Are You Really Going To Disney Again? A Jan 2016 DL Trip Report COMPLETE *Added link to WDW report

[Carathryn]

Day 1: Part 2- Dole Whips!


On our fall DW trip we had failed at getting Dole Whip. Whenever we had the opportunity to get some, we were always super full and not able to stuff it in. So Dole Whip was a priority for the day. We made our way to Adventureland. Jingle Cruise had no wait so we did that first. I had never ridden it with the holiday overlay. The lions eating the reindeer and the rhino with the star ornament were nice holiday touches.

Christmas throws up on the jingle cruise
I have a strange obsession with alligators so enjoy this picture

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After our 2 week jungle excursion it was time for Dole Whip.

The best place to eat Dole Whip is in the Enchanted Tiki Room so we grabbed our floats and proceeded in to enjoy the singing birds and our pineapple deliciousness.

Does life get any better than this?
The answer is no


Dole whip floats make us happy


Eating dole whip floats while singing along with these birds make us even happier
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Eating Dole Whip is always a good time, however when you decide to enjoy it on a 50 degree morning, I recommend wearing warmer clothing. We were both freezing and the clouds started moving in a little. Another thing on my food list to try was vegetarian gumbo so we were off to the Royal Street Veranda hoping that a warm bread bowl would help heat us back up. On the way we saw Jasmine and Genie were out greeting. I really wanted to meet the Genie but right when we got up to the front of the line after a 10 minute wait, Genie had to leave. I figured I would try again later to meet him. Jasmine didn’t want to have a conversation and just smiled for a picture and we were on our way.

No genie makes me sad but I smiled through it​

I really enjoyed my veggie gumbo. It was fresh and hot and a perfect filling, but not heavy, lunch. We also tried the banana fritters. They were decent but not the best. The banana flavor was subtle and it was pretty much a mini sugared donut. For $5 I wouldn’t order them again. The gumbo did not warm us up as much as we hoped, probably didn’t help that we were sitting on wet chairs.

Just looking at this makes me hungry​

After enjoying our lunch we stopped for starbucks in the hope that it would make us warmer and headed over to get in line for Aladdin. We got in the fast pass line about 40 minutes into the fast pass hour long window. They let us in about 5 minutes before the show was supposed to start and it ended up starting about 5 minutes late. We got center seats in the 3rd row of the mezzanine section. I am really going to miss this musical. I love Aladdin and I love musicals and I love the genie. The show was a full house and the audience was great. On several occasions the genie had to cut off the crowd’s clapping in order to let the show continue. Aladdin ending was a big reason why I chose the dates that I did for this trip. I just don’t see how Frozen could have so many pop culture references and give a good retelling of the story while changing some lines every time.
I won't bother posting my pictures from the show because they are awful but if you are curious as to what you are now missing at DCA, there are plenty of youtube videos and pictures out there.

Next up: Some princesses and some drawing classes

 

[CherylGonz]

Love reading your report. Get's me excited for our June trip. Just wish we could experience the same level of crowds you did.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

I am really enjoying your first ever trip report. You seem to be a natural. I wish I could have seen Aladdin one more time, but couldn't fit in a trip.

 

[DLfan4]

At this point I was starting to get hungry. I settled on my favorite quick service meal in DCA. I got a portobello wiener at Award Wieners.

View attachment 147321
I promise it tastes a lot better than it looks​

it looks yummy. whats in it?

 

[Carathryn]

it looks yummy. whats in it?

It has portobello mushrooms, peppers, and onions all grilled together with beer and then topped with pepper jack cheese. The Red Trolley Ale that they use to sauté it with really gives it a nice flavor.

 

[Carathryn]

Love reading your report. Get's me excited for our June trip. Just wish we could experience the same level of crowds you did.

Thanks for reading! We got so lucky with crowds during this trip, it was expected to be really busy with some schools still being on winter break and everyone visiting the parks before the closures took over. Maybe you will get lucky and some rain will help with crowds!

