April 2016: Our trip to Mickey Mouse's Other House! *updated 5/30 x2! *

[Arielismyfave]

Hi! I'm excited to start my first trip report! We travelled to CA for a week in April 2016 and spent about half of it in Disneyland.

We visited WDW at the end of last year, and loved every minute of it. While still in the Disney fog, we decided to visit CA and Disneyland. When we told LO that we were going to Disneyland, he said "I'm excited to visit Mickey Mouse's Other House!!" And the name of the Trip Report was decided.


As soon as we locked on dates, I booked our flights and then started my research online for the rest of the trip.

Details:
Flights: Frontier

Hotel: HoJo Anaheim

Tickets: 3 day non-hoppers from Ares Travel

Parks: We spent 2 days in DL and 1 day in CA; with a partial morning at Downtown Disney/Goofy's Kitchen.

Pre-planned Meals: Plaza Inn brunch; Goofy's Kitchen breakfast.

That's the trip high level, and I'll come back to fill in more details. Thanks for reading (so far...)

 

[Arielismyfave]

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Arrival Day

Day 1: Part 1 Disneyland Park

Day 1: Part 2 Plaza Inn

Day 1: Part 3 Bring on the Rides

Day 1: Part 4 We have how many hours until PtN?!

Day 1: Part 5 Paint the Night!!

Day 2: Park 1 CA: 2 Hours in the park 3 rides and 3 characters

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

looking forward to reading more!

 

[Arielismyfave]

ARRIVAL DAY!

It was finally here... We were packed and ready to go.

LO cut the final loop on our countdown chain, we loaded up the car, and we were off!

The plane ride via Frontier was pretty uneventful. It was our first experience with Frontier so we didn't know what to expect.

LO kept busy with books and other items in his bag and made friends with those around him. We opted for extra legroom seats and that meant we were in row 2, and able to quickly depart. (yay!)

Tiiiiiiny Hollywood Sign in the distance as we were making our way into LAX


We landed 30 minutes early and were ready to tackle CA! However, we waited longer than usual for the stroller, and then waited for the luggage and delayed car seat. With all our stuff we made our way to the car rental shuttle. We looked left and there was a shuttle! Finally we were going somewhere..

We made it to the car rental place.... and waited over 1.5 hours to get our car! It was a comedy of frustrated, hungry, tired people waiting in a slooooow moving line. Thank goodness for extra snacks, stickers, and coloring books.

CA highway.. 6 lanes on each side?!


The drive in was pretty uneventful, and we soon made it to our hotel for the next few nights...

the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel and Water Playground!

When we turned into the parking lot and saw this, we were ready for our adventure!


We dumped our bags in the room, and parked the car in its final parking spot for the next few says.

We then made our way to the Ticket Counter to exchange our Ares voucher for tickets. There wasn't a line at bag check and after a brief stop to look in bags, strollers, etc. we walked right to the Ticket Counter. It was a really smooth and easy process. It may be more chaotic if you don't have a little extra time to do the exchange prior to park day, though.

While we were there we also asked for "1st visit" pins, and put those in a safe place for the next day.

We did a lap around Downtown Disney to pick up an autograph book, and then called it a night. I think we picked up something quick to eat on the walk back. (I am slacking on food pictures/notes for most of the trip... but I have the feeling it was McDonald's, Mimi's or Panera.)

On the flight and in line for the car, I formulated our plan for the next few days. Before bed, I just needed to put finishing touches on it, familiarize myself with where rides/characters were in the park, and check crowd level/estimated wait times. That's what everyone does on a Disney vacation...right?

To Be Continued...

Soooo do we manage to get up early the next morning for rope drop? Do I stick to my touring plan? How many character signatures do we get in the autograph book?​

 

[KPLC]

We are staying at the Hojo in July....and have breakfast booked at Goofy's kitchen so looking forward to reading the rest.....!!!!

 

[Arielismyfave]

We are staying at the Hojo in July....and have breakfast booked at Goofy's kitchen so looking forward to reading the rest.....!!!!

Yay! Welcome!

I will definitely share more on the HOJO and Goofy's Kitchen. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

[Kindermouse]

Following

 

[Arielismyfave]

Day 1: Part 1
Disneyland Park!

We woke up bright and early the next morning, ready to start our first day in the parks!

The sunshine and view was beautiful from our room!


The park opened at 8:00 so we got ready and were in line by 7:30am. They started letting everyone in by 7:45 and we were ready to ride some rides!

View down main street!


The plan I devised the night before was to first knock out rides that typically had longer waits, starting with Peter Pan. Well... that was thrown out the door as soon as we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Chip all meeting close to the flag pole.

