Cast of Charachters
ME:30 something Mom
Son:13
Daughter:9
We are a bit of the older crowd that visits DL, but still Disneyphiles. We have been to DL, DW, and the cruises twice. I had the option of using some DVC points, and since I live in CA, took a trip to the GRAND CALIFORNIAN for a few days.
Usually I would get a concierge level room, but they were all full. I got a standard room this time.
First few days of trip were just for family visiting and Downtown Disney.
We visited the parks on Feb 25th (Mon) and Feb 26th (Tues). The weekend was rainy, but the crowds were still very busy over the weekend.
THE PLAN OF ATTACK:
Downtown Disney on Sunday, DL on MON, and CA on TUE.
We wandered around DD and headed towards our fave shop for souveniers. My daughter was looking for a Tink purse, so I wanted to have a "strolling" looking for this item OUTSIDE our park visitation time. The prices in all the Disstores are the same. You wont get a better bargin, but you might find other specialty items in stores IN the park. We kept this in mind.
DD found a cute pink hoodie she wanted and saw they carried my size as well and said we should be "matchy". I smiled, because never has she wanted to match before, and I never pushed it. This was her idea and I gladly bought the hoodies for us. DS picked out his own "cooler" version of a T-shirt.
I see that Merchandising has really changed to some trendier styles of Tshirts and jackets. Of course, they still have plenty of old school style Tshirts and items with 2008 on them. You can find plenty of items with the most popular charachters and themes today. Plenty of Princesses for girls and plenty of Pirate themes for boys.
I also noticed more variety of ears than I have seen in years. I am a native Southern Californian and have been doing to DL since I was 5. I remember when there was JUST black ears
now you see EVERYTHING, including Pirate ears with a pirate bandana and dangly earring. If you are really fortunate to see one of the "dreamteam" members in the park, you might bestowed with some special dream ears that can NOT be purchased anywhere. I saw a few of them on guests, but not once did we run into a dream team member.
LODGING: Well, I had 20/20 hindsite on picking Grand Californian. I stayed here once LONG ago on the concierge level. It gives you access to a concierge room where they have continental breakfast, snacks and wine in the evening. With just a standard room this time, I MISSED that perk.
We did have a park and pool view that was nice. And our location was great. It was easy to head down and be near the pool, the CA entrance, etc.
The Napa Rose resturaunt is right downstairs too. I would have loved to have gone there, but it's just a bit too fancy for my kids tastes.
We didnt go to the dining rooms, but those were close by as well. I walked by the Mandara Spa, which smelled SOOOO good from outside, and looked beautiful from what I could see in the foyer. I didnt see anyone come in our out. Personally, I did look at the menu of services and thought it was too exspensive compared to what I could get in my hometown for the same quality.
The Room was well maitained I love the Arts and Crafts Style and the furniture in the room. We had two Queens, a nice closet with double doors (which has a folding crib, and iron/board combo) a desk with WIFI, a dresser/minifridge combo, and the bathroom. One thing I missed is that the DL Resorts used to have all these cute theme toiletries, but they switched over to an H20 brand. Nice products, but I miss the charm of the Mickey Shampoo The bathroom also has a dryer. It didnt have much power and shut off if it got to overheated. If you need your dryer, bring your own.
The beds were VERY comfortable. They may be a bit high for some, but they are the perfect height for my family. We are all very tall, and its a great height for repacking. My fave feature of the room is that there are no lamps, but two sconces on the wall. They can be dimmed very low for ambiance or as "nitelights". I love this so much, Im trying to figure out how to recreate at home.
Overall, the location and comfort is very nice. I used DVC points, so the cost there was better than out of pocket. If i had to pay out of pocket, I would prefer to stay offsite in a suite room. If I decided to choose another hotel, I would do the DL hotel for the old charm of DL. Also, having stayed there, the rooms are a bit more spacious.
DL visit summed up. The crowds werent too bad. It was easy to get around and we had minimal waits. We headed to the Nemo Sub ride first. (TIP: Enter the park on Monorail-you will end up right in Tommorrowland. Take a RIGHT OFF THE Monorail station and get in line) This was a new ride for all of us, and I was happy to see the subs come back. It is VERY cute and well done. NOT good for people who are afraid of dark or clausterphobic. For he love of God, do NOT put your kids on this if they fit that category. Do us all a favor and skip it. (This happened on the sub behind us-bc a little princesses parents wanted to try to convince their 3 yo it was fun.)
