Trip Report It's a Great Big Beautiful California- COMPLETED

OK...I would like to first apologize for all of the trip reports I have neglected. Work was chaos, the holidays consumed my world, and well...life happened...a lot. But...I will do my best to do more reading and commenting in the near future.

I also have a trip report of my own to bring you...a trip that I still can't believe has come and gone. The reporting is also going to take a little bit longer since I'm doing something a bit different this time. I'm going to be posting on here as well as another forum (I know...such a traitor), so it's going to be a more time consuming process.

Now, for those of you who don't know me and aren't familiar with my trip reports...I'm Sandy ... aka HouCuseChickie (and also TiggerTrigger in a few other places). Obviously, I'm the one with the hat and glasses!

Sorry, huge pictures. I borrowed them from my Facebook galleries.

And another huge picture, but these are our girls (younger one pictured with me above)...

That's Kendall (age 9) on the left and Sammie (age 7 and very toothless) on the right. It's hard to believe these two were just 4 and 2 on my first trip report.

Finally, we've got DH...who will be referred to as such throughout, unless I slip up. LOL. He probably wouldn't be too happy that I'm using this pic, but this was him at the end of "Movember" after growing out his moustache. We're all happy that he shaved it off on December 1st.

So, that's us...but it's been a while since I did anything with my PTR, so some refreshers and updates on the details of the trip...especially the final details. And for those of you who have seen my previous reports, I promise you tons and tons of pics- and even a few videos, but let's recap a bit with the plan and get up to date on some things.

This all started as a "Let's go to Disneyland for the 60th anniversary festivities" trip, which spiraled into so much more. DH reminded me (aka- total guilt trip) that I'd promised him a ski trip. Well, the only way I could get this to work with Disneyland and not have it get too crazy with the budget (or so I thought) was to ski in California. So, the Big Bear- Mammoth-Tahoe debate was started and Mammoth won. All my CA friends said it was better skiing than Big Bear and it's closer and a smidge cheaper than Tahoe.

Plans and costs started to get crazy as dates and transportation started to factor in. We were planning on Disneyland from December 27th-31st and Mammoth on December 31st-January 3rd. In fact, this is what we had the girls believing were our vacay dates until the very end (more on that in a bit). But...I remembered how my parents saved a ton flying on Christmas last year and the dog's boarding facility would take her no later than December 23rd, so leaving on Christmas day started to sound like the better plan. In fact, the one-way cost of our Christmas day flights was something like $150 cheaper per person than the flight I was eyeing for the 27th. So, a Christmas day departure became a reality...and the trip grew by 2 days. But before all was said and done, the trip grew by 1 more day. January 3rd was a Sunday and flights were much more expensive than January 4th. The kids were still off from school on the 4th, so we extended the trip 1 more day. We also decided the extended trip would be the kids' big Christmas present. More on that coming up.

Somewhere in the process of this, as I was planning details of our drive to Mammoth, I found out that California has really strict tire chain laws during winter. Couple that with the taxes that can double the cost of your rental and I decided to bite the bullet and fly from LA to Mammoth. I waited and waited for prices to drop back to the lows I'd seen earlier in the year and by late September, it finally happened. Or so I thought. Just days before the trip, I realized I booked our air in reverse. Instead of LA to Mammoth, I booked Mammoth to LA. I was under a lot of stress at work at the time of this booking and even though I checked things at least 5 or 6 times, I misread all of it. It would have cost more than twice the price of those flights to change everything, so we just ate the cost, booked a rental, came up with a plan for the tire chains, and nervously prayed we wouldn't need to use our plan. There are a couple of silver linings with this that will come at the end of the report.

Now here's where some of the biggest fun came in during the pre-trip time. In late November/early December, it hit me that I really needed a plan to give the girls all of their trip gifts as well as the big gift. We'd be leaving for the airport before 7am on Christmas morning, so there was no time for anything but the big gift that day. Now, we're a dual religion household and between me celebrating Hanukkah and DH celebrating Christmas...I figured we could work it all out with that. Before looking at the calendar, I decided we'd do gifts for the 8 nights of Hanukkah and the 12 days of Christmas. I just didn't realize that it would all match up perfectly so we'd have 20 straight days of gifts. It may sound like a lot, but it was all trip related stuff...stuff to show the girls that $ goes into the fun stuff and the necessities... and that it can be just as fun (if not more) to have it all be part of amazing experiences. Sammie still believes in Santa, so I also had to make it believable. So, I wrote a rhyming letter from Santa talking about how the Christmas gift is so big that DH and I would need to play elves for 11 of the 12 days of Christmas. It even had Santa's signature and the North Pole seal.

