My Fall, 2014 Dapper Day Trip Report... first trip as a couple without the kids.

[whoever]

Well Whoever, you've occupied the majority of my Saturday afternoon with your trip reports...but ask me if I care! LOL!! I had to go back and read your May trip report to see what "smashing event" happened in the Club. Wow, I'm surprised those guests weren't escorted out of the place! I loved all your photos of the old Club! As beautiful as the new Club is, I sure do miss the nostalgia of the old one. And the way Amy found out about your reservation was priceless!! That brought tears to my eyes, knowing how she must have felt!

Thanks so much!! I do really miss the old club as well. It seemed more masculine, the new club, more feminine. Old money vs. New money. Pomp and Circumstance vs Casual Luxury. Hard to define, but its definitely there. That trip was so epic for us, and the trip to the club such a treat. I nearly freaked out when it happened and wondered if I would be blamed for it even though I was just sitting there. I heard that things were "handled" discretely after the fact. I didn't even try to hide that we were going to the club this time. She would have caught on right away after my mysterious first time.

It sounds like I'll be sticking with the lunch menu next time we visit the Club. Waaay too much seafood on the dinner menu for me! The entire 3rd course was ALL seafood! I did talk them in to letting me order 2 desserts though, instead of the 3rd course, since there were no other options for me.

How many courses was the dinner menu, and do you recall the options?

Great pic of you two with Mickey & Minnie!! And your "Easter egg" pic is perfect! You probably couldn't have done a better job if you planned it!

Can't wait for more pics, but I'm sad knowing it it will be coming to an end soon!!

The back of 75 pics for the third day's trip report are all processed and uploaded, I just need to do the report itself. Should be starting tonight and concluding some time this week.

Oh, man!!! What a great report! Your photos are amazing. I've been in Santa Cruz for a gymnastics meet with the kiddos so I'm sorry I didn't see your latest installment until tonight, but it was worth the wait! You know what I thought the special effect was? I thought it was the Hidden Mickey under the balcony! Leave it to disneyluvr2 to spot the real thing. She catches everything. I just make stuff up.

Its definitely not readily apparent, I almost missed it myself when i was going through the pics.

Thanks for all the info on Club 33. You know what? I never got my martini glass, boo hoo!! I spent too much money elsewhere and reluctantly gave it up. I was very disappointed they had no pins, as that's always a good (relatively cheap) go-to club souvenir .

I too was surpised at the no pins. They had them in August when I was there. Must be in high demand.

They brought disneyluvr2 an ear hat for her birthday! That was cool.

That's pretty darn cool. I've never heard of them bringing out merch for a Birthday. That's got to be a first, and so great!!

I'm with DL2--I want a Ruby Doo! Wouldn't it be funny if it ended up on the menu?

I'm still trying to get someone to provide me the recipe for the Ruby and I'll play with the vodka ratio and see what I can come up with. Its so good it NEEDS to be on the menu.

Oh! Want to see my club 33 women's bathroom glamor pose? LOL:

That's a great pose. The wife said the "thrones" didn't make it over from the old powder room to the new one. Kinda sad.

I had a bunch of things I was going to comment on as I went through your report, but since I'm not an engineer (I'm guessing that's what you are, whoever ), I forgot to write them down. I'll have to go back through tomorrow and make sure I have notations.

Not an engineer, just very analytical and methodical. Let me know the comments, I'd love to hear them.

 

[whoever]

Sunday, 9/14/2014 - 06:15.

After snoozing my alarm twice, I determined we had overslept....after a bit of deliberation and a VERY hurried shower and getting ready, we left the room thirty minutes after stirring. It was 7 AM EMH at DCA, and given we had just 15 minutes before actual park open, we hit the Grand's entrance vs. going through DTD and the Esplanade. Our rationale... we were tired, and didn't feel like the extra walking at a hurried pace to make the Esplanade crowd. Five minutes after leaving the room, we were in line at the DCA entrance from the Grand, and after four minutes of waiting in line, we were lined up for the DCA rope drop INTO the Grizzly Peak area. I must say, if you NEED to be at the front of the line for RSR, don't do this route. I knew it would be like this from previous experience, but we needed a break from spirited walking. They didn't rope drop us into the park until after 8 vs. the people coming in from the esplanade being rope-dropped by the RSR fast passes by Carthay Circle AT 8. Advantage even if you are the front of the Grand's line: Esplanade entrance. The five minutes between us being rope dropped and entering the RSR queue at the courthouse put us decidedly back in line for the first ride of the day.