RIDES that were down:Junglecruise, It's a smallworld. Both my kids were happy these werent going...but for old diehards, these are classics not to miss.
Our fave rides are the Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones. We also had a great time on Splash Mountain.
FOOD: Having been to everypark in WDW a few times, and experienced a wide variety of Disney dining, I hate to say that DL eateries are a huge dissapointment. There is passable and there is inedible.
We had lunch at the French Market, and they made the worse kids Mac and Cheese I had ever seen. My daughter practicallly cried. How hard is it to screw up Mac and Cheese? Also, everything was very sloppily served and for the cost, the servers could at least put the serving all in the dish, and not "sorta" aim and hope for the best. I had a pasta dish that was also overcooked and had a thin watery sauce.
We also ate in an "aviators" themed grill (Pilots Grill?) in CA and it was passable. Nothing to brag home about, but again for the cost, I was dissapointed.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY eatieries we experienced: We stopped by UVA for a casual breakfast that was delicious and a good value. $30 for breakfast, but it was properly cooked and tasty. I dont mind paying MORE while on vacation, but it should be prepared well.
Another day for breakfast, we stopped by the LaBrea Bakery. They have pastries, waffles, bacon and eggs, quiche, coffee drinks, etc. $20 later, but everythign was delicious and filling.
We had one dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. I was extremely dissapointed with the service and quality of food. I have been to one in FL, so this wasnt my first trip. I will never go to the one in CA again. I just wanted to eat and get out of there. Kids felt the same way. Its VERY noisy, and I expected that. But, cmon, when you are paying big bucks for a meal and atmosphere, you expect the service and quality of the meal to be better.
We brought our own snacks and water. I gave kids spending money for any extras they wanted to purchase. This way, they dont bug me and they learn to make their own spending choices.
I did stop by a convience store before our park days and purchased a small 12 pack of water, some yogurts, a small oj and small milk. (Otherwise you are having powdered stuff in the room with coffee). For snacks, I bring things like roasted almonds, dried fruit, etc.
OFFSITE DINING-having gotten tired of overpriced and nearly inedible food, we decided to spend our last nite at the Cheesecake Factory on Katella.
Ive never been to one before and the menu looked good. We decided to have a nice long walk (about a mile and a half) and found a beautiful resturaunt. It was busy, but not too crowded or noisy. It obviously served mainly Disney tourists, as most were casually dressed. We got a NICE booth.
I ordered a mixed drink called the Margarita Diablo, which as Patron, Cointreau, and juices. I should have paid better attention to the menu, because there were no prices listed for the mixed drink, which would generally run 7-8 in most fancy establishments. It was $10. EEP. Was it good? After it sat and chilled a bit, I dont think it was made in a shaker.
Was it worth the cost. NOPE.
I had the reccommended fish, son had a burger and DD had pizza. ALL VERY GOOD.
ONE noteworthy gripe. THEY DO NOT HAVE an official kids menu!!! They cater to families and make a few "offerings" of kid portions. They are well known for their pizzas, but do not make a kid size pizza. Instead, its small.
So, $70 later for 3 of us for drinks, meals and two desserts. Was it worth it overall? YES, because it was all very good and service was good.
Keep in mind the portions are HUGE. We took leftovers for a late snack later.
DCA Highlights-This isnt our fave park and we just hit the things that interest us the most. "Its Tough to Be a Bug", the HighSchool Musical parade/show, and TurtleTalk with Crush. Our fave by far was the Turtletalk. We did it twice because kids were trying to figure out HOW an animated figure could have a custom convo with the kids. The kids didnt want to do Tower of Terror, which I love, but this was about being all together, not what I wanted to do...so I skipped it
I could do that over and over!!!
Overall, this was a very casual and relaxed trip and meant the world to me.
Two days prior to the trip, I finally got some medical test results back and found out I DIDNT have cancer. So, this was a great way to celebrate my life with my kids. We just relaxed and did what interested us.
My advice to anyone going to DL-Plan ahead. Eat OFFSITE if possible, and enjoy everything in the moment.
