"That’s not how the Force works!" - January 2017 Rebel Challenge + More! 3/14 Complete

[Dis_Yoda]

A Little? Day Drinking

After we had fully unpacked, my husband looked outside at the rain and then back at me and then back out to the rain. He had this look on his face.

“I know you really want to do the mission but I don’t want to drive around SoCal in this rain. Let’s just do Downtown Disney.”

The look on his face also meant if I had pushed it, there would likely be a fight and that wouldn’t be a good start to vacation. I decided to work this to my advantage. “Does that mean we can go to Trader Sam’s for drinks first then?”

“You Mean For Lunch”

“Sure, we can eat some too”

Marriage is all about compromise

In the rain, we walked the short distance from the Fantasy Tower to Trader Sam’s. We both commented that we forget there could be rain without thunder and lightning. They weren’t crowded in any way, shape or form.

When we originally looked over the menu, I asked the waitress if I could get the Uh Oa! but as my husband had ordered a beer, it was a no go as you have to share the Uh Oa! I changed my mind on the drink and went with one of the ones with speciality glasses that I didn’t yet have at home. I have my priorities you know! We were both happy with these selections. We also ordered 2 appetizers each for our lunch. I messaged Betsy that we weren’t going to the Mission and eating at Trader Sam’s and she said she’ll be right over.

Round #1 - Kona Draft & HippopotoMai-Tai

Panko-Crusted Chinese Long Beans

The panko-crusted long beans were my husband’s selection and he was happy with them. They were crispy and the sauce had a nice kick to it but he switched between dipping them in that and the hoisin-ginger sauce that came with his other selection.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This was the winner selection for him! He was so happy with the lettuce wraps! He cleaned off his plate pretty much. The chicken was super flavorful. The crispy rice noodles gave some texture which was needed for the dish. Overall he was really happy.

Shrimp Tacos

I went with Shrimp Tacos as my first selection. Yum! The shrimp was well cooked and the slaws were nice as well. I just had to remember California really likes their corn tortillas over flour ones but once I remembered that, I liked them a lot.

Kalua-style Pork Flatbread

My second selection was the pork flatbread. I was so happy with this as well! Pork, BBQ Sauce, Onions, Cheese = Happy Dis_Yoda! It was well portioned so that there wasn't too much of one ingredient.

Round #2 - Ka-blue-ie! & Shipwreck on the Beach

As we finished our first plates, we ordered our second round of drinks. My husband went with the Ka-blue-ie! as it reminded him of the Sunken Treasure he loves so much in Walt Disney World. I went with the Shipwreck on the Beach as I like Bourbon and this was the Bourbon option!

When Betsy arrived, I ordered an Uh Oa! for my husband and I. She ordered herself the shrunken zombie head!

Round #3 - Uh Oa!

This is what I don’t get. I can drink 2 fully loaded cocktails as can my husband and then we can order the Uh Oa! but I couldn’t just order the Uh Oa! on my own! I wasn’t feeling much pain at this point. I actually wasn’t the biggest fan of the drink. I think it was because of the grapefruit felt overpowering along with the cinnamon I couldn’t taste much of the rum and other juices. I finished it though with a little help from my husband.

Our waitress disappeared when we were ready for our check...but eventually another waitress showed up and we were able to get our bill. I was afraid at first at how bad our bill was going to be...but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been as we only got 1 souvenir glass. $150ish...it was tasty! Now it was time to explore Downtown Disney while both my husband and I were happily buzzed and Betsy was far far behind…​

 

[franandaj]

Glad you made it safe. And no one wants to drive with stupid Southern Californian drivers in the rain. THE WORST!

I don't know what the deal with them and the Uh-Oah is. We had the same thing. I'd ordered a glass of wine and Fran wanted one, they wouldn't give it to us. I almost chugged the wine just to be a jerk, but I didn't.

Looks like the rain will be gone by tomorrow. I've seen pictures on FB and it looks like a ghost town in DCA. RSR only had a 5 minute wait.

 

[Mom2m&k]

Very smart to not drive in California in the rain! Even a drizzle makes people drive crazy! I hope your trip is going well and there isn't too much bad weather. Can't wait to read more!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Trader Sam's looks so fun! Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of the one at the Poly but have heard the CA one is not to be missed!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Glad you made it safe. And no one wants to drive with stupid Southern Californian drivers in the rain. THE WORST!

I don't know what the deal with them and the Uh-Oah is. We had the same thing. I'd ordered a glass of wine and Fran wanted one, they wouldn't give it to us. I almost chugged the wine just to be a jerk, but I didn't.

