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First Disneyland Visit Trip Report! (7/21/13 - 7/27/13)
- Thread starter TuffyCatt
- Start date
There's a "Grand Floridian" in your last post, @TuffyCatt .
Ack! Old habits die hard!
And I've never even stayed at the Grand Floridian!Thanks for the catch!
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Great updates, looking forward to more!
I love the swings, by the way!
I love the swings, by the way!
Rufus T Firefly
Well-Known Member
Splendid trip report Ms. Catt.
Thanks again for all the kind comments, everyone! On we go!
Day 4, Part 7!
Dad and I headed back to our room at the Grand Californian and found Mom there. She had enjoyed a relaxing afternoon, getting a light lunch at Whitewater Snacks and enjoying the beautiful weather poolside. Although there’s no specific dress code for Napa Rose, we wanted to look a little nicer than theme park casual, so we spent some time getting cleaned up and ready. Mom and I both had brought summery dresses and dad had a collared shirt and dress pants. We were glad we took the time to change – it made the dinner even more special and most of the other guests at the restaurant had dressed up a little bit too.
Our dinner reservations were for 7 pm, and we just had a short walk downstairs. The entrance for Napa Rose is right next to Story Tellers and the hotel entrance into California Adventure. I wasn’t quite as hungry as I would have liked after our good lunch (and pie!) at Flo’s that afternoon, but definitely had room to enjoy a special dinner.
We were seated right away and had a little time to take in the restaurant’s beautiful surroundings.
Mom perusing the menu by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Big window looking out into California Adventure by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Some of Napa Rose's decor by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Pretty table roses by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Our server was very enthusiastic and started going over some of the highlights of the menu. It seems like they have a very seasonal menu which changes constantly. We are very much food enthusiasts in my family, but we are far from foodies. I found the menu just slightly overwhelming – a lot of enticing choices with ingredients I’d never heard of before. However, our server did an amazing job of making everything accessible and answering any questions we had about the menu. It was overall really exciting to have such an amazing menu of different things to choose from.
Dad and I started out with wine – we were at Napa Rose afterall! As you would expect, they have a HUGE wine list. Dad took the method of choosing the least expensive red, which I believe was also one from CA, so that worked perfectly for him. I knew I was going to be having beef as my main entrée, so instead of trying to pick from the hundreds of options, asked the server if he could help me narrow it down. He suggested a couple different reds, and I think I picked one of the Cabernet Sauvignons (I wish I could remember for sure, but whatever I got, it was wonderful). We were able to take a taste of our wine first before committing, and we were both very happy with our choices!
Edit: My mom is amazing and had saved our receipts, so I could see the wine we got. Dad got an Uppercut Cabernet Sauvignon and I got an '04 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon. Both California wines - perfect! I'm probably the only one who cares, but I'm happy to have it documented now!
We all started with appetizers. Their list of different starters to choose from is just as extensive and delicious sounding as the list of entrees, so we couldn’t resist. They had a signature “pizzetta” with prosciutto, grapes, and caramelized onions which sounded good, but also had a “wood fired pizzetta of the season” which sounded intriguing. Our server said that that they were currently making a pizzetta with rabbit sausage, arugula, tomatoes, and mushrooms, with a specialty crust. I decided to try it.
The pizzetta was amazing, but I expected something called a pizzetta to be significantly smaller! It could have easily been a full meal. The crust especially was awesome – crispy and perfect. The server said the crust was lightly brushed with duck fat before they baked it, and I can imagine that contributed to its deliciousness. I tried to stop at two pieces, but couldn’t help it and ate a full half of it before getting the rest boxed up for later.
The server also told us about their seasonal soup, which was currently a chilled melon soup. My mom is a fan of chilled soups, so she ordered this.
The soup was served as just the little pearls of melon, and then the chilled broth was poured over top. It was then topped with a small scoop of cucumber sorbet. Mom said it was really good – at first she was a little worried because it had a little spice to it. It wasn’t too spicy though, and the sorbet they topped it with worked well as a palate cleanser.
Dad got the “Smiling Tiger Salad” as his starter. It had tempura fried lobster, spicy beef, Asian greens, with a spicy coconut lime vinaigrette. He seemed to like it. I liked the name of it!
After such an amazing start to our meal, and already feeling rather full, it was time to move on to our entrees! As dinner continued, it was nice to watch the evening descend on DCA through the big window in the dining room.
For her entrée, my mom got the Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Breast. It was served with a fennel-honey puree, pistachios, baby portabellas, and local cherries. She said it was very good.
