Tag Archives: Disneyland

Disneyland Attraction Reviews (by Old-ish People)

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For fun, here’s a quick rundown of everything Raymond and I experienced attraction-wise during our very first visit to Disneyland.  (Bonus:  Comparisons to WDW when applicable)

Disneyland Attraction Reviews (by Old-ish People)

Disney California Adventure

Golden Zephyr – Yes, this was the ride we chose as the first one upon arrival.  No line, great views, very sweet and gentle.  Also, not at Walt Disney World, so added bonus of being unique!  We got to see the cutest Green Army Man parade from way up in the air.

Pixar Pal-A-Round (non-swinging) – I wanted to see the sights and thought the swinging version of this would impair viewing.  It was relaxing, but the caged-in feeling detracted from my enjoyment.  I’d ride it again.  Maybe.  Raymond was likewise underwhelmed.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (Twice!) – This was awesome!  No comparison to Tower of Terror (apples to oranges).  Everything about this attraction is amazing and we thought it was about as entertaining a ride as could be.  We loved how the experience changes (like Star Tours) and the humor was great.  The queue was excellent too.  This attraction deserves all the hype and lives up to its reputation.

Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue – Cute!  Exactly what you’d expect and Monsters, Inc. fans are sure to be pleased.

Incredicoaster (Twice!) – A bit like an outdoor Rock’n’ Roller Coaster.  We love the Incredibles and are thrill-ride fans as well.  We thought this was the perfect combination of the two.  I want to be Edna Mode when I grow up.

Radiator Springs Racers (Twice!) – This won my heart.  It was my favorite attraction of the trip.  We almost skipped it because it was described as being like Test Track (which we think is just meh).  It was @CaptainAlabama on Twitter who convinced us to try it and boy!  What a phenomenal experience!!!  We rode during the daytime and then again one night.  I strongly suggest, if you ever have the chance, you do that too!  Cars Land by day is vastly different from Cars Land at night and this attraction is too.  Every detail, every twist and turn, every view, each and every moment…outstanding!

Toy Story Midway Mania – Not much different from the one at WDW.  Always a favorite.  Guess what?  No matter which coast I’m on, I always win the same prize on this ride!  Darn you, poor eye/hand coordination!

Paint the Night Parade (did a dining package for special seating) – This turned out to be one of Raymond’s most favorite parade experiences ever!  It was sweet and the floats and characters were interesting and entertaining.  (More on the dining package part in a future post.)

Disneyland Park

Space Mountain – The seating really threw us at first (side-by-side), but the ride was excellent.  The “Ghost Galaxy” theme was cool!  Enough like Magic Kingdom’s version to be familiar yet surprisingly different in a good way!

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – Ah, nostalgia.  It was nice to see Toad again after all these years.  I missed it at WDW when it closed, but knowing the ride lives on in California did a lot to soothe my hurt feelings.

Jungle Cruise – WHOA!  This was so cool!  The jokes are mostly different, the animatronics often much better than in Magic Kingdom, and (spoiler alert!) piranhas!  There was hardly a wait for this attraction – WHY?  It’s awesome and adorable!

Pirates of the Caribbean – This experience did not diminish my love for WDW’s Pirates in any way, but holy moly!  I loved the buildup from the bayou through all the scenes.  It felt much creepier (more creepy?) and the added length allowed more of a story to be told.

Indiana Jones Adventure – I cannot lie.  We hated it.  Go ahead with your gasps of outrage, we did not get anything out of this ride except whiplash.  We moved way to fast to actually see any of the seemingly awesome details.  Just when I’d spot something interesting to focus on – zoom!  We were gone.  I’m a huge Indy fan!  My DOG is named Henry Jones, Jr., for Pete’s sake!  Maybe I was expecting too much.  It’s a once and done for us.

Haunted Mansion – Words cannot describe how excellent the Halloween overlay is!  The Mansion’s exterior is gorgeous!  Absolute perfection that fits in very well with New Orleans Square (excellent details and theming there!).  While I would have loved to experience Haunted Mansion without the overlay for comparison purposes, we were blown away by the excessive details!  It’s extraordinarily well done.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Different, but just as excellent as Magic Kingdom’s version.  The explosions in the mine were so EXTRA!  What a fantastic detail and we were delighted!  It’s a do-not-miss for us.