During Hanukkah, the kids got things like snow boots, Disney Vans, ski bibs, winter gear, clothes, etc. The 12 days of Christmas were a bit more fun. We started out with character hats for autographs like they requested when we were at the GF back in August, a whale watching cruise, made with the magic wands, a GoPro style camera to record their adventures, stockings full of pins/new lanyards/lip balms/etc., and one of my fave days- Star Wars tickets. We gifted them Star Wars tickets for the trip on the day the movie opened, but it's how we did it that made it a ton of fun. Back in 2014, we built lightsabers for them in DHS and they've held up really well. So, on Dec 18th, while the girls were eating breakfast, I came out of the bedroom wearing one of those audio Chewbacca mask and challenged DH to a lightsaber battle with Sammie's purple lightsaber. DH had Kendall's red one hidden under the couch and we battled it out in the living room. It would eventually hit the kids that they were seeing the movie, but initially, they were more interested in the mask. In fact, here's Sammie (as Chewbacca) wishing everyone a very merry Christmas.



My MIL almost ruined the surprise on Christmas Eve, but thankfully the kids didn't hear and they went to bed totally clueless. Before they woke up, I modified the countdown calendar they'd been using to show the 25th instead of the 27th as our departure day, had a new letter from Santa revealing the surprise, and put the packed bags around the tree- with bows on their packed carry ons. What's really amazing is that when the focus for gifts was shifted away from toys, the only thing the girls were really wishing for this Christmas was for the trip to get here sooner. So, they actually received their Christmas wish.

The girls were so tired when we woke up them up and were reading without really comprehending when they first read Santa's note, but they read it a second time- it all clicked- and we had some utterly giddy girls.

Coming up...Christmas Day- Travel Day

 

[HouCuseChickie]

December 28th

Our first day in the parks...and my stomach is all in knots. Some of it was excitement and some was fear. The excitement reasons are obvious, even if you don't know all of my plans just yet, but the fear was over the crowds. I've been to WDW at spring break, Easter, and around 4th of July, but never right between Christmas and New Year's. You hear how horribly crowded it is, how miserable it makes people, how little you'll get to do, and so on...and you just wonder if it's really going to be that bad for you and your family. You know the crowds will be there, but how much of it is a matter of a good plan, a lot of of patience, and a positive outlook? Well, we were about to find out! Had I gotten my way, we would have gone in August and just made this a SoCal summer trip, but at some point in the planning, I had to come to grips with things and come up with a solid plan for what DH wanted.

So...this plan involved having 3 day hoppers (since Disneyland's handling of capacity closures is inconsistent- at least that's what came of my research, and these would be the passes that would provide us the most freedom/safety of shutout)...a must do list ranked in order of importance...an understanding that not everything is going to happen due to time and crowds...a lot of TS meals since crowds/lines would be very heavy at quick service...and a flexible touring plan based on how we used to do it with WDW's old legacy FP system. Oh, and how could I forget arriving early...the #1 tip for crowded days at Disney. Yup...we were ready for battle! I kid- I kid.

I got everything set, got myself ready, and got the kids up. Unlike WDW, where I plan pre-park opening breakfasts, at Disneyland...the plan was breakfast on the go and a late TS breakfast or early TS lunch. So, the next couple of mornings...it would be pumpkin pie Pop Tarts as we headed to the parks. Nothing like holiday Pop Tarts for your holiday trip to Disneyland! Breakfast of champions!

While Magic Mornings at Disneyland vary on sort of an every other day schedule during normal times, at peaks...every morning is a Magic Morning...in both parks. We had 3 day hoppers, so we were at least entitled to one Magic Morning. The plan was to save that for day 3, when we were dealing with unfinished business from days 1 and 2. Still, we had to be out early because of the bag check line. I'd seen a picture just two days prior to this where the bag check line had stretched all the way out onto Harbor.So, we were just praying it wouldn't be that bad and that lessons were learned from it getting out of hand.

We head outside and are greeted by the monorail beam and the little bit of the Matterhorn I can see peaking through that area.

As you can see, the sun isn't fully up just yet...

(a look back at the HoJo)

And in short time, we were ready to make it across the crosswalk and onto Disneyland property...

Now, I certainly don't want to give anyone the wrong idea that Disneyland is inferior or less than magical, but another couple of observations were made in this area on this morning that had me thinking about Walt's concerns. See, it's at this crosswalk where you'll find some religious fanatics on a bullhorn preaching to the crowds. It's nothing too dark or scary like you find with some of the people you'll encounter on Bourbon Street in NOLA or in some areas of Vegas, but it's still a strange feeling to be mentally prepping for Disneyland and having someone calling out Biblical references.

So, now here we are in the line for bag check...

It's not a short or fast moving line...but it could be worse. If you look to the left of the central trees, you can see the little awnings for the open bag check area.