Despite our poor position in line, we were on in short order, and were off for our first ride of the day at 07:23.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

Thanks so much!! I do really miss the old club as well. It seemed more masculine, the new club, more feminine. Old money vs. New money. Pomp and Circumstance vs Casual Luxury. Hard to define, but its definitely there.

How many courses was the dinner menu, and do you recall the options?

That's pretty darn cool. I've never heard of them bringing out merch for a Birthday. That's got to be a first, and so great!!

I like all of your comparisons of the old Club VS the new Club! There is definitely a "new" feel to it. I'm sure going to miss the history and nostalgia of the old Club. I'm not feeling Walt's spirit in the new Club yet. I know he never dined there, but you could still feel it in the old Club. Maybe it will come back in time though. He's probably out having a bowl of chili somewhere.

For dinner you choose either 5 or 6 course. I tried to pull up a menu on line, but they were all different than the menu we had that night. They must change things up quite often...Except for all the seafood! LOL!

Did you get chocolates with your bill, Whoever? We didn't, and I missed that. Maybe chocolate doesn't pair well with seafood! LOL!

I had no idea who the Club 33 ears were from when our waiter brought them to the table. I was quite surprised to get a gift! I have since found out that our "Fairy Godfather" that set up our reservations sent them to me. He's the best guy ever!!

 

[whoever]

I like all of your comparisons of the old Club VS the new Club! There is definitely a "new" feel to it. I'm sure going to miss the history and nostalgia of the old Club. I'm not feeling Walt's spirit in the new Club yet. I know he never dined there, but you could still feel it in the old Club. Maybe it will come back in time though. He's probably out having a bowl of chili somewhere.

I think Walt's spirit is everywhere in DL, no matter what changes. I love C33, and while the previous iteration was a bit more to my liking, this never iteration is great too.

For dinner you choose either 5 or 6 course. I tried to pull up a menu on line, but they were all different than the menu we had that night. They must change things up quite often...Except for all the seafood! LOL!

Yeah, I haven't been able to find even a lunch menu which matched mine exactly. I think that may be part of the new rules which prohibit pictures of the menu.

Did you get chocolates with your bill, Whoever? We didn't, and I missed that. Maybe chocolate doesn't pair well with seafood! LOL!

I didn't. I don't they they do it anymore.

I had no idea who the Club 33 ears were from when our waiter brought them to the table. I was quite surprised to get a gift! I have since found out that our "Fairy Godfather" that set up our reservations sent them to me. He's the best guy ever!!

How great!!! So happy for you!

 

[whoever]

After we walked through the exit queue, we looked around, looked at each other, and said "Let's do it again!"

Twenty-seven minutes after exiting the car from our first time through, we were off again after having such a great time on the attraction. RSR hits the magic combination of good story telling and thrills. No wonder it has such a dramatic draw after being open over two years... it just hits all the right areas of the Disney-loving-psyche.

With only ten minutes left before the general park-going public would flood the park, we decided not to dash for the Pier, but instead go for the Tower.

By now the park had officially been open for seven minutes.... The crowds were starting to amass, even over in this far-flung corner of the park. Instead of rushing to the other side of the park, we decided to do "The Tower" for a second time. I just have to say I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the exterior, the queue, and the interior of the Hollywood Tower Hotel like no other attraction in the park. Its an Art Deco Lover's sensory overdose. You have to really take your time and soak it all in to even begin to appreciate all the details.

One thing I had never done was take my time after exiting the ride vehicles to examine all the posters in the exit hallway. The posters are the epitome are 1930s awesomeness.

 

[whoever]

After the second pass on TOT, it was 08:21 and time for something to eat and some caffeine to fuel the rest of the morning. We had eaten at Flo's V8 cafe for dinner on one of our previous trips, liked it well enough, and decided to give it a try for breakfast. I ordered the Chicken Tamale Breakfast, Amy got the American Breakfast, and we each ordered up a hugenormous coffee. We each devoured our dishes. I have to say it was quite good. My only criticism is that the chicken tamale could have used more actual chicken in it. Flavor-wise it was great with the Salsa Verde and Pico de Gallo being exceptionally good.

Satiated, we checked the time, and saw it was 08:41. We decided to take a leisurely stroll over to the Pier. Once there, after some goading, I got her to agree to a ride on Screamin', which we ended up doing twice before heading towards our next attraction at 09:18.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

More awesome pics!!! I love the one with Amy's crazy hair on RSR! That was great!