Looks like the rain will be gone by tomorrow. I've seen pictures on FB and it looks like a ghost town in DCA. RSR only had a 5 minute wait.

I will agree. At least Floridians can drive well in the rain. Its how we can tell tourists versus full-timers on how well they handle rainy seasons.

I totally ended up more drunk because of that rule but oh well! That was the only alcohol we had until after the races were over with. We had to make sure we stayed hydrated!

Glad the rain left the day it did! It was great having so little crowds in the DCA on Thursday! Ponchos were such a handy item to have!

Very smart to not drive in California in the rain! Even a drizzle makes people drive crazy! I hope your trip is going well and there isn't too much bad weather. Can't wait to read more!

Our trip went well for the most part. A couple hick ups I'll get into but ended really well.

Trader Sam's looks so fun! Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of the one at the Poly but have heard the CA one is not to be missed!

Why don't you like the one at the Poly? This is really similar although being there on Tuesday at lunch, it was really low key which was good. I think the fun depends on who you are with and the bartenders.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I CAN Adult Drunk!

We explored the Lego Store where I decided against buying anything despite wanting things. I figured I could just buy it at Disney Springs in a month when I go with my mother and then I don’t have to worry about flying and getting stuff home!

We then went through the Star War store, Wonderland Gallery and Vault 28 without any purchases. What was with me? I always buy art when drunk at Disney Springs...

We did go to Sephora though! My plan at Sephora was to get a face mask or two as my husband pointed out that I had black heads while we were on the plane earlier...isn’t he nice? Well while shopping, we were told they have foot masks now! Score! I picked up 2 of those as well to enjoy one after each race. The sales lady says they sell out of them every race weekend. I also got 2 charcoal nose strips - one for me and one for my husband. We then went to World of Disney where I took photos of my husband holding the clutch Sephora put my masks in!

His clutch is adorable!

Betsy wanted to do the Happy Hour at Catal for her dinner so we joined her. I decided to get yet another cocktail. I went with one of my standbys that was on their happy hour menu, a nice Old Fashioned! My husband had a diet coke. He was trying to sober up.

Old Fashioned

He also ordered their french fries off the happy hour menu. I didn’t order anything food like. I attempted to steal one fry and he moved the plate away from me so I wouldn’t steal more At least Betsy ordered Bacon Mac & Cheese and Catal Fries so I could steal her fries and she gladly let me!

Catal Fries

I took the elevator down and realized I probably shouldn’t have…their elevator permit was 3 months expired!

We headed next door to Sprinkles and I ordered two cupcakes...Smores and Peanut Butter Chip. There was also a coupon on the receipt that gave me buy one get one free between Wednesday and January 17th! I actually ended up not eating it though when we got back to the room.

While I was at Sprinkles, my husband went to get ice cream! He was really happy as ice cream is his favorite food!

Mint Chip Brownie Sundae

At this point, we parted ways with Betsy. We were heading back to the hotel and she was going to go back to the parks. I had realized we never received our park tickets at check in and we needed to stop back at the front desk to figure that out. Luckily when we went there, they had them for us!

Back at the room, I looked at my mug from Trader Sam’s to make sure it wasn’t broken despite all the carrying around DTD. It wasn’t.

I laid out my masks and then took a shower and used one of my strips! It was only 5:00PM at this point.

My husband was passed out already. I played on my computer. I ended up deciding to go to Tortilla Jo’s by myself for our 6:30PM reservation as I needed to make sure I had something in my stomach after all the alcohol earlier in the day. My husband kept sleeping.

There was no issue checking in less one person and I was quickly seated at the exact same table we were sat at last year. I ordered and just played on my phone while I waited for it to come out. I ordered sparkling water as I knew I needed to get more water in my life now too. My chicken quesadilla was exactly what I wanted/needed. It was cheesy, corny and chickeny! Great post drinking food

Sparkling Water

Quesadilla w/ Chicken

I walked back to the hotel and settled back in. I was totally asleep for the night by 7:45pm!​

 

[franandaj]

Wow! You guys do things early. I was reading this and thinking it was like 7 or 8PM and then I find out it was 5PM! I totally understand the reluctance to buy stuff when you have to ship it home. Especially if they have the same stuff locally that you can get without the shipping charge and your AP discount!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Wow! You guys do things early. I was reading this and thinking it was like 7 or 8PM and then I find out it was 5PM! I totally understand the reluctance to buy stuff when you have to ship it home. Especially if they have the same stuff locally that you can get without the shipping charge and your AP discount!