As we stood there waiting, I saw another thing you never see at WDW. DH pointed out the various cast member shuttles coming in and out of the adjacent driveways. And every time they dropped people off, you'd see CMs in costume for their particular area of the park, coming in along the left side of the bag check line and feeding in through a CM only entrance off to the left side. It just makes you realize how well concealed all of this is at WDW, just bolstering the strength of that magic bubble. I mean, it's not an awful thing to see CMs coming in...people do have to get to work, but again...it's another thing that makes you think about everything they wanted to correct when building WDW.

I talked before about the security presence...well, it was all back in full force the following day.

I also really wish people would teach their kids not to try and play with police dogs that are clearly on duty- or at least pay attention so they can intervene before it's an issue. I'll spare you the whole story, but I just wanted to get this one mom off of her phone long enough that she could keep her 4-ish looking son from disrupting one of the K-9 units that was obviously sniffing out the area for suspicious things. The mom had no clue he was gone and the human officer had to be the one telling him no. And when she did glance up and see him, she didn't make any serious efforts to get him back where he needed to be.

Back to bag check...part of why the line was going so slow was that they only had the central checking station open. Ummmmm...it's a level 10 day for crowds and you only have one station open??? While we were standing there, everyone noticed a lot of movement at the station to our right...closer to Disneyland park. We could see that everyone around us was about to make a run for it, so we decided our best plan was to stay in our current line and just move up through the running crowds. I think our plan worked pretty well because we moved from waaaaay back where we were in that previous pic to here...

We were through bag check in no time and were now scouting out which line to choose...

They always say to head towards the far left since people are more likely to pick a line on the right. So, we did just that. The far far left lines were still being used for Magic Mornings, so we didn't want that, but we were still pretty far left.

Caught a pic of DH and the girls once we got our place in line. Sammie was fine...just had the sun in her eyes.

I know this is going to be a strange observation, but I felt like we were pointing in the direction of the sun a lot. It's evident in my pictures both with the lighting and the squinting. I just don't remember having these issues in any other place...so, I'm wondering if it's the east/west exposure in certain areas of their parks.

We saw the railroad running through as we waited to get in...

It's hard to tell with the lighting, but it was funny to see how much more quiet it was over at the entry to DCA...

I got bored, so I just started taking decor pics...

I was also having one of those moments in all of this where I kept psyching myself that i was finally going to Disneyland. The various shows and podcasts I listen to had been urging people to go (and rightfully so), but I knew I wanted to be there as soon as it started sounding like the 60th would be a really big deal. It's hard to explain, but it was just that moment that you realize you're about to see and do all of those things that made you shift from east coast to west coast in the first place.

Finally...the gates have opened and people are starting to go in...

It was taking forever, and it wasn't really a very long line, but as soon as we got to the entrance...I'd see why.

Obviously, they don't have magic bands, and they also don't have the little finger print scanners. Instead, they were taking pictures of everone going through the gates. This way, if you crossed back through with that pass, they'd have a picture pop up that goes with that ticket number. We even had to stop at the entrance to add our names to our tickets to ensure we were each using the same one with each park entry. So yea...that was why it was taking forever.

But we're finally in and someone is very happy!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

OK, who am I kidding? We're all happy! And we're finally inside the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

8 o'clock on the dot...and time to head in!

Here's where the pictures start to get a bit blurry from time to time. This was not a time to stop and smell the roses (even though I really wish I could as we missed so many details), but I did my best to try and capture what we were seeing as we made our way in...

And then I see it...the firehouse. And it's that moment...even before seeing the castle...where it goes from "I'm in Disneyland!" to "I'm in Walt's park!"

And then you make that little turn...and you see it...Sleeping Beauty Castle.

And let's not focus too much here on castle size. Ya know, if you go to Disneyland, you know not to expect something the size of Cinderella castle. And let's stop calling Sleeping Beauty castle quaint or charming. It's pretty...it's very pretty!

As we were making our way up the street, I started trying to familiarize myself with locations of certain things...like where we'd be having dinner in a couple of days...

Getting closer...

As you can see, the crowds also don't look bad...yet. We knew it wouldn't be long before things got ugly, so we tried to stay focused.

OK...one last pic of the castle and then the Matterhorn before taking a turn towards our first goal.

We head towards Tomorrowland...

We're greeted by Star Wars signage as soon as we arrive...

And before I forget...we are obviously Star Wars fans and can't wait for the new park section to open at DHS; however, I don't like Star Wars taking over Tomorrowland. Some is OK, but I felt like it was the dominant presence during our visit and was missing out on that retro vibe.

I think everyone else ahead of us is heading the same place we are...

