LuvTigger
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2000
Day 2, Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Who:
me, Kendra, 30
boyfriend, Aaron, 37
Where:
Grand Californian Hotel, theme-park view
When:
Monday, October 8, 2001 Friday, October 12, 2001
On to the days events...
We left the room at 8 a.m. in search of food before heading to early entry at DL. We decided on the La Brea Bakery Cafe, which is buffeteria style. I had the smoked salmon ($7.75) which had a very generous portion of salmon, choice of bagel (plain, seeded, or onion, I chose onion), a small block of cream cheese, red onions, and 3 olive/pepper like things. Aaron had a danish ($3.25) and a bear claw ($3.50). I had fresh orange juice ($3.00) and Aaron had a small drink ($2.25). Total was $21.23. Everything here was excellent.
I forgot to mention on the last report about the security here. Someone checked our bags upon each entry to the parks, and there were Disney police and Anaheim police everywhere, even walking around DD. It is obvious that Disney is taking no chances and went all-out where security is concerned. At Universal we noticed metal detectors, but I don't think they were up yet.
We took advantage of early entry, but only Tomorrowland and Fantasyland were open, and parts of Frontierland. We were able to ride Big Thunder, with about a 10 minute wait. We also actually looked for a photographer to take a picture of us in front of the castle. He was quite shocked that we asked him to take a picture of us! We waited for rope drop at Adventureland and headed to Indiana Jones. We pretty much walked on, it was just a matter of getting through the initial crowd. We went on Haunted Mansion again, then Splash Mountain. We shopped at the Christmas store in New Orleans Square where I went nuts! I could've bought just about everything there! We took advantage of the package delivery to the hotel.
We had a noon reservation for Blue Bayou and checked in around 11:45-11:50. This place was a mad house. I think they need to work on how they handle things here. The restaurant didn't open until noon, and even though people arrived early, they don't open the doors until Noon. There were over 100 people waiting, and they were trying to call out people's names, and people had to worm their way through the crowd to get in. Once we got in, it was fine. We weren't close to the water though, about 3 rows (out of 4-5 total) away, and it seemed to be noisy.
We each ordered an iced tea ($2.29) and started with the calamari with a creamy mustard type sauce ($8.49). It was good, but didn't seem as freshly made as in the past. I think it's because they were serving calamari with their special, and maybe they pre-made a bunch of it? Aaron and I shared a Mardi Gras Salad. I thought they would split it for us, but they just brought us a separate plate. I did NOT like the house dressing which was described as a cross between French and Italian. Although I like spicy foods, this was too spicy and overwhelming. I think it would've been better with a milder dressing. The salad was mixed greens with tomatoes, and I think maybe some cheese. I don't remember it well, probably because I was not fond of it. Aaron ordered a special seafood sampler ($15.99) with dirty rice and really good steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, baby corn), salmon, 2 spicy shrimp on a skewer, 3 fried oysters, and calamari with sauce. It was really good, particularly the shrimp. I ordered the prime rib ($17.99) with creamy horse radish, which was also really good. The scalloped potatoes that came with it were excellent! I also had the same steamed veggies, except mine came served inside a roll. Total without tip was $56.48.
We made our way over to DCA and stopped at Soaring first, where we waited about 20-25 minutes. We LOVED this ride!!! We headed over to the Hollywood Backlot which was pretty deserted. We saw Muppets 3D and Superstar Limo. I think we went through the Animation Building at this time too. Then we headed over the PP and rode a stationary car on the Sun Wheel. After this, we stopped at an ice cream cart and got a Mickey ice cream sandwich, ice cream bar, and a coke for a total of $7.75.
We headed towards Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel. We decided to have dinner at Hook's Pointe. The bread was interesting, 2 soft bread sticks, 2 dill rolls (which I really liked), and 1 sour dough roll. We each had iced tea ($2.75). I started with a 1/2 Caesar Salad ($4.25) with slices of fresh parmesan cheese and a great dressing. The salad consisted of whole romaine leaves, and was a pretty generous portion. Aaron started with a Seafood chowder ($6.75) which was excellent as well.
