Thanks to the PCRU, We Get to Go to DLR Too! **COMPLETE 8/21/2010** - Page 12 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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That meal looks like it was pretty darn good. Glad to hear you were able to get in a drawing class and your Jack turned out wonderful. So good, I think it should go in a frame and be on a wall.
Sorry WOC was a let down, but I agree that standing all that time wouldn't be any fun. Perhaps as the hype dies down, things will get better.
Okay, I am not quite sure Jack deserves to be up in the gallery! Especially since we have the real artwork!!
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
I totally understand your issues with WoC. My hubby did the whole wait and stand thing for WoC but not only did I need to stay with our little boys to get them to sleep but there is no way I would go through all that to see it. I keep hoping the craziness will die down and they will make the process easier and then I will be up for it.
Your food always looks so good and you seem to be having a great time! More please...
Nice update, Danielle. Your meal looked delicious and I give your drawing an A+ Thanks for the review of WoC - now I don't feel like we've missed a must see. Looking forward to more!
I totally understand your issues with WoC. My hubby did the whole wait and stand thing for WoC but not only did I need to stay with our little boys to get them to sleep but there is no way I would go through all that to see it. I keep hoping the craziness will die down and they will make the process easier and then I will be up for it...
From your lips to the Disney's powers that be ears!
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
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Nice update, Danielle. Your meal looked delicious and I give your drawing an A+ Thanks for the review of WoC - now I don't feel like we've missed a must see. Looking forward to more!
Thanks, Dyan....maybe you can see about getting my transcipt changed....nope, i am not bitter...not at all.
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
This was our last real day at DLR since tomorrow’s flight would not allow for any park time. It was yet again a Magic Morning which I had not anticipated. I was told by the CMs that since it was grad night and the parks would close early, they added a MM. Yup, this was our third 7am MM in four days and needless to say, we were dragging a bit. Still, we knew it would be a long time before we ever headed back to DLR and were determined to make the most of it. I had asked he kids to each pick there top three in DL with the plan to hit all six that morning.
We hit the Matterhorn first and of course, came across the non-existent line.
Two rides back to back by 7:15. We continued in FL for Mr. Toad, Alice and Snow White…by 7:40.
Strolled over to Tomorrowland taking our own sweet time and then used some more of our Give A Day FP so they kids could zip through Space Mountain two more times.
We went to see Captain EO as Izzy was really taken by the whole 80’s look of it….she is super into the 80’s right now and is currently channeling Madonna circa 1985! While Paul and the kids had seen EO a day or two before, it was my first time. I think the seats move around a little more than I would like but it was overall fine.
Lastly, we did the castle walk through. Sadly, my picture quality is really poor and doesn’t translate well. We really enjoyed the castle walk through; I love the attention to little details at DLR.
Alrighty, having conquered our top six (+), we zipped across the esplanade to DCA, for opening. Once again, the kids each had an agenda. Paul headed to California Screamin with AJ who had built up enough courage to ride solo since he is stuck with wimpy parents. I took Izzy towards Mike and Sulley to the Rescue as that is way more my speed! Guess what happened? We were the very first guests to ride so they made Izzy an honorary screamer! We had a cute certificate that would allow us to come back anytime and as many times that day for a skip the lines and head to our very own taxi for a ride.
After our VIP ride, we met the boys in the Animation Building as both my kids were so taken with the displays and activities there. We spent quite a bit of time watching the zoetrope and heading through the various rooms. I then dragged all of us back on Mike and Sulley….couldn’t let the pass go to waste!
We then grabbed an early lunch at Taste Pilot’s Grill….sadly no pics. I distinctly remember not wanting to eat here but then really enjoying my meal.
Why, the quickie, early lunch? Well, we had big plans…another Aladdin show! We really fell in love with the show, the Genie is hysterical; I knew this would be a priority. Since we had sat in the center orchestra for the previous show, we really wanted to sit front row mezzanine. This was quite a trick because they don’t open up the mezzanine seating until the orchestra section is full. You should have seen us skulking around, waiting for the CM to open it up. :0
Lucky for us, there was only one other couple who were also vying for those coveted seats. Happily, we all were able to enter together and snag ‘em.
DH and I then flip-flopped, he and Izzy went off to conquer Mulholland Madness two or three times while I brought AJ back to Cali Screamin’. We still had a load of FPs to burn and I was glad we had them because the line was standby line was L.O.N.G.
AJ had a couple turns on that before I proposed the idea of buying him a soft serve ice cream. This is a rare treat in our family as none of us like to eat food Izzy is allergic to when she is around. AJ happily obliged my request and enjoyed a ginormous vanilla and chocolate twist.
