Sunday, June 2 … Today is our last
day. And while it’s always sad to leave Disney, we’re content and got our Disney
fix this week. Some people might think we’re crazy to buy a five day park
hopper ticket for only two theme parks. But guess what? There were things we
didn’t see or do!
We did a lot of packing the night
before, so this morning we were able to sleep in a little compared to other
days. We had 9am breakfast reservations at the Storyteller’s Café Woodland
friends breakfast. It was nice being able to walk right downstairs, and have a
filling breakfast buffet. The service was good, the ambience was woodsy, the
food was yummy, and the characters were fun. Who can ask for more? The highlight
of the food was the omelet station – that chef knew what he was doing!
We met several woodlands characters
including Chip & Dale, Koda & Kenai from Brother Bear, and Meeka (Pocahontas).
Sean even invited Chip to sit down and join us for breakfast. They also did a
few camp songs led by Ranger Raeleen, and marched around the restaurant with
the kids. Sean gobbled it up!
This was a great way to soak up more
Disney magic on our last day without going into the parks.
After breakfast, we grabbed our bags
in our room and headed down to the lobby. They stored our bags for us,
including a few of our perishable items we had left in our fridge, and we
called a cab to take us to church.
We went to 11am mass at St. Boniface
which was a 10 minute drive. It was strange leaving the Disney bubble,
especially when you turn out of the driveway from the resort and you’re back in
a normal world. At WDW you would have to drive at least 10 minutes to get out
of the bubble. Mass was good, and we’re glad we went. A perfect way to thank
God for the blessing of being able to enjoy such a fabulous vacation.
After mass we called the cab company
again, and they came back to pick us up. We gathered our bags from bell
services, and munched on our leftover perishables for lunch in the lobby. I
took an excursion to Downtown Disney to pick up some last minute souvenirs, and
then our shuttle arrived at 1:30ish to take us to the airport.
Can you believe we almost went to the
wrong airport? A Super Shuttle arrived and we didn’t check the sign in the
window (that said it was headed to John Wayne airport). And the driver didn’t
check our names. He packed our bags in the back, and then we were jostling for
seats since the van was nearly packed and Sean had to sit in his booster seat.
As we were jostling another guest showed up and asked the driver if he was
heading to John Wayne airport, and he said yes. My eyes got as big as saucers
and said, “we’re going to LAX!”. So we untangled ourselves and our bags from
this van, and waited about 5 minutes for the RIGHT shuttle to arrive. This time
we double and triple-checked we were in the right van! This van was empty which
was nice – no jostling for position. The downside is we picked up several
passengers from other hotels who had been at a conference. A multi-level
marketing conference. Ugh! So for 45 minutes we had to hear a sales pitch. Not
so fun.
Our flight was at 4pm, and between
checking our bags, security, potty breaks, and grabbing a sandwich for the
flight we didn’t have to wait much for boarding. The flight itself was
uneventful. The downside of flying back from the west coast is you lose 2
hours, so we didn’t get home until midnight.
And then the next day I received a
call at 10:30 reminding me I had a 10:30 appointment for Sean’s Kindergarten
assessment. I completely forgot about it.
Saturday, June 1 ... The last hurrah. Our last day in the
parks. We were at the gates by 7:45am for early entry hours at Disneyland. I
can’t emphasize enough how much you can get done in these first few hours in
the morning. We saw 12 attractions/ride within 2 and a half hours. TWELVE! Amazing.
Here we are waiting for the rope drop at the end of Main Street.
We started at Peter Pan’s Flight. They
were actually delayed in opening this ride, which was slightly aggravating
since we wanted to maximize our time this morning. And they weren’t telling us
much so it was hard to tell if it was just delayed OR broken down. Needless to
say it opened within a few minutes. And
we enjoyed it – it’s very similar to the Florida version, although more
intimate.
Next up was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. We
were excited to experience this infamous dark ride, but quickly realized why it
was sent to its grave down in Florida. I just didn’t get it, and neither did
Sean. Call me a traitor but I’m thrilled that The Many Adventures of Winnie the
Pooh took it’s place at WDW.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Our next stop was Alice in
Wonderland. Another classic Disneyland attraction you won’t find down in
Florida. It was marginally better than Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and I’m glad we
experienced it. I don’t think I’ve ever watched the movie so I don’t really
know the story. Maybe I would have liked it better.
