to ride solo, so we had to do the tandem swing, but Katherine was just a swinging away on one of the outer swings. Screamin' was still putting empty trains through... Light morning.

At 8:48, we were headed towards Goofy's Sky School. Imagine our dismay when we found it 101. Jumpin' Jellyfish was a good backup, yet not quite as entertaining as Goofy's would have been. Amy took Vic on the Zephyr while we were doing the swings and jellyfish.

Once our group reunited, Katherine, Amy, and Victoria went for a trip under the sea while Charlotte and I headed towards Cars Land to grab breakfast for our group at Flo's. I grabbed an American Breakfast for Amy, a Chicken Tamale Breakfast for myself, and an American Breakfast Kid's Meal for the girls to split.

After wolfing down a delicious breakfast, Amy took Char and Victoria back to the room to start getting ready and pack up while I took Katherine on Tower of Terror at 09:34. We loaded quickly, got up to the second floor of the queue (my only time in recent memory I've been upstairs), and loaded our ride vehicle. We backed away from the loading area, and.... nothing.. We were stuck. The lights came on and they told us they could see and hear us, and they were cycling the ride vehicle ram. About five minutes later, they got us back to the loading cart and had us disembark. Everybody was offered a ride in an adjacent elevator shaft, but Katherine was freaked out and refused to go ride again. We left at 09:51 and started making our way back to the room.

While Amy, Charlotte, and Victoria were headed back to the room after their ride on Monster's Inc., she was stopped by someone who recognized her from my previous TRs. Lynne C. she thinks she remembers. If that was you, say HI!! They talked about her Dapper Day outfits and if we were going to any of the meet ups before Amy had to pry herself away to head back.

 

[Lyn-CA]

Hi Matt and Amy! It was me! I saw Amy and recognized her. I stopped her and asked "Are you whoever's wife?" We chatted for a bit while Charlotte and Victoria "shopped" for Sofia the First merchandise from the cart that we happened to stop in front of.

We didn't make it to the DIS meet as our DS had taken a long afternoon nap.

 

[whoever]

Hi Matt and Amy! It was me! I saw Amy and recognized her. I stopped her and asked "Are you whoever's wife?" We chatted for a bit while Charlotte and Victoria "shopped" for Sofia the First merchandise from the cart that we happened to stop in front of.

She said it was great to meet you, and was pretty surprised somebody recognized her. Gotta watch those kids, they'll have arm-fulls of Disney swag and then the pouting when you tell them the invariable "No".

We didn't make it to the DIS meet as our DS had taken a long afternoon nap.

You missed a great time, but family needs come first. Did you end up dressing up for Dapper Day?

 

[MommyJKM]

I never get tired of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. It's simply the best attraction created in a Disney park to date in my opinion. Once we chattered up the lift hill, floated through the exit to the queue, it was 08:25 and time for some Haunted Mansion fun. Amy stayed with Victoria while the two older girls and I headed on over for some spooky fun.

Simply. The. Best.
I'm glad you agree!

BTW my 4yr old DD is adventurous and isn't scared of any rides (we snuck her on Indiana Jones at 3 1/2yrs old) but I'm nervous taking her on HM because you're "stuck" on it. When did you take your girls? Do you think she will be okay when we go in May?

 

[whoever]

When did you take your girls? Do you think she will be okay when we go in May?

Katherine has been riding HM since age 3 (now 8), Charlotte since 18 months (now almost 6), and Victoria since 3-4 months (now 2.5). They've never had problems with it. Its not really that spooky. The storyline of Tower of Terror freaks them all out though even though the two eldest have ridden it (Katherine at age 3).

 

[whoever]

Katherine and I hit the room at 10:00 sharp. We had miraculously beat Amy and the girls back. I started to pack up stuff I was authorized to pack (my electronics) while waiting. Amy showed up a short time later and we started the mad dash to get into Dapper attire and pack simultaneously. Stressful doesn't begin to describe it. There's got to be a better way to do this. Victoria, for the now THIRD DAY IN A ROW was refusing to wear anything but her Minnie dress. That dress was getting seriously gamey, but she wasn't throwing a fit if left in it, so be it I guess. A Dapper but whiney girl, or a happy, but gamey girl... Decisions...