Don’t feel too bad for Izzy. As AJ was busy enjoying his cool treat, DH and Izzy had five turns on Grizzly River….yup, gotta love those Give A Day FPs!!!!
It had been a great time at each of the parks, taking in our favs. We headed back to the hotel for a little rest before dinner and fireworks! J
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
Izzy's been channeling mid-80's Madonna? So THAT explains why I like her look so much these days!
I am once again amazed by all you accomplished in such a short period of time. I really hope Rich will have to go out there for business (and bring us, of course) SOON!
Paul and Izzy headed back to the room while Andrew and I stopped by Ridemakerz as it was opening day. The premise of this shop is like Build-A-Bear but with model cars instead….oh yes, and a whole lot more money, too! AJ walked around a bit and decided to try his hand at building one for himself. The process is pretty basic, you pick the car, wheels, rims and then of course, the umpteen extra accessories; and then you go to a station where they set a stopwatch while you put the thing together. Afterwards, you can buy extra batteries, upgraded remote, etc. By the time we were down, it was close to three digits….ouch. (As an aside, at LAX, they took the whole thing apart because I guess they thought it could have been some sort of device….the car never was put back together appropriately and there went $$$ down the drain). Oh well, lesson learned.
It was time for our dinner at Storyteller’s Café so DH and Izzy met us just outside. I checked in at the podium, reminded them of the food allergy and waited about five minutes before we sat down. Without doing into a major dissertation, this meal was a disaster. Lots of little problems like a not-so-friendly server who took way to long to come to our table despite the fact the restaurant wasn’t even half full yet and a chef who was very inflexible about a safe meal for Izzy. But the real problem was Izzy’s meal which came out with her usual fruit plate and a nice, big bowl of yogurt. Alright, I am pretty sure the kitchen should know that yogurt is a dairy product…. Now you have to understand, with a kiddo like Izzy, who has been 911’d too many times, I need to trust that a kitchen knows what they are doing and has a priority on safety. In any case, the real problem was that no one wanted to accept responsibility and just apologize. The server blamed the chef, the chef blamed the kitchen, the manager told us the regular chef was on vacation and on and on the excuses went. At this point, I became pretty annoyed, er, angry. I think I might have even lost my temper a bit and I really gave it to the manager. (I did send DH and Izzy up to the concierge t see I they could get us into Steakhouse 55 immediately so at least she wasn’t there to witness me becoming a bit unglued.)
You know what was the saddest part? All they had to do was say “We are sorry we made a mistake.” I can accept human error, we all make mistakes. What I abhor, is when you don’t man (or woman) up and take responsibility. And I told the manager just that as I walked right out of the restaurant. I give him credit; he followed me out, finally apologized and offered to pay for our dinner at Steakhouse 55. I thanked him, took the card he handed me, and made my way over to the DL hotel where Paul and Izzy were waiting for AJ and me.
I was still stewing a bit and AJ was conspiring to order the most expensive items on the menu. We chatted a bit about it and by the time we met the rest of the family, all was good and we knew we had to order a responsible dinner. And, we did just that. I think I was so distracted; I really didn’t take many pics. I will say the food was scrumptious and the service fabulous…same as it was a few nights earlier. We loved both our visits to Steakhouse 55 and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back here again and again.
After dinner, we walked back into DL for the last time. We took some time to visit the Disney Gallery at the Main Street Bank and then a showing of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. It was wonderful to see all the memorabilia; ¾ of us enjoyed the show…it was a little over Izzy’s head.
The park was closing early at 9pm with fireworks scheduled. We made our way in front of the castle and found a great spot front and center about 30 minutes ahead. We sat down and chatted with a family next to us which, of course, made the time pass quickly.
What can I say about the fireworks? They were awesome; I love Tink and Dumbo! I did snap a few pics but once again, they do not do justice to the real thing.
It was a wonderful evening and a great way to cap our last moments in the park. We slowly strolled out and through Downtown Disney, meandering in and out of the shops, as we made our way back to the Grand Cali.
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
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Gosh Danielle, sorry for another nightmare meal! Really poor customer service, especially with a life and death situation! Glad you were able to get into Steakhouse 55 and had a great meal!
We went into that make your own Ride store! Thank goodness Colin didn't want to make one! Sorry you had to take your's apart and haven't gotten it back together again!
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Especially since we have the real artwork!!
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Waiting to eat with Goofy - DLR May 2010
Sounds like a great day so far!
PassPorter Guide Author
Glad you were able to get into Steakhouse 55 and had a great meal!
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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