Second Star to the Right and Straight on ‘til the 2017 Pixie Dust Challenge*COMPLETE

[Verstehen]

Following! I've never done a west coast race and am really interested to hear your experience especially after the craziness I kept hearing about!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Selfie gate pic.

OMG! You guys look so great!!

Around that same moment, I got a notice from ExecuCar that our driver was waiting in the holding lot and to give him a call for the pick-up.

Sounds like pretty awesome service, between this and Delta notifications, sounds like a seriously smooth start to your vacation!

Also, what an awesome kitchenette in your hotel room! Seems pretty spacious for a Mariott.

 

[ZellyB]

Looks like a nice and easy travel day! That app/bag notification sounds cool. I always fly southwest so not used to those types of things.

The room looks really nice!

I was so happy with how smoothly travel went. Our last trip to Florida was a bit of a mess, so it was a relief to have it all go according to plan.

Kudos to your for running these races! Following along!

Thanks for joining in!

Following! I've never done a west coast race and am really interested to hear your experience especially after the craziness I kept hearing about!

Glad you are here. I've heard the crazy reports too, although our experience was actually really good.

OMG! You guys look so great!!


Sounds like pretty awesome service, between this and Delta notifications, sounds like a seriously smooth start to your vacation!

Also, what an awesome kitchenette in your hotel room! Seems pretty spacious for a Mariott.

It was a great travel day for sure. That hotel was really awesome. The room was HUGE.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Your hotel room looks really nice. I can see how the 20 minute walk could get old by the end of vacation, but I love that a walk to the parks is even an option with an off-site hotel there! Can't wait to see your first day in the parks!

 

[ZellyB]

The Charm of Disneyland
​

We headed out from the hotel and it was a pretty straight shot up Harbor until we found ourselves facing the entrance into Disneyland. We'd purchased 4-day hopper passes as part of the Military Salute discount and we were able to just go up to the turnstiles where, after checking Chris' ID, we had our pictures taken and our new passes in hand.

Of course, after many trips to Disney World in Florida, it was an interesting experience to see Disneyland which was at once familiar and yet not. I'd have that same feeling numerous times over the next few days. Still, it was a gorgeous morning in the Happiest Place on Earth!

As we walked into the park, we immediately saw two or three characters set up and meeting, including the main Mouse himself. This was a strange sight to see since we are used to his meet and greets being behind closed doors in designated spots. I'd heard this was common at DLR, but it was still neat to see him "out in the wild" as it were! We worked our way to the top of Main Street and got our first glimpse of the castle.

Our first stop was to the photo shop to purchase our PhotoPass for the week. Since PhotoPass also does the race photos, it was an easy choice to make the purchase. On top of that, there's also a great military discount that gets us the week pass for just $50. The shop was a bit understaffed, so it took awhile to make the purchase, but soon enough we were on our way and off to get our first picture of the trip. Of course, it had to be in front of the castle!

Obligatory first pictures out of the way, it was off to try out some DLR unique rides that we'd not done before.

First up - Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Well, THAT was different. I wasn't at all familiar with the story behind this one (still not), but it was actually a cute and pretty classic type of dark ride. Just that crazy hell scene thing at the end was bizarre. Still, it was fun.

Next up was Pinocchio's Daring Journey.

This was also very cute and at least a story that I know.

Then it was on to Snow White's Scary Adventure. None of these rides had any lines to speak of, so we were able to ride all of them in pretty short order.

I really enjoyed this one. But, definitely a bit scarier than the others. But the part when the Evil Queen is looking in the mirror and then turns around as the hag was really awesome. Love!

By this time, it was getting close to 11:00 and we had our first ADR of the trip looming and I was especially looking forward to this one.

Next up: Ahoy, mateys! It's time for some grub!!

 

[ZellyB]

Your hotel room looks really nice. I can see how the 20 minute walk could get old by the end of vacation, but I love that a walk to the parks is even an option with an off-site hotel there! Can't wait to see your first day in the parks!

If we would have only done the walk once a day it wouldn't have been that bad, but we also went back to the room mid-day each day for a rest of our feet, so had we just stayed at the park all day, it wouldn't have been as bad. It was still quite manageable, but just a touch far for multiple trips.

 

[Sailormoon2]

3 classic, practically walk-on rides!! That certainly wouldn't happen in the middle of the day at WDW. What a fantastic start

 

[Anisum]

Well, my name is Gisele, so how could he be anything but enchanted?

That hotel is definitely nice looking but I wouldn't plan to stay there for the same reasons. It's all well and good to walk back and forth until after you start running.

 

[ZellyB]

3 classic, practically walk-on rides!! That certainly wouldn't happen in the middle of the day at WDW. What a fantastic start

Yes! I was really happy with the way our morning went. I had told Chris we needed to make the most of our Thursday and Friday in the parks since I figured the weekend would be far more crowded. I was right.