We're all basically heading to HyperSpace Mountain. I'd been monitoring the Disneyland app since Thanksgiving to see what lines build the fastest and of the FP attractions, which FPs ran out or were in highest demand first. Once they made the shift to a Star Wars themed Space Mountain, this thing has been wildly popular, even on lower crowd days. I remember DH wanting to head to the bathroom first, but I cautioned him that a simple trip to the bathroom could mean the difference between FPs later that morning and some time mid to late afternoon. Sure, I could have let him go and just taken all 4 of our tickets to grab the passes, but I was also sick and tired of ill timed bathroom trips. So, he waited. I think our FP time started around 10am, so not too bad. We thought we might ride standby if the line wasn't too bad (since the park just opened), but even standby had just jumped up to 70 minutes (which isn't bad considering what it would be)

We were in less of a rush now, so we took a more leisurely pace going back through Tomorrowland...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It makes me sad seeing some of this and knowing Mary Blair murals once graced the facades of this area.

So, we decided to make a fool out of me and do the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. I mean, we were right there, so why not?

My score was absolutely SHAMEFUL! Even the kids beat me!

I got tired of being mocked, so I fled into the store to pretend to shop while they all gloated.

I convinced them to leave by telling them the Matterhorn was next in our plans. They argued that maybe we should get in line for Star Tours, but aside from it being something we could fastpass later on, it's nothing new and was fairly low on our list of must do's. i.e. This isn't us scrambling for things to do in DHS and riding Star Tours three times in a row to pass the time. So, we were back on track with the Matterhorn. For as popular as this one is, it is not a fast pass attraction, and it also seemed prone to shut downs. So, I wanted to try and get it in early.

When we got there, we saw all of the posts for the line, but no people. We then realized that it was closed. This would also be the start of our ride closure issues and the start of me using the DL app to monitor such closures. So, whether they liked it or not, they were all going to ride my favorite...

And it's the holiday version!!!

There were some groans from DH and Sammie, but Kendall was excited and I was a squealing giddy idiot! Now I love the one at WDW, but I've always known it was inferior to the original at Disneyland. I mean, come on...look at that facade!!!

Now, I've said before that I've never...for whatever crazy reason...seen the clock part go off on the WDW version, but I also know that their clock effects are nothing compared to the Disneyland one. And just as we're approaching, I realize that the clock is going off...

They are pretty much having to push me through the empty queue at this point because I am just a picture taking maniac.

I just couldn't get over how beautiful it all was.

We finally make our way to the front of the line and we're given our own boat. I'd like to think it's because they saw how gaga I was over it, but there was really no line at this point. It wouldn't be like that for long though. I'd say it averaged a 60-85 minute wait for the bulk of the day.

Sammie coping with going on this much better than DH...

And we're on our way...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It was around this point where I could start hearing the music and started to get really choked up.

Now, I know it's had work and modifications over the years, but this was the original. Names like Mary Blair (of course), Alice Davis, Mark Davis, Blaine Gibson, the Sherman brothers and Rolly Crump starting cycling through my head. And Walt...knowing how much influence Walt had on this...right down to the smiling face and ticking clock. Well, for an IASW fan, it was a bit overwhelming. But then, as we sailed into the attraction, all of that sort of became a blur and I went into a heightened level of my expected IASW euphoria. And the picture taking commenced.

And I know that these aren't the best pics, but it's still only about 1/3 of my pics. So, feel free to scroll past this if it's not your thing. I know this one is not for everyone.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Oh boy...the clock is going off again!

Again, I apologize to anyone who thought that was IASW picture overload and I know not all of the pics are great, but it's just so amazing to see all of these details after years and years of seeing WDWs version. Don't get me wrong...I still love WDW's, but when people talk about certain things at Disneyland being superior...this is definitely one of those things. I know some of the DL faithful weren't thrilled when all of the characters were added to the DL IASW, but I really enjoyed this touch and so did the kids. I thought Alice was particularly cute!

Kendall and I would have been game to ride again, but DH and Sammie weren't too keen on that and we knew crowds were building in the park. So, we decided to head back to the Matterhorn to see if it had reopened.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

As luck would have it, the Matterhorn was open, but the line was also stretching around the mountain. Still, we knew it would just get worse as the day went on and we still had time until Space Mountain, so we found the end of the line and waited. And I took pics of things to pass the time...

It felt so strange to hear the birds saying "Mine, Mine, Mine" and not be in the middle of Epcot...

...more waiting pics...

Hello Line!

...and still waiting...

It was about this time that we were trying to come up with seating arrangements because some people were coming off totally soaked. We saw this one poor dad who looked like he just stepped out of the shower.

I think it was also around this time that the girls were asking if that was real snow up there. Ummm- no.

We had a few delays while waiting in line, but found out it was so they could open both sides. Before long, we were pretty close to the front...