Dad and I, in predictable fashion, both go the Petit Filet of Angus Beef Tenderloin. It was served with Fiscalini white cheddar risotto (yuummmm) and a smoked bacon and chili fig sauce (mmmmmmm…). It. Was. So. Good. The tenderloin was just perfectly tender and amazing (one of those moments when you take your first bite and realize you’ve rarely, if ever, had anything this good), and the risotto just complimented it perfectly. Even though I ate to the point of being stuffed, it was no problem finishing the whole thing.
My Petite Angus Tenderloin by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dad approves of this meal! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Despite being very, very full, we couldn’t help taking a peek at the dessert menu. And of course, that inevitably led to there being too many delicious things on the dessert menu to pass up. I’m so glad we went for it, though, because I think dessert ended up being my favorite part of this already wonderful meal. Dad and I ordered coffee and we ordered two desserts to split between the three of us.
The desserts we ordered were the Summer Cherry Pecan Upside- Down Cake and the Warm Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake. I seriously want to go back to California right now, just thinking about them.
The cherry pecan cake was served with brown sugar ice cream on top. The pecan cake was warm, sweet, and well, pecan-y, and was amazing with the fresh, tart cherries underneath. Such a delicious summery dessert, combining some of my favorite things. Plus the brown sugar ice cream was the perfect cold compliment to the whole thing. The gold thing on top was a hard sugar candy ribbon. I can’t remember if I tried it or not.
If the cherry pecan cake wasn’t amazing enough, then there was the dark chocolate truffle cake. Sigh. I love chocolate. If there is a chocolate dessert on a menu, I have probably ordered it and loved it. But there is a very real chance that this is the best chocolate dessert I have ever had. It was served with Bailey’s coffee ice cream and toasted orange essence (whatever that is).
The picture looks deceiving. That little cake is a piece of heaven. It was just soft and perfectly rich, and amazing. It’s hard to explain why it was better than any other chocolate cake I’ve ever had ever, but it just was. I can’t really remember the “orange essence” on top, or even the Bailey’s ice cream, since the cake was so spectacular. I do remember the ice cream tasting really good with it though. At one point mom and I had to scold Dad for taking too big a bite of the cake. Back away from the cake! Small bites only! It was serious business.
Anyway, obviously from all my gushing, we really enjoyed our dinner at Napa Rose. You can tell they have serious chefs there who really know what they’re doing. The serving staff seems to really have a passion for what they are serving, and a great amount of knowledge. It is really a meal to be experienced. I got slightly frustrated that the table next to us complained that the dinner service was too slow, because they wanted to get to the park to see the fireworks. They got to the restaurant later than we did, and didn’t seem to have service any slower than we did (which was not slow at all). I guess I just don’t understand why you would invest in such a good (and pricey!) meal without allotting at least two hours to fully enjoy it. It seemed like they were trying to get out of there in under an hour. Oh well.
I think it would be interesting to try the Chef’s Table experience they have there sometime, just to up the experience even more.
We were absolutely stuffed, and I was feeling completely exhausted and a little giddy (which I can’t completely attribute to the wine, since I only had the one glass!). We made our way slowly back up to our room, pretty much ready to call it an evening. Almost as soon as we got up there, we were surprised to see fireworks appearing out of our balcony window! It seemed that our balcony provided a great view of Disneyland’s Magical fireworks! We hadn’t been in our room at this time at all, so we hadn’t realized this. They had a special channel on the in room TV which played the fireworks soundtrack, so we turned this on, left the balcony open, and gathered there to watch. What a cool way to end the day right before heading off to sleep!
Coming up: Day 5 and another early Disneyland morning!
On we go!Day 4, Part 7!
Dad and I headed back to our room at the Grand Californian and found Mom there. She had enjoyed a relaxing afternoon, getting a light lunch at Whitewater Snacks and enjoying the beautiful weather poolside. Although there’s no specific dress code for Napa Rose, we wanted to look a little nicer than theme park casual, so we spent some time getting cleaned up and ready. Mom and I both had brought summery dresses and dad had a collared shirt and dress pants. We were glad we took the time to change – it made the dinner even more special and most of the other guests at the restaurant had dressed up a little bit too.
Our dinner reservations were for 7 pm, and we just had a short walk downstairs. The entrance for Napa Rose is right next to Story Tellers and the hotel entrance into California Adventure. I wasn’t quite as hungry as I would have liked after our good lunch (and pie!) at Flo’s that afternoon, but definitely had room to enjoy a special dinner.
We were seated right away and had a little time to take in the restaurant’s beautiful surroundings.
Mom perusing the menu by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Big window looking out into California Adventure by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Some of Napa Rose's decor by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Pretty table roses by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dad and I started out with wine – we were at Napa Rose afterall! As you would expect, they have a HUGE wine list. Dad took the method of choosing the least expensive red, which I believe was also one from CA, so that worked perfectly for him. I knew I was going to be having beef as my main entrée, so instead of trying to pick from the hundreds of options, asked the server if he could help me narrow it down. He suggested a couple different reds, and I think I picked one of the Cabernet Sauvignons (I wish I could remember for sure, but whatever I got, it was wonderful). We were able to take a taste of our wine first before committing, and we were both very happy with our choices!