That hotel is definitely nice looking but I wouldn't plan to stay there for the same reasons. It's all well and good to walk back and forth until after you start running.

For sure. Those walks back and forth after the half were not so much fun.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

No lines?? That is awesome!

I also like seeing the characters out and about, but if I'm going to "meet" one, I like the indoor, private areas better.

Great report so far- excited to keep reading!

 

[ZellyB]

Yo-Ho Yo-Ho, A Pirate’s Life for Me

​

During my research about all things Disneyland, one of the assertions I heard over and over was how good the food is at DLR. In particular, I heard about the fun atmosphere of the Blue Bayou. Once I learned there was an option in DL to actually eat inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, well come on, you know I had to make sure we got to experience that! I’d also heard that going for an early lunch reservation improved the chances of a table near the water, so I’d gotten us an 11:30 lunch ADR for the Blue Bayou on our first day.

We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early and were called back quickly. As we were being walked back, I asked if we might be headed to a waterside table and our host told us yes! YAY!!!

We settled into our spot and took in the surroundings. It was most definitely dark in there! But, the lanterns strung about the room and the twinkling lights surrounding the water and bayou were very pretty.

We both opted for just some water to drink (trying not to let ourselves dehydrate too much leading up to the races) and then relaxed and worked on deciding what to eat.

So, here’s where I tell you that Chris and I have been dieting for a couple of months now and focusing on a very low-carb diet. But, we had both agreed that for this trip, we would eat whatever we wanted regardless of the number of carbs. So, with that in mind, I ordered the Monte Cristo sandwich. #allthecarbs Chris was more reasonable about things and ordered the Citrus marinated chicken breast. You can see it behind my MASSIVE sandwich.

Holy crap, that thing was HUGE. I literally ate just ¼ of it. It was very tasty, but so rich and so filling that I just couldn’t eat much of it. The dipping sauces were also tasty but VERY sweet. I felt bad for so much to go to waste and Chris and I both decided we should have just split that one. Oh well, lesson learned.

It was fun to sit there and see the boats drift by, although to be honest, they were pretty difficult to see in the dark and from our angle. You can sort of see behind Chris the part of the ride where we could get a glimpse of the boats.

The food was fine, but I found the cost pretty high for what we got. I mean, I expect that from Disney, but this seemed even more pronounced. Overall, I’m glad we did it for the experience, but not sure I’d pay that premium again if we were to return.

With our bellies VERY full, we decided to head back out and do some more exploring in the parks.

Next up: Enjoying some old favorites and trying to remember how to use paper Fastpasses!!

 

[ZellyB]

No lines?? That is awesome!

I also like seeing the characters out and about, but if I'm going to "meet" one, I like the indoor, private areas better.

Great report so far- excited to keep reading!

It really was awesome. Sadly the no lines thing didn't stay that way. HA!

And, yes, I'm with you on the indoor meeting thing. Later in the report, you'll here about our attempt for a meeting in the wild that went awry.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Blue Bayou does seem like a cool experience. That's too bad it felt highly priced even for Disney standards though. So how much did you love indulging in carbs over the weekend?? I seriously don't have the self control that you do and could never go off carbs so faithfully. I'm curious if you loved, loved, loved it or if your tastes had changed a bit?

 

[ZellyB]

Blue Bayou does seem like a cool experience. That's too bad it felt highly priced even for Disney standards though. So how much did you love indulging in carbs over the weekend?? I seriously don't have the self control that you do and could never go off carbs so faithfully. I'm curious if you loved, loved, loved it or if your tastes had changed a bit?

I didn't love indulging in the carbs as much as I thought I might. Bread didn't hold much appeal at all although I did eat some. It was mostly the sweets that I enjoyed the most. I definitely think my taste had changed some. I'm sure it wouldn't take a lot to get me right back where I was, but it was easier to resist certain things.

 

[cavepig]

Love how you hit those 3 classic Dark Rides first!

 

[SarahDisney]

Glad to hear that travel went well!

Meet and greets at Disneyland are so different than WDW sometimes. If you're used to WDW, it's definitely a little bit of culture shock to just see some of the characters out and about.

Great choices for your first few Disneyland rides! I always tell WDW "regulars" on their first trip to DL to start with the rides that don't exist in Florida. It's a good way to start the trip off as something new. And I laughed at your reaction to Mr. Toad. It's a cute ride, but it definitely has its bizarre moments.

I would love to go to Blue Bayou once just for the experience. From what I've heard, your assessment of "not sure I'd pay that again" seems pretty normal, but it's definitely a good thing to try once. And you got some fun carbs, and that's always a plus

 

[ZellyB]

Love how you hit those 3 classic Dark Rides first!