When it came time for them to place us on a side, we were put on the B side. I was nervous becuase I wasn't sure what to expect and realized I hadn't read or watched anything on it since the refurb. It was scarier than I thought it would be, but Harold (the Yeti) is great, and the ride is so much fun. I do know there's a push for them to replace the cars and after the bouncing around, I can kind of see why, but it was still a blast.

On the way out, we passed the nearby popcorn cart and saw our first heavily themed "roastie toastie" of the trip. I remember watching a web show where this was the big topic. The CM manning the popcorn stand got all excited as soon as she heard me refer to the Yeti on her cart as such...like not everyone knows that this is what they're called.

We'd burned a lot of time waiting for the Matterhorn, so it was time to go use our FPs at HyperSpace Mountain.


Coming up...HyperHurl Mountain, A big breakdown, the best character meal EVER, and in the right places at the right times.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Dec 28th continued...

So, we just finished on the Matterhorn and now we're making our way to Hyperspace Mountain. With the crowds, standby line, and fast pass distribution line...we had a hard time finding the FP return line. We wound up at the exit first...

I don't think there was any major rush, but we were going pretty quickly once we figured out where we were going and pictures were suffering to the point where I just gave up after a bit...

So, everyone in our group except for Sammie has ridden WDW's Space Mountain. DH and I are big fans, but Kendall hated it. Sammie is more of a thrill junkie (as much as you can be at 7), so we thought she'd enjoy it and we all wanted to see the Star Wars redo. The Star Wars part was really cool, but I left the ride feeling really nauseated. I usually only get like this on spinning rides and never on Space Mountain. I thought it might be that I was looking around at all of the effects since I thought DL's version was supposed to be smoother. So, I'm thinking about all of this as we're exiting the ride when I realize Kendall looks really green. Yeah- she had a bad case of HyperHURL Mountain. She was fine after that and some fresh air + water, but after this and her bad first experience in WDW...she is not a member of the Space Mountain fan club. Sammie, as expected, LOVED IT!

I'd say it was a little after 10 at this point, and our late breakfast reservation at the Plaza Inn wasn't until 10:30, so we thought we'd head into Adventureland to see about FPs for Indiana Jones.

So, while you see that the picture is blurry, it should illustrate what was going on pretty well...

We arrived at Indy and all of the attraction CMs are forming sort of a human wall in front of the entrance. The FP and Standby info sign is completely dark. Apparently, the ride had been down all morning and they have no idea IF or WHEN it would be coming back up. Still, there were people just standing there waiting. Now, this would be my first time hearing DL CMs be a little bit...well, logical instead of magical. Mind you, I agree with everything they said and I don't know if there was any better way to say it, but it kind of shocked me a little. When guests came up to ask about the ride, on top of repeating what I just noted...they made sort of a jab at those waiting...saying if they had just paid all this $ on pricey Disneyland park tickets, he wouldn't be spending his day waiting for a ride that might not open. Now, he's right and we'd find out later that this is one of the high congestion zones, so you don't want extra people just waiting there, but it just surprised me to hear a CM so loudly and boldly saying things like this.

So, we decided to just head back to Plaza Inn to check in for breakfast.

Now, let me just say that I had REALLY high expectations for this meal...and that's usually dangerous. I had watched a number of YouTube videos for this one and everything showed a minimum of 10 characters, a decent chunk were less common characters, and the interaction wasn't that stale sort of forced stuff you get at so many of these meals. But...it was the holidays and crowds were large, so I wasn't sure if we'd get that same experience...especially with a later seating.

So, I start getting worried because the family in front of us was asked if they had a reservation. Now obviously, we did, but the outside seating was fairly empty and this was a later reservation, so I was wondering if things were already winding down and wrapping up. It turns out, while there was plenty of available seating outside, inside seating was packed and I guess they were only giving parties with reservations priority for any open indoor tables. We were layered up a bit and it was turning out to be a very nice day, so we were good with an outdoor table. They also had heaters out there, so that would help as well.

After the hostess having deja vu with me...I guess someone with a similar name and appearance came by an hour earlier...they took us inside to pay...

And then back out for a picture and then seating at our table. DH and Sammie went up for food first since K and I would have to wait for the chef.

I took a few detail pics as we waited...

Oh, and since the bathrooms are outside the restaurant...they stamp your hand just in case you need to use the facilities during your meal.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The chef came by around this time and while he would tell us what's off limits inside for K, he offered to make her safe plates of food. So, she basically put in an order of everything she might want that's available inside and the chef prepped it in a safe area. NICE!

I also started getting anxious since DH and Sammie had been gone for a while...and I could see the first of the characters coming into our area.

Yes, that's Pinocchio and Honest John!