Edit: My mom is amazing and had saved our receipts, so I could see the wine we got. Dad got an Uppercut Cabernet Sauvignon and I got an '04 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon. Both California wines - perfect! I'm probably the only one who cares, but I'm happy to have it documented now!
We all started with appetizers. Their list of different starters to choose from is just as extensive and delicious sounding as the list of entrees, so we couldn’t resist. They had a signature “pizzetta” with prosciutto, grapes, and caramelized onions which sounded good, but also had a “wood fired pizzetta of the season” which sounded intriguing. Our server said that that they were currently making a pizzetta with rabbit sausage, arugula, tomatoes, and mushrooms, with a specialty crust. I decided to try it.
The pizzetta was amazing, but I expected something called a pizzetta to be significantly smaller! It could have easily been a full meal. The crust especially was awesome – crispy and perfect. The server said the crust was lightly brushed with duck fat before they baked it, and I can imagine that contributed to its deliciousness. I tried to stop at two pieces, but couldn’t help it and ate a full half of it before getting the rest boxed up for later.
The server also told us about their seasonal soup, which was currently a chilled melon soup. My mom is a fan of chilled soups, so she ordered this.
The soup was served as just the little pearls of melon, and then the chilled broth was poured over top. It was then topped with a small scoop of cucumber sorbet. Mom said it was really good – at first she was a little worried because it had a little spice to it. It wasn’t too spicy though, and the sorbet they topped it with worked well as a palate cleanser.
Dad got the “Smiling Tiger Salad” as his starter. It had tempura fried lobster, spicy beef, Asian greens, with a spicy coconut lime vinaigrette. He seemed to like it. I liked the name of it!
After such an amazing start to our meal, and already feeling rather full, it was time to move on to our entrees! As dinner continued, it was nice to watch the evening descend on DCA through the big window in the dining room.
For her entrée, my mom got the Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Breast. It was served with a fennel-honey puree, pistachios, baby portabellas, and local cherries. She said it was very good.
Dad and I, in predictable fashion, both go the Petit Filet of Angus Beef Tenderloin. It was served with Fiscalini white cheddar risotto (yuummmm) and a smoked bacon and chili fig sauce (mmmmmmm…). It. Was. So. Good. The tenderloin was just perfectly tender and amazing (one of those moments when you take your first bite and realize you’ve rarely, if ever, had anything this good), and the risotto just complimented it perfectly. Even though I ate to the point of being stuffed, it was no problem finishing the whole thing.
My Petite Angus Tenderloin by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dad approves of this meal! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
The desserts we ordered were the Summer Cherry Pecan Upside- Down Cake and the Warm Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake. I seriously want to go back to California right now, just thinking about them.
The cherry pecan cake was served with brown sugar ice cream on top. The pecan cake was warm, sweet, and well, pecan-y, and was amazing with the fresh, tart cherries underneath. Such a delicious summery dessert, combining some of my favorite things. Plus the brown sugar ice cream was the perfect cold compliment to the whole thing. The gold thing on top was a hard sugar candy ribbon. I can’t remember if I tried it or not.
If the cherry pecan cake wasn’t amazing enough, then there was the dark chocolate truffle cake. Sigh. I love chocolate. If there is a chocolate dessert on a menu, I have probably ordered it and loved it. But there is a very real chance that this is the best chocolate dessert I have ever had. It was served with Bailey’s coffee ice cream and toasted orange essence (whatever that is).
The picture looks deceiving. That little cake is a piece of heaven. It was just soft and perfectly rich, and amazing. It’s hard to explain why it was better than any other chocolate cake I’ve ever had ever, but it just was. I can’t really remember the “orange essence” on top, or even the Bailey’s ice cream, since the cake was so spectacular. I do remember the ice cream tasting really good with it though. At one point mom and I had to scold Dad for taking too big a bite of the cake. Back away from the cake! Small bites only! It was serious business.
Anyway, obviously from all my gushing, we really enjoyed our dinner at Napa Rose. You can tell they have serious chefs there who really know what they’re doing. The serving staff seems to really have a passion for what they are serving, and a great amount of knowledge. It is really a meal to be experienced. I got slightly frustrated that the table next to us complained that the dinner service was too slow, because they wanted to get to the park to see the fireworks. They got to the restaurant later than we did, and didn’t seem to have service any slower than we did (which was not slow at all). I guess I just don’t understand why you would invest in such a good (and pricey!) meal without allotting at least two hours to fully enjoy it. It seemed like they were trying to get out of there in under an hour. Oh well.
