Disneyland Ending
My final Disneyland installation. *sob*
Part I
Part II
Part III
Monday, May 7, 2007
Last Day at the Parks & Libby Lu
Monday was to be our final day at the parks. We got there for early entry and rode many rides in Fantasyland. Finally, we got the whole early entry thing down right! Yay! I totally felt the difference in wait times and the number of things accomplished and understand what all the hype is about getting to the parks early. And the fun thing is that we didn’t really have to hurry through anything. First, the kids wanted to do the teacups again. Second, we did Snow White but the ride broke down in the scary forest toward the end. This was the only breakdown we experienced our entire trip. Then we went on Alice in Wonderland. Kurt and Orion went on the Storybook Land Canal Boats ride while I took Gia to the bathroom.
It was time for Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness so we went and did that. The show was short but cute. We had a hard time seeing everything since there was a fairly large crowd there. After, Kurt and the kids went and rode Gadget’s Go Coaster and went to Chip ‘n Dale’s Treehouse. They also went on Donald’s Boat. I wanted to do Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin but the kids chickened out for some reason. They thought it might be one of those “dark rides.” LOL! We then went over to Space Mountain again as Kurt wanted to try it out. The kids and I sat in the entrance area to cool off while he rode.
Everyone was hungry so we tried to go to the Carnation Café again for breakfast but it was packed. We stepped over to the Blue Ribbon Bakery instead. I got a cinnamon roll for Kurt, a chocolate croissant for myself, and 2 rice krispie Mickey treats for the kids. It was good but only enough to tide us over for a little while. I felt a little crazed when the register rang up over $30 for 3 drinks and 4 snack items. Eek! I’d definitely rather have a sit down eat for a few more dollars but we enjoyed our breakfast/treats nonetheless.
Kurt decided he wanted to do Pirates of the Caribbean again so I went shopping at Le Baton Rouge and a few other shops while he rode again. It was extremely hot outside and we were feeling miserable so we decided to go back to the hotel for a swim. On the way out, we grabbed some ice cream from Gibson Girl. After a few hours at the pool, we went into Downtown Disneyland again for a late lunch. We finally got to try the Rainforest Café. It was pretty cool. Kurt got a huge plate with a steak, ribs and shrimp kabobs and I ordered a burger. I think Gia had the chicken strips and Orion ordered mini hot dogs. The food was good and I loved the rainforest theme.
As promised, we then took Gia to Libby Lu for a makeover. Why didn’t we do this earlier in the trip??!! She was in heaven! She got the Rockstar Princess hairdo with the headset, painted nails and makeup. It was well worth the $26 to see her so happy. She strutted her stuff the rest of the day and loved the attention she got from people. We did a little more shopping in Downtown Disneyland and then headed into California Adventure.
We had to stop at the toy store and I bought Orion one of those fat, funny little plush beanie type Plutos. He had been begging for one since day one. I also got a skull and filled it with all the fun eyeballs and worms.
We then went to the Animation building to check out the Animation Academy. We learned to draw Jack Skellington. Orion kept wanting to start over because he said he messed up but I made him stick with what he started. This event was pretty cool and I will definitely do this again if we get back to Disneyland.
Afterward, we went back to Disneyland and rode some final rides—the carrousel again and Casey Jr. Circus Train. We wandered around and took some miscellaneous photos around the park. Finally, it was time to call it a night. I wanted to avoid the parade crowd so we stopped at the Tiki Bar for the highly rated Dole Whip. I waited in line for about 20 minutes and then gave up when I had not moved an inch. *sigh* I’m not sure what was going on at the counter. It was a shame because I really wanted to try one but this just gives me a reason to come back to Disneyland later. Hehee. We headed out and said our goodbyes to the happiest place on earth. *sigh*
We ate dinner back at the hotel and Gia fell asleep on the table before the food arrived 10 minutes later. It had been a long, hot day and we were all exhausted. We went back to our room to pack.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Goodbye Disneyland
The next morning, we finished packing everything up and did the express check-out. I advised the kids to give their balloons to some other kids that were at Disneyland because we couldn’t take them on the airplane. We went to the lobby and gave them away and then I stopped at the gift shop for some last minute gifts we had forgotten. We bid the hotel goodbye and drove ourselves to the Block at Orange to find an extra bag for all of the toys Kurt had won from the claw machine in the arcade. LOL! I bought some tops from Hollister, a Dickie’s bag, and some stuff from Victoria’s Secret. Kurt was in search for new shoes but didn’t find any. It was another scalding hot day so we hightailed it out of there and got to the airport at about 3:00 pm.