They went in a different direction, but next thing you know, we have Pooh at our table. And this is killing me because he's Sammie's favorite. We "talked" for a while...he signed both hats...he gave Sammie's Pooh backpack a big hug...and he got a good giggle about how she has "Pooh on her Shoes."

Sadly, we'd already hogged him long enough and it was time for him to move on. I popped inside to see if I could spot Sammie and DH, but I couldn't see them. So, I jumped back out to join Kendall.

It was about this time that Pinocchio and Honest John decided to sit at a table near us and have sort of an improv meal for everyone.

The two of them were not going table to table, but you could approach them and they kept doing silly things like this, here and there.

Captain Hook next made his way to our area...

I was now getting really worried since Sammie was missing so much of this. I guess I was standing at the table just trying to see if I could see any sign of them inside, when 3 CMs came by to make sure everything was OK. I explained the situation, and they told me that a couple of the lines inside wind a bit and were moving a bit slowly. And just as Captain Hook passed by, they informed me that Hook is single and could be a consideration if I'm looking for a new guy. Hook postured a bit and I asked how financially secure it might be to be with a pirate vs. someone like DH. I'm not sure if I was supposed to take the risk or walk the plank?

FINALLY...DH and Sammie come back out. Apparently, the line for sausage, bacon, and such was super slow. Kendall had gotten her food, so now it was just on me. Thankfully, DH took pics while I went inside.

Meanwhile, I'm inside and a bit confused at first. Plaza Inn goes into quick service cafeteria style mode for lunch and dinner, and while breakfast is all you care to eat, it's more like a buffeteria. You grab a tray (which irks me since I have this crazy tray phobia) and then you get your plate (with food) from the CMs manning the food stations along the line. Whats crazy, the line for the omelettes goes super fast and the guy running that is mega efficient, but the line for basics like scrambled eggs, sausage bacon, hash browns, etc. ... i.e. stuff that's pretty much scoop and plate ... moves super slow. Now, I will say the CMs working that line are very attentive, making sure you get everything you might want and alert you to things you might not know are there...but it took quite some time. I also found the Mickey Waffles over near the pastries and they had this AMAZING banana sauce for them.

So, since you can load up 1 plate, here are my THREE plates of food for round 1.

Now, nobody go crying blasphemy, but I've never been a huge fan of Mickey waffles at WDW. I get them because it's almost a ceremonial ritual sort of thing...but they've always been a bit tasteless and overcooked from my experiences. OK...so shoot me. LOL. So, I went in with lowered expectations with these...and I was shocked! Disneyland Mickey waffles- are different! The batter tastes different- rich and flavorful, it's more dense, and no Mickey shaped hockey pucks. Yes, they had banana sauce on them, but one of them barely had any and it was so good on its own.

Not sure who had this plate of food, but another plate of food from Plaza Inn. LOL- I thought it might be Kendall's, but I think she ordered different things from the chef.

So, now that I have food, it's time for another character...

Fairy Godmother was so sweet. Everything was magical...including Sammie's fingers...

While he didn't come by our table, I think all of us at one point or another got to say hi to Max...

And now, the hostess for the meal...so to speak...

Minnie liked that the girls were also wearing Nordic themed attire.

While Chip had come by the table, I think we'd all only get to say hi to Dale in passing...

Before we left, Rafiki also came by for one last visit. He hugged the girls, but refused to go until I got up to give him a hug. I guess he noticed I was missing when he came by the first time.

So, let's do a character recap...
1. Honest John
2. Pinocchio
3. Winnie the Pooh
4. Captain Hook
5. Eeyore
6. Rafiki
7. Chip
8. Dale
9. Max
10. Fairy Godmother
11. Minnie

And I know this changes up on a regular basis. I've seen videos with one of the penguins from Mary Poppins, Wendy, Peter Pan, Tigger, Alice, Hatter, and even an older one with Rabbit. I know some people like knowing exactly what they'll see and be assured that all of them will rotate to their tables, but we loved this. This is, by far, the best character meal we've ever done. And I even went back for some plain Mickey waffles because they were SOOOOOOOOOOO good! Still shocked how much better the west coast version is over the east.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We were beyond full, but it was time to head out and see the state of things in Adventureland...

This was about the time where we started to notice the crowds...and the CMs trying to manage them. This whole area was wall to wall people and the CMs were doing everything to keep things moving. The CMs were standing on top of pretty much anything they could find yelling at the crowds to stay to the right. It was sort of working, but it was crazy. It also didn't help that Indy was still down. So, we started to make our way towards New Orleans Square.

I was hoping we could ride PotC and the app was saying it was only 45 minutes, but we get near the attraction and we can't figure out where the line starts.

Honestly, the line wove in and out up past Haunted Mansion and we still couldn't figure out where it started, so we decided to try and get FPs for Haunted Mansion Holiday.