Each was in their 60th celebration attire!


By the time we made it to Peter Pan's Flight the posted wait was already 30 minutes. le sigh So I made the most of it and took pictures of the scenery. The wait was closer to 40-45 minutes, and then we were off in our ship!



After Peter Pan we went to Snow White's Scary Adventures and then Pinnocchio's Daring Journey - both walk ons.

We made our way to Casey Jr., which had a 10 minute or so wait.

The Casey Jr. song was stuck in our heads for awhile that day..


While on Casey Jr., LO decided he wanted to ride the Storybook Land boats next. 10 minute wait as well. They had quite a few training boats, so about every other boat only had CMs on it. Otherwise it would have been about a 5 minute wait. Either way totally manageable.

At this point we headed towards Tomorrowland to get a FP for Astro Blasters. There was a short wait at the kiosk to get a FP.. and in that time I forgot everything that DISers had taught me.

The CM manning the FP area said to go to the closest FP kiosk to get Astro Blasters and the others were Star Tours. Well he meant closest to HIM - all the way on the left - and I grabbed the wrong FP. (mistake #1) and walked away (mistake #2) frustrated with myself. In that moment, I totally forgot that Astro Blasters was disconnected and could have grabbed one even with the Star Tours FP!! duh!

We rode Astro Blasters standby, before making our way to our meal at....

To be continued...
​

 

[Arielismyfave]

Day 1: Part 2
Plaza Inn!

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We arrived 10 minutes early to our reservation and were seated immediately. It was busy but manageable. We never had to wait in the buffet line. The restaurant seemed comparable in size and food to Crystal Palace in WDW, which we enjoyed.

Pooh and Eeyore hugging it out


It wasn't long before the characters started visiting... Eeyore, Dale, and Captain Hook were in rapid succession. LO did not care at all for Captain Hook and chose instead to hide.

He doesn't look that scary..


We had a small break in the action after those 3, and went to get more food. LO stuck to bacon, waffles and fruit mainly. I thoroughly enjoyed the stuffed French toast. DH sampled a little bit of everything.

Beautiful Décor!


So ornate!
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After being spoiled with the first 3 so quickly stopping by, the waits in between the next few were about 8 minutes each: Tigger, Chip, Minnie, Pooh. This was fine with us because it gave us a chance to get more food and drink refills; and actually eat.

Chip was one of LO's favorites. He was so playful and mischievous. After signing LO's book Chip wouldn't give it back and had LO jumping to try to grab it. LOL

We noticed 3 other characters that made a half loop and then went to the backstage area a few times - but didn't stop in/near our area. (Our table was close to the backstage area to the left of the buffet, so we would see the characters come and go for a break.) LO was so excited to get their autographs as he'd never met them.

I asked a CM who was close by if the others 3 would also visit our area, and was given this response. "You aren't guaranteed to see ANY characters but Minnie. They have a route and stick to it, maybe eventually they will make it to you, but again you are only guaranteed to see Minnie. If you're lucky they will stop by, but I doubt they will make it over there anytime soon." Ummmm say what now?

Another parent had stopped to ask a similar question and gasped at the response I was given. She then asked how her child could meet the favorite character she was waiting for, and the CM said "You could just go up to them, and see if they will stop for you. They may or they may not."
**Now this CM interaction was 1 of 2 instances on our trip that was definitely not full of pixie dust, or even kindness. It isn't necessarily even the words used; it was the tone, body language and general apathy in her response. I definitely did not expect her to run and get them for me to have a personal meet and greet. I honestly just wanted to know if they would stop by, or if I needed to tell LO that it most likely wouldn't happen.**

After we picked our jaws up, the other parent and I took our kids to go find the other characters. Luckily we saw Suzy from Cinderella in a common area on the opposite side of the restaurant, and then found Rafiki from The Lion King a few minutes later in the same area!

Suzy! She was so sweet! She gave LO an extra hug and also a kiss on the top of his head before parting.
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Rafiki!​

We never did meet the last character - Fairy Godmother - but it was ok since we had met 9 of the 10 and by then LO had no interest in meeting her.

All in all we were there 1 hour and 15 minutes and met 9 characters! For anyone on the fence, I thought it was well worth the time and cost. (Just be aware that you are only guaranteed to meet Minnie. LOL )

Where do you think we go after this?
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[Jaina]

Following along! Sounds like a fun trip!

 

[Arielismyfave]

Day 1: Part 3
Bring on the rides!

After leaving Plaza Inn, we went back to Tomorrowland to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters again. (I think it was tied with IASW as favorite ride.)