Our day did start at 3:45AM EST (so 12:45AM PST) so I would say my husband making it to 5PM PST is going strong! The first day is always so odd. I have a trip with my mother in 4 weeks so I'll go shopping lots then!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Sneaky Cupcakes

The problem with going to bed at 7:45PM is that you wake up super early. I woke up a little after 3AM. I couldn’t go back asleep either. My husband was still dead asleep. I knew he was alive as he was snoring. I just played on my cell phone. I eventually went back asleep at 5:30AM until 7:15AM. We looked at the weather to see what the day was going to entail.

Looked like I wasn’t going to wear jeans as wet jeans are the worst!

I decided I was going to eat a cupcake for breakfast since I was hungry and I didn’t eat it the day before.

It was super yummy! I’m glad I ate it with a towel underneath as it was super messy because of the graham crackers on the bottom. Made for easy clean up! My husband just looked at me like really? Cupcake cakes for breakfast? I did offer him the 2nd one but he said no.

We left the room a little after 8:30AM to head towards Extra Magic Hours at California Adventure. As we got on the elevator, someone on their commented on the fact that I was wearing flip flops and that I must live somewhere cold. Her face when I said “Southwest Florida” was priceless!

As we got through security & wanded down as our watches and his belt set off the metal detector, we headed towards California Adventure. Betsy actually called out our names as she got through security around the same time. We told her we were planning on doing EMH at California Adventure before heading to Disneyland when they opened at 10AM. She was going to attempt to join us. Lucky for her the ticket taker didn’t ask for the keys of her or my husband after I walked in! We waited a few minutes before the line was dropped and we headed towards Radiator Springs Racers.

The line was about 15 minutes so not too bad and it wasn’t long before our car lost the race and we were on our way towards Soarin! I stopped along the way to take photographs of all the wonderful Christmas Trees and decorations still up around Radiator Springs.

Soarin had zero wait and we were soon flying all over the world! I like how the ending to Soarin’ at California Adventure is different than the one in EPCOT though.

Mission accomplished for two of the main rides, we left California Adventure to head towards Disneyland for their 10AM opening!​

 

[chunkymonkey]

Oh that's so cool you were able to spend some time with Betsy! I really like your souvenir glass from Trader Sam's. I've still never been able to have a drink inside there, both at WDW or DLR. Always too packed. We end up having drinks on the Patio instead at the Poly. I'm gonna attempt it in Feb through!
I can't believe there was so much rain in California. I mean, I guess they needed it with the drought and all. But it rarely rains there so no one knows what to do, LOL.
Looking forward to more!

 

[franandaj]

Nice pictures of the Christmas decorations, I always forget to take pictures of those when I'm there in the season. You guys really hit the good ones right off!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Oh that's so cool you were able to spend some time with Betsy! I really like your souvenir glass from Trader Sam's. I've still never been able to have a drink inside there, both at WDW or DLR. Always too packed. We end up having drinks on the Patio instead at the Poly. I'm gonna attempt it in Feb through!
I can't believe there was so much rain in California. I mean, I guess they needed it with the drought and all. But it rarely rains there so no one knows what to do, LOL.
Looking forward to more!

It was definitely rainy Tuesday thru Thursday. They do need it though. I actually forgot what it was like to have rain without lightning and thunder! My husband and I just looked at each other and said what is this? This isn't rain! This is nothing! But we also understand they aren't used to what we get either.

Betsy got some quality time with us this trip! I wish Trader Sam's at the Poly was open before 4PM! We would totally go there around 11AM/Noon like we did there in Disneyland. Hope you can get in when you go in February!

Nice pictures of the Christmas decorations, I always forget to take pictures of those when I'm there in the season. You guys really hit the good ones right off!

We tried to! We wanted to get all the major rides done on Wednesday before the crowds for the races came in. Wednesday & Thursday in the park were so much better than Friday. We didn't do the parks on Saturday thru Monday but we felt the difference in crowds through Downtown Disney for sure!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Mission: Breakage

Once through the gates of Disneyland, Betsy split up with us for a bit. She took our tickets to get us all Fastpasses for Hyperspace Mountain as my husband and I were heading to Indiana Jones as it is his favorite ride at Disneyland (California Screamin is his overall favorite ride of these parks though)!

As we got off of Indy, we met back up with Betsy and headed towards Pirates of the Caribbean. We lucked out as it still wasn’t that crowded and we got our very own boat! This let me not feel bad about taking photos…

After a lovely boat ride to ourselves, we headed towards Tomorrowland and my husband and I had a pit stop at the restroom. Betsy was getting us all fastpasses for Star Tours at this time and once we were done, we met back up. It was time for Hyperspace Mountain!