We FINALLY got everything ready a few minutes before Eleven and I called Bell Services. The girls were leaving the room just as the bell hop showed up. I counted the bags, he loaded up, and we were out of the room at 11:15. That's one thing I don't like about having so many bags that we aren't carrying them ourselves. $10 to the Valet Guy at drop off. $10 to take the bags to Bell Services. $10 to get the bags from Bell Services to room. $10 to take the bags back to Bell Services. $10 to get the bags from Bell Services into the vehicle. $10 to pick up the vehicle from Valet. We are $60 in just paying someone to park our car and move our bags, and that isn't even including the twenty-something per day they charge for valet. Whew...price of convenience I guess. At the cost of a room at the Grand, Valet should be complimentary.

We regrouped in the lobby and headed for the parks. We made our way through the turnstiles at Disneyland, down Main Street, and paused for the requisite photo in front of the castle. After which, I stayed with Victoria while Amy, K, and Char did the newly opened Sleep Beauty Castle Walkthrough. No commentary on whether it was updated or not as Amy hasn't done it enough to have a lasting memory of what it looked like before. I was texting with Joe and Theresa while we were in Fantasyland, and they were going to be heading this way. 11:55 found the older girls and I in queue for Snow White while Amy and Vic went and had a spin on King Arthur's Carousel.

Once off, the girls and I ran and sheltered in the west path from Fantasyland to the Princess Fantasy Faire. We posed for a pic for a Disney blogger who runs MagicForces.com. I looked later but didn't see our pics, so our disheveled, wet, look must have not fit the bill. We hurried on over to Tiki room where I grabbed two Dole Whips at twelve past twelve for the two girls and we had a fun time with the show while we and my camera (it got pretty soaked, but was a nice cleaning for it) dried off. We did a second show of the Tiki Room after Amy failed to materialize.

Upon exiting the second time, we found her and Victoria sheltering under the thatched area adjacent to the Dole Whip hut. They had come to us via Big Thunder Trail and ran into Daisy Duck for a less than happy Meet and Greet due to the rain. I, not having had a dole whip went and grabbed one for myself and one for Amy and we enjoyed them while we watched the rain fall from the security of our thatched roof hideaway. Joe and Theresa had managed to grab a seat on the front porch on Main Street and braved the rain there before heading back to the Grand to meet a friend. We'd have to regroup on our meet up later.

The girls wanted to do Nemo, so we made our way to Tomorrowland. The rain had largely ceased, so just minor sprinkles encumbered us on our journey. I stayed with Victoria as she was napping while Amy and the older girls went for an undersea adventure at 13:08.

While they were in line, Amy and I were texting about what to do for lunch. I though Napa Lounge, but was devastated when I learned they weren't open until the evening. Then, I suggest Plaza Inn, but that was a LONG wait. Next I recommended Harbour Galley. Amy agreed, so I headed on over to get a table. I ended up grabbing a Lobster roll as I had read good things about them.

I won't say I'm a connoisseur of lobster rolls, but I've had a LOT of them in my days. This was probably the least flavorful/yummy one ever. If anybody wants a truly awesome lobster roll in California, try the lobster roll at Ironside down on India Street in Little Italy in San Diego. It’s phenomenal. Compared to this one... this tasted like a bun filled with wet paper towels. DO NOT RECOMMEND. While sitting there, I got some urgent text from a coworker who needed my help. I got her what she needed to save her next week, and finished my lackluster meal. Even the chips weren't good.

Amy and the girls were now of Nemo, and instead of coming all the way to the Galley, they stopped at Stage Door Cafe at 14:00. I hustled over there, and handed off with Amy mid-point in line so she could go grab a table. I grabbed us a Fish and Chips meal for Amy and I to split, Corn Dog meal for Katherine, and a Chicken Tenders meal for Charlotte/Victoria to split. Just as we were finishing up at 14:24, we got a text that Joe and Theresa were at the hub. We loaded up and headed over.