We moved over to Tomorrowland, and
were able to walk right on Astro Orbitor. A classic, and fun to zoom around and
around. Yet again I have to give a nod to the Florida version as I think it’s a
ton more fun to be way up high as opposed to loading at ground level.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Finally, we were able to experience Star
Tours – one of Jeff & Sean’s most favorite rides. I believe it is now
identical to it’s Florida cousin. There are many different scenes you can
experience, and this time we had a new one we’ve never seen before... but we can't remember what they were. Jeff thinks it was the pod race. Alas, our memory is not the best! Here we are waiting in line with our 3-D glasses!
On to Autopia that opened at 9am
(regular park opening) – it was only 8:45am so we had to wait a few minutes in
line. This gave Sean time to check out all the cars and pick out which one he
hoped to get. And wouldn’t you know it? The little bugger got it! A gold one
that turns green depending on how you are looking at it. Very cool. We enjoyed
Autopia more than the Tomorrowland Speedway down in Florida. It felt longer and
more relaxing.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Back over to Fantasyland where we
rode Pinocchio’s Great Adventure, and honestly I can’t remember it. I had to
look up a video on YouTube and then I remembered it was a typical dark ride
telling Pinocchio’s story. Disneyland has a LOT of these it seems, and they all
start to blur together after a while.
Next up was King Arthur’s carrousel,
and then Casey Jr. Circus train which was pretty boring. Although we can say we’ve
been there and done that.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Finally, the piece de resistance in
Fantasyland – it’s a small world! We loved it, and found it to be more more intimate
than it’s cousin in Florida. It felt like we could reach out and touch the
little singing people. It’s a classic, and one we enjoy no matter which coast
we’re on.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Toontown opened at 10am, and we were
right on time. We beelined it straight over to Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin.
Another dark ride, but this time you can spin and twist your vehicle around and
around which was fun.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
We stopped a Photopass photographer
here to take our pictures, but we soon found out she didn’t know what she was
doing. She said it was her first time shooting in Toontown and didn’t know any
good spots yet. Plus most of her shots were not in focus. Epic fail. So we decided to take our own pics!
The last ride in Disneyland was
Gadget’s Go coaster in Toontown which is a fun, zippy little kid roller
coaster. Sean loved it.
Before we left Toontown we decided to
stop by Minnie’s house again. Remember on our first day we had to leave
Toontown before we were able to meet Minnie? This time the line was much
shorter, and we had a great time exploring her house. And then we finally met
Minnie out in her backyard garden gazebo. She’s also such a gracious host!
It was now 10:30am – can you believe
how much we did in just 2 and a half hours? Unbelievable!
We took advantage of our park hopper
passes yet again, and headed over to DCA. Sean was ready for a snack so we
stopped by Mortimer’s Market on Buena Vista street to pick up a healthy snack.
Lots of great options here. Sean zeroed in on the large dill pickle, and never
looked back. Gotta hand it to the kid, it was pretty yummy as I sneaked a few
bites.
Meanwhile, Jeff ran ahead to see if
he could get fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers later that night. SCORE!
We moseyed on over to Redwood Creek
Challenge Trail. This is definitely a welcome respite from the busy theme park.
Once you step inside the area all noise magically disappears. We picked up a
trail map and started to follow the clues around. And I’m happy to report Sean
finished all of the challenges, and earned all of his badges! Then at Noon we
joined the Widerness Explorer Ceremony with Russell (from the movie UP). Super
cute. If you have little ones, don’t miss this area of the park and this
ceremony. They’ll eat it up.
We attempted to jump in line for
Grizzly River Run, but it shutdown a few minutes after we joined the queue.
Honestly, I think it was a blessing in disguise. I hear you get soaked, and I
didn’t really want to get wet. The only reason I agreed to was because we were
literally right next door to our resort (this is where the resort entrance is
located). But c’est la vie. It will have to wait until next time!
Instead, we went back to our resort
and decided to stop at White Water Snacks for lunch. I grabbed the pesto
chicken sandwich from the cooler, Sean ordered a grilled cheese, and Jeff
ordered the hot chicken sandwich. I was starving so I started to eat before
Jeff’s meal arrived. But then he kept waiting and waiting. He went up to check
on it, and they said it was coming. And then we waited even longer. People who
ordered after us were getting their food. So Jeff was starting to get ticked.
He called over a cast member and asked her to check on it again. And she never
returned. We finally find out the order got routed to the outdoor bar area, and
was never prepared. Huh? They entered the order again and he had his sandwich
in about 5 minutes. There was another woman waiting patiently too. Jeff made a
comment to her about waiting even longer than him. And she replied, “It’s OK. I’m
sure you paid a pretty penny for this vacation like I did, so I’m not going to
complain when something goes awry.” UGH. Lady, I don’t care how much you paid
for your vacation. You shouldn’t have to wait 30 minutes for a lousy fast food
chicken sandwich no matter where you are.