They even had a themed roastie toastie...

DH was getting really frustrated trying to find the FP distribution area, but I managed to find it and get FPs and be back in time for him to tell me where to find the FP distribution area. LOL

We have some time to burn before our FP return time and we find out that the PotC wait (even though we still don't know where the line starts) is about 170 minutes, so we start thinking about alternatives. We look at BTMRR, but that's down. And then I said, let's do something traditional that Walt loved...

Yup, we decide to ride the railroad. While the line isn't crazy long, we're boarding in New Orleans Square, so the trains are coming by fairly full. It would take us several trains before we could get on...so I just took pics as we waited.

Checking out the big crowds at the French Market...

Much of what you see out there is the line to PotC and a little bit HM...

And more waiting for the train pics...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I knew it was a long shot, but I had hoped we'd be able to ride on the Lilly Belle. I guess at least we'd get to see it...

Another pic as we're waiting...

And our train has arrived!

I was bugged a bit because we wound up on a train with all front facing seating, but we'd at least follow the no dancing policy.

And while more distressed, I noticed the lights are the same exact style that are on the WDW trains...

Before taking off, we noticed that the line for the train had grown considerably. I guess people were looking for things that didn't have hour plus waits.

We'd pass by the Haunted Mansion when heading out...

And like WDW...you pass through Splash. Yes, I know this is a HORRIBLE picture...

Passing by the Hungry Bear...

And we're moving...

Mark Twain through the trees...

Light...

As we approach IASW, we see the sea of strollers...and I thank the Lord that we are past that stage! Touring stroller free since 2013!

YAY!!! The IASW clock is going off again and from the train, I can see things from a totally different vantage point.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

That's it for right now since I accidentally deleted some of what I'd put together to complete this portion (which should have had 3 or 4 more posts). Hope to get it posted soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to share that my parents are currently at WDW. I've been tortured by pictures of driving under the maingate, Mickey pretzels on the BW, a play by play of the Wishes timed ADR I helped them get (just last week) for tonight, pin trading... and this cuteness...

Yup, that's mouse ear water with lemon courtesy of Narcoosee's

Thanks for reading

 

[MinnieM123]

My goodness, what a wonderful family trip you all had! I'm also a fan of Mary Blair's work, and Small World will always be one of my favorite attractions. (Never been to Disneyland, but have been on the one in WDW.) I really enjoyed all of your SW pictures, including the concept art ones from the hotel room. The Mary Blair artwork on your Dooney bag was also cute!

 

[Figgy1]

Thank you for another wonderful TR and I'm sorry about the cake. I love the Dooney bag and your girls are as precious as ever and I really liked seeing them with fairy godmother. so nice to see they are as cute as in the pic you had up of them a few years ago.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

Yea for a great character breakfast!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Mickey waffles. Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

But those crowds!

 

[coachwnh]

The character line up at Plaza never disappoints. The character meals arent as well organized as they are at WDW, but the number of unique meet and greets cant be beat!

 

[WDW74]

This is the perfect preview ! Going to DLR fo the first time in 38 days and staying at GC !

 

[HouCuseChickie]

My goodness, what a wonderful family trip you all had! I'm also a fan of Mary Blair's work, and Small World will always be one of my favorite attractions. (Never been to Disneyland, but have been on the one in WDW.) I really enjoyed all of your SW pictures, including the concept art ones from the hotel room. The Mary Blair artwork on your Dooney bag was also cute!

Still feels kind of crazy that we had 3 trips in one, but it's one they're sure to remember. I'm seriously thinking about getting copies of her IASW concept art and having them matted and framed. I think it might be a nice way to have a Disney room that may not be as obviously Disney. I'm really hoping to get a Dooney in the new Small World print coming out this year.

http://www./wp-content/uploads/2015/12/small-world-550x307.jpg

Thank you for another wonderful TR and I'm sorry about the cake. I love the Dooney bag and your girls are as precious as ever and I really liked seeing them with fairy godmother. so nice to see they are as cute as in the pic you had up of them a few years ago.

Thank you I guess at least the cake was cute and it still was a decent midnight snack during that part of the trip. I did have some Fairy Godmother deja vu with them from their meeting with her in our 2012 trip. Crazy to see how much they've grown since that pic, but also great that they still enjoy the characters.

Yea for a great character breakfast!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Mickey waffles. Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

But those crowds!

I really wish I knew what the difference was with the DL waffles. I seriously could have eaten them all day. The crowds would be an issue, but I think after I've posted all 3 park days...I think most would agree that we handled it pretty well. Not exactly the ideal time to be there, but much better if you have a plan

The character line up at Plaza never disappoints. The character meals arent as well organized as they are at WDW, but the number of unique meet and greets cant be beat!