I think it would be interesting to try the Chef’s Table experience they have there sometime, just to up the experience even more.
We were absolutely stuffed, and I was feeling completely exhausted and a little giddy (which I can’t completely attribute to the wine, since I only had the one glass!). We made our way slowly back up to our room, pretty much ready to call it an evening. Almost as soon as we got up there, we were surprised to see fireworks appearing out of our balcony window! It seemed that our balcony provided a great view of Disneyland’s Magical fireworks! We hadn’t been in our room at this time at all, so we hadn’t realized this. They had a special channel on the in room TV which played the fireworks soundtrack, so we turned this on, left the balcony open, and gathered there to watch. What a cool way to end the day right before heading off to sleep!
Coming up: Day 5 and another early Disneyland morning!
Last edited:
IndianaJones
Well-Known Member
Okay so reading about your first trip has been a lot of fun. Incredibly jealous that you've been able to try Napa Rose. On my list for next time for sure. Same with Flo's.
Although I do disagree with your point saying that Dinosaur being as fun as Indiana Jones, not that I'm biased or anything.
Looking forward to some more updates. Thanks for sharing.
Although I do disagree with your point saying that Dinosaur being as fun as Indiana Jones, not that I'm biased or anything.
Looking forward to some more updates. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much! I'm glad it's been fun to read!
Yeah, I'm so glad we tried out Napa Rose too, it was a great experience! It hasn't been until our past several years of going to the Disney parks that we make taking the time to try some of the more unique restaurants almost as big of a priority as the rides. Shows that going to the parks as an adult family can be just as fun! So glad you'll get to try it out on your next trip!
I know I'm completely in the minority (or probably solo, haha
) about Dinosaur being just as fun as Indy. I think I probably just rode it for the first time as a young teenager, decided it was thrilling and awesome, and have loved it ever since! So I have some bias too, I think. I dream of riding Dinosaur sometime with all of the effects working... Anyway, we LOVED Indy too, it is a fantastic ride and a lot of fun. The dinosaurs just scare me more!
Hey everyone! Sorry for continuing with my theme of not updating for a really long time! However, I definitely want to finish this, since it’s been fun for me…and if some of you were enjoying reading it as well, all the better!
So we left off with a great dinner at Napa Rose and finishing off our third Disneyland day with a view of the fireworks from our Grand Californian balcony. We had packed a lot into our first 3 days, and for our last two days at the parks we repeated a lot of the experiences which we had enjoyed the best, but there was still plenty of new things to do! It’s amazing how much they fit into those two parks…
So on we go!
Day 5 – 7/25/13
We had finished off Wednesday night being very full and incredibly sleepy, but that didn’t stop us from continuing our early morning hours! Looking back on it, yeah we were a little bit crazy, but we love the parks first thing in the morning, so it worked out well for us.
So we were up and at ‘em again at 5:30 on Thursday morning to get ready for our extra magic hour at Disneyland Park. We had a light breakfast in the room which we had gotten the day before from White Water Snacks. And coffee of course! Then we were on our way!
We definitely were lagging just a little bit by Thursday and were not in the line to have our bags checked quite as early as we had achieved the past two days. But considering that we had helped to open the park and been the first family to ride some of the rides on the other days, we were okay with taking it a little slower!
Another Magic Morning at Disneyland! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
By our fourth early morning, we were getting a teeny bit goofy! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
The gates opened at 7, and we were on our way to enjoy the day! We decided to head straight to Tomorrowland this time. Dad and I started with Space Mountain. Mom decided to pass this time since the last ride on it had left her feeling a little blah, but that meant that she was able to spend some quality time with Buzz Lightyear on his ride which she really enjoyed. Dad and I zipped through the almost empty queue and were on Space Mountain in no time. Next we met up and headed back onto Star Tours. I didn’t get to be the Rebel Spy this time, but we enjoyed some different scenes. I love the updated Star Tours, and I’m glad it’s something we have in FL, since I’ll probably be back there before I get to go to CA again.
After these revisits to our favorites in Tomorrowland, Dad and I decided we wanted to go on the Matterhorn again before the Extra Magic Hour was up for the day. I was thrilled when we were sent to a car on the opposite side from where we had been on Tuesday. I’m really bad at remembering which track is the Tomorrowland side and which track is the Fantasyland side. However, I do remember that I thought whatever track we rode on Thursday was more fun and a bit more thrilling. I also remember that in the cave room with the big crystals that this track does not circle the crystals completely (like the track that we rode on Tuesday did). Can anyone help me sort out which track was which? We also did not ride in the very back of the car this time, and Dad said that he had more room to stretch out his legs and didn’t feel nearly as cramped. We only rode the Matterhorn these two times, but I really liked it – it feels so classic. It’s a shame we didn’t get to experience it at night, but the lines throughout the rest of the day were pretty crazy.
