The DisneyTastic Imbiation Ambulation!
So now we’re up to date with the Imbiabion Ambulation's history, let’s get into the meat of the event itself.
First off I want to make it clear that I want this first real drinking experience to be a fun one that PumpkinGirl will actually remember, and remember fondly. So I am engineering this to be a trek that takes her to some great drinking high points of DLH, DTD, and CA while making sure there is enough food and hydration to keep her from going overboard. I am a confident self-proclaimed expert at coordinating such an event and I always want everyone to make it out alive!
Before we start we will be setting up our Jinx with a local friend or two to roam around with while we are partaking of this particular adventure. He will have our route and can stop back in whenever he wants. He’s 18 and would probably be fine alone, but Disney is always more fun when you’re running around with someone else. Also, I will be entering CA when it opens with my ticket along with Roxy’s and PumpkinGirl’s and will be making the trek to the FP kiosks near the Little Mermaid to secure them for ‘World of Color – Season of Light’ that evening.
The ladies like to sleep in so I’ll putter around CA and then return for Roxy, PumpkinGirl, and I to kick off the fun around 11:30am. We will leave our hotel, the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites, which is just off the corner of Harbor and Katella. We will walk down Katella Ave to
Disneyland Drive, then down it with a quick turn down Downtown Drive to reach our pre-event destination, the Earl of Sandwich. The walk is less than a mile so after a 15 minute stroll we’ll arrive and get our sandwich on! Or in my case it will probably be the Thai Chicken salad.
Our goal here is to get some food on our stomach, but not too much as we feel overfull. Remember, I’m an expert
And as part of that expertise I of course uncovered the Disney Secret Drink Menu (more on that later). Traditionally I’m a beer guy or a bourbon guy – a good microbrew or a tumbler with two fingers of Basil Hayden’s in it and a water chaser and I’m a happy guy. But I will expand my horizons on this one and do some mixed drinks.
The Route:
Thus the DisneyTastic Imbation Ambulation COMMENCES!
1st Stop: Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel
The Piranha Pool (Strawberry Vodka blended with Pineapple Juice, Cream of Coconut, Strawberry Purée and Blue Curacao) is recommended and fit’s PumpkinGirl’s palate pretty well. All of their big mixed drinks are strong so we will have her take her time with it. We will enjoy the atmosphere and embrace the Tiki God goodness. Not sure what I’m going to order here, maybe the
Lost Safari (Dark and Spiced Rums, Tropical Juices, Falernum and Sam's Gorilla Grog). No commemorative cups, we don’t want to lug them around.
From there we will stroll thru the grounds a bit and then head into Downtown Disney and work our way to our next destination.
2nd Stop: The Uva Bar in Downtown Disney
The Electric Lemonade (Vodka, Blue Curacao, Lemon Juice, & Lemonade) is recommended here and fits her palate. I’m probably going to do
‘The Duke’ Old Fashioned (Bulleit Rye Whiskey, simple syrup, Cherry Heering orange bitters, cherry, orange). Water chasers all around.
We will then do some window shopping and work our way up towards the security check and park entrances. We will veer right and enter California Adventure and head to the circle and our next stop.
3rd Stop: The Carthay Circle Lounge
The Aviator Cocktail (Plymouth Gin, Creme Yvette Violet Liqueur, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, and fresh Lemon Juice) is recommended here. We’ll see if PumpkinGirl is up for it. I’m going to take the opportunity at this iconic (if recreated) location to partake of Walt’s drink of choice, the
Scotch Mist (Black and White Scotch Whisky with a Lemon Peel served over Crushed Ice). More water of course.
We will then meander towards Cars Land until we reach the taste with a view of Radiator Springs, here comes stop 4!
4th Stop: The AlFresco Tasting Terrace
This is a straight forward one, the Wine Flight is recommended so we will get that and share it along with some water to stay hydrated, especially if it is a sunny day out there.
After we get our vino on we have a relatively short walk to our next destination on the Pier.
5th Stop: The Cove Bar
The Raspberry-Ginger Vojito (Finlandia Raspberry Vodka, Ginger, Mint, Raspberry Purée, and fresh Lime Juice topped with Coconut Water) is recommended or maybe the
Neverland Tea (vodka, gin, rum, peach schnapps, pineapple juice and Sprite) on the "secret" menu. I’m going for the
Smoked Turkey (Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon, Grenadine, and Odwalla Lemonade with a hint of Hickory Smoke, garnished with Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries). Crazy one isn’t it?
Oh yes, Secret menu you say? You heard right! Rumors abound about the actual number of drinks on it and each bar may have a special one, but I have been able to confirm the following drinks:
The Black Pearl, The Earthquake, The Neverland Tea, The Fun Wheel, and The Zombie. The Disney Food Blog has an article about them in relation to the Cove Bar. I’ll let you find it and the ingredients for each of these intriguing drinks (minus the
Neverland Tea since I gave that one away already).
I am planning for about an hour at each stop so the Cove Bar will double as our dinner stop, we should be there somewhere between 4-5pm. We will certainly be partaking of the lobster nachos and will probably also have the tri-tip sliders. After drinks and some good appetizers we will be heading up to the Grand Californian for our final stop on the ambulation.
6th Stop: Hearthstone Lounge in the Grand Californian
Here we can simply order the "bartender's choice" as their accomplished bartenders always have something good up their sleeves. If not there is always the
Citrus Infusion (SKYY Infusions Citrus Vodka, Midori, Orange Juice, Mint, and fresh Lemon Juice) for PumpkinGirl. And I could try the
Tennessee Honey (Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, Agave Nectar, fresh Lemon Juice, and Sprite). More water to chase.
From there we would trek on to the FP preferred seating (or standing area more appropriately) for World of Color with our Fast Passes and enjoy more bottled water to re-hydrate from our day of imbibation. Jinx will have the choice of meeting up with us if he wants to use his FP on it instead of other rides. We will continue to discuss this with him as the date approaches. Once WoC is over we’ll probably just head back to the hotel and rest.
So what do you all think? Am I crazy? Can this work? I think it will be a kick personally. I’m open to any thoughts or suggestions on it.
Next up - "PTR Interlude - Disney Maps" CLICK TO CONTINUE
I'm glad the pain is managed right now & I bet you guys cannot wait for the weekend to be over so you can get in and get those further scans. I hope they can figure everything out quickly & get her back to 100% soon. 
I wanted to really be able to get a feel for getting around and hold a map in my hands for planning and eventually display in a featured spot in my office. So I set about finding a way to have that map when we did our WDW trip in 2012. I sat down at my computer and zoomed my browser in and the map view in and literally did screen captures in grid style until I had the whole Walt Disney World property captured. I then put the images together in PhotoShop. This image was the result (sorry for the large size, it is a BIG property!):
You're very welcome and am happy to share anything I come up with Disney-wise. Let me know what your DH thinks of it. I also dabble in designs for Disney shirts (I'll be doing a post on that in the near future) which I am also happy to share 
Strength to anyone dealing with that right now.