Our flight left at 6:40 to Seattle. We were sad to leave California but happy to be going home to milder weather. Kurt managed to miss the flight from Seattle to Fairbanks… long story. It was partly my fault because I handed him the wrong boarding pass and he couldn’t get back through security without going back to the ticketing counter. It was partly his fault for thinking he had lots of time so he was just casually strolling about. He missed the flight by four minutes. The sad thing is that the plane was grounded for an extra 40—45 minutes due to some confusion with the luggage loading but the doors were shut. The Alaska Airlines folks were their typical helpful selves and he ended up catching a flight to Anchorage a few minutes later. However, he had to layover in Anchorage for six hours before he could get a flight home. I picked him up from the airport at 8:00 am. He was a little miffed at me… muttering something about me trying to lose him…. heehee. All’s well that ends well.
Tidbits/Observations
A few other comments about our wonderful Disneyland vacation (I seriously can’t wait to go back):
We never got dreamed or saw any dream squads for the YOAMD promotion— phooey! I was really hoping we’d win something.
We also had a bit of a time finding PhotoPass photographers. I stopped photographers only twice and got 5 or 6 pictures on my PhotoPass card. However, there were a few times I bypassed the PhotoPass photographers because we were in a hurry or whatever but it seemed there really weren’t very many other than at the entrances to the park, mainly. We took a lot of pictures with our own camera, though… I think about 500 and would have taken more but I was so excited about everything I would forget sometimes. Next time, I will make a better effort at doing the PhotoPass photos!
Character meals. Loved them and an easy way to see characters. We did the PPH Lilo & Stitch and next time we will order off of the menu rather than do the buffet for the kids because they hardly ate their $12 worth. We also did Ariel’s Grotto and I thought it was fantastic. I would like to try Goofy’s Kitchen and Minnie’s at the Plaza Inn next time. At Lilo & Stitch, we didn’t get to see ALL the characters that were there but I felt meeting three was nice. I didn’t stress that some of them didn’t make it to our table because honestly, the ones that didn’t come, appeared to be on their way out the door within a few minutes. It was plenty of excitement.
Stroller was a godsend. We purchased the Sit ‘n Stand to bring with us and the 5 year old used it often. Even my 8 year old had a few moments in it but I made him get out a few times because it was harder to push with his 60+ lbs. in the front. LOL! Staying at the PPH, we used it all the way to the parks. I couldn’t imagine carrying a 23 lb. one year old walking to the parks and then renting a stroller there. It’s just too far for that. If a big stroller is not an option, at least bring your own umbrella stroller to get you to Disneyland where you can rent one. Back to the Sit ‘n Stand… I am not a stroller person and after 3 kids, have never owned more than an umbrella stroller which has been used maybe five or six times TOTAL. This stroller was great! I can’t remember the ratings (40 lbs in the front?) but I know that my 5 and 8 year old were actually too heavy (individually) for the ratings but I had absolutely no issues with them riding in it. I’m not sure I’d recommend it for folks wanting to use it with say a 3 year old and 5 year old combination but if you have a small toddler (say 1-2) and a 3-6 year old, I give it a thumbs up. Not sure about small infants still needing the infant carrier/car seat option as we just used it as is since my one year old can’t fit in an infant carrier anymore. It held up quite well and we beat it down pretty good. It was super easy to operate which is essential since I’m not mechanically inclined. LOL! The folding was easy to learn… all you have to do is make sure the canopy is down and that the front wheels are straight forward and it goes right down. It’s super durable and I liked the little drink holders by the handle. They came in handy. I really thought by the end of the trip that we’d have a broke down stroller but nope… it’s still good to go and I’m keeping it for the next trip. With it’s ease and durability, it was a steal for $119… plus I never had to wait in any stroller lines. I only had one stroller catastrophe and I apologize to the poor man I hit in the legs. LOL! I was leaving during closing I believe and it was crowded. Gia dropped something and as I was pushing the stroller at a fast pace, I bent down to grab it still walking and the poor guy walked in front of me to cross over and I smacked him good while I was looking down. He was in a hurry apparently and only shot me a little look as he kept going so I didn’t get the chance to apologize. So sorry if you are reading… my bad. Other than that, smooth sailing. It was easy to steer and I tied a bright pink scarf thing on it to make it stand out. This helped finding it much more than I ever thought it would. Glad I used that tip.