Mark Twain Riverboat – Scoff if you must, but I drug poor Raymond right on board and loved every second of this!  Have I mentioned the weather?  Blue, blue sky, sans a single cloud, temps in the 80’s.  How could anyone NOT love a relaxing trip around the Rivers of America?  Seriously, it’s fantastic!

Snow White’s Scary Adventure – Like Mr. Toad, the nostalgia factor was the draw here.

Storybook Land Canal Boats – I fell in love with this!  This attraction sounds silly and like a waste of time, but it is not!  The boats are sweetly adorable, the actual real-life human guide is an extra-special detail, and the little kingdoms and villages along the canal’s shores are especially well-crafted.  See all your favorite Disney movie settings!  And ride into Monstro’s mouth too!  What’s not to love about that?

it’s a small world – We were completely and totally unprepared for this.  It’s HUGE!  Makes the one in Magic Kingdom feel like a rip-off.  Sure, they’re basically the same on the inside (and everyone always says it’s what’s on the inside that matters, right?) but the exterior is so EXTRA!!!  It added to the overall experience exponentially.

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey – Well…uhm…this was certainly a tribute to Pinocchio and stuff.  I’m afraid it felt a bit outdated.

Splash Mountain – I have to say it.  Magic Kingdom’s version is much better.  Three things ruined Splash for us here.  One, the boat was much rougher and bashed into the sides of the “river” violently several times.  Two, the boats moved so fast we didn’t have time to enjoy the scenes and the adorable furry animals.  Three, there’s a pitch black section in which we were completely drenched with ice-cold water from head to toe.  We were saddened by the experience.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage – We thought this was precious and it brought back fond memories of the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Alice in Wonderland – This one was among my favorites.  Recently refurbished with added projection effects, we were charmed by the whimsical details.

The Disneyland Story Presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.  I liked this very much…better than Hall of Presidents, honestly.  They said no pictures and I took it seriously!  I did get a nice picture of this sign though…enjoy!

A word about wait times.  There were hardly any at most of the attractions.  In fact, not all Disneyland attractions have posted wait times.  Unlike Disney World, only the most popular attractions have/need FastPasses.  Interspersed with all those attractions, we had plenty of time to snack, grab a beer or glass of wine, and soak up the outrageously perfect weather and Disney’s magical details.

Attractions we skipped were mostly by design.  Some would have been exactly like their WDW version (Soarin’ and Star Tours), some would have meant we didn’t get to ride our favorites twice.  Matterhorn Bobsleds – closed for refurb, disappointingly.  I was conflicted about the decision to skip Grizzly River Run, but after the complete soaking on Splash, we thought it for the best.  Hopefully, there will be a next time!

Okay, let me have it!  Agree?  Disagree?  Bit of both?

 

 

Just Back Trip Review – Highs and Lows of our Disney Land and Sea Adventure

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Good Gracious! Raymond and I are still exhausted! But very pleased with the heaps of happy memories we amassed on our Disney Land and Sea vacation. We thought of the 9-day trip in terms of phases. Phase 1: Vancouver, Phase 2: Disney Cruise on the Wonder, Phase 3: Disneyland. Today my goal is to put together my initial thoughts on the trip overall. (There will be detailed posts for every phase later.)

Just Back Trip Review – Highs and Lows of our Disney Land and Sea Adventure

Vancouver was great! The weather? Not so much. That didn’t keep us from enjoying an entertaining, educational, and delicious food tour on Saturday. Sunday was our anniversary, so we spent the day at a leisurely pace. Originally, we’d planned on either biking around Stanley Park or visiting Granville Island’s marketplace. The rain made both of those sound unenjoyable, so we strolled around in the rain, stopping to eat at Cardero’s on the harbor. We’d eaten here once before with Megan and Joseph prior to our Alaskan cruise in 2011, so we enjoyed happy memories along with a light lunch. Dinner that night was a fancy one at Notch8 in the Fairmont Vancouver just a few blocks from our hotel. Fantastic meal!