 

[whoever]

We meandered over to the hub, and I was able to spot Joe right away. He always wears the most vibrant shirts. We went over and started to chat. Katherine went right to Ian. She LOVES him so much. I wonder if she'd feel the same way about a little brother or not.

Victoria was being stubborn and wanted no part of getting out of the stroller

Theresa taking some pics.

The Flowers family. Such a wonderful Disney family.

We handed off the cameras to one of the Disney Photogs to snap some group shots for us. Charlotte and Victoria refused to be a part of it. Their loss. Ian LOVED Katherine's Braids... He really did NOT want to let go. The photog really liked the glass I was sporting and asked where I got it. Probably one of Nikon's best lens of the last decade. Don't know what I did before it.

Going to "Borrow" a few pics from Joe.

Charlotte

Katherine was SOOO sad to be leaving Ian. Seriously loved the heck out of him.

At 14:44, we bid our farewell. We had to make it back to the Grand for another meet, so for us, Disneyland was done park-wise, but not before we stopped by the popcorn cart in the hub and grabbed a Dumbo popcorn bucket filled with yummy popcorn.

We made our way out of the park and headed towards the Grand. The girls stopped for a break while I went to the Hearthstone to grab Amy and I some adult drinks. The line was LONG and SLOW moving. Place was packed. I sent them upstairs to the meet on the 3rd floor by the piano while I procured a signature Manhattan for myself and a Sidecar for Amy. I finally made my way SLOWLY up to the third floor via the elevator and joined in the festivities at 15:17. There were a lot of familiar faces from meets past and some new ones as well. Lcasa had some tiki tiki tiki drinks ready, and the rest of us were enjoying our drinks from the Hearthstone. I really enjoyed the fabric work on her hat.

The kids were having a blast... too much so in fact. Katherine's vintage dress didn't survive. I guess a 70 year old dress just needs more TLC than my rambunctious girl can provide. We chatted, enjoyed each other’s company, and recounted the events of the weekend. As with everything this weekend, our time was over way too soon and it was time to say our goodbyes, but not before a member of the Grand's staff came by and "asked" to see our room keys. They've apparently had issues with people just using the Grand to party during the Dapper Day Expo days. We represented with several keys flashed.

Here's one of mine, and several pics borrowed from Disneyluvr2. May thanks for catching some pics with me actually in them.

At 16:19, I was asking the Valet for our vehicle. I had some time to wait as usual, but not too long. I parked myself on a bench and took a load off after the long weekend. I LOVE the Grand... (have I said that already). The architecture is simply superb, and the Craftsman theming is awesome.

We finally pulled out of the parking lot at 16:40 and started our five hour drive back to AZ. Always a sad part of the day when we leave Disneyland Resort behind and return to the harsh reality of life. It was a fairly uneventful trip for the most part outside of the TORRENTIAL downpour for 2+ hours of the drive. It was just coming down in sheets. I'd beat the weather back to Phoenix that night, but it would show up mid-day on Monday. Despite the inclement weather, we made decent enough time with a fuel stop in Indio at 17:25, and a food stop somewhere almost to AZ for a shake and fries. We'd pull into our driveway at 22:43, matching our best time of Five hours, Three Minutes to the minute. Wonder if I'll ever dip into the four hour range.

It had been a magical weekend, and we can't wait to go back. Probably October as a family, but I'll rock a solo trip or two in the next few months I'm sure. Stay tuned for my review of the room coming to this thread soon.

 

[avalon451]

GREAT trip report, and loved the pictures! You have a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[whoever]

GREAT trip report, and loved the pictures! You have a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Thanks! I love doing the TR because it helps lock the memories for me. Also love re-reading my TRs for reliving the experience over and over.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

Ahhhh....I always hate it when your trip report is over, Matt! Great report!! I must say, that one pic you took of the view from Screamin' was my favorite pic! Such a great shot. You got some great ones of the girls too. Be sure to let us know when you're going again so I can watch for the next report. Are you guys thinking about doing Dapper Day in Sept? It was soooo hot the last two times, I'm not sure that we're going to do it this time. We've been talking about trying Tiki Day though. A much smaller group, and fun outfits too!