Mr Snappy
Kansas DisneyLand Junkie
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
- Messages
- 340
Just back yesterday from our trip to So Cal. It was a great trip. I will give a "too the point" trip report by category. I like these types of reports and hope they will interest you 
We were there on Tuesday, Oct 23, and then again on Thursday, Oct 25. The weather was awesome, mid to upper 70's with a few fluffy clouds. Parks were very light in attendance. Most we waited (other than RSR) was 10 minutes. We walked on to several major attractions like Soarin, Tower or Terror, Mermaid, and even Mater's. Went on RSR 3 times and wait was anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hours all three times. It's been said many times, but this attraction is a complete triumph. I only wish I could have rode at night.
Food:
Carthay Circle - We had reservations but decided to skip it this time, nobody was in the mood.
Taste Pilots - OK for what it is. The saving grace for this place is that they have a decent toppings bar for your burger. Saw lots of people getting chili fries, will have to try that some time
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta - I had a VERY good Chicken/Sun dried tomatoe pasta dish. Taste was great, but they were very skimpy on the chicken. Wife had Ceasar salad and said it was good. Son had the Spaghetti & Meatballs and it looked to be the best of the bunch for value. Portions on the pasta dishes is big, but remember, just the pasta, not the meat...and pasta is cheap.
Corn Dog Castle - Awesome
Flo's Cafe - This was very good, but the menu is very limited. Both our kids hated it. All the adults (5) thought it was good. We had no wait.
THE GOOD - RSR, Cars Land, Soarin, and condition of the park in general
THE BAD - Selection of merchandise, variety of food, limited RSR fastpasses
THE UGLY - $10 for a locker? Yeah, we paid it, but this is hitting below the belt.
We were at Disneyland on Monday, Oct 22 and Friday, Oct 26. Again, beautiful weather, it was almost hot on Friday. It was so terrific to have the park mostly empty, especially on Monday. Walk on to most rides. This is the first time in over 30 trips that I have been there at Halloween. It was really well done and really liked the Haunted Mansion overlay...much more elaborate than I anticipated. We missed not having Indy up and running, but we have gotten use to having something down every time we go.
One thing that they did at both parks that is annoying is that they now have guest with 4+ day passes enter through a special turnstyle. They now check the signature on the pass with your driver's license. They even quizzed my 10-year old what his name was why they held his pass. I get that they are trying to cut down on re-sale passes, but this "everyone is guilty until proven innocent" is beneath Disney and insulting. I dished out $1000 for those tickets, I don't like being made to feel like I need to be interegated in order to use them.
FOOD: (Disney is on that edge)
Before I get into the reviews, let me just say that I am a business man with an MBA and I completely get maximizing your revenues. After all, Disney is NOT a charity and is very much interested in getting as much money as possible...as any business is. But every first-year business student can tell you is that there is a balance between maximizing profits and driving people away with a bad taste in their mouths....I believe Disney is right there in Anaheim. You can charge a premium at a Disney park, but you better deliver a premium product in return. That is NOT happening at some of the food outlets.
Big Thunder BBQ: This is one that DL got right. Good atmosphere, plenty of GOOD food, good service, and you leave satisfied. They charge like $30 per adult (Food & Drink), but in the Disney Universe, this is pretty good value for what they give.
Hungry Bear: Where to start with this disaster....The food is WAY overpriced, the food is served cold, the selection is horrid, and the service is mediocre. This place has come full circle. When they served "Paul Bunyan Burgers" it was so bad that our family would refer to any horrible restaurant as the "Hungry Bear". Then they got better! It was decent and provided suitable lunch fare. This incarnation is just plain terrible. Boys had the burger. Cold, flavorless, and at $10 just a plain rip-off. Mcdonalds $1.00 menu TASTES BETTER.
Wife and I had the Chicken sandwhich. Mine was wafer thin and cold. Sweet potoato fries were greasy and cold. This is where they have crossed the line and it gets people angry. BTW, we arrived here right at noon and there was hardly a customer in the place...we walked right up. Even though this was a slow day at the park, the lack of customers during the lunch rush should have been a big warning for us.