DisFam of Three
ME:30 something Mom
Son:13
Daughter:9
We are a bit of the older crowd that visits DL, but still Disneyphiles. We have been to DL, DW, and the cruises twice. I had the option of using some DVC points, and since I live in CA, took a trip to the GRAND CALIFORNIAN for a few days.
Usually I would get a concierge level room, but they were all full. I got a standard room this time.
First few days of trip were just for family visiting and Downtown Disney.
We visited the parks on Feb 25th (Mon) and Feb 26th (Tues). The weekend was rainy, but the crowds were still very busy over the weekend.
THE PLAN OF ATTACK:
Downtown Disney on Sunday, DL on MON, and CA on TUE.
We wandered around DD and headed towards our fave shop for souveniers. My daughter was looking for a Tink purse, so I wanted to have a "strolling" looking for this item OUTSIDE our park visitation time. The prices in all the Disstores are the same. You wont get a better bargin, but you might find other specialty items in stores IN the park. We kept this in mind.
DD found a cute pink hoodie she wanted and saw they carried my size as well and said we should be "matchy". I smiled, because never has she wanted to match before, and I never pushed it. This was her idea and I gladly bought the hoodies for us. DS picked out his own "cooler" version of a T-shirt.
I see that Merchandising has really changed to some trendier styles of Tshirts and jackets. Of course, they still have plenty of old school style Tshirts and items with 2008 on them. You can find plenty of items with the most popular charachters and themes today. Plenty of Princesses for girls and plenty of Pirate themes for boys.
I also noticed more variety of ears than I have seen in years. I am a native Southern Californian and have been doing to DL since I was 5. I remember when there was JUST black ears
now you see EVERYTHING, including Pirate ears with a pirate bandana and dangly earring. If you are really fortunate to see one of the "dreamteam" members in the park, you might bestowed with some special dream ears that can NOT be purchased anywhere. I saw a few of them on guests, but not once did we run into a dream team member.LODGING: Well, I had 20/20 hindsite on picking Grand Californian. I stayed here once LONG ago on the concierge level. It gives you access to a concierge room where they have continental breakfast, snacks and wine in the evening. With just a standard room this time, I MISSED that perk.
We did have a park and pool view that was nice. And our location was great. It was easy to head down and be near the pool, the CA entrance, etc.
The Napa Rose resturaunt is right downstairs too. I would have loved to have gone there, but it's just a bit too fancy for my kids tastes.
We didnt go to the dining rooms, but those were close by as well. I walked by the Mandara Spa, which smelled SOOOO good from outside, and looked beautiful from what I could see in the foyer. I didnt see anyone come in our out. Personally, I did look at the menu of services and thought it was too exspensive compared to what I could get in my hometown for the same quality.
The Room was well maitained I love the Arts and Crafts Style and the furniture in the room. We had two Queens, a nice closet with double doors (which has a folding crib, and iron/board combo) a desk with WIFI, a dresser/minifridge combo, and the bathroom. One thing I missed is that the DL Resorts used to have all these cute theme toiletries, but they switched over to an H20 brand. Nice products, but I miss the charm of the Mickey Shampoo
The bathroom also has a dryer. It didnt have much power and shut off if it got to overheated. If you need your dryer, bring your own.The beds were VERY comfortable. They may be a bit high for some, but they are the perfect height for my family. We are all very tall, and its a great height for repacking. My fave feature of the room is that there are no lamps, but two sconces on the wall. They can be dimmed very low for ambiance or as "nitelights". I love this so much, Im trying to figure out how to recreate at home.
Overall, the location and comfort is very nice. I used DVC points, so the cost there was better than out of pocket. If i had to pay out of pocket, I would prefer to stay offsite in a suite room. If I decided to choose another hotel, I would do the DL hotel for the old charm of DL. Also, having stayed there, the rooms are a bit more spacious.
DL visit summed up. The crowds werent too bad. It was easy to get around and we had minimal waits. We headed to the Nemo Sub ride first. (TIP: Enter the park on Monorail-you will end up right in Tommorrowland. Take a RIGHT OFF THE Monorail station and get in line) This was a new ride for all of us, and I was happy to see the subs come back. It is VERY cute and well done. NOT good for people who are afraid of dark or clausterphobic. For he love of God, do NOT put your kids on this if they fit that category. Do us all a favor and skip it. (This happened on the sub behind us-bc a little princesses parents wanted to try to convince their 3 yo it was fun.)