One ride we had been trying to go on, but had not had a chance to yet was the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. We had tried to go on Tuesday during the day, but found that the line was very long and incredibly slow moving, so we decided to hit it early in the day before the crowds got too heavy. After getting off the Matterhorn, Dad and I met Mom over by the submarines, and we got into line. I think the concept of this ride is really cool, but even with the shorter line it was incredibly slow to load, so I can see why the folks at WDW may have looked for other uses for the space (although I don’t necessarily think their decisions for the space were always the best…). That being said, I’m really glad this ride system is still at Disneyland so that I had a chance to experience it, even if not in its original form.
Waitin' for the subs by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Nifty waterfall by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Mine! Mine, mine! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Once we finally got on the ride, I really enjoyed it! The concept is just very cool and I think the unique ride vehicles really make the ride. We have been lucky enough to go on a real submarine on one of our trips to the Caribbean, and the feeling in the Disneyland subs was incredibly similar to the real thing. Anyway, I thought it was a lot of fun. While Epcot’s version has the benefit of the character projections being among real fish, I think Disneyland’s vehicles and the underwater environments they were able to create along the track gives Disneyland’s version the edge in my opinion. I can only imagine how amazing the original Submarine ride must have been for folks back in the late 50’s…
After our submarine voyage, we decided to head over to Mickey’s Toontown, but found that it wasn’t quite open yet. Since we were right there, we decided to hop on it’s a small world again until Toontown opened up. I was proud of Mom for her willingness to get on it’s a small world – she always likes to say how the ride drives her crazy, haha. I guess the Disney spirit can allow anyone to build up a tolerance for bouncy, repetitive songs!
After our detour cruise around the world, Toontown was open! Our first stop was Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, another ride we had skipped the other day because of a very long line. I don’t know if I had actually ever watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit before this, but I wished I had, because I couldn’t remember/didn’t know any of the story. I’ve watched it since then on Netflix, and would love to be able to check out the ride again. Anyway, it’s a fun little dark ride, with the best part being that you can spin your car around manically throughout the ride, which I made sure happened. For a long time, we have called the image on Disney rides of the people crossed off, doing what they are not supposed to be doing on the ride, the “Happy People.” On Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, I was excited to find the Happy People in a unique, round format, so I of course had to snap a picture:
Toontown was pretty empty of guests, but we were excited to find that almost all the characters were out and about. Goofy was hanging out at the front of his house. Minnie Mouse was taking guests inside her house. And none other than Mickey Mouse himself was saying “hi” to folks at the front of his house. I convinced my parents that we at least had to visit with Mickey. We were at his original west coast home after all!
After visiting with Mickey, we took a stroll through his home. I do miss Mickey and Minnie’s houses at WDW – I think it would be nice if they could find a new place in FL for them to call home.
Mickey has a very busy day ahead! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dad relaxing in Mickey's living room by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
After touring Mickey’s digs, I took a quick peek in Minnie’s house, but decided not to wait in the short line to meet with her.
We wandered our way back towards Fantasyland. We were at a wonderful place now where we had hit a lot of the major things we wanted to do with just a few things here and there that we wanted to check out. We were really able to just enjoy our surroundings and pick out whatever sounded the most fun. Dad was willing to venture onto the teacups with me, knowing that a ride with me means that we will spin as fast as humanly possible.
Because Dad had been a good sport about the teacups, we got on Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, his favorite, again.
We had not done the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough yet, so this was our next stop. I really liked this – the dioramas are beautiful and the special effects feel so classically Disney. It wasn’t too crowded inside, so we were able to take our time to read each of the story books and to take in the scenery. And yes, I did nearly get terrified by the goon who pops up in the window at the Hall of Goons. Sneaky.
We knew we wanted to visit the Pirates of the Caribbean again and still had the incredibly important task of visiting the Tiki Birds (and their delicious pineapple ice cream treats!), so we took a stroll over towards New Orleans Square and Adventureland.
Coming up: My first Disneyland Dole Whip and more!
So we left off with a great dinner at Napa Rose and finishing off our third Disneyland day with a view of the fireworks from our Grand Californian balcony. We had packed a lot into our first 3 days, and for our last two days at the parks we repeated a lot of the experiences which we had enjoyed the best, but there was still plenty of new things to do! It’s amazing how much they fit into those two parks…
So on we go!
Day 5 – 7/25/13
We had finished off Wednesday night being very full and incredibly sleepy, but that didn’t stop us from continuing our early morning hours! Looking back on it, yeah we were a little bit crazy, but we love the parks first thing in the morning, so it worked out well for us.