It's really too bad that WDW can't offer something like what they do at Plaza. I think most fans like the chance to meet more uncommon characters as well as the element of surprise with who you might see.

This is the perfect preview ! Going to DLR fo the first time in 38 days and staying at GC !

Jealous! I really liked the GC from everything we saw. Not sure how long it will take me to get to it, but we wind up back in there on the next day of our trip (for breakfast).

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Dec 28th continued...

So, we're passing by IASW and it's just so cool to see some of the clock figures close up...

I felt like I was playing Disney ride camera with this shot...except that I don't think Disney would ever add such a camera to a ride like this. LOL

Next the train passed by Autopia...

Now, I have watched videos of the Disneyland train, but for whatever reason, I had totally forgotten that it takes you through the Grand Canyon. While I like WDW's railroad, this is a definite advantage for DL's.

Not sure why I was tearing up over dinosaurs, but by the time we got to the primeval section with the Magic Skyway dinosaurs, well...I was a bit emotional. So, I made to point out that we were at the front of the park and could see DCA, so that I had some time to pull it back together.

And we're right up at the front...

And we're off again...and you can even see a bit of Grizzly Peak...

And we're back from our lovely ride.

On our way out, I noticed the sound of jazz. And when I peaked through into the French Market, I could see the musicians.

Before our trip, I'd heard Disneyland does live music better than any other Disney park, but I didn't really think much of it until I was immersed in it. I mean, this was live jazz playing on a stage at quick service dining spot. And it was good too!

We still had some time until our HHM FP, so we picked something that had a more reasonable standby time posted on the app.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The line felt like it was moving more slowly than posted. So, I start taking pics of things over by Splash as well...

Almost time to ride...

It's pretty much the same ride as WDW, but WDW gets the advantage here with their interactive queue. I did like these things of 'hunny.'

Saw holiday Eeyore on the way out...

I asked DH if he wanted to try the canoes. I was shocked at his response since he's much more outdoorsy than me...but he said "not if I have to row!" Well.

Love the Country Bears reference at the restroom...

Regret not getting to ride the Columbia...

Passing by the front of Splash...

(if you look through the fence slats, you can see a Splash boat)

I kept telling everyone that the wait wasn't too bad and nobody was looking wet, but nobody wanted to take the chance.

So, we head back to the Haunted Mansion since we're now just a few minutes before the opening of our FP window...

Now, I don't know if you noticed, but there are no guests up near the mansion in these pics. That's right, Haunted Mansion was also now closed. We were told they would honor fast passes at any time should they open back up, but that nobody could stand there. So, we start heading back towards Indy...even though everything is still showing that's closed.

Oh yea...and it's wall to wall people...can barely move...can barely tell where the crowd stops and the PotC line begins. It was a MESS!!!

CMs were back to standing on things and screaming to people to keep right. It sort of worked, since we made it past a still closed Indy and decided to try the Jingle Cruise.

We weren't very far in line when we noticed something going on to our right. We could see the Indy queue and we could see CMs opening the ropes. The family behind us ducked under the Jingle Cruise ropes and headed that way. DH and I quickly glanced at each other, I took the girls by the hand, and then sort growled the word....RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And we ran right next door to a now open Indiana Jones.

The standby line was moving just like lines for popular rides move right when the parks open. We were weaving in and out and a super fast pace...everyone hoing the ride wouldn't break down again. I still tried to take some pics along the way...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

(and yes, I know we weren't supposed to run...it was really more of a very fast walk)

Looking into the Jingle Cruise as we were rushing through the queue...

And back to Indy queue...

I think we made it through the queue in less than 15 minutes! I thought it was a great ride and loved that we got the "tourists" diaglogue from Indy at the end; however, both kids were a bit scared. Still not so scared to ask to ride again. DH and I told them not today and we headed back out into the crowds...

DH had the brilliant idea to check on HM. The app was still saying it was down, but considering the app had been off on wait times for PotC...maybe it would be wrong with this too? It was so crowded and everything had such long waits by now that it couldn't hurt. So, we head back and wouldn't you know it...people were just starting to file in...

We handed over our fastpasses and joined the line...

As you can tell, this is Haunted Mansion Holiday. And since Sammie LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES Jack...she's pretty thrilled. Although, she got a little freaked out by it all when I made a big deal out of it...

Not sure why, but the color contrasts in these trees really were appealing to me as we waited...

You may also notice that the sky was looking a bit gray. I think we had a 20-30% chance of afternoon showers. This was the only day I packed our ponchos, but it was nothing more than a few sprinkles. Great for us, but CA really needs rain. Every single place we stayed this trip had all kinds of in-room signage about various ways to conserve water and resources.

Getting close to the door...