New Orleans Cafe: This was the choice when we decided that Blue Bayou is not a smart choice any longer. We wanted Monte Cristo's and to have a nice meal. This place got mixed results. The food was indeed good, and hot, but the service was terrible and the prices are starting to rival Blue Bayou! We had 7 people and the bill came to $210. Easy math here, $30 per person for lunch. I do recommend this place, but be preparred.
Also, I should note, we are not "Value Shoppers". We believe in paying for a Disney experience, but it has to be offset with a premium product. See below about how to do meals right!
THE GOOD: Haunted Mansion Overlay, Crowds, Big Thunder BBQ
THE BAD: Hungry Bear, Prices
THE UGLY: Some very inappropriate costumes made it in the parks, not sure how Trashy "Queen of Hearts" and the ultra low-cut witch costumes made it past the turnstyles, but come on, it's Disneyland, not the Bunny Ranch.
FOOD: On this trip, we thought it would be cool to try a couple of SoCal places that have been featured on the Food Network's show "Diners, Drive-in, and Dives" (DDD)
The first one was a place in Ocean Beach (San Diego) called HoDad's. Go find the episode on YouTube if you want to take a look. We ALL agreed it was one of the best burgers any of us had ever had. The food, sides, and milk shakes were beyond heaven. This will become a regular stop in San Diego from now on.
Second Trip was to "Schooner or Later" in Long beach that sits litterally on the boat dock. Their specialty was breakfast food. Again, heaven. Very fresh, Very large portions, Very California. I had "The Mess" and it was great. Youngest son had the "Cinnamon Roll French Toast". Wife had the ABC Omlet (Turkey & Avocado & Cheddar), Oldest son had a breakfast burrito. VERY reasonable prices. We will be back.
In-N-Out, Anaheim: Simply the best fast-food burger on the planet.
Outback, Anaheim: They are the same every where, but this was a good meal.
OTHER:
Accomodations: We have a time-share in Anaheim, Dolphin's Cove, so can't help you with the Hotel reviews this time.
Car Rental: Thanks to this forum, we saved a ton of money and rented through CostcoTravel.com. If you are a member, do yourself a favor and go there first for rental cars.
Air Travel: We flew American Airlines into to John Wayne (SNA) Although we had to connect through Dallas, and that doubled our travel time, pretty decent experience. SNA is a delight to get to the parks.
DCA
We were there on Tuesday, Oct 23, and then again on Thursday, Oct 25. The weather was awesome, mid to upper 70's with a few fluffy clouds. Parks were very light in attendance. Most we waited (other than RSR) was 10 minutes. We walked on to several major attractions like Soarin, Tower or Terror, Mermaid, and even Mater's. Went on RSR 3 times and wait was anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hours all three times. It's been said many times, but this attraction is a complete triumph. I only wish I could have rode at night.
Food:
Carthay Circle - We had reservations but decided to skip it this time, nobody was in the mood.
Taste Pilots - OK for what it is. The saving grace for this place is that they have a decent toppings bar for your burger. Saw lots of people getting chili fries, will have to try that some time
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta - I had a VERY good Chicken/Sun dried tomatoe pasta dish. Taste was great, but they were very skimpy on the chicken. Wife had Ceasar salad and said it was good. Son had the Spaghetti & Meatballs and it looked to be the best of the bunch for value. Portions on the pasta dishes is big, but remember, just the pasta, not the meat...and pasta is cheap.
Corn Dog Castle - Awesome
Flo's Cafe - This was very good, but the menu is very limited. Both our kids hated it. All the adults (5) thought it was good. We had no wait.
THE GOOD - RSR, Cars Land, Soarin, and condition of the park in general
THE BAD - Selection of merchandise, variety of food, limited RSR fastpasses
THE UGLY - $10 for a locker? Yeah, we paid it, but this is hitting below the belt.
We were at Disneyland on Monday, Oct 22 and Friday, Oct 26. Again, beautiful weather, it was almost hot on Friday. It was so terrific to have the park mostly empty, especially on Monday. Walk on to most rides. This is the first time in over 30 trips that I have been there at Halloween. It was really well done and really liked the Haunted Mansion overlay...much more elaborate than I anticipated. We missed not having Indy up and running, but we have gotten use to having something down every time we go.
