Return to Disneyland - Final Thoughts - TRIP REPORT COMPLETED - June 10
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JaimeandChad · 03-27-2007, 05:36 PM

Great start

can't wait for more.

BarryCF · 03-28-2007, 10:35 AM

After we get back from WDW I absolutely HAVE to talk my DW into DLR. Reading these trip reports make me want to go even more. My DW has a very serious dislike for the entire state of California, and I've yet to figure out why.

Barry

Joy J · 03-28-2007, 11:01 AM

Disneyland was opening at 8 a.m. this morning so, after grabbing a quick bite to eat at our hotel's complimentary continental breakfast buffet, we were soon in line, waiting for our first glimpse of the trip of Sleeping Beauty Castle. The lines were already a fairly good length when we got to the entrance plaza but, like smart little tourists, we got into the line the farthest to the right, next to the early entry line. Sure enough, as soon as park opening time arrived, they turned that early entry line into a regular line so we just scooted right over there and were inside the park in no time. We enjoyed riding Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, Snow White, Jungle Cruise, the Tiki Room, Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean plus Kirk took a turn around Big Thunder Mountain solo since I've tried the one at WDW before which did a real number on my tummy so I didn't want to take a chance on this one. Kirk was actually rather disappointed with Big Thunder and said that, though the ride experience itself was okay, that there was really not a lot to see and enjoy on the ride.
By this time, we'd worked up quite an appetite so we stopped into the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon for a bite to eat plus to catch a show featuring Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. These guys are so entertaining even though neither my son nor I are normally big fans of bluegrass music. However, the Billies are so talented and so funny that I defy anyone not to be exceptionally amused by their antics. The food at lunch was also very good. We both had chicken strips and we made the mistake of ordering the "Mile High Chocolate Cake," thinking that we would share that dessert. Don't get me wrong - the cake was absolutely delicious - but it was roughly the size of the state of Texas. I hadn't expected that as they only charge about $5.00 or so for the cake. Suffice it to say that it is very aptly named. Kirk and I were only able to eat about half of it. When we exited the saloon, the Laughing Stock company were putting on one of their hilarious skits. We stopped to watch before heading back to our hotel for a break.
After our nap, which we sorely needed due to the whole time change thing the day before followed by our very early rising, we headed back to Disneyland in time to catch the parade. We were able to snag seats above the train station. I highly recommend this spot for parade viewing. You get an excellent birdseye view of the parade plus you can sit and watch it in comfort without fear of anyone leaping in front of you and blocking your view. We chatted with a lovely family from Texas who were seated on the bench next to us. Their daughter was celebrating her birthday the following day and she was such a sweetie that I asked her who her favourite character was and, upon finding that it was Mary Poppins, I removed my Mary Poppins collectors pin from my vest and gave it to her as a day before her birthday present. Well, you would have thought I'd given her the moon. She was so excited and her parents were thrilled. It tickled me pink to be able to help someone else have a "magic moment" or sorts.
Following the always excellent parade, we rode Winnie the Pooh and Haunted Mansion and then killed some more time browsing in all the shops in the French Quarter while waiting for the time for our reservation at the Blue Bayou restaurant. Even though we specified upon check-in that we wanted a "riverside" table and were willing to wait for one, we still only waited for about ten minutes. And it was well worth the wait. The view was stunning and both the food and service were superb. We had the gumbo to start and then Kirk had the seafood jambalaya while I opted for the pork chop with Blue Bayou potatoes. The pork chop was cooked in a rather unique barbecue sauce that gave the meat a sweet taste and the potatoes were basically au gratin potatoes. We took our time to savor this lovely late dinner before then leisurely strolling back to our hotel for the night.

Joy

**Caldercup** · 03-28-2007, 11:09 AM

I'm glad you liked your hotel so much! And you Blue Bayou meal sounded delish!