Footwear– Crocs! After reading so many positive reviews on these shoes, I took the plunge and bought everyone a pair except the baby who doesn’t walk. Hehehe… I would have gotten her a pair, too but they don’t seem to make them that small. My first order through Crocs.com, I had purchased the kids the Disney Cayman ones and got the Endeavor for Kurt and regular Cayman’s for me. They all seemed to be too large and even though I’d read that they were supposed to be big, the adult sizes mainly seemed to be way too big (falling off big). I returned the entire order and ordered a size down for the kids (same style) and then ordered a size down on the Disney Caymans for myself (I couldn’t help it, they were too cute in person) and a size down for Kurt—the Professionals Crocs this time. It was only a few weeks before we were to leave for our trip and the order time is 10 days shipping to Alaska. Unfortunately, when I got the box, it only had my pair and Orion’s pair in it. They were out of stock on the others. I was a little peeved that they didn’t notify me when they filled the order so that I could have time to research other options but what can you do? They did send an apology note and some kind of discount on shipping on the next order in the box. Grrr! Luckily, I found the Disney Cayman’s locally at a Cold Spot Feed store. Strange to be shopping for shoes at the pet store but I needed me some Disney shoes! I ended up getting Gia the same size I originally ordered and for some reason, they fit just fine. Maybe her feet grew in 2 weeks? LOL… or maybe I had just gotten used to the way they look bigger. I got Kurt some black Disney Caymans… it was the only decent color (i.e. black) Crocs they had in his size. I had an inkling that he would refuse to wear them because of the cute Mickey heads. I was right. He wore them at home for a few days and declared they just didn’t look right on him. LOL! I brought them to Disneyland with us just in case he changed his mind but he never did. The kids broke their Crocs in at home the week or two before we left. They love them and still are wearing them. I didn’t break mine in and also did not wear socks with them for the first 4 days at the parks. My feet loved them inasmuch that my feet never got tired or sore but I did get some hot spots on top of my feet where the straps join the shoe. I was wearing them barefoot as clogs. On day 4, I also got a nicely sized blister. Nothing a few band-aids couldn’t fix but I will definitely recommend socks to wear with these if you are doing a lot of walking like at Disneyland. I am certain that’s where I went wrong. I wore socks the rest of the trip and no further blisters or hot spots. On another note, I got a ton of comments on my shoes! I think it was because they were the pearl colored Disney ones which apparently they don’t sell in the parks. A lot of people asked me where I got mine from and I had to respond “online.” I think they only sell the black, red and yellow adult Disney Crocs in Disneyland… as far as the ones I saw, anyway.
The parks were beautifully maintained. I think it’s awesome how everything is pristine. At one point, in downtown Disneyland, there were some napkins laying on the walkway and I told the kids to pick them up and throw them away. They did so happily and it wasn’t even “THEIR” mess! Amazing! Typically, I can’t get them to wipe their own behinds without them blaming “the mess” on one another. LOL! One of the CM’s gave them some stickers for their do-gooder attitudes.