 

[Carathryn]

I am really enjoying your first ever trip report. You seem to be a natural. I wish I could have seen Aladdin one more time, but couldn't fit in a trip.

Thank you so much for the compliment! I was slightly terrified no one would bother reading this but wanted to chronicle my trip so I could look back on it.
I will REALLY miss Aladdin and was so lucky to get to see it one last time.

 

[Carathryn]

Day 2: Part 3 - An afternoon of meet and greets

After the show my mom was ready to head back to the hotel for a couple hours. I was planning on going back to relax for an hour or two but that never happened. Instead I headed back to DL. I found myself at Star War’s Launch Bay and decided to meet Chewbacca. The estimated wait time was 30 minutes but it only took 20. Chewbacca is HUGE! He is very tall and the cast member said he had been intimidating some kids and adults with his height. It was a quick but fun meet and I headed back out.

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I decided it was time to meet some princesses and went over to their royal hall. I waited about 4 minutes before being let inside. Cinderella asked if the mice helped me with my hair.

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Next up was Rapunzel. Rapunzel said she loved my satchel and asked if I had a frying pan inside it. I said no and we talked for a couple minutes about why you should always carry a frying pan. I then asked Rapunzel why she didn’t have one with her and she blushed and said that she had forgotten one today but her character attendant was there to help her if she needed it. It was a fun meet.

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Last up was Belle. She wanted to talk about the weather. Belle is my favorite Disney princess, followed closely by Ariel and Rapunzel. However, I am always disappointed by meeting Belle in the parks. She doesn’t seem to have as much spunk as I imagine her to have in the movie. Belle is defiant and stands up to the Beast and Gaston. She is curious and smart. Maybe I just have had bad luck with Belle character actresses or Belle just doesn't like to have exciting conversations with me. No talks of books and faraway places or adventures with Chip or Lumiere.

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After meeting some princesses I planned on continuing the character meets. I tried to meet Genie again and failed. After 3 minutes of standing in line he left. I decided to go meet another blue guy…James P. Sullivan would be out in about 30 minutes. I made my way back to DCA. On the way I got distracted and waited 10 minutes to meet Minnie.

I love Minnie's dress and the red flowers behind her​

By the time I got to the street where Sully meets it was almost time for him to come out. After a big warm hug from the friendly monster I planned on going back to the hotel to relax for an hour before dinner.

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Next up: Learning to draw in DCA

 

[Carathryn]

Day 2: Part 4- Art of Animation drawing classes

My plan to go back to the hotel to relax did not happen, again. I decided to check another thing off the Disney bucket list, do an animation academy class for the first time. I walked in and learned to draw Sally.

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The next class was Hook and the previous one was so much fun I stuck around. While waiting for the cast member to let in the Hook class the animation academy was playing the intro song clips from UP, you know the part where Ellie DIES!!!! I don’t understand why that was a necessary clip.

Thank you Disney for giving me all the feels on my vacation
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My drawing skills are limited so I was pretty impressed that the animators could help me draw so well!

Next up: Dinner at wine country trattoria

 

[Carathryn]

Day 2: Part 5 - Dinner in wine country

After doing 2 drawing classes my nap time was gone. I went back to change clothes and meet up with my mom. We went to the concierge lounge to get some appetizers and wine before our dinner reservation.

Part of the evening offerings in the concierge club


Nice pre dinner snack​

On the way to our dinner reservation we stopped by to say hi to Ariel.

Your clam shell awaits

You can't have too many clam shell selfies
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We got to our 6:00 reservation at Wine Country Trattoria right on time. I love the outside theming of the restaurant but was a little disappointed by the inside. We started out with another class of wine. My mom got Snap Dragon Reisling. I really liked this drink. I normally prefer a red wine but this was a really good sweet white. I did a wine flight. The wine prices seemed pretty fair to us for Disney.

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We also got the free bread basket. The bread loaf was simple but good. It was warm and we ate a lot of it.