More please!
Eileen

**chezp** · 03-28-2007, 04:13 PM

Your Blue Bayou meal sounds superb - and what a wonderful thing to do for that girl, what a great birthday present and a lovely way to spread the Disney magic!

tdandboys · 03-28-2007, 04:19 PM

I would love to hear about the Table service meals, and the character meals. We are going in Dec. Can't wait. Good start.

**Colexis Mom** · 03-28-2007, 04:33 PM

What a great day Joy

You got so much done, and had a great meal to boot

More please

tinksmom · 03-28-2007, 04:52 PM

Thanks for the update. I've got to check out the menu for Blue Bayue.
tenya

Chrissi · 03-28-2007, 06:11 PM

Great update! Way to spread the magic!

BarryCF · 03-28-2007, 07:35 PM

It's amazing how opinions differ on rides.

BTMRR at WDW is one our favorite rides, in fact it is my DW's favorite. The best part for her is the scenery and no big drops. Are there any differences in the 2 versions?

BTW, now I wanna go to DL even more. The Billies and the Mile High Cake "as big as Texas" are right up my alley.

Barry

**DyanKJ130** · 03-28-2007, 08:20 PM

Great update, Joy! I like your magic spreading skillz!!

Hurry back with more!

coffeechef · 03-29-2007, 08:08 AM

OH Boy ... another Disneyland trip report. I love it. I loved reading your last trip report. SO cool that you hit the parks before closing on your arrival day.Blue Bayou sounds good.

loobyoxlip · 03-29-2007, 08:14 PM

Mmm, I can't believe I've never tried the mile high cake! Well...that's a reason all unto itself for me to return yet again

Joy J · 04-03-2007, 04:21 PM

Today was our first day for California Adventure so since it didn't open until 10 a.m. that meant that we could sleep in a bit and catch up on our sleep. We got to DCA as soon as it opened and as we posed for our first Photopass photo opportunity of the day, who should come up behind us and surprise us by jumping into the photo but Pluto. He was exceptionally playful and he clowned around with us for a while before continuing on to wherever he was originally headed.
Our first stop was Monsters Inc. where we once again helped Mike and Sully get Boo back to her bedroom before we moved on to watch the Muppet Labs erupt into chaos yet again in their delightful 3-D movie. We then wandered into the Animation building where we watched the Crush show, tried our hand at drawing Donald Duck, then entered the Beast's Library where, much to our delight, both Snow White and Belle were mingling about, playing with the computers and interacting with guests. This is one thing that I truly love about DLR as opposed to WDW - the way the characters show up unexpectedly and indulge in spontaneous antics with the guests.
We had grabbed a Fastpass for Soarin on our way into the park so it was now time to take to the skies over California. Oh, how I love this ride! We meandered over to the Mission Tortilla Factory and watched the tortillas being made for a wee while before sampling one of them fresh off the presses so to speak. We were still a little hungry so on our way out of the park for our midday hotel break, we stopped for some churros. Kirk had never tasted them before and, as I suspected he enjoyed them as much as me.
After our break, we returned to DCA for our dinner reservation at the Wine Country Trattoria. It's one of our favourite restaurants at DLR. Kirk had the chicken lasagna alfredo and I had the lasagna bolognese. We both had the chocolate mousse cake for dessert. Dinner was absolutely scrumptious. And we got our first Sebastian collectors pin (you're given one if you have an AP and spend $30 or more at several of the table restaurants at DLR.
We still had Fastpasses to use for Grizzly River Run but I wanted to make that my last stop of the night in case I got drenched. So we watched a showing of Golden Dreams first and then it was off to the wild and woolly great outdoors to brave the rapids. We got a little soggy but not completely soaked. I far prefer this ride to WDW's Kali River Rapids.
At this point Kirk and I split up - I went off to do a bit of shopping and then make an early return to the hotel while Kirk just had to have his daily dose of Haunted Mansion so he headed over to Disneyland where he first watched the parade again and then rode the Haunted Mansion twice. We reunited at the hotel later where I forced him to admire all my shopping treasures which he obligingly oohed and aaahed over. What a kind son!

Joy