I had the scallops ($22.50) which had about 5-6 large scallops in a creamy mustard sauce with red pepper garnish. It came with a cumin basmati rice which I did NOT like because it was kind of powdery and left an aftertaste. I can't remember what the vegetable was. The scallops were good though. Aaron had the pork loin ($18.75) which was a very generous portion of 3 pieces. My only complaint about his was it was a tad overcooked or perhaps undertenderized, making it a bit tough. The taste was excellent though, it came in a nice sauce, with roasted potatoes, green beans, and apple chutney. I finished with a cup of coffee ($2.75) since it was cold outside. I forgot how everyone here recommended the warm chocolate souffle, and we were much too stuffed to order it! Maybe next time! Total here without tip was $65.10.
After dinner we watched the Fantasy Waters show which we thought was really beautiful! Now I know where the Bellagio in Las Vegas got the idea from! This lasted somewhere between 20-30 minutes, and is shown 7, 8, and 9 p.m. nightly. I highly recommend this to everyone!!!
We walked around World of Disney, but didn't have time to really shop. We were pretty tired and fell asleep quickly when we got back to the room. At 4:48 a.m., the fire alarm (very loud and annoying) went off. I remember reading here that someone who stayed there early on had this experience, and it was a false alarm. Though I knew it was probably a false alarm, I know we had to take it seriously, especially with all of the current world events. I was just going to put a robe on and grab my bag, but Aaron made me put my jeans on, and a jacket. We started to evacuate, the fire exit being very close to our room. Others started to leave too. We all got out onto the stairs and the PA came on saying that all was clear and that we could return to our rooms. However, the fire exit door was locked. I went up to the 5th floor where the door was open, and we took the elevator back down to our floor.
It was a rude awakening, but quickly forgotten, as we went back to sleep.
Who:
me, Kendra, 30
boyfriend, Aaron, 37
Where:
Grand Californian Hotel, theme-park view
When:
Monday, October 8, 2001 Friday, October 12, 2001
On to the days events...
We left the room at 8 a.m. in search of food before heading to early entry at DL. We decided on the La Brea Bakery Cafe, which is buffeteria style. I had the smoked salmon ($7.75) which had a very generous portion of salmon, choice of bagel (plain, seeded, or onion, I chose onion), a small block of cream cheese, red onions, and 3 olive/pepper like things. Aaron had a danish ($3.25) and a bear claw ($3.50). I had fresh orange juice ($3.00) and Aaron had a small drink ($2.25). Total was $21.23. Everything here was excellent.
I forgot to mention on the last report about the security here. Someone checked our bags upon each entry to the parks, and there were Disney police and Anaheim police everywhere, even walking around DD. It is obvious that Disney is taking no chances and went all-out where security is concerned. At Universal we noticed metal detectors, but I don't think they were up yet.
We took advantage of early entry, but only Tomorrowland and Fantasyland were open, and parts of Frontierland. We were able to ride Big Thunder, with about a 10 minute wait. We also actually looked for a photographer to take a picture of us in front of the castle. He was quite shocked that we asked him to take a picture of us! We waited for rope drop at Adventureland and headed to Indiana Jones. We pretty much walked on, it was just a matter of getting through the initial crowd. We went on Haunted Mansion again, then Splash Mountain. We shopped at the Christmas store in New Orleans Square where I went nuts! I could've bought just about everything there! We took advantage of the package delivery to the hotel.
We had a noon reservation for Blue Bayou and checked in around 11:45-11:50. This place was a mad house. I think they need to work on how they handle things here. The restaurant didn't open until noon, and even though people arrived early, they don't open the doors until Noon. There were over 100 people waiting, and they were trying to call out people's names, and people had to worm their way through the crowd to get in. Once we got in, it was fine. We weren't close to the water though, about 3 rows (out of 4-5 total) away, and it seemed to be noisy.