So we were up and at ‘em again at 5:30 on Thursday morning to get ready for our extra magic hour at Disneyland Park. We had a light breakfast in the room which we had gotten the day before from White Water Snacks. And coffee of course! Then we were on our way!
We definitely were lagging just a little bit by Thursday and were not in the line to have our bags checked quite as early as we had achieved the past two days. But considering that we had helped to open the park and been the first family to ride some of the rides on the other days, we were okay with taking it a little slower!
Another Magic Morning at Disneyland! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
By our fourth early morning, we were getting a teeny bit goofy! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
After these revisits to our favorites in Tomorrowland, Dad and I decided we wanted to go on the Matterhorn again before the Extra Magic Hour was up for the day. I was thrilled when we were sent to a car on the opposite side from where we had been on Tuesday. I’m really bad at remembering which track is the Tomorrowland side and which track is the Fantasyland side. However, I do remember that I thought whatever track we rode on Thursday was more fun and a bit more thrilling. I also remember that in the cave room with the big crystals that this track does not circle the crystals completely (like the track that we rode on Tuesday did). Can anyone help me sort out which track was which? We also did not ride in the very back of the car this time, and Dad said that he had more room to stretch out his legs and didn’t feel nearly as cramped. We only rode the Matterhorn these two times, but I really liked it – it feels so classic. It’s a shame we didn’t get to experience it at night, but the lines throughout the rest of the day were pretty crazy.
One ride we had been trying to go on, but had not had a chance to yet was the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. We had tried to go on Tuesday during the day, but found that the line was very long and incredibly slow moving, so we decided to hit it early in the day before the crowds got too heavy. After getting off the Matterhorn, Dad and I met Mom over by the submarines, and we got into line. I think the concept of this ride is really cool, but even with the shorter line it was incredibly slow to load, so I can see why the folks at WDW may have looked for other uses for the space (although I don’t necessarily think their decisions for the space were always the best…). That being said, I’m really glad this ride system is still at Disneyland so that I had a chance to experience it, even if not in its original form.
Waitin' for the subs by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Nifty waterfall by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Mine! Mine, mine! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
After our submarine voyage, we decided to head over to Mickey’s Toontown, but found that it wasn’t quite open yet. Since we were right there, we decided to hop on it’s a small world again until Toontown opened up. I was proud of Mom for her willingness to get on it’s a small world – she always likes to say how the ride drives her crazy, haha. I guess the Disney spirit can allow anyone to build up a tolerance for bouncy, repetitive songs!
After our detour cruise around the world, Toontown was open! Our first stop was Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, another ride we had skipped the other day because of a very long line. I don’t know if I had actually ever watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit before this, but I wished I had, because I couldn’t remember/didn’t know any of the story. I’ve watched it since then on Netflix, and would love to be able to check out the ride again. Anyway, it’s a fun little dark ride, with the best part being that you can spin your car around manically throughout the ride, which I made sure happened.
For a long time, we have called the image on Disney rides of the people crossed off, doing what they are not supposed to be doing on the ride, the “Happy People.” On Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, I was excited to find the Happy People in a unique, round format, so I of course had to snap a picture:Toontown was pretty empty of guests, but we were excited to find that almost all the characters were out and about. Goofy was hanging out at the front of his house. Minnie Mouse was taking guests inside her house. And none other than Mickey Mouse himself was saying “hi” to folks at the front of his house. I convinced my parents that we at least had to visit with Mickey. We were at his original west coast home after all!
After visiting with Mickey, we took a stroll through his home. I do miss Mickey and Minnie’s houses at WDW – I think it would be nice if they could find a new place in FL for them to call home.
Mickey has a very busy day ahead! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dad relaxing in Mickey's living room by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
We wandered our way back towards Fantasyland. We were at a wonderful place now where we had hit a lot of the major things we wanted to do with just a few things here and there that we wanted to check out. We were really able to just enjoy our surroundings and pick out whatever sounded the most fun. Dad was willing to venture onto the teacups with me, knowing that a ride with me means that we will spin as fast as humanly possible.
Because Dad had been a good sport about the teacups, we got on Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, his favorite, again.
We had not done the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough yet, so this was our next stop. I really liked this – the dioramas are beautiful and the special effects feel so classically Disney. It wasn’t too crowded inside, so we were able to take our time to read each of the story books and to take in the scenery. And yes, I did nearly get terrified by the goon who pops up in the window at the Hall of Goons.
Sneaky.We knew we wanted to visit the Pirates of the Caribbean again and still had the incredibly important task of visiting the Tiki Birds (and their delicious pineapple ice cream treats!), so we took a stroll over towards New Orleans Square and Adventureland.
Coming up: My first Disneyland Dole Whip and more!
Day 5, Part 2!