I'm glad you posted pics of the posters in the exit of ToT. I've never noticed them before! I usually notice everything, so I don't know how I missed them!

LOVED the pics on Screamin'!! They almost made my stomach do a flip! LOL! Can't wait to see where we're going next!

 

[whoever]

If I get home at a decent hour tonight I SHOULD be able to wrap up this TR...

 

[Disneyluvr2]

If I get home at a decent hour tonight I SHOULD be able to wrap up this TR...

Oh Noooo!! I hate to see your TP come to an end! On a happier note though, DizMe and I went shopping today and I bought a great dress on sale for next Dapper Day! Let the planning begin....again!!

 

[whoever]

Oh Noooo!! I hate to see your TP come to an end! On a happier note though, DizMe and I went shopping today and I bought a great dress on sale for next Dapper Day! Let the planning begin....again!!

I really need to book our time for that weekend, but I don't know how we are going to do it yet and for how long. Take the three girls (expensive) just the two of us again... how long... etc?

 

[whoever]

After a few loops on Screamin', we headed over to Mickey's Fun Wheel of DEATH!!! Seriously... most awesome Ferris Wheel in the world. As usual... we had a great time in the swinging gondolas. One of these days we'll do the stationary ones, and I'll bring my zoom lens... well... maybe not.. The wide angle cropped in by a factor of 10 still gets it done (albeit with some graininess and some distortion).

Upon exiting, we noticed it was 09:34, so we made it around the West side of Paradise Pier. We made a quick detour on Silly Symphony swings, which was fun as always, and afterwards made our way up to the Grizzly Peak Recreation area and jumped on Grizzly River Run after using the lockers for the first time ever. I stuffed the DSLR in there, as I've experienced GRR enough to know that when I don't have a water-resistant container/garb, do not bring electronics on the attraction. On the way there I snapped some pics while walking of the Eureka Mill...I especially enjoyed the Nikon Picture spot... I wonder what Canon shooters do when confronted with it...

 

[whoever]

After Grizzly, it was 10:00 and time to get back to the room and start packing up. This is always a sad time because it means our time at DLR is extremely limited. It took us 45 minutes to pack, clean, and cart the luggage down to the lobby. We'd wait for about a half an hour before we dropped the luggage with Bell Services at 11:14. This was one of the lowest service areas of our entire trip. (followed by our pick up of the luggage later). For a hotel of this size, expense, quality, and service, this wait was unacceptable. I provided them feedback on it afterwards, and I sincerely hope they correct both issues by my next trip.

GRR was working in full force...

SO SAD!!!

WAITING... and WAITING

 

[whoever]

Afterwards, we entered DCA, and headed towards the Hyperion Theater for the 11:40 Aladdin show. We arrived at the end of the street to find it was actually 12:40 show time, not 11:40.... Whoops. That being said, we were hungry, and decided that a trip past Cove Bar would be great, so we headed that way. We arrived, talked with the hostess, and had a spot for two at the bar in short order. I opted for my usual libation... a Tower 10 IPA. The wife, the Mojito. While we were waiting, I took a sip of her mojito and it was pretty darn good... I would have to get one. We ordered what else but... Lobster Nachos. I had loved these the last trip and wanted the wife to try. For those who are uninitiated, unless I am drastically mistaken (unlikely) they don't use actual lobster, but merely a cousin, which is the langoustine. Don't get me wrong, I kind of prefer langoustine pound for pound compared to lobster, but there's a little lack of truth in advertising here (unless there's some fine print somewhere). At any rate, regardless of species, they are great, and we quickly devoured them in their entirety. I particularly like that they use serrano peppers in lieu of the normal jalapeno, which are way too mild for nachos IMHO. After that, I got MY mojito, and boy was it great... I nearly got a third, but by now it was time to go queue up for Aladdin, so we should get a move on.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

I'm glad you're dragging it out, Whoever! I got to the last pic and thought "Whew, he's not done yet!" LOL!!

The lobster nachos look good...except for the lobster! LOL! I love the Lava nachos over at Rain Forest! There were 3 of us eating on them and we still didn't finish them!