At that time it had about a 30-40 minute wait, so I pulled the FPs for us and got in line. We ended up riding it again before moving on, since our return time was so quick.



We then headed to Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. It was a 15-20 minute wait, and then we were descending into our submarine!

Mine, mine!


Thankfully it wasn't as crammed as it looked, when we first came down the stairs to take our seats.

View underwater


The detail is really wonderful and the ride is pretty long comparatively. We really enjoyed it!

We then headed to IASW. I loved that the queue was outside. The facade was amazing!

The detailing was awesome. Look at the clock face!


It is a nice relaxing ride and a great way to cool down in the heat.

Yay!


The different Disney characters placed throughout was a nice surprise. We spent the ride spotting the characters and trying to be first with the character name and movie title.

After leaving The Happiest Cruise to Ever Set Sail, we headed to Toontown.

We first grabbed a FP for Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, and continued to Mickey's House/Meet Mickey. That experience was fun as we wandered around, and then watched a short movie before meeting Mickey.

Pluto's bed at Mickey's House


Mickey was in his band leader outfit, and looked pretty snazzy. LO called him Nutcracker Mickey. lol

I guess I can kinda see the resemblance..
(This is not my picture, but this is the outfit Mickey was wearing)



After that we headed to Chip 'N' Dale Treehouse, Donald's Boat, and Goofy's Playhouse.

View from the top of Donald's Boat. It didn't feel as crowded as this picture looks...


I'm not sure why we didn't go to Minnie's House, but LO wasn't in the mood to ride Gadget's Go Coaster so we moved on. We had about 10 minutes until our FP return time so we wandered around Toontown.

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin was ok - a little jerky but themed appropriately for the movie. This trip, I really wanted to focus on rides that aren't in DW (that we would all agree to ride.. you will notice throughout this TR that we are missing many headliners..). RRCTS fit the bill.

We then left Toontown and headed to....​

 

[Arielismyfave]

Day 1: Part 4
We have how many hours until PtN?!

After leaving Toontown we walked back thru Fantasyland. Alice in Wonderland, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant each had 40+ minute waits so we passed those for another day/time.

We did however stop at Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. It had a posted 20 minute wait, but it was closer to 30 by the time we hopped into our motorcar.

Funny story about this picture.. Right after I took it, someone jumped in front of my lens. I looked in the direction they ran and it was Peter Pan! He gave me a little wave and a smile. How mischievous!


We continued walking and made our way to the Adventureland area.

We decided to ride Pirate's of the Carribean since it was posted as a 25 minute wait. While in queue LO fell asleep on my shoulder and woke up as we were boarding our ship. The 30 minute nap gave an energy boost and we were ready for the ride.

Is this Dream Suite similar to DW Cinderella's Castle? I'm curious..


LO was not a fan of this ride in DW and it held true in DL. LO was still not a fan of the ride, and I'm sure waking up minutes before didn't help matters. We had watched a ride video prior, and I had read on the board that it has 2 drops in DL so I prepared LO as best I could.

No picture of the huge hill to climb at the end, but hello Captain Jack!


We then headed further to Critter Country and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It is so far tucked back in the park. I was surprised it wasn't closer to Fantasyland like in DW.

The ride was a walk on, so we were quickly whisked away to Hundred Acre Wood.

The beehives were very detailed. I think I like this better than the honeypot in DW.


Winnie and his honey..


After this, we stopped at Stage Door Cafe. We each got the Hand-dipped Corn Dog and Fries, plus a side of Apples for LO. It was delicious, and a generous portion. We couldn't believe how long it had been (almost 6-7 hours) since we had left Plaza Inn!

After this we wanted to scout out a place to relax and wait for PtN.

We sat for a moment on a bench near the roundabout in front of the castle. However we realized we still had a good chunk of time until the parade started, and decided to keep moving further into Fantasyland.

We eventually made our way back near IASW/Toontown and decided to find a spot. By now it was 45-60 minutes before PtN and we didn't want to miss out on a front row seat.

We ended up snagging an amazing spot. It is right before the turn to Toontown. (Facing IASW we were sitting on the left side, a few people down from a trash can, and before the merchandise booth) The preferred seating for Aladdin's Oasis was a little further up from us on the right hand side.

A picture facing the other way looking at the Matterhorn. You can see the trash can I referenced peeking out on the right of the picture. LOL


It was a perfect seat. LO and DH ended up riding IASW at least 3 more times to pass the time. While I sat and chatted with a friendly CM and with the family next to us.

