Araminta18
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2016
How Many Rides Can We Do Before Lunch?
Monday, September 13, 2021 (part 2)
Monday, September 13, 2021 (part 2)
We finished breakfast at about 9:35 or so; they still hadn't called our boarding group (late open for Rise, I guess), so we decided to stay in Fantasyland and ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride! it was starting to get a bit crowded, but not too bad yet. Over at Mr Toad's, the posted wait was 20 minutes, but the line didn't look too bad, so we hopped in. We ended up waiting 12 minutes, per my Touring Plans Lines App timer. I used the time to take pictures of all the fun things in the queue, even in the outdoor part.
I really like Mr. Toad's, though I'm sure most of that is nostalgia. It's such a weird little ride! And so short! Still, fun though.
We were off by 9:55am, and with still no call for our boarding group at Rise, we were just hitting nearby rides with short waits. Next up, the tea cups! It was a walk on, mostly 'cause we timed it right to get in line right as they were loading the next cycle. Sweeeeeeeeeeet. I really like how Disneyland's is open and outside -- it just feels a bit more...wild and Wonderland-y being nestled outdoors like it is. I got dizzy though -- I'm getting old! Trevor had fun taking a video of us on it: Tea Cups ride video
Fantasyland was getting pretty crowded at that point, so we moved towards a less-crowded area, which happened to be towards Small World. Once there, Small World was only posting a 5 minute wait, and the line was basically non-existent, so we hopped on. I got given the magic red card!
Normally Small World is not super high on our list to ride back at DisneyWorld, but Disneyland has fun Disney characters throughout the ride, and a way better facade/entrance. We loved the topiaries.
We waited 3 minutes, and got the second row. Trevor took a video of the beginning of the ride: Small World beginning
It was super cute! And fun to ride with the goal of looking for the Disney characters (that we don't have at DisneyWorld). I took a bunch of pictures but I'm only including a couple -- Alice on the chess board and then the Three Caballeros! It was like we were on Grand Fiesta Tour in Epcot.
Also they have such a fun, analog exit with the postcards!
While we were on Small World, they finally opened Rise and called our boarding group! So off we headed to Galaxy's Edge.
As we got off though, we saw Pinocchio and Geppetto coming out to do a meet and greet. I do think that's super neat about Disneyland - the characters are just right there and you can interact with them. Pinocchio and I were asking Gepetto to buy us candy and popcorn but he said no. Pinocchio was easily distracted though and pretended he was an airplane, zooming around with his arms out as wings. It was super cute.
It was a bit weird to get to Galaxy's Edge via Frontierland, since obviously at DisneyWorld Galaxy's Edge is not in Magic Kingdom and you get to it via Grand Avenue or Toy Story Land. But once inside it was very familiar, and off we headed to ride Rise. We went in through the regular queue and I started to take a video of all the neat things in the queue, and then I just....kept filming. So enjoy this queue walkthrough and ride POV video: Rise of the Resistance POV
Rise did not disappoint, as always. Such a neat ride! I was slightly disappointed to get the track that sends you to the side of the AT-ATs, and not in front of them -- I feel like that's usually what we got at DisneyWorld and while it's neat, the front view of the AT-AT is better in my opinion (though that may just be because it's less familiar ).
We were off Rise at 11 am, and we were a bit hungry, so we headed over to the newly re-opened Kat Saka's kettle for popcorn!
The flavor was a slightly odd banana chocolate. Odd, but good.
After the popcorn we were wandering through Galaxy's Edge and found Rey!
But we had rides to ride so shortly after we left Galaxy's Edge. We went by the Haunted Mansion and saw Jack and Sally out on the balcony of the mansion!
How fun! I love it.
We wanted to ride Splash Mountain but the line was super long. But then I remembered single rider was a thing, and it was open! So we did single rider and waited no more than 5 minutes or so.
We were split up but we were ok with that in exchange for not waiting in the crazy long line.
Trevor's in the back row of his log, covered by people's raised arms -- he missed the memo on posing, obviously!
We didn't notice a whole lot of differences between DisneyWorld's version and DisneyLand's version, though I'm sure there were some! It did seem to be a bit run-down? Like some things seemed to not be working, but *shrugs* Still fun. Trevor took a POV video of his ride: Splash Mountain POV
It was almost exactly noon when we got off the ride -- just in time for us (and yes, our friends back home) to try and get us a Web Slingers boarding pass. Luck was with us again! We got a boarding group that was about 4 or 5 hours out (estimated). No problem with us -- we were just excited to get it! I cannot emphasize that tip enough -- if you have a couple friends you trust who are willing to take a minute or so to try and get you a boarding group, it really really helps. So excited!
With the excitement of a Web Slingers boarding group in our steps, we headed over to the Blue Bayou for our lunch reservation. Our reservation was at 12:20, but I figured if we checked in early we could ask for a water-side table and have a slightly better chance of getting it. But before we got there, look who we saw!
Jack! He really gets around -- Haunted Mansion to right by Blue Bayou...
Anyways. We checked in at the Blue Bayou and they said they couldn't guarantee a water-side table but they'd do their best and they'd text us when our table was ready. So we passed the time browsing in the gift shop there. They had this awesome pillow shaped like Madame Leota's tombstone. Awesome.
Within about 5 minutes, we got the notification that our table was ready! So we made our way back over and were led to a table right on the water! YAY! This lovely view:
We hadn't yet ridden Pirates, so we had fun watching the boats go by and looking at and enjoying this scene and the ambiance.
Anyways, lunch at the Blue Bayou! We must have come right as a server went on break or something, because the service was very slow. Oh well. It was kind of nice to be sitting in the a/c, so not a huge deal. To start, we ordered drinks. I got the 31 Royal Julep (non-alcholic): a refreshing blend of Watermelon and Citrus, with a bouquet of Mint and Basil
This was good! A bit interesting and definitely a sipping drink, but good. Lots of mint.
Trevor got the Louisiana Lemonade (also non-alcholic): Minute Maid Lemonade, Sprite, Mango, Raspberry
We both liked this one slightly better, but then who doesn't love what is essentially berry lemonade?
Now for entrees. I (of course) had to get the quintessential Monte Cristo (Turkey, Ham, and Swiss, served with Crème Anglaise, Seasonal Preserve and Seasonal Fruit):
So, I really wanted to like this. But it was just too sweet. There wasn't enough savory to balance it out. That white thing on the bottom is the melted cheese. When I got a bite with just a little sweetness and enough savoury to balance it out, it was really good, but on balance it was just too sweet. And that's saying something for me with my epic sweet tooth! But like, both those side sauces were sweet -- one of them should have been savory. Oh well. That salad at the top of the plate/board though -- that was delicious. I don't know what it was, or what that dressing was, but it was definitely the standout of the dish. I loved it. And I did happen to overhear the gal at the next table who also got the Monte Cristo -- she agreed that the sandwich wasn't great but that the salad was delicious.
Trevor got the surf and turf: Petite Filet and Cold Water Lobster Tail with Country Mashed Potatoes, Wilted Greens, and Charred Onion-Bourbon Demi
Can you find the hidden mickey? This was really good. Trevor rarely gets seafood at home so he usually orders seafood when we eat out but he was in the mood for a steak so the surf and turf worked out. He said they were both good but he liked the steak slightly better.
And there's my picture limit! We'll end here with us eating happily away at the Blue Bayou, even if my Monte Cristo was a bit too sweet for me. Next post -- where do we go? I'll give you a hint, despite the large lunch it does involve more treats!