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For our entrees I got the simple Quattro pomodoro and my mom got the Brocoline Aglio Olio. Both dishes were decent. They were filling but I wish they had a little more flavor. I preferred the pasta dish at Storyteller’s.

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Next up: Drawing, characters, and rides!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

The characters are hit and miss. We usually have the best interaction with Merida. Flynn Rider was really good too. We have had good luck with Woody and Jesse. I know we have met Belle several times, but I can't remember any of the interactions as being a stand out. Sorry your visit with her was less than magical.

 

[Carathryn]

The characters are hit and miss. We usually have the best interaction with Merida. Flynn Rider was really good too. We have had good luck with Woody and Jesse. I know we have met Belle several times, but I can't remember any of the interactions as being a stand out. Sorry your visit with her was less than magical.

I have yet to meet Merida, I will have to add her to the list. I love meeting Woody and Jesse. I have had the best luck with consistently good character interaction with Rapunzel and Gaston. I am still holding out hope that one day I will meet the perfect Belle.

 

[Carathryn]

Day 2: Part 6- Drawing, characters, rides, and a parade!

After filling up on pasta and wine we went back to the animation academy. I had to show off my drawing skills to my mom. This time we learned to draw Tigger.

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Next it was time to meet Darth Vader. We each have a Chase Disney credit card so we got to go to the special Vader meet. It is located in Launch Bay and is pretty close to the regular meet and greet. We walked up and were done with the meet within a couple minutes. Darth tried convincing me to join the Dark Side but I did not give in to temptation. My mom was very happy to meet him.

Standoff with Darth!

My mom is so happy to be in the presence of Darth​

Following our meet and greet we took a short submarine ride. As much as I love Nemo I can’t seem to get over the feeling of claustrophobia to really enjoy the ride. For anyone who has not been on this ride, you descend a tiny spiral staircase and sit in a large submarine with tiny seats and tiny windows.

Once we had completed our submarine journey we had about 45 minutes before Paint the Night started. We wanted to make sure we had somewhere close to main street to watch it so afterwards we could go on main street to watch fireworks. We found a spot near the castle hub. While my mom waited in line I went and got a chocolate covered Mickey marshmallow stick. Soon enough it was time for the parade to start. This was our first time viewing it and we were both looking forward to it. I didn't take too many photos since this was my first time seeing it and the ones I did take didn't turn out very good.

Overall I was impressed with it. The bright colors really popped and the technology was beautiful to watch. It felt shorter than the Main Street Electrical parade but with all the standing and walking we had done that day it wasn’t a bad thing. With the parade concluding we walked down main street and found a spot to stand in the center. We waited there about 20 minutes before it was announced that fireworks had been cancelled for the night due to wind. This was disappointing but I was really hoping we would be able to catch them tomorrow night. While I had been saving a spot my mom grabbed a ballon popcorn bucket.

I think these popcorn buckets are so cute​

With no fireworks we decided we were done for the night in order to make a 7am magic morning at DCA the next day. On the way out we stopped at the photo shop and waited about 10 minutes to get our free picture from our Chase meet and greet. It was so nice just having a 10 minute walk back to our room. We were in bed by 10:30. I love staying at the Grand!
Disneyland chocolates awaiting me on my bed from Mousekeeping​

Up Next: Day 3! DCA morning

 

[Carathryn]

Day 3: Part 1- DCA magic morning

Guests staying on property can sign up for a special 2.5 mile guided power walk through DCA at 6:00am. My mom had signed up for it at the concierge desk and was out the door at 5:50am. Since I was already up I decided to curl my hair for the day. When my mom got back at 6:30 we grabbed breakfast at the concierge club. We first tried entering DCA at the Grand Californian entrance but it was about a 20 minute wait since there is only one security screener and ticket person, so we walked around to the main entrance.

I love my GC, so lucky to get the chance to stay here

On a side note, can I just say how much I love this banana caution sign in front of Jamba Juice in Downtown Disney​

We made it inside around 7:05 and walked towards Paradise Pier.