Food! By far I have to say Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (DTD) and Blue Bayou (NOS) were my favorites! I loved the food; I loved the atmosphere; I loved the experience. Honorary mentions go out to the Carnation Café (Main St.), Rainforest Café (DTD) and PCH Grill (PP Hotel). All of the sit-down restaurants we went to had great service! I was impressed. My mouth is watering thinking about all of the great food. After reading reviews, I was certain we’d starve in Disneyland because it seemed like there were a lot of negative food reviews. I am glad that we got to experience great dining. True, the options are somewhat limited (especially if you are only wanting to eat IN the parks rather than venturing out to DTD and nearby restaurants) but I had no problem finding good stuff to eat in the 8 days we spent there.
Fastpass is such a cool option. We only actually used it once (on Soarin’) but now that I know my way around Disneyland a bit better and have a better feel for the flow, I will surely be doing this next time a bit more to make sure I get to ride all the good stuff with little wait.
Final Thoughts
Now that we are home, we can’t wait to go back. I have so many things I never got a chance to do. I want to ride the Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. I want to catch Fantasmic! and try the fireworks show again. I want to try that big ol’ Screamin’ roller coaster and the Grizzly River Run! Also, all of the rides coming out soon and the shows I missed! I am hoping that we can go back in about 18 months. Maybe try November’s weather and next time, I might bring an extra adult like grandma so Kurt and I can also go on some rides together. That’s another thing that surprised me… he actually really enjoyed Disneyland and didn’t want to leave California! We joked around about moving there a lot. He’d like to come sans kids but I just couldn’t imagine not having them there, too. As much as they slowed things down, the little moments of happiness made up for it. Seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter far outweighed the cranky moments. Our five days in the parks were enjoyed at a slower pace and I would definitely spend even more time there if I could.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Monday, May 7, 2007
Last Day at the Parks & Libby Lu
Monday was to be our final day at the parks. We got there for early entry and rode many rides in Fantasyland. Finally, we got the whole early entry thing down right! Yay! I totally felt the difference in wait times and the number of things accomplished and understand what all the hype is about getting to the parks early. And the fun thing is that we didn’t really have to hurry through anything. First, the kids wanted to do the teacups again. Second, we did Snow White but the ride broke down in the scary forest toward the end. This was the only breakdown we experienced our entire trip. Then we went on Alice in Wonderland. Kurt and Orion went on the Storybook Land Canal Boats ride while I took Gia to the bathroom.
It was time for Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness so we went and did that. The show was short but cute. We had a hard time seeing everything since there was a fairly large crowd there. After, Kurt and the kids went and rode Gadget’s Go Coaster and went to Chip ‘n Dale’s Treehouse. They also went on Donald’s Boat. I wanted to do Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin but the kids chickened out for some reason. They thought it might be one of those “dark rides.” LOL! We then went over to Space Mountain again as Kurt wanted to try it out. The kids and I sat in the entrance area to cool off while he rode.
Everyone was hungry so we tried to go to the Carnation Café again for breakfast but it was packed. We stepped over to the Blue Ribbon Bakery instead. I got a cinnamon roll for Kurt, a chocolate croissant for myself, and 2 rice krispie Mickey treats for the kids. It was good but only enough to tide us over for a little while. I felt a little crazed when the register rang up over $30 for 3 drinks and 4 snack items. Eek! I’d definitely rather have a sit down eat for a few more dollars but we enjoyed our breakfast/treats nonetheless.
Kurt decided he wanted to do Pirates of the Caribbean again so I went shopping at Le Baton Rouge and a few other shops while he rode again. It was extremely hot outside and we were feeling miserable so we decided to go back to the hotel for a swim. On the way out, we grabbed some ice cream from Gibson Girl. After a few hours at the pool, we went into Downtown Disneyland again for a late lunch. We finally got to try the Rainforest Café. It was pretty cool. Kurt got a huge plate with a steak, ribs and shrimp kabobs and I ordered a burger. I think Gia had the chicken strips and Orion ordered mini hot dogs. The food was good and I loved the rainforest theme.