We crossed the street late Monday morning and stepped aboard the Disney Wonder. Since repositioning cruises tend to sometimes offer (relatively) bargain prices, Raymond had booked concierge stateroom 8044 for our anniversary celebration and the experience did not disappoint. I’ll fill you in on all the concierge details later but getting on the ship first to enjoy a special lunch in Tiana’s Place was fantastic and kicked off the cruise in a special way.

Tuesday, we docked in Astoria, Oregon. We had no idea what to expect from this little town of 10,000. The early weather predictions showed a huge chance of rain, so we were overjoyed when the day turned out to be sunny! We had a 3-hour bicycle tour planned from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. This turned out to be a perfect way to enjoy this port of call. Astoria is charming, the ride along the waterfront was flat, and the folks we met were as friendly as could be. I can’t decide what was my favorite part of the day but seeing sea lions for the first time was amazing.

Wednesday and Thursday were at-sea days. Raymond and I spent a lot of time in the fitness center trying to mitigate the accumulation of cruise food and beverage calories. We took a spin class both days and found Nicholas from South Africa to be an excellent (and challenging!) instructor. As a bonus, we also had some excellent whale-watching opportunities in the fitness center since it’s at the top of the ship and has huge windows.  We dined at Palo (adults-only restaurant) for both dinner and brunch, enjoyed two different beverage-tasting seminars, saw a movie, drank lots of coffee in Cove Café, and had a wonderful time!

Friday, we arrived in San Diego. We managed to get off the ship, Uber to the car rental place, pick up our ride, drive to Anaheim, drop our bags at the hotel, and enter Disney’s California Adventure before lunch!  Thus, Phase 3 began earlier than expected and with the most perfect weather imaginable. Once at Disneyland, we made the most of every minute!

I have so much to share with you!  Were mistakes made?  Yes, two major ones that resulted in (relatively minor) unhappiness.  We found so much to love about every aspect of this vacation and would do it all over again (with a couple of important modifications).  I’ll cover everything in detail, so please stop back by over the next couple of weeks.

Now?  I’m still catching up on sleep!  But I’ll be back soon and hope you will be too!

Disney Planning – Disney Cruise West Coast Land & Sea Adventure

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We love Disney Cruise Line and we love Disney theme parks – There’s nothing better to us that a vacation that combines them both!  What better way to celebrate wedding anniversary #29 than by sailing on the Disney Wonder before heading to Disneyland for the very first time.

Disney Planning – Disney Cruise West Coast Land & Sea Adventure

This vacation was a bit unexpected.  I was in the early stages of thinking about what we might want to do for what has become an annual anniversary getaway.  I’d been imagining Hawaii or maybe someplace else tropical that would not put us too much at risk of yet another hurricane season vacation disaster.  Unbeknownst to me, Raymond was busily shopping the Disney Cruise Line website.Disney Cruise Line / Ship

I remember bringing up the aforementioned potential tropical destination while he was typing away on his computer.  He suddenly got excited about the prices for a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to San Diego on the Wonder…so excited, in fact, that before I knew it, he exclaimed, “These prices are awesome!  This sounds fun!  I’m booking it!” (Okay, if you’ve ever met Raymond, you know he’d never speak with all those exclamations…It’s called artistic license.  I can’t help myself.)  And boom!  Part one of our vacation was in the bag.  We’ll sail from Vancouver for a four-night cruise with a stop in Astoria, Oregon before arriving in San Diego.

Now it was my turn to plan.

I didn’t waste any time.  Researching our options for getting to Anaheim from San Diego and places to stay at Disneyland, I decided on a rental car and a Good Neighbor hotel.  Three-day Park Hopper tickets will hopefully allow enough time for a decent first visit.  Our hotel is within walking distance of park entrances.

I took to Twitter for dining suggestions and booked reservations for breakfast at the Plaza Inn, lunch at Blue Bayou, and dinners at Napa Rose, Carthay Circle, and Steakhouse 55.  I realize there are incredible quick service choices and I know we’ll want to give some of those a try too.