It was still pretty early in the day at this point, and so far we had only managed to ride Pirates of the Caribbean once on our trip. We had seen that Pirates could get pretty crowded later in the day, so we decided to make our way over to New Orleans Square.
After we got in to queue for Pirates, I enjoyed looking at some of the details in around the Disneyland Dream Suite. I know some of the tours will take to you see Walt’s apartment above the Fire Department; do any of the tours let you see the suite? Or is that just for folks lucky enough to get to stay there?
Walt and Roy's initials on the iron-work by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dream Suite private entrance by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
We very much enjoyed our second trip through Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean, and we were lucky enough to get placed in the front row again! I don’t think we got quite as damp this time, which was much appreciated.
Captain Barbossa looks very morose by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Looking at the Blue Bayou from the boats by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Seagulls are clearly better survivors than pirates by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
At the exit of Pirates, we ran into the Bootstrappers. These guys were hilarious! They were excellent at pick-pocketing things out of people’s bags as they passed or stood to pose with them, and the people had no idea. It was pretty fantastic. They obviously have quite a local following as well, because people kept coming up to chat with them. The street entertainment at all the Disney parks is wonderful, but I found that at Disneyland it was just amazing.
One of the very most important things we had yet to do was to check out the Tiki Room. And of course, with that, came the inevitable Dole Whip! I’m actually a pretty recent convert to the Dole Whip, having my first one at WDW only a couple years ago. Before that I was crazy and didn’t think I liked pineapple. Silly me. But now I’ve seen the error of my ways, and a Dole Whip was one of my top Disneyland priorities.
We made our way over to Adventureland. The Dole Whip place had just opened up, so there wasn’t too much of a line yet. Before long we were in pineapple heaven.
Happiness comes with an umbrella by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dole Whip, hooray! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
We settled down in the courtyard of the Tiki Room to enjoy our snacks. We were early enough that we got to enjoy the whole preshow with all of the Tiki Idols, which was very cool. By the time the doors to the Tiki Room opened, I still had enough of my float to bring in and continue to enjoy during the show.
I have been able to see the Tiki Room show at WDW once since they finally removed Zazu and Iago, and from what I can tell the shows on the two coasts are pretty much the same now, which is great. However, it was awesome to see the original. The audience at Disneyland also seemed to be much more into it than the audience at WDW ever seems to be. Whenever we see it at WDW, half the people in the audience seem to be slightly comatose. Anyway, I’ve always been a fan of the Tiki Room and this was a lovely experience. And of course the Dole Whip just elevated the experience!
After our trip to paradise, we decided to meander our way towards Big Thunder Ranch. They had signs set up all around the park and also were frequently having loudspeaker announcements about the activities going on in that area of the park, so I think they were trying pretty hard to get people over there. Unfortunately, because of the construction going on around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, you had to take a kind of roundabout way through Fantasyland to get over there. However, I had heard a lot about Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, and this is where they were, so I definitely wanted to check it out.
The day had turned into a beautiful one, so on our way to Fantasyland we took a moment to get some pictures by Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Having a lovely day at Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
I love this tiny owl by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Owl and castle by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Squirrels are cute too...but not as much as owls... by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
We then headed into Big Thunder Ranch, and were absolutely amazed at all the stuff they had back there. Lots of characters for meeting and greeting (with almost no lines…), plenty of fun activities, and, my Dad’s favorite, the petting zoo. Not only was there a lot of cool stuff, it’s like the crowds had melted away. It was so quiet and nice back there. We agreed that with the rustic decorations, the area reminded us of a touristy place we'd been to in Alaska called Liarsville. What's even more weird is that now that Disney Cruise Lines does Alaskan cruises, I've seen pictures of the Disney characters at Liarsville. So who knows who inspired whom!
We still had a little time before Woody’s All-American Roundup show started. Dad and Mom went to check out the petting zoo, while I visited with Woody and Jessie, two of my favorites!
A pretty reasonable crowd did show up once it was getting closer to show time, so I’m glad at least enough people were getting out there to enjoy the talented performers. Woody’s All-American Roundup was a cute show, and Billy Hill and the Hillbillies were quite funny. I think it’s really cool how long they’ve been around.
Jessie shows off her sling shot skills by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
The whole gang by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
After the show we went back over to the petting zoo. My dad was particularly excited to show me Clarabelle the cow, who he had decided was his favorite. They had some cockatiels and other birds back here and also some musicians just hanging out and playing for the few guests that were enjoying the area. I really loved this part of the park – it was really nice.
I was amused that they used the Country Bears for the signs for this area of the park, even though they’re long gone…
Country Bears! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
The closest I was able to get to Big Thunder Mountain on this trip by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Coming up: Lunch at the Plaza Inn, and a visit with Mr. Lincoln
It was still pretty early in the day at this point, and so far we had only managed to ride Pirates of the Caribbean once on our trip. We had seen that Pirates could get pretty crowded later in the day, so we decided to make our way over to New Orleans Square.