As promised, we then took Gia to Libby Lu for a makeover. Why didn’t we do this earlier in the trip??!! She was in heaven! She got the Rockstar Princess hairdo with the headset, painted nails and makeup. It was well worth the $26 to see her so happy. She strutted her stuff the rest of the day and loved the attention she got from people. We did a little more shopping in Downtown Disneyland and then headed into California Adventure.
We had to stop at the toy store and I bought Orion one of those fat, funny little plush beanie type Plutos. He had been begging for one since day one. I also got a skull and filled it with all the fun eyeballs and worms.
We then went to the Animation building to check out the Animation Academy. We learned to draw Jack Skellington. Orion kept wanting to start over because he said he messed up but I made him stick with what he started. This event was pretty cool and I will definitely do this again if we get back to Disneyland.
Afterward, we went back to Disneyland and rode some final rides—the carrousel again and Casey Jr. Circus Train. We wandered around and took some miscellaneous photos around the park. Finally, it was time to call it a night. I wanted to avoid the parade crowd so we stopped at the Tiki Bar for the highly rated Dole Whip. I waited in line for about 20 minutes and then gave up when I had not moved an inch. *sigh* I’m not sure what was going on at the counter. It was a shame because I really wanted to try one but this just gives me a reason to come back to Disneyland later. Hehee. We headed out and said our goodbyes to the happiest place on earth. *sigh*
We ate dinner back at the hotel and Gia fell asleep on the table before the food arrived 10 minutes later. It had been a long, hot day and we were all exhausted. We went back to our room to pack.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Goodbye Disneyland
The next morning, we finished packing everything up and did the express check-out. I advised the kids to give their balloons to some other kids that were at Disneyland because we couldn’t take them on the airplane. We went to the lobby and gave them away and then I stopped at the gift shop for some last minute gifts we had forgotten. We bid the hotel goodbye and drove ourselves to the Block at Orange to find an extra bag for all of the toys Kurt had won from the claw machine in the arcade. LOL! I bought some tops from Hollister, a Dickie’s bag, and some stuff from Victoria’s Secret. Kurt was in search for new shoes but didn’t find any. It was another scalding hot day so we hightailed it out of there and got to the airport at about 3:00 pm.
Our flight left at 6:40 to Seattle. We were sad to leave California but happy to be going home to milder weather. Kurt managed to miss the flight from Seattle to Fairbanks… long story. It was partly my fault because I handed him the wrong boarding pass and he couldn’t get back through security without going back to the ticketing counter. It was partly his fault for thinking he had lots of time so he was just casually strolling about. He missed the flight by four minutes. The sad thing is that the plane was grounded for an extra 40—45 minutes due to some confusion with the luggage loading but the doors were shut. The Alaska Airlines folks were their typical helpful selves and he ended up catching a flight to Anchorage a few minutes later. However, he had to layover in Anchorage for six hours before he could get a flight home. I picked him up from the airport at 8:00 am. He was a little miffed at me… muttering something about me trying to lose him…. heehee. All’s well that ends well.
Tidbits/Observations
A few other comments about our wonderful Disneyland vacation (I seriously can’t wait to go back):
We never got dreamed or saw any dream squads for the YOAMD promotion— phooey! I was really hoping we’d win something.
We also had a bit of a time finding PhotoPass photographers. I stopped photographers only twice and got 5 or 6 pictures on my PhotoPass card. However, there were a few times I bypassed the PhotoPass photographers because we were in a hurry or whatever but it seemed there really weren’t very many other than at the entrances to the park, mainly. We took a lot of pictures with our own camera, though… I think about 500 and would have taken more but I was so excited about everything I would forget sometimes. Next time, I will make a better effort at doing the PhotoPass photos!