So, Disney service failed us once
this vacation. Too bad. Their reputation is virtually flawless in our
experience. They did comp our entire lunch (mine and Sean’s included), so they
made amends. We never did see that cast member who disappeared again. Curious.
We made our way up to our room to
relax… and take a nap! Seems to be a pattern.
Before we headed back into the parks,
we took some time to relax in the lobby of our resort, the Grand Californian.
They have this awesome fireplace and a gentleman was playing the piano. I sunk
down into one of the chairs in front of the fireplace and soaked up some
relaxation. Nice.
In the evening we decided to stroll
through Downtown Disney and hop on the monorail and ride it over to Disneyland.
Jeff and Sean did this earlier in the week without me, and Jeff really wanted
us all to ride it. We were in the very last car which was fun. Their monorail
is much narrower than those down in Florida. Everything seems to be just
smaller everywhere we go!
The monorail dumps you off in
Tomorrowland, so we asked Sean what one ride would he like to go on before we
leave and he said Space Mountain. The standby line said 30 minutes, so we said
what the heck. We assumed it would be no longer, and more than likely shorter
than 30 minutes. But we were wrong. SO wrong. We stood in that line for at
least an hour. And it’s a typical old-time queue with nothing to keep you
entertained except the people you pass. Luckily Sean was really excited about
riding Space Mountain again, and willing to wait without whining. And he still
hadn’t earned his souvenir yet so we had that “no more whining” threat hanging
over his head. It worked. We finally got on the ride and we all loved it.
BTW, no clue what Sean is looking at
in this picture. He was doing the same thing last time. It’s at the end of the
ride where you drive through the tunnel with flashing lights so he must be
looking at those instead of straight ahead. Strange kid.
We spotted the line for Matterhorn
wasn’t bad (and we could actually see it unlike Space Mountain) so we decided
to ride it again too. Sean was in roller coaster heaven!
On our way out of Disneyland we
spotted Susie and Perla from Cinderella, who are rare characters down in
Florida. And their line was pretty short so we jumped in. I’m REALLY bummed
that we forgot to bring Sean’s autograph book because we weren’t able to get
their autographs. You’d think I would have brainstormed another idea and had
them autograph the back of a check registry or something. Uh, nope. I’m not
that quick or smart. So we settled for a photograph. That’s most important
anyway, right?
So, we cruised on over to DCA and
headed back to Cars Land for one last time. Need I remind you how incredibly
detailed the Imagineering is in Cars Land? It’s awesome really. You have to go
to Disneyland for Cars Land alone.
We had dinner at the Cozy Cone Motel
where they have four different cones serving different things in cones
nonetheless. Cone #1 serves churro bites with chocolate sauce. I really wanted
to try these but my tummy ran out of room! Cone #2 serves soft serve ice cream
cones. I thoroughly enjoyed a hand dipped vanilla cone! Cone #3 serves chili “cone”
queso in a bread cone and chicken verde in a bread cone. Jeff and I both had
the chili for dinner and it was pretty yummy. Hit the spot and wasn’t a lot so
we could enjoy dessert. Cone #4 serves pretzel bites with cheese sauce which is
what Sean had for dinner. Hey, it’s vacation! They also serve Red’s Apple
Freeze drink here which we ordered and Sean loved it. It was pretty yummy.
Similar to Butterbear at Universal’s Harry Potter World but tangier. Cone #5
serves popcorn. There are a few picnic style tables here to enjoy your snacks
and we were lucky that it wasn’t too busy and were able to grab a table. I can
imagine during busy times it would be difficult to find a spot to sit and enjoy
your food.
The line for Mater’s Junkyard
Jamboree was pretty short, so we jumped in line and experienced this whippy
little ride one more time. Can you see my light up ears?
Finally the time came for our Radiator
Springs fast passes (if I remember correctly our return time was 8:30pm). Once
again, it was incredible. But sadly, our car lost this time. We thought maybe
we had a HUGE lucky streak and would win 4 times in a row. We took our loss as a
sign it was time to go home.