I was determined to experience as much as we could that was unique to DLR. I love those dark rides anyway, so getting to do some we've never done before was a great treat.

Glad to hear that travel went well!

Meet and greets at Disneyland are so different than WDW sometimes. If you're used to WDW, it's definitely a little bit of culture shock to just see some of the characters out and about.

Great choices for your first few Disneyland rides! I always tell WDW "regulars" on their first trip to DL to start with the rides that don't exist in Florida. It's a good way to start the trip off as something new. And I laughed at your reaction to Mr. Toad. It's a cute ride, but it definitely has its bizarre moments.

I would love to go to Blue Bayou once just for the experience. From what I've heard, your assessment of "not sure I'd pay that again" seems pretty normal, but it's definitely a good thing to try once. And you got some fun carbs, and that's always a plus

I did really like seeing the characters out and about and it seemed often the lines weren't that bad, but we had terrible luck at catching the lines before they would get cut off by a CM. It happened to us probably 6 or 7 times. Just bad timing on our parts.

Yeah, I had read about Mr. Toad some, so it was a complete shock, but still strange.

Like you, I had also read similar assessments of Blue Bayou, so I sort of anticipated it and I don't regret dining there at all, but definitely not one of our better meals. We had some really good meals too though.

 

[roxymama]

This is going to be fun seeing where our trip reports collide. We did a lot of the same things...just not on the same days.
I think if I go back (or when) I will definitely be taking advantage of the Thursday/Friday thing more since I've also heard that it was a lot less crowded those days than the weekend.

Your Blue Bayou pics came out 1000% times better than mine so I may just link people over to your report for reference

 

[ZellyB]

This is going to be fun seeing where our trip reports collide. We did a lot of the same things...just not on the same days.
I think if I go back (or when) I will definitely be taking advantage of the Thursday/Friday thing more since I've also heard that it was a lot less crowded those days than the weekend.

Your Blue Bayou pics came out 1000% times better than mine so I may just link people over to your report for reference

I thought Saturday and Sunday were just insane honestly. Yowza!

And taking pics in Blue Bayou was definitely a challenge. It's kinda crazy dark in there.

 

[ZellyB]

Seems familiar but Not

​

After emerging from the Blue Bayou, we headed over for a wild ride in the West. On our way to lunch we had wandered up near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad because, frankly, we weren’t sure where we were going. Since we were there, we decided to grab a good old Legacy paper Fast Pass for a ride after lunch. I didn’t realize how used to the FP+ system I’d become, so it took me a bit to remember how to play that system.

Standby was around 35 or 40 minutes I think, but with our FP, we were waiting to board within about 5 minutes.

I liked it! I enjoy this ride in WDW too, but seemed to have more detail in this one. Once finished, we decided to check out Chris’ favorite ride, Haunted Mansion. Standby was around 45 minutes I think, but we knew we could get more of these beauties.

Since we had awhile until those were active, we decided to brave the line for Pirates. It was really LONG. But, I was determined to ride it since I’d heard it was really superior to the WDW version, so into line we went. I think we were in line close to an hour before we finally got on the ride.

So, I think maybe I breached some kind of DLR etiquette when boarding. We were waiting to get assigned to our row and the CM sent us to row 4. There was a couple in front of us, so when the gates opened, we filed in after them. They looked at us weird and like didn’t want to scoot down. So, then I realized other rows only had 2 or 3 people in them. I thought the boats hold like 4 across when I’ve ridden at WDW, so I just figured when the CM told us to go to that row we should get on as well. Maybe not, but it seemed crazy to me with a 60 minute wait that the boat was pulling out at basically half capacity. Anyway, I felt really awkward the whole ride like I’d screwed up. Stupid to be worried about it, but it really impacted my enjoyment of the ride.


Anyway, I DID enjoy the ride (loved the two drops) and thought it was a great version. Nice to float past the Blue Bayou that we’d just eaten at a short time before. Once finished with Pirates, it was off to use out HM Fastpasses.

I love that the mansion looks different here than at WDW and we were on and off the ride quickly.

It was close to 2 PM by this point, and we had plans to hit up the expo a bit later in the day, but I did want to do a quick run into California Adventure just to get the lay of the land, so off we went to take advantage of those park hoppers.

And “hop” is so true. How awesome is it to just walk out of one park and across a plaza and into the next park. So great!!!

We mostly just wandered around and found the entrance to Carsland and took a quick look around. Noticed that FP for Radiator Springs Racers were already gone and made a note to be sure we executed my plan for that ride the next day to be sure we could experience it. We were both blown away by Carsland – but more on that later! We did a big circle of the park but of course had to get a shot of this beauty.

LOVED the look of this area. Like adore!!! I was really excited to spend more time here tomorrow. We also picked up a FP for World of Color planning to go to see it after dinner.

Next up: Expo time!!