Character meals. Loved them and an easy way to see characters. We did the PPH Lilo & Stitch and next time we will order off of the menu rather than do the buffet for the kids because they hardly ate their $12 worth. We also did Ariel’s Grotto and I thought it was fantastic. I would like to try Goofy’s Kitchen and Minnie’s at the Plaza Inn next time. At Lilo & Stitch, we didn’t get to see ALL the characters that were there but I felt meeting three was nice. I didn’t stress that some of them didn’t make it to our table because honestly, the ones that didn’t come, appeared to be on their way out the door within a few minutes. It was plenty of excitement.
Stroller was a godsend. We purchased the Sit ‘n Stand to bring with us and the 5 year old used it often. Even my 8 year old had a few moments in it but I made him get out a few times because it was harder to push with his 60+ lbs. in the front. LOL! Staying at the PPH, we used it all the way to the parks. I couldn’t imagine carrying a 23 lb. one year old walking to the parks and then renting a stroller there. It’s just too far for that. If a big stroller is not an option, at least bring your own umbrella stroller to get you to Disneyland where you can rent one. Back to the Sit ‘n Stand… I am not a stroller person and after 3 kids, have never owned more than an umbrella stroller which has been used maybe five or six times TOTAL. This stroller was great! I can’t remember the ratings (40 lbs in the front?) but I know that my 5 and 8 year old were actually too heavy (individually) for the ratings but I had absolutely no issues with them riding in it. I’m not sure I’d recommend it for folks wanting to use it with say a 3 year old and 5 year old combination but if you have a small toddler (say 1-2) and a 3-6 year old, I give it a thumbs up. Not sure about small infants still needing the infant carrier/car seat option as we just used it as is since my one year old can’t fit in an infant carrier anymore. It held up quite well and we beat it down pretty good. It was super easy to operate which is essential since I’m not mechanically inclined. LOL! The folding was easy to learn… all you have to do is make sure the canopy is down and that the front wheels are straight forward and it goes right down. It’s super durable and I liked the little drink holders by the handle. They came in handy. I really thought by the end of the trip that we’d have a broke down stroller but nope… it’s still good to go and I’m keeping it for the next trip. With it’s ease and durability, it was a steal for $119… plus I never had to wait in any stroller lines. I only had one stroller catastrophe and I apologize to the poor man I hit in the legs. LOL! I was leaving during closing I believe and it was crowded. Gia dropped something and as I was pushing the stroller at a fast pace, I bent down to grab it still walking and the poor guy walked in front of me to cross over and I smacked him good while I was looking down. He was in a hurry apparently and only shot me a little look as he kept going so I didn’t get the chance to apologize. So sorry if you are reading… my bad. Other than that, smooth sailing. It was easy to steer and I tied a bright pink scarf thing on it to make it stand out. This helped finding it much more than I ever thought it would. Glad I used that tip.
