A Tale of Two Trips: Disneyland and Hawaii July 2014 Long Way Home: The End 9/13 p.40

[natebenma]

Following along. Thanks for all the detail. I'm loving it!

and Thank You!

New update coming right up.

 

[natebenma]

We decided to start our visit by going to Disneyland because it was the right thing do and also because we would be starting the next morning with early entry at California Adventure. We followed signs out of the resort to Downtown Disney, then we got a little confused about which direction to go, but obviously, we figured it out.




Ignore the time on the clock in the picture. I cheated and used a photo from later in the day.

Once again, we find ourselves "Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA", a little bit before 11 am.



I swear, there is a castle up ahead there somewhere!

Oh, yeah, you will see lots of pictures of the backs of my family as I linger behind and take pictures, then catch up!


Our first stop was at the Main Street Photo Supply Company to pick up the Photopass card I had preordered for $69.95. The price goes up to $99.95 if you order within a few days of your actual trip. The CD or download that you get includes photos taken at any of the spots with Photopass photographers around the park as well as ride photos at California Screamin’, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers and Tower of Terror. If you do any character dining, the photos there are included too (Goofy’s Kitchen, Ariel’s Grotto, Disney’s PCH Grill and the Plaza Inn). Like Photopass/Memory Maker at Disneyworld, you can add borders and other edits like black and white to your photos if you wish. You also get some stock photos on a CD.

Our priorities for DL that afternoon were two attractions not found in Florida- Indiana Jones (FP) and the Matterhorn (no FP). Originally, Matterhorn was scheduled for rehab while we were there, but fortunately for us, the work was postponed to later in the year.

We made our way into Adventureland to pull Fast Passes for IJ, but the ride was down, so they weren’t distributing any.







We decided to hop on Jungle Cruise since it was right next door.









The Backside of Water! Looks just like it does in Florida.




I loved the Piranha effect!






After we returned from our journey in the jungle (11:22), Indiana Jones was back in business so we pulled a Fast Pass with a return time of 1:00-2:00.




Next stop: Pirates!



Mark is not a big fan of me taking ride photos, so I kept my camera stowed on this ride. But I was really tempted.

Pirates at Disneyland is AWESOME!!!

The attraction was also a little wetter than we expected. Everyone’s shorts got a bit wet during the ride.

But we had a much bigger problem facing us…

Next up: AWKWARD! (Blue Bayou)

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Welcome back Dee. I hope your mini trip was a good one.

"I swear, there is a castle up ahead there somewhere!" Oh Snap!!!

The Dland photopass price is quite reasonable I think. A lot of potential bang for the buck there.

Ugh, Matterhorn was on refurb when I was there. I wish they could have postponed it to maybe do, oh I don't know, I'll just pick something randomly, Small World instead. Just an example of course.

Score on the Indy FP. Looking forward to hearing how you liked it.

Isn't Pirates amazing???

 

[jenseib]

Have a fantastic time!!! Villains Party?

Already home

It was a quick drive-by trip, just for the Beach Club FAQ meet. Arrived Sunday night (Kouzzina), Monday (Stormalong Bay, EPCOT, DISMeet) and Tuesday (MK, SAB). Home by 11 pm Tuesday.

I originally didn't have park tickets and was going to fly out Tuesday morning, but I was given a couple of tickets, so I changed my flight to later in the day.

Had a BLAST!!!

Lots of stories to share.

Mines a quickie too. And I am not really touring the parks either...but a getaway is still nice...even if I am sitting in a meeting most of the day tomorrow.

 

[catho72]

I'm finally here! Oh my gosh! I love your pictures! After you posted your room pics I said to myself, "hey! What about the view?!?!" Silly me, they were in the next post. That view is magnificent! I spy a modified Hidden Mickey in one of them. I haven't been to DL since 1988 and can't wait to see the rest of your DL pics. And your Hawaii pics too!!!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Oh how I miss the old FP!!! I was looking forward to hearing about Indiana jones. It's a ride in DL right?
Have you posted any pics from the DIS meet yet??

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[KatMark]

We decided to start our visit by going to Disneyland because it was the right thing do and also because we would be starting the next morning with early entry at California Adventure. We followed signs out of the resort to Downtown Disney, then we got a little confused about which direction to go, but obviously, we figured it out.

Glad you figured it out.




Ignore the time on the clock in the picture. I cheated and used a photo from later in the day.

Didn't even notice.

Once again, we find ourselves "Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA", a little bit before 11 am.



I swear, there is a castle up ahead there somewhere!

Oh, yeah, you will see lots of pictures of the backs of my family as I linger behind and take pictures, then catch up!

Not as noticeable as DW, huh? And that's okay...we wanted lots of pictures.

Our first stop was at the Main Street Photo Supply Company to pick up the Photopass card I had preordered for $69.95. The price goes up to $99.95 if you order within a few days of your actual trip. The CD or download that you get includes photos taken at any of the spots with Photopass photographers around the park as well as ride photos at California Screamin’, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers and Tower of Terror. If you do any character dining, the photos there are included too (Goofy’s Kitchen, Ariel’s Grotto, Disney’s PCH Grill and the Plaza Inn). Like Photopass/Memory Maker at Disneyworld, you can add borders and other edits like black and white to your photos if you wish. You also get some stock photos on a CD.