Such a beautiful early morning at the pier​

Our goal for the morning was Toy Story Midway Mania. We walked right on. After our practice round we walked right on again and both improved our scores.

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We decided to give our arms a break and go on California Screamin. We waited 5 minutes for the front row. It was a chilly morning ride but so much fun riding in the front.

Here is a one and only ride photo for you guys​

After our ride we walked to the other side of the park. We stopped for a ride on ToT. It took about 10 minutes to get to our service elevator. We continued on in the park and stopped by the Aladdin fast pass machines. I wanted fastpasses to the 4:45 or 6:20 show and were trying to figure out what time to show up to get fastpasses for that time. The cast member advised us to come back around 1.

Aladdin makes me happy


Aladdin leaving makes me sad
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While trying to kill time we rode Monster’s Inc: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue. It was a walk on. I think this is such a cute ride and love that it rarely has a long wait.

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I approve​

Once off the ride we rode the trolley back towards ToT. We took a drive through Radiator Springs. We got in the single riders line and were off to race in 5 minutes. Once again my mom was behind me in line but got off the ride several minutes before me. I do not have any racing luck.

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[Carathryn]

Continued...

After getting off RSR we raced over to the animation academy for yet another drawing class. We learned how to draw the big cheese himself, Mickey Mouse!

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Once the class was over we explored the Beast’s library. There we took Lumierre’s personality quiz. The character I am most like is Sally from Cars. My mom got Belle.

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By this time we needed to head back to the Grand Californian to packup so we could be out of the room at 11. I was really sad to be checking out. On the way to the room we stopped to take a picture with Walt and Mickey.

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We also stopped in the concierge club again to get some more fruit, a chocolate croissant and orange juice to hold us over until lunch.

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We threw everything in our suitcases and enjoyed some coffee on the balcony.

Sunny view from the balcony at our room
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We took our luggage down to the front desk to hold for us for the afternoon. After we were officially checked out we went back into DCA.

Next up: The best photopass pictures ever featuring a churro

 

[Carathryn]

Day 3: Part 2- Photopass fun

As we entered DCA from the GC entrance, we ran right into a churro stand. I stopped for my one and only churro of the trip. We saw a lonely photopass cast member and stopped for some pictures. At the time I was a little annoyed that the photographer kept telling us to do all these poses and I just wanted to eat my churro, but I think they turned out pretty hilarious. Here are a series of fun photos and commentary for your enjoyment.

Oh no, we are stuck inside a grizzly's mouth, help us!


Maybe if we cover our eyes we can pretend this isn't happening


I don't know what is going on, but churros get a thumbs up from me


Not sure why we would be pointing at something while being eaten alive


These are our bear impressions


Hey I think we are on a roller coaster

I don't know if we are scared or hugging each other


What do you mean this is our last day in the parks????


At this point my priority is eating my churro


And our acting abilities are gone, I have no idea what is going on in this picture​

 

[Carathryn]

continued...

And one more picture in case you didn't get enough in the previous post!

Because sometimes you just have to smile, no matter what is trying to eat you
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Up next: Lunch at Cafe Orleans

 

[Sazzo'sMommy]

Love it!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I do like how most of the princesses have their winter wear on - cute touch. Sorry you haven't had a better Belle. We've had some decent ones but probably the best luck with Ariel by far but also do pretty well with Snow White - I think she likes to interact with my little daughters

Lots of fun drawing classes! that's cool you got to draw Sally

Glad you enjoyed Aladdin. We saw it on Broadway so didn't make it a priority during our few days at DLR - but know a lot of people will miss it. I suspect they are putting Frozen in there as a testing ground for the version that will eventually be coming to Broadway

What a nice view from your balcony!

My oldest daughter and I have a very similar reel of photos from the Grizzly Peak photospot - they really are great!

 

[CherylGonz]

My 9yr old DD loves to draw and is not into the big rides. She is freaking out even about the notion of going on POTC. HM is out of the question. I can see I will be spending time in Animation Academy with her while everyone else is off doing the big rides. Loved ready your TP.