Footwear– Crocs! After reading so many positive reviews on these shoes, I took the plunge and bought everyone a pair except the baby who doesn’t walk. Hehehe… I would have gotten her a pair, too but they don’t seem to make them that small. My first order through Crocs.com, I had purchased the kids the Disney Cayman ones and got the Endeavor for Kurt and regular Cayman’s for me. They all seemed to be too large and even though I’d read that they were supposed to be big, the adult sizes mainly seemed to be way too big (falling off big). I returned the entire order and ordered a size down for the kids (same style) and then ordered a size down on the Disney Caymans for myself (I couldn’t help it, they were too cute in person) and a size down for Kurt—the Professionals Crocs this time. It was only a few weeks before we were to leave for our trip and the order time is 10 days shipping to Alaska. Unfortunately, when I got the box, it only had my pair and Orion’s pair in it. They were out of stock on the others. I was a little peeved that they didn’t notify me when they filled the order so that I could have time to research other options but what can you do? They did send an apology note and some kind of discount on shipping on the next order in the box. Grrr! Luckily, I found the Disney Cayman’s locally at a Cold Spot Feed store. Strange to be shopping for shoes at the pet store but I needed me some Disney shoes! I ended up getting Gia the same size I originally ordered and for some reason, they fit just fine. Maybe her feet grew in 2 weeks? LOL… or maybe I had just gotten used to the way they look bigger. I got Kurt some black Disney Caymans… it was the only decent color (i.e. black) Crocs they had in his size. I had an inkling that he would refuse to wear them because of the cute Mickey heads. I was right. He wore them at home for a few days and declared they just didn’t look right on him. LOL! I brought them to Disneyland with us just in case he changed his mind but he never did. The kids broke their Crocs in at home the week or two before we left. They love them and still are wearing them. I didn’t break mine in and also did not wear socks with them for the first 4 days at the parks. My feet loved them inasmuch that my feet never got tired or sore but I did get some hot spots on top of my feet where the straps join the shoe. I was wearing them barefoot as clogs. On day 4, I also got a nicely sized blister. Nothing a few band-aids couldn’t fix but I will definitely recommend socks to wear with these if you are doing a lot of walking like at Disneyland. I am certain that’s where I went wrong. I wore socks the rest of the trip and no further blisters or hot spots. On another note, I got a ton of comments on my shoes! I think it was because they were the pearl colored Disney ones which apparently they don’t sell in the parks. A lot of people asked me where I got mine from and I had to respond “online.” I think they only sell the black, red and yellow adult Disney Crocs in Disneyland… as far as the ones I saw, anyway.
The parks were beautifully maintained. I think it’s awesome how everything is pristine. At one point, in downtown Disneyland, there were some napkins laying on the walkway and I told the kids to pick them up and throw them away. They did so happily and it wasn’t even “THEIR” mess! Amazing! Typically, I can’t get them to wipe their own behinds without them blaming “the mess” on one another. LOL! One of the CM’s gave them some stickers for their do-gooder attitudes.
Food! By far I have to say Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (DTD) and Blue Bayou (NOS) were my favorites! I loved the food; I loved the atmosphere; I loved the experience. Honorary mentions go out to the Carnation Café (Main St.), Rainforest Café (DTD) and PCH Grill (PP Hotel). All of the sit-down restaurants we went to had great service! I was impressed. My mouth is watering thinking about all of the great food. After reading reviews, I was certain we’d starve in Disneyland because it seemed like there were a lot of negative food reviews. I am glad that we got to experience great dining. True, the options are somewhat limited (especially if you are only wanting to eat IN the parks rather than venturing out to DTD and nearby restaurants) but I had no problem finding good stuff to eat in the 8 days we spent there.
Fastpass is such a cool option. We only actually used it once (on Soarin’) but now that I know my way around Disneyland a bit better and have a better feel for the flow, I will surely be doing this next time a bit more to make sure I get to ride all the good stuff with little wait.
Final Thoughts
Now that we are home, we can’t wait to go back. I have so many things I never got a chance to do. I want to ride the Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. I want to catch Fantasmic! and try the fireworks show again. I want to try that big ol’ Screamin’ roller coaster and the Grizzly River Run! Also, all of the rides coming out soon and the shows I missed! I am hoping that we can go back in about 18 months. Maybe try November’s weather and next time, I might bring an extra adult like grandma so Kurt and I can also go on some rides together. That’s another thing that surprised me… he actually really enjoyed Disneyland and didn’t want to leave California! We joked around about moving there a lot. He’d like to come sans kids but I just couldn’t imagine not having them there, too. As much as they slowed things down, the little moments of happiness made up for it. Seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter far outweighed the cranky moments. Our five days in the parks were enjoyed at a slower pace and I would definitely spend even more time there if I could.
1 Comments:
Great review of the trip and good tips as well! My kids would really love to go again, but it's DH's idea of h***.....LOL!
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