 

[whoever]

We made it over to the Aladdin queue by 12:22 and proceeded to wait and hide in the shade we could find. We had chosen the Orchestra seating queue, which I'd never do again because you miss out on one of the best parts of the show, they flying carpet. I'd arrive early in the future and get either a near the edge mezzanine, or a near the edge of balcony. Probably edge of Mezzanine.. I think it's the best of both worlds.. still able to see the show clearly, but also the extra effects. At any rate, I LOVE this stage show. It's really a well done production and I look forward to having my girls watch it.

 

[whoever]

I'm glad you're dragging it out, Whoever! I got to the last pic and thought "Whew, he's not done yet!" LOL!!

I've got but one, MAYBE two installments left.... By the weekend for sure...

The lobster nachos look good...except for the lobster! LOL! I love the Lava nachos over at Rain Forest! There were 3 of us eating on them and we still didn't finish them!

Ha... Hey... not everybody can love seafood goodness. Joe doesn't partake either.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

When we saw Aladdin this last trip, we sat in the first row of the Mezzanine section and it was PERFECT! The elephant and other cast members paraded right in front of us and Aladdin even looked down and waved right at us. When entering, I always head down to the far left side of the theater. Everyone fills up the right sections first,so you can usually get great seats on the left side. I love the Mezzanine section because you can still see the stage just fine, and you get to see all the other action going on too!

 

[whoever]

We'll definitely plan for this on our October trip. I'm hoping for lower crowd levels as well going in the middle of the week (we are doing M-F). I haven't made it home early enough to get much done on the TR, but hopefully today will be different and I can wrap it up. My next trip is only 26 days away.... so little time to get everything ready.

 

[whoever]

By 13:37 the show was over and we left the nice cool theater and back into the HOT and HUMID park. We decided it was getting close to time to leave and head back to San Diego so we could eat dinner down there before our flight, so we made a list of what we wanted to do before we left. We landed on Disneyland as the choice for attractions, so we headed that way. The major motivator....Dole Whip. We hadn't had any this trip. We made our way over, and hit up Thunder. The posted wait was 15 minutes, so we jumped in line at 14:00. A mere 11 minutes later, we were off the ride. Love the new refurb even though I've ridden it a million times now. Its just a great coaster I think I've loved since I was a child. Now it was time for our Dole Whip fix. We headed over and hit the queue for the Enchanted Tiki Room. As usual the line was much shorter inside vs. outside. We grabbed a pair of Dole Whips and one of the souvenir bowls to compliment the souvenir sipper I had got on the February trip. We ate our whips while waiting for the show to start, trying to eat them before they melted in the sweltering heat. Finally the doors opened, and we set ourselves up on the west side of the show building next to the AC vents. A great show was performed by our feathered hosts, and by 14:43 we were done.

Our trip nearing completion, so we made our way out of the park through the shops on the West end of Main Street. We stopped and got a Cherry Freeze from the Refreshment Corner. We headed out of the parks, through Downtown Disney, into the Grand, and ordered up our bags from Bell Services and summoned our car from the valet. Bell Services was running WAY slow, and our vehicle was ready a good 15 minutes before our bags were out despite requesting the bags 5 minutes before the car. While we waited, I desperately tried to get a shot of the stained glass doors, but alas during one of the busiest times of the day, people going in/out made it nearly impossible.. how many times I had gotten really close, with the doors a mere few inches apart only to have them open again. Sadly, we loaded up, checked we hadn’t forgotten anything, and pulled out of the Grand onto Disneyland Drive at 15:33 (3:33... it must have been an omen). A little over an hour later we were back in San Diego. Dropped the car at the office, grabbed a cab to the airport, had a quick meal at Stone Brewery, and we were off and back to Phoenix. It had been a great trip, and our first trip together EVER without kids. Can't wait for the next trip in 3 weeks.

 

[whoever]

The Spoils from this trip clockwise from top; Club Thirty Three Diamond Martini Glass, Tiki Room Souvenir Bowl, Club 33 Paper Weight, Club 33 Cordial Glass.

The Tikis on the side of the bowl, a perfect compliment to the Tiki Sipper:

The Club 33 Paper Weight is HEAVY... I like the numbers are actually cut/cast through it. Neat.

The Club 33 Diamond Martini Glass... I've got some No. 209 Gin and the Lillet Blanc. Now I just need some Truffle Olives, and the Diamond shaped Ice Press Mold and I can have Diamond Martinis at home...

And lastly, the new cordial glass next to the old cordial glass. The new one much like the other merchandise has been plussed. It’s larger and more ornate than the one from yore.