After we got in to queue for Pirates, I enjoyed looking at some of the details in around the Disneyland Dream Suite. I know some of the tours will take to you see Walt’s apartment above the Fire Department; do any of the tours let you see the suite? Or is that just for folks lucky enough to get to stay there?
Walt and Roy's initials on the iron-work by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dream Suite private entrance by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Captain Barbossa looks very morose by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Looking at the Blue Bayou from the boats by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Seagulls are clearly better survivors than pirates by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
One of the very most important things we had yet to do was to check out the Tiki Room. And of course, with that, came the inevitable Dole Whip! I’m actually a pretty recent convert to the Dole Whip, having my first one at WDW only a couple years ago. Before that I was crazy and didn’t think I liked pineapple. Silly me. But now I’ve seen the error of my ways, and a Dole Whip was one of my top Disneyland priorities.
We made our way over to Adventureland. The Dole Whip place had just opened up, so there wasn’t too much of a line yet. Before long we were in pineapple heaven.
Happiness comes with an umbrella by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Dole Whip, hooray! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
I have been able to see the Tiki Room show at WDW once since they finally removed Zazu and Iago, and from what I can tell the shows on the two coasts are pretty much the same now, which is great. However, it was awesome to see the original. The audience at Disneyland also seemed to be much more into it than the audience at WDW ever seems to be. Whenever we see it at WDW, half the people in the audience seem to be slightly comatose. Anyway, I’ve always been a fan of the Tiki Room and this was a lovely experience. And of course the Dole Whip just elevated the experience!
After our trip to paradise, we decided to meander our way towards Big Thunder Ranch. They had signs set up all around the park and also were frequently having loudspeaker announcements about the activities going on in that area of the park, so I think they were trying pretty hard to get people over there. Unfortunately, because of the construction going on around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, you had to take a kind of roundabout way through Fantasyland to get over there. However, I had heard a lot about Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, and this is where they were, so I definitely wanted to check it out.
The day had turned into a beautiful one, so on our way to Fantasyland we took a moment to get some pictures by Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Having a lovely day at Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
I love this tiny owl by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Owl and castle by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Squirrels are cute too...but not as much as owls... by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
We still had a little time before Woody’s All-American Roundup show started. Dad and Mom went to check out the petting zoo, while I visited with Woody and Jessie, two of my favorites!
A pretty reasonable crowd did show up once it was getting closer to show time, so I’m glad at least enough people were getting out there to enjoy the talented performers. Woody’s All-American Roundup was a cute show, and Billy Hill and the Hillbillies were quite funny. I think it’s really cool how long they’ve been around.
Jessie shows off her sling shot skills by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
The whole gang by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
They had some cockatiels and other birds back here and also some musicians just hanging out and playing for the few guests that were enjoying the area. I really loved this part of the park – it was really nice.I was amused that they used the Country Bears for the signs for this area of the park, even though they’re long gone…
Country Bears! by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
The closest I was able to get to Big Thunder Mountain on this trip by Tuffy Catt, on Flickr
gboiler1
Active Member
Loving the report...I've been fortunate to visit both parks a handful of times but hoping to make in July of 2014 so reading your report is getting me excited...luckily we'll be able to visit some other So Cal hot spots too!
Like you though I've been to WDW about 3 times since DL so I'll have to consult the map too!
Like you though I've been to WDW about 3 times since DL so I'll have to consult the map too!
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
I completely forgot about your update!
Clarabelle the cow is my favorite as well. She's so sweet.
Looking forward to the next update!
Clarabelle the cow is my favorite as well. She's so sweet.
Looking forward to the next update!
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
The Fantasyland side of the Matterhorn is the one that circles around really close to the crystals, btw.
Thanks for the comments, everyone! @Cosmic Commando, I especially appreciate the insight on which side of the Matterhorn was which. Not knowing the park super well, it was really hard to keep it straight in my head.
I swear I have not forgotten this trip report, I apologize for it being a multi-month process! In the past couple weeks I found a job and I'm getting ready to move (yay!), so the trip report got a bit lost in the shuffle. I'll have updates sooooon!
@Cosmic Commando, I especially appreciate the insight on which side of the Matterhorn was which. Not knowing the park super well, it was really hard to keep it straight in my head.I swear I have not forgotten this trip report, I apologize for it being a multi-month process! In the past couple weeks I found a job and I'm getting ready to move (yay!), so the trip report got a bit lost in the shuffle. I'll have updates sooooon!
IndianaJones
Well-Known Member
So count me as someone else who forgot to read this update until right now! Really love reading about your first trip out there and it seems like you had an awesome time! Can't wait for the next update...I'll try and read it on that day too!