Finding Walt: a DL TR: Update 2/23/12 - Page 17 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
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Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Glad you did finally get your steak the way you wanted it, but it is wierd that the manager did not come over to apologize. Seems kind of strange, too, that the waiter did not know what "black and blue" meant. I would think that if they had a button for it on the register that all employees would be trained to know what it was, right?
I was surprised, during this time, that we did not see a manager or a supervisor. Nothing was taken off the bill either. I generally expect one or the other when something like this happens. I certainly wasn't looking for a free meal, but I did expect to see the restaurant manager at the table at some point. !
I am totally surprised at your experience. Mary and I have eaten there many many times and we each get our steaks cooked just the way we want them. The only time we had a problem was during a very busy period and what happened was two CM's collided with one another, one was carring our food. Needless to say, food went flying every where. No one got hit with the food but it did make for one nasty mess. The Manager did come by and "comp'ed" our meal and could not say she was sorry enough. I hate to admit it but it really was funny and I wish I had a video camera when it all happened. I would have posted it on You-Tube. LOL
Steakhouse 55 is a AAA 3 Diamond Restaurant and AAA does not hand those out very easy. DLR has one more 3 Diamond also and that is the Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar.
I think the queue areas in quite a few attractions at DL are so much better than at WDW! They seemed to go into a lot more detail at DL! Sorry your steak was not cooked to order on the first go around. It's so frustrating when that happens and then you're not able to eat with everyone else Glad they finally got it right though. I feel so bad that you were feeling so sick at this point. Hope you felt better the next day.
Trader Sam's is really fun (but busy) -- I hope you'll have a chance to go back and have a drink there some day. Tortilla Jo's was our unexpected delight on our last trip -- glad you got to watch some football there and get some good munchies.
I'm surprised and sad about the issues with your steak at Steakhouse 55. It is my favorite restaurant at DLR (I like it better than Napa Rose, even). I'm glad they eventually got your food right, but I agree it seems like a manager should have come over and addressed the situation with you.
I have to admit, I was a little worried when you ordered your steak. The server had a "look," but when he didn't ask, I figured he just had a look. My steak was kind of weird. At first I thought it was well done (I ordered medium well), and then once I ate some of it, it got to be more along the lines of medium. It was okay, just like my first meal at Steakhouse 55. In my experience, it doesn't earn the raves it gets. But I wouldn't swear off it forever.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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I had to switch hotels again in the morning so once I got up and got moving I went over to the Grand Californian and checked in. Bell Services took my bags for me as my room was not yet ready, but I knew I'd have a ground floor room, which was not so exciting. I grabbed a quick breakfast at White Water Snacks--which I keep confusing with Roaring Forks over at the Wilderness Lodge--so please excuse any mislabeled references to Roaring Waters. I had the breakfast burrito and it was a passable breakfast--once I added some mayo so it wasn't quite so dry. I don't love well done scrambled eggs, but I figured it would be quick and filling.
By the time I finished scarfing down breakfast California Adventure was open and I walked through on my way to Disneyland. It was kind of like a salmon swimming upstream. There were also quite a lot of people waiting in line to get into Disneyland. I met the gang at the area devoted to Santa's house. I was shocked to see this tiny little area near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had been so thoroughly themed. They have real LIVE reindeer! Just look at the inside of Santa's house!
And look! There's Santa! Sharon was trying to upgrade her presents:
I believe we checked on FP availability for Indiana Jones, but the ride was down and apparently they don't give out FP while the ride is down. We rode the Jungle Cruise instead.
And then we got to meet a Passporter! Jeannie was waiting for us outside Bengal BBQ, which always seemed to have an outrageous line. We chatted and then headed over to the Enchanted Tiki Room--where they sell Dole Whips and other treats in the waiting area--which also has a bathroom, because it was originally going to be a sit down restaurant with a show!
We took a group photo:
Thanks Zack! And look--everyone got the memo on what to wear today!
It wasn't long before Jeannie had to be on her way to finish her Christmas shopping. It was so nice to meet you and I hope we'll see each other again sometime.
We had run right into lunch time, but I had eaten pretty recently so when we got to Rancho del Zocalo I got myself, still clearly under the weather, a cup of hot tea and a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup. It was tasty, filling, and came in a real, honest to god bowl. A better quality bowl than what I have in my house! At a COUNTER SERVICE restaurant! Amazing. Somethings are clearly better at Disneyland and this is one of them.
And look I remembered to take a photo!
Karen and Zack departed to visit folks at this point--I think--I didn't take notes and I'm going from memory--or I took notes and have since misplaced them. I think Sharon and I took a ride on Big Thunder Mountain next because I remember being instructed to get a FP before meeting them in the morning.
We then split up because it was nap time. My room was ready and I had quite the embarrassing incident. I didn't look at the text closely enough and put my key card into the slot on the wrong door. The door didn't open immediately, but a girl opened the door a second later--I apologized and retreated to the elevators to regroup. I opened the text back up, located the right room and quickly secured myself inside before parents and/or security came looking for me.
There's a ton of basically unusable space near the door.
The bathroom is pretty standard
The shower curtain is pretty!
The sink and closet
The hallway with the kitchenette area.
Sleeper sofa--completely unused the whole trip
Table and chairs which got a lot of use
TV, but no Stacey!
And Finally my view--sort of:
Sadly, because I was on the ground floor there was a big ugly black fence between me and California Adventure. Didn't matter because it was too cold to use the patio at night!
I'm pretty sure I slipped into the bathtub for some bubbles before dinner. I was pretty excited for the evening's events--Wine Country Trattoria and World of Color. Coming Up Next!
Just so you know--I have almost all the photos for this trip uploaded. I just need to add some from my last day and the ones the Adventure guides took. Hopefully that means that I'll get this TR finished before my next trip--because it seems like if I leave on another trip my current TR seems to get abandoned--have to work on that.
I don't know what I expected, but the room doesn't look as luxurious as I'd expected, given that the nightly rack-rate is so high. But it looks comfy enough. I love the photos of the group wearing their Christmas red. How nice to meet Jeannie!
Those reindeer were so cute! And I loved getting to chat with Santa.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Just so you know--I have almost all the photos for this trip uploaded. I just need to add some from my last day and the ones the Adventure guides took. Hopefully that means that I'll get this TR finished before my next trip--because it seems like if I leave on another trip my current TR seems to get abandoned--have to work on that.
That's why I always force myself to finish one before I start another. I hate going back to the "old" one.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
What a fun day! I would love to visit DLR at Christmas. I mean, live reindeer--that rocks!!!
And that tortilla soup looks like some serious yummy goodness. If the weather is cool-ish on our upcoming trip, I'm definitely heading to Rancho Zocalo for some of that soup!
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Glad they finally got it right though. I feel so bad that you were feeling so sick at this point. Hope you felt better the next day.
My steak was kind of weird. At first I thought it was well done (I ordered medium well), and then once I ate some of it, it got to be more along the lines of medium. It was okay, just like my first meal at Steakhouse 55. In my experience, it doesn't earn the raves it gets. But I wouldn't swear off it forever.
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I love the shots of all the PassPorters together - you're right, everyone did get the memo on the dress code! 
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