As we got towards boarding, it stopped. All of a sudden they starting getting people off the cars…

The ride was shutting down! Luckily, they were offering fastpasses good for any ride to those in that area about to board (along with those loaded off the ride) for the trouble. They had ran out of the paper ones so I was given one on my park ticket for the 3 of us to use at any point today. We would save that for later. We called it in Tomorrowland and headed towards Frontierland for our lunch!​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Meatgasm

We headed towards River Belle Terrace as were the first to check in right as they opened at 11:30AM. We still had to wait for them to finish pre-opening prep but once that was complete, we were seated. You could tell the restaurant used to be a counter service with the way it felt and was set up - like Disneyland could easily switch it back if needed. As it was a lunch spot, didn’t really care all that much!

Menu

My husband and I got our Coke Zeros and made our selections from the menu. It wasn’t hard for me to decide what I was going for as I decided that I should just embrace the meat instead of going for a sandwich or something. The pork was tender and they brought me some of their sweet and spicy sauce that was great to dip the meat in! The seasoned tater tots were pieces of complete joy! I loved popping those into my mouth! The cole slaw was just ok. I’m usually more of a fan of a vinegar based coleslaws than mayo ones but this one was just too sour for me. I ate about a third but I was more than full with all that pork and taters!

Pork Spareribs - Spice-Rubbed & Slow-cooked Served with Coleslaw & Seasoned Tater Tots

My husband went for the half chicken and he was on cloud nine! As soon as his plate was in front of him, he got really quiet and didn’t talk anymore to Betsy and I. That’s usually a good sign He ate all the chicken that was reasonable to get off the bones! He was super happy with the tater tots as well and the baked beans.

Half Chicken - Oven-Roasted BBQ Chicken Served With Baked Beans and Seasoned Tater Tots

And for a bonus! I actually got a photo of Betsy’s food! She went with the Fried Chicken Sandwich. As she finished the majority of it (outside of some of the bread), I would say she was a fan as well! She loves the coleslaw there (apparently she makes it for herself at home as well!)

Fried Chicken Sandwich - BBQ Sauce, Tangy Coleslaw, Fried Jalapeno, Cilantro served on Toasted Brioche w/ Seasoned Tater Tots and Coleslaw

We were happy and full and it was now time to use our Star Tour FP+ we had picked up on our way out of Tomorrowland earlier!​

 

[Mom2m&k]

I love the Indiana Jones ride!

 

[franandaj]

Someday I'm going to go to the New Riverbelle Terrace, I've heard only good things about the food there!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I love the Indiana Jones ride!

It really is awesome! We love it! Sad we only got on it once this trip!

Someday I'm going to go to the New Riverbelle Terrace, I've heard only good things about the food there!

Well, its no true southern bbq but I was happy The seasoning was good and the meat was tender so I'm happy! Too many food options on your coast!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Mission: Accomplishment

As we headed back into Tomorrowland, we took a pit stop at the restroom as we figured it would be a good time to do that before getting on some thrill rides.

We used our fastpass for Star Tours and were really quickly on our way to be attacked by Darth Vader, race some Pods, visit BB8 and get hunted by Boba Fett before blowing him up with a sonic bomb.

Hyperspace Mountain was still down so we went on Buzz Lightyear. Betsy and I shared a car and my husband was by himself. I’m no where as good at Buzz in Disneyland as I am at WDW. I get this is probably for a combination of two reasons:
​

1. I don’t know where all the high scoring spots are​
2. I can’t just leave my button down for it to have a constant pulse shooting every second or so.​

Betsy beat me by 3600 points and my husband beat us both by like 30,000 points but we all were at the same level of Space Commandership (Level 3)

Luckily, Hyperspace Mountain was finally running! When we went to fastpass station to use the “anytime’ fastpass that was given to me for our group of three, their system had issues with reading it off my ticket. They ended up just letting us in with a “gac” or something. No complaints here and I knew I still had a fastpass on my park ticket I could use later!

We loved the ride!

After we got off, my husband and I took the monorail back to the hotel as we were going to relax until we were going to return later that evening! We said goodbye to Betsy who was off to meet up with another friend of ours that should have been arriving soon!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Great start to your trip! We had a great time that race, weekend, too, but didn't get in to CA until Thursday. Looks like we missed out on most of the rain. We didn't make it to Trader Sam's this trip - we were just there for Tink weekend in May - but that pork flatbread photo reminded me of just how good that was! We've been to the one in the Poly more often and I do enjoy that one. Excited to read more about your trip.

 

[tnbrowne2004]

I really shouldn't read your trip reports when I am hungry, your pictures of food always look so good and you make me want to have a drink! I'm dying to know about the foot masks, i've never seen them at sephora and I am intrigued now.