So, it seems like we’re all set.  The biggest challenge so far is packing for both cool and warm weather in one vacation.  My suitcase is nearly packed and I’m proud to say I didn’t go overboard.  (Give me a shout if you’d be interested in what I packed an/or wore for this trip.)

Having never been to Disneyland, we would welcome your suggestions for what you consider the most important things for us to see and do!  Rides?  Attractions?  Snacks?  Shows?  What do we need on our must-do list?  I feel like a complete Disney rookie this time!  If you’ve got tips, I want to hear them.  We’re leaving in just a few days, so please leave your thoughts in the comments or over on Twitter or Facebook.  Thanks in advance for your help.  Can’t wait to tell you all about it when we get home!

 

All The 2017 Disney (Non) Resolutions

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Happy New Year!  I’m not gonna lie. I was kinda glad to see the last of 2016. It was a year of ups and downs in the way that riding a roller coaster over and over makes you want to finally get off.  Now here we are – fresh year, new opportunities and all that. If you’ve been here for the arrival of the past three years, then you know I’m not a fan of resolutions.  I absolutely believe in making a commitment to change, but only when you’re ready and you really mean it. Me, I make Disney plans for the beginning of each year and it’s time to line them out.

All The 2017 Disney (Non) Resolutions

It’s not without a bit of anxiety that I tell you what’s on tap for 2017…there are few solid trip plans which is so not like me. I love planning Disney vacations and usually have 24-months-worth all sewn up at any given time. That’s not the case at the moment, but as you’ll soon see, I’ve got good ideas!  Here’s what’s definitely in the future…

Make Disney Soup (again)!

Last time it was the spinach, sausage, and gnocchi soup from The Wave.  I’ve made it several times since I figured out how.  This time, I’m going for the Curried Butternut Squash Bisque from Jiko.  I’m probably going to have to forego the garnishes of duck confit and quince marmalade, but the velvety smooth deliciousness of this incredibly tasty soup can hold its own without the fancy add-ins. I’ve already practiced once this week and came super close!  Sadly, I didn’t measure anything. Next time I’ll make sure I know exactly what’s going in and how much of each ingredient is used so I can share the final recipe with you.

Run the Dark Side Challenge

I’ve been talking about it enough that you probably already know about this one.  What makes this short Disney World visit in April so special is that I’ll be running both races with Joseph (my favorite son) and both Nick and Dave (my co-hosts on The Disney Exchange) will be at Disney World then too!  Might be possible for us to finally have a podcast meet-up!  Based on our past luck with that, though, I won’t hold my breath.

See These Movies

There are a bunch of Disney movies coming out in 2017 that I’d like to see in a theater, but these are the ones I’m absolutely not going to miss and plan on seeing them as soon as they come out:

  • Beauty and the Beast (March 17th)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (May 5th)
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7th)
  • Star Wars Ep. VIII (December 15th)

Obtain My Scuba Certification

This was a Christmas gift from Raymond who’s already certified and knows I love adventure, learning new things, and the ocean.  We’d arranged this as a gift for Joseph, who’s studying biology and loves tropical fish.  I was beyond excited when I opened the same present for me!  Now we’ll start studying our books and DVD ahead of the classes which should begin in late February.  Someday we’ll be able to search for both Nemo and Dory!

Book a Disney CruiseDisney Cruise Line

We’ve got a placeholder burning a hole in our pocket! On last February’s cruise on the Disney Dream, we put a down payment on a future cruise to take advantage of the onboard booking specials. Now we need to make a decision on when and where we’ll go.  I’d kind of like to try the Fantasy, which is the only Disney ship we haven’t yet sailed on.

Go on a Disney (under sea) Adventure

What good will that scuba certification be without putting it to good use on a Disney vacation?  Our first choice is to book a visit to Aulani with a stop at Disneyland on the way.  I know there are amazing diving opportunities in Hawaii.  The only thing holding us back right now is working out the timing and budget…keeping my fingers crossed!

Have you made your Disney plans for 2017?  What’s on your list?