We decided to head over to Paradise
Pier and see if we could find a spot to watch the 9pm show. We knew we would be
cutting it close, but we managed to get a fairly decent spot farther back than
the first time so we didn’t get drenched this time. We were against a railing,
so Jeff could put Sean on his shoulders without blocking anyone’s view. And we
were tall enough to see over the people in front of us (plus it’s on an incline
which is nice).
A great way to end the evening, and
our last day in the parks!
Instead of sharing our lousy video, I've embedded a high quality video of the entire show from YouTube. You can click off the message boxes that appear. Enjoy!
On the way back into our resort we
stopped to buy Sean’s souvenir – Tomorrowland Pluto. He really did stop the
whining once he knew this little puppy (pun intended) was on the line. And he
loves it. For about two weeks he would feed Pluto and put him to bed every
night. The kid doesn’t like real dogs, so I guess this is the next best thing!
The past few years I designed and printed Disney autograph books for Sean to collect autographs of the Disney characters he meets on our trips. This year I wanted to do something different, and had the idea of creating a travel journal for him in addition to being an autograph book.
We had such a good time with this travel journal. And it will be fun to keep as a keepsake and look back on it years from now to see what he was thinking & doing at the age of five.
If you would like your own travel journal, let me know. I can update the date and place on the cover for you, and then you can order it through Blurb.
Here is the autograph book I designed and printed for our December 2012 trip to Walt Disney World. Sean LOVES these books and they are perhaps his most favorite souvenir from the trip.
I scanned in autographs from previous trips and printed them on pages of characters we weren't sure to meet. This way the book would be as close to complete as possible. The only characters we didn't get autographs for were Cinderella (we intended to meet her at the Christmas party, but they left early - bummer) and Wreck It Ralph and Vanellope because they don't do autographs. Bummer.
Friday, May 31 ... There is no rest
for the hard core Disney touring family. We got up bright and early for another
DCA early magic hour. Used the Grand Californian entrance again, this time we
were about 5-10 minutes later than the first time and line doubled back behind White
Water Snacks. Nevertheless, the line moved really quickly and we were in the
park by 8:05am. On Buena Vista Street we spotted Mickey Mouse heading out, so
we flagged him down and were the first people to meet him that morning. We love
meeting characters, and were really excited to meet Mickey and his friends on
Buena Vista Street because of their cool retro outfits that we have never seen
before. After Mickey we met Chip & Dale, and then Pluto. All of these
characters within 20 minutes!
We headed back to
Paradise Pier by 8:30am to ride Toy Story Mania since Jeff didn’t get to ride
it the other day. We walked right on. I repeat – we walked right on. So guess
what? We rode it three more times. YAY us!
We stayed on
Paradise Pier and rode the swings again. And Mickey’s Fun Wheel (ferris wheel),
but we picked a non-swinging car. Some of the cars do this funky swinging thing
as it goes around. No thank you, ma’am. It was relaxing and fun to see the park
from way up high.
Jeff and Sean rode
the Jumpin’ Jellyfish ride which looked fun, but this mama’s head wouldn’t be
able to handle it.
And finally we
rounded out the Paradise Pier attractions by riding the Golden Zephyr which is
remarkably similar to Astro Orbitors except you are tilted more as you fly.
There was no one in line. I mean no one. So again, we ended up riding it a few
times without even getting off!
On our way out of
Paradise Pier we decided to stop and meet with Donald Duck who was greeting
guests in the gazebo near Ariel’s Grotto. Again, we were excited to find sailor
Donald this time. We’ve never met Donald in this outfit before! Sean was
adamant about having Donald sign the page in his autograph book that said “You
are my favorite”. Sean has always loved Donald Duck.
And no we didn’t
really plan on matching Donald and his gazebo, but isn’t it nice when it works
out that way?
On our way out of
the park we stopped and picked up fast passes for Radiator Springs racers for
later that night. Then we spotted Goofy on Buena Vista Street, so we stopped to
meet him as well. So much fun.
We had breakfast
reservations over in Disneyland at the Plaza Inn Minnie & Friends Breakfast
buffet. We were super excited about this breakfast because 1) we were really
hungry and love a good Disney breakfast buffet and 2) we were sure to meet
characters we’ve never met before. Minnie & Friends breakfast did not
disappoint on either account. It was typical Disney breakfast fare. Although
the omelets left a lot to be desired. I’d say skip the omelet bar here, or at
least watch the chef as he’s working to see how they look. Otherwise all the
other food was hot and yummy.
And the characters
did not disappoint.
We had barely sat
down when Hook appeared ready to fight Sean (although he was a bit scared of
him wearing Crocs shoes). And I must admit I LOVE his autograph. So much better
than the last Hook we met at DHS Characterpalooza a few years ago.