RIDES that were down:Junglecruise, It's a smallworld. Both my kids were happy these werent going...but for old diehards, these are classics not to miss.
Our fave rides are the Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones. We also had a great time on Splash Mountain.
FOOD: Having been to everypark in WDW a few times, and experienced a wide variety of Disney dining, I hate to say that DL eateries are a huge dissapointment. There is passable and there is inedible.
We had lunch at the French Market, and they made the worse kids Mac and Cheese I had ever seen. My daughter practicallly cried. How hard is it to screw up Mac and Cheese? Also, everything was very sloppily served and for the cost, the servers could at least put the serving all in the dish, and not "sorta" aim and hope for the best. I had a pasta dish that was also overcooked and had a thin watery sauce.
We also ate in an "aviators" themed grill (Pilots Grill?) in CA and it was passable. Nothing to brag home about, but again for the cost, I was dissapointed.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY eatieries we experienced: We stopped by UVA for a casual breakfast that was delicious and a good value. $30 for breakfast, but it was properly cooked and tasty. I dont mind paying MORE while on vacation, but it should be prepared well.
Another day for breakfast, we stopped by the LaBrea Bakery. They have pastries, waffles, bacon and eggs, quiche, coffee drinks, etc. $20 later, but everythign was delicious and filling.
We had one dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. I was extremely dissapointed with the service and quality of food. I have been to one in FL, so this wasnt my first trip. I will never go to the one in CA again. I just wanted to eat and get out of there. Kids felt the same way. Its VERY noisy, and I expected that. But, cmon, when you are paying big bucks for a meal and atmosphere, you expect the service and quality of the meal to be better.
We brought our own snacks and water. I gave kids spending money for any extras they wanted to purchase. This way, they dont bug me and they learn to make their own spending choices.
I did stop by a convience store before our park days and purchased a small 12 pack of water, some yogurts, a small oj and small milk. (Otherwise you are having powdered stuff in the room with coffee). For snacks, I bring things like roasted almonds, dried fruit, etc.
OFFSITE DINING-having gotten tired of overpriced and nearly inedible food, we decided to spend our last nite at the Cheesecake Factory on Katella.
Ive never been to one before and the menu looked good. We decided to have a nice long walk (about a mile and a half) and found a beautiful resturaunt. It was busy, but not too crowded or noisy. It obviously served mainly Disney tourists, as most were casually dressed. We got a NICE booth.
I ordered a mixed drink called the Margarita Diablo, which as Patron, Cointreau, and juices. I should have paid better attention to the menu, because there were no prices listed for the mixed drink, which would generally run 7-8 in most fancy establishments. It was $10. EEP. Was it good? After it sat and chilled a bit, I dont think it was made in a shaker.
Was it worth the cost. NOPE.
I had the reccommended fish, son had a burger and DD had pizza. ALL VERY GOOD.
ONE noteworthy gripe. THEY DO NOT HAVE an official kids menu!!! They cater to families and make a few "offerings" of kid portions. They are well known for their pizzas, but do not make a kid size pizza. Instead, its small.
So, $70 later for 3 of us for drinks, meals and two desserts. Was it worth it overall? YES, because it was all very good and service was good.
Keep in mind the portions are HUGE. We took leftovers for a late snack later.
DCA Highlights-This isnt our fave park and we just hit the things that interest us the most. "Its Tough to Be a Bug", the HighSchool Musical parade/show, and TurtleTalk with Crush. Our fave by far was the Turtletalk. We did it twice because kids were trying to figure out HOW an animated figure could have a custom convo with the kids. The kids didnt want to do Tower of Terror, which I love, but this was about being all together, not what I wanted to do...so I skipped it
I could do that over and over!!!Overall, this was a very casual and relaxed trip and meant the world to me.
Two days prior to the trip, I finally got some medical test results back and found out I DIDNT have cancer. So, this was a great way to celebrate my life with my kids. We just relaxed and did what interested us.
My advice to anyone going to DL-Plan ahead. Eat OFFSITE if possible, and enjoy everything in the moment.
DisFam of Three