We each ordered an iced tea ($2.29) and started with the calamari with a creamy mustard type sauce ($8.49). It was good, but didn't seem as freshly made as in the past. I think it's because they were serving calamari with their special, and maybe they pre-made a bunch of it? Aaron and I shared a Mardi Gras Salad. I thought they would split it for us, but they just brought us a separate plate. I did NOT like the house dressing which was described as a cross between French and Italian. Although I like spicy foods, this was too spicy and overwhelming. I think it would've been better with a milder dressing. The salad was mixed greens with tomatoes, and I think maybe some cheese. I don't remember it well, probably because I was not fond of it. Aaron ordered a special seafood sampler ($15.99) with dirty rice and really good steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, baby corn), salmon, 2 spicy shrimp on a skewer, 3 fried oysters, and calamari with sauce. It was really good, particularly the shrimp. I ordered the prime rib ($17.99) with creamy horse radish, which was also really good. The scalloped potatoes that came with it were excellent! I also had the same steamed veggies, except mine came served inside a roll. Total without tip was $56.48.
We made our way over to DCA and stopped at Soaring first, where we waited about 20-25 minutes. We LOVED this ride!!! We headed over to the Hollywood Backlot which was pretty deserted. We saw Muppets 3D and Superstar Limo. I think we went through the Animation Building at this time too. Then we headed over the PP and rode a stationary car on the Sun Wheel. After this, we stopped at an ice cream cart and got a Mickey ice cream sandwich, ice cream bar, and a coke for a total of $7.75.
We headed towards Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel. We decided to have dinner at Hook's Pointe. The bread was interesting, 2 soft bread sticks, 2 dill rolls (which I really liked), and 1 sour dough roll. We each had iced tea ($2.75). I started with a 1/2 Caesar Salad ($4.25) with slices of fresh parmesan cheese and a great dressing. The salad consisted of whole romaine leaves, and was a pretty generous portion. Aaron started with a Seafood chowder ($6.75) which was excellent as well.
I had the scallops ($22.50) which had about 5-6 large scallops in a creamy mustard sauce with red pepper garnish. It came with a cumin basmati rice which I did NOT like because it was kind of powdery and left an aftertaste. I can't remember what the vegetable was. The scallops were good though. Aaron had the pork loin ($18.75) which was a very generous portion of 3 pieces. My only complaint about his was it was a tad overcooked or perhaps undertenderized, making it a bit tough. The taste was excellent though, it came in a nice sauce, with roasted potatoes, green beans, and apple chutney. I finished with a cup of coffee ($2.75) since it was cold outside. I forgot how everyone here recommended the warm chocolate souffle, and we were much too stuffed to order it! Maybe next time! Total here without tip was $65.10.
After dinner we watched the Fantasy Waters show which we thought was really beautiful! Now I know where the Bellagio in Las Vegas got the idea from! This lasted somewhere between 20-30 minutes, and is shown 7, 8, and 9 p.m. nightly. I highly recommend this to everyone!!!
We walked around World of Disney, but didn't have time to really shop. We were pretty tired and fell asleep quickly when we got back to the room. At 4:48 a.m., the fire alarm (very loud and annoying) went off. I remember reading here that someone who stayed there early on had this experience, and it was a false alarm. Though I knew it was probably a false alarm, I know we had to take it seriously, especially with all of the current world events. I was just going to put a robe on and grab my bag, but Aaron made me put my jeans on, and a jacket. We started to evacuate, the fire exit being very close to our room. Others started to leave too. We all got out onto the stairs and the PA came on saying that all was clear and that we could return to our rooms. However, the fire exit door was locked. I went up to the 5th floor where the door was open, and we took the elevator back down to our floor.
It was a rude awakening, but quickly forgotten, as we went back to sleep.