We met Pooh and his
friends Tigger, Eyeore and Rabbit. We had never met Rabbit before, so we were
super excited to meet him for the first time.
We also met Chip
& Dale. Always looking to play with the kids.
Chip -- He has the small black nose, like a chocolate chip!
Dale -- he has the bigger brown nose
Then we met our
gracious hostess, Minnie. So sweet.
And finally we met
the Fairy Godmother. Another character we’ve never met before AND since she’s a
face character she can actually talk with you. Sean honestly didn’t know what
to do or say. He does much better with the furry characters who just tickle
him. Overall, the character experience here was fast but fun. We got to meet a
LOT of characters in a short amount of time. It was hard to gauge when to go
get something to eat because you were afraid you might miss someone. The good
news was we had met most of the characters so if one of us adults missed one it
wasn’t a big deal.
After breakfast I
sent Jeff over to get Fast Passes for Indiana Jones, but he called me to say
the standby line was only 20 minutes. So we hopped in line. I’m not sure if it
was 20 minutes or not, but definitely not longer than 30 minutes. We were a
little nervous whether Sean would like it or not because he was really scared
by Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom a few years ago. Who could blame him? He was just
three years old and a huge T-Rex is chasing you. Since Indiana Jones is the
same ride system, Sean was a little leary but willing to give it a go. And of
course he loved it. Score!
We also stopped
into the Tiki Room to visit with the birds. Classic. Alas, no pictures but I
can sing for you if you like.
By 12:30 we were
ready to head back to the resort for a nap. On the way Jeff stopped off at the
men’s room and Sean and I watched the Dapper Dans. Good, clean fun.
We really wanted to
get back to the resort in time to go on the Art of the Craft tour at our
resort. We were back in time, but when we inquired about it they said it was
cancelled because no one had signed up. Ugh. C’est la vie. We did the next best
thing and took a nap. Jeff and Sean got up before me and decided to head down
to the arcade, and they weren’t impressed. They also ended up doing a little
scavenger hunt activity in the resort, and they won a couple of cookies from
White Water Snacks. Score!
I met up with the
boys in the park, but first I stopped by to see Minnie in the Condor Flats area
of the park.
We missed the last showing of Disney Junior Live on Stage but no
one was really disappointed. Instead we made our way over to Hollywood Land to
get in line for the 4:30pm showing of Disney’s Alladin: A Musical Spectacular.
Thumbs up from both me and Jeff. Sean fell asleep so your mileage may vary.
Great music, voices, and the Genie steals the show with his humor.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
Since we were in
Hollywood Land we popped back in to see Turtle Talk with Crush. Always a
favorite, but this time it wasn’t as fun as past times we’ve seen it in
Florida. Crush didn’t have as believable an accent here. But it was still
entertaining.
We decided to take
advantage of the free fast passes we received from Guest Services for Radiator
Springs racers. Another excellent time. We won AGAIN!
We popped over to
Pacific Wharf and did the Bakery Tour. Not really exciting, but it was fun
watching them make Mickey head loaves. We did score a free piece of bread!
\
Dinner was at the
Pacific Wharf Dist. Co. The line was super long – I think this day was another
Grad Night, and I think Jeff was in line for a good 20 minutes. Sean and I
worked on updating his travel journal so it was time well spent. Jeff ordered
the Sonoma Chicken and Apple Salad in a bread bowl, and he said it was really
good. I ordered the Turkey Sandwich and it hit the spot – very yummy for a
turkey sandwich. Sean had the kid’s turkey sandwich.
We stopped in at Walt
Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar to see the exhibit there. It would have
been a lot more interesting without a whining five year old along. Just saying.
Momma had a little chat with said five year old about whining and souvenirs.
Plan worked. No more whining.
We capped our
evening off in Cars Land, using our last fast passes for the day. We were
excited to see it at night, and it was really REALLY cool at night. If and when
you go to Disneyland you have to right RSR during the day and at night. Trust
me. You’ll love both.
And since we’re
crazy Disney fans, we beelined it back over to Disneyland to see the fireworks.
Yep, we’re crazy like that. And we had plenty of time to scout out a spot on
Main Street, and Jeff went into the ice cream shop for a late night treat. This
is what Disney vacation are made of – ice cream on Main Street watching
fireworks burst behind Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Perfect.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Photopass+
When we got back to
our room the second showing of World of Color was just starting. So we watched
it from our balcony.