Before I knew it the IASW clock said this


Next up.. PAINT THE NIGHT!!!​

 

[DLFan123]

Enjoying your trip review! Love the Hojo. We stay there every time. You have some great pics. Can't wait to see more, getting me in the mood for our DL trip in August!

 

[Jaina]

So fun! We're hoping to get a seat over by IASW for Paint the Night during our trip, too. We watched Soundsational from there last time, and it was great. If there are fireworks, I'd love to see the castle or main street projections, but it's not worth camping out for hours and then trying to navigate that mess of people with 5 kids (10 and under) and a double stroller... Youtube has some pretty good views. ;-)

 

[Arielismyfave]

Day 1: Part 5
PAINT THE NIGHT!!

Without a doubt, Paint the Night was one of the highly anticipated parts of our entire trip. From the moment the music started and the floats came into view to when we followed Mickey out of the park, there was a permagrin on LOs face. LO loved the entire experience, but Cars was the hands down favorite. He was so excited to point out each character, and wave hello.

I'll admit this was something I had looked forward to as well. It is such a well put together show and the music is so catchy, beats having IASW stuck in your head.

Now enough writing, let's get to some pictures! I'll admit there are a few gaps here and there, as I tried my best to alternate between being in the moment and also capturing the moment. (Such a hard balance sometimes!!)

Loved this spot to watch IASW. You had a view of the floats right as they came out..

Tinkerbell starting the show! With Sully from Monsters, Inc. right behind..



Sully!


CARS! Our favorite part of PtN!

Can't forget about my favorite princess!


Woody and Buzz hitching a ride.
Belle leading the Princess floats!

Everyone's favorite sisters! LO thought it as funny when Elsa looked right at him, waved, and blew a kiss.

It wasn't long afterwards that Sorcerer Mickey appeared to close the show


We followed the crowd out of the park. (Chaos!!) It was too windy that night, so fireworks were cancelled. We got a bottle of water on the way back to the room, and then settled in for the night.

Next up: California Adventure Awaits!!​

 

[Arielismyfave]

Day 2: Part 1
CA: 2 hours in the park: 3 rides, 3 characters

We didn't have to get up super early since the park opened at 9:00. We were out the door and in line by 8:15. We got thru the main gates around 8:30, and then lined up on the path towards Carsland. It was Extra Magic Morning for onsite guests, so we weren't sure how crowded the park might already be.

Palm Trees never get old...


The area we were all waiting soon filled up in anticipation of the rope being moved. About 8:55 they moved and everyone quickly walked to the FP kiosk for RsR. We had a return time of 11:00a so we slowly made our way into Carsland. (The wait on the app said RsR was already up to 90 minutes!)

LO spotted Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, and guided us towards that line. We could see it was backed up a little bit already but decided to roll with it.

The detailing in the queue is great! I love how it referenced all the Mater Disney Shorts.


The CM at the front of the line said they were still testing the other "track" for Mater and it would be up shortly. When we got to the front of the line they started loading on both, which helped keep the line moving.

Almost our turn!


It wasn't as terrible as some ride videos show, but it definitely throws you around. With LO between us, DH and I had to hang onto the side to make sure not to squish LO on the turns! LOL

The exit from Mater is at the end of Carsland so we (I) stopped to take a few pictures. While standing by the sign, we inadvertently got in line for the Mater meet and greet. The line was short enough so we stayed in it, and it was quickly our turn.

Howdy, Mater!

We walked a little further and saw Red meeting as well, so we stopped to see him. He was meeting in front of the Cozy Cone, which was an awesome spot!

Loved the "flowers"


Red!


Flo's!


We then left Carsland and walked towards Paradise Pier. We ended up at The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure. The ride was a walk on, which made it tempting to ride twice.

We walked past Toy Story Midway Mania, and the wait was 75 minutes. We were going to ride the Fun Wheel but it was closed with an expected reopen of 45 minutes. We walked to Goofy's Sky School, and LO then decided he didn't want to ride any more rides. It was gorgeous outside so we didn't mind the extra walk. We headed back towards RsR as our FP time was coming up.

We stopped and met Jessie along the way. It so happened they were setting up for her meet and greet as we walked by. LO was not a fan but humored us, as long as we took a picture with him.

Nothing to be afraid of here!


We stopped to ride King Triton's Carousel, and caught a glimpse of California Screamin' (Note the people upside down under the Paradise Pier sign...)

Almost our turn!


This was also pretty much a walk on. My guess is most people run to Toy Story Midway Mania since there is not a FP and the line gets ridiculously long fast.

We then walked back to Carsland and got in the FP line for Radiator Springs Racers!!
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