One thing that they did at both parks that is annoying is that they now have guest with 4+ day passes enter through a special turnstyle. They now check the signature on the pass with your driver's license. They even quizzed my 10-year old what his name was why they held his pass. I get that they are trying to cut down on re-sale passes, but this "everyone is guilty until proven innocent" is beneath Disney and insulting. I dished out $1000 for those tickets, I don't like being made to feel like I need to be interegated in order to use them.
FOOD: (Disney is on that edge)
Before I get into the reviews, let me just say that I am a business man with an MBA and I completely get maximizing your revenues. After all, Disney is NOT a charity and is very much interested in getting as much money as possible...as any business is. But every first-year business student can tell you is that there is a balance between maximizing profits and driving people away with a bad taste in their mouths....I believe Disney is right there in Anaheim. You can charge a premium at a Disney park, but you better deliver a premium product in return. That is NOT happening at some of the food outlets.
Big Thunder BBQ: This is one that DL got right. Good atmosphere, plenty of GOOD food, good service, and you leave satisfied. They charge like $30 per adult (Food & Drink), but in the Disney Universe, this is pretty good value for what they give.
Hungry Bear: Where to start with this disaster....The food is WAY overpriced, the food is served cold, the selection is horrid, and the service is mediocre. This place has come full circle. When they served "Paul Bunyan Burgers" it was so bad that our family would refer to any horrible restaurant as the "Hungry Bear". Then they got better! It was decent and provided suitable lunch fare. This incarnation is just plain terrible. Boys had the burger. Cold, flavorless, and at $10 just a plain rip-off. Mcdonalds $1.00 menu TASTES BETTER.
Wife and I had the Chicken sandwhich. Mine was wafer thin and cold. Sweet potoato fries were greasy and cold. This is where they have crossed the line and it gets people angry. BTW, we arrived here right at noon and there was hardly a customer in the place...we walked right up. Even though this was a slow day at the park, the lack of customers during the lunch rush should have been a big warning for us.
New Orleans Cafe: This was the choice when we decided that Blue Bayou is not a smart choice any longer. We wanted Monte Cristo's and to have a nice meal. This place got mixed results. The food was indeed good, and hot, but the service was terrible and the prices are starting to rival Blue Bayou! We had 7 people and the bill came to $210. Easy math here, $30 per person for lunch. I do recommend this place, but be preparred.
Also, I should note, we are not "Value Shoppers". We believe in paying for a Disney experience, but it has to be offset with a premium product. See below about how to do meals right!
THE GOOD: Haunted Mansion Overlay, Crowds, Big Thunder BBQ
THE BAD: Hungry Bear, Prices
THE UGLY: Some very inappropriate costumes made it in the parks, not sure how Trashy "Queen of Hearts" and the ultra low-cut witch costumes made it past the turnstyles, but come on, it's Disneyland, not the Bunny Ranch.
NON-DISNEY
FOOD: On this trip, we thought it would be cool to try a couple of SoCal places that have been featured on the Food Network's show "Diners, Drive-in, and Dives" (DDD)
The first one was a place in Ocean Beach (San Diego) called HoDad's. Go find the episode on YouTube if you want to take a look. We ALL agreed it was one of the best burgers any of us had ever had. The food, sides, and milk shakes were beyond heaven. This will become a regular stop in San Diego from now on.
Second Trip was to "Schooner or Later" in Long beach that sits litterally on the boat dock. Their specialty was breakfast food. Again, heaven. Very fresh, Very large portions, Very California. I had "The Mess" and it was great. Youngest son had the "Cinnamon Roll French Toast". Wife had the ABC Omlet (Turkey & Avocado & Cheddar), Oldest son had a breakfast burrito. VERY reasonable prices. We will be back.
In-N-Out, Anaheim: Simply the best fast-food burger on the planet.
Outback, Anaheim: They are the same every where, but this was a good meal.
OTHER:
Accomodations: We have a time-share in Anaheim, Dolphin's Cove, so can't help you with the Hotel reviews this time.
Car Rental: Thanks to this forum, we saved a ton of money and rented through CostcoTravel.com. If you are a member, do yourself a favor and go there first for rental cars.
Air Travel: We flew American Airlines into to John Wayne (SNA) Although we had to connect through Dallas, and that doubled our travel time, pretty decent experience. SNA is a delight to get to the parks.
My kids love Flo's ~ we ate there three times! 2 meals there our last day *Thu 10/25 