Cheaper than the MM.

Our priorities for DL that afternoon were two attractions not found in Florida- Indiana Jones (FP) and the Matterhorn (no FP). Originally, Matterhorn was scheduled for rehab while we were there, but fortunately for us, the work was postponed to later in the year.

That's good!

We made our way into Adventureland to pull Fast Passes for IJ, but the ride was down, so they weren’t distributing any.

Dislike!






We decided to hop on Jungle Cruise since it was right next door.









The Backside of Water! Looks just like it does in Florida.

Very good to know!




I loved the Piranha effect!





COOL!

After we returned from our journey in the jungle (11:22), Indiana Jones was back in business so we pulled a Fast Pass with a return time of 1:00-2:00.



YAY!

Next stop: Pirates!



Mark is not a big fan of me taking ride photos, so I kept my camera stowed on this ride. But I was really tempted.

Pirates at Disneyland is AWESOME!!!

Too bad...would have loved to see them. Glad you thought it was awesome. I've heard that a lot.

The attraction was also a little wetter than we expected. Everyone’s shorts got a bit wet during the ride.

We got drenched at DW in June on Pirates.

But we had a much bigger problem facing us…

Next up: AWKWARD! (Blue Bayou)

Oh dear...what does this mean?

 

[tiggerfan77]

Finally catching up on the DIS today! Whew! Great first day in California so far. I love the Grand Californian lobby, it looks similar to the Wilderness Lodge. Is it smaller than their lobby? Also fantastic view from your balcony. It still kind of blows my mind at how close everything is at Disneyland and that you can see DD, Space Moutain all in one view. (WHAT?!!) Looking forward to seeing IJ since I've been curious about that ride myself.

 

[glennbo123]

Caught up Dee. Lovin' the pictures of the Grand Californian...I forget, did you say that you had to waitlist it or you were able to get it at 7 months?

 

[petals]

joining in. Luvin all the pics so far. GCH looks fab

 

[natebenma]

Welcome back Dee. I hope your mini trip was a good one.

"I swear, there is a castle up ahead there somewhere!" Oh Snap!!!

The Dland photopass price is quite reasonable I think. A lot of potential bang for the buck there.

Ugh, Matterhorn was on refurb when I was there. I wish they could have postponed it to maybe do, oh I don't know, I'll just pick something randomly, Small World instead. Just an example of course.

Score on the Indy FP. Looking forward to hearing how you liked it.

Isn't Pirates amazing???

I had a fantastic mini-trip. Two castles in one summer.

Even if one of those castles is itty-bitty.

Photopass at DL is quite a bargain (the PhotoConnect at US is such a deal, too)

So sorry you missed Matterhorn. I was very pleased when the refurb was rescheduled this year.

IJ will be coming up in the chapter after next.

Pirates is absolutely amazing!

Mines a quickie too. And I am not really touring the parks either...but a getaway is still nice...even if I am sitting in a meeting most of the day tomorrow.

Hope you had a spectacular time! A bad meeting at Disney is better than a good day at home!

I'm finally here! Oh my gosh! I love your pictures! After you posted your room pics I said to myself, "hey! What about the view?!?!" Silly me, they were in the next post. That view is magnificent! I spy a modified Hidden Mickey in one of them. I haven't been to DL since 1988 and can't wait to see the rest of your DL pics. And your Hawaii pics too!!!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Did you lose faith in me??? Keeper of the View Threads???

I can't begin to tell you how interesting and entertaining that view was!

I spied a Hidden Mickey firework. Am I missing one somewhere else?

Thanks for joining in!

Oh how I miss the old FP!!! I was looking forward to hearing about Indiana jones. It's a ride in DL right?
Have you posted any pics from the DIS meet yet??

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Our last WDW trip (July 2013) and this one still used legacy FP. A system we know and love.

Yes, Indiana Jones is a ride- coming up in a couple of chapters.

None of the pictures of the meet are on my camera- hopefully will have some to post by early next week.

Oh dear...what does this mean?

Sorry, too lazy to go back and recapture your quotes.

I will eventually have some pictures of the castle.

Yes, Photopass is MUCH cheaper than Memory Maker (and even the former PP at WDW)

I was so relieved that we would be able to ride Matterhorn.

Pirates at DL is INCREDIBLE- definitely lives up to the hype. What is up with getting wet on Pirates at both parks now, though?

Awkward update coming right up!

Finally catching up on the DIS today! Whew! Great first day in California so far. I love the Grand Californian lobby, it looks similar to the Wilderness Lodge. Is it smaller than their lobby? Also fantastic view from your balcony. It still kind of blows my mind at how close everything is at Disneyland and that you can see DD, Space Moutain all in one view. (WHAT?!!) Looking forward to seeing IJ since I've been curious about that ride myself.

I do know the two lobbies are very similar, but I have no idea about the size comparison. I have never been in the WL lobby!

The whole DL resort (theme parks/hotels/DTD) is very compact- and that is a great thing!

I'll have the update on IJ in a few days.

Caught up Dee. Lovin' the pictures of the Grand Californian...I forget, did you say that you had to waitlist it or you were able to get it at 7 months?

Neither- it was a resort room, not DVC. I'm not sure how popular GC is or how difficult it is to get a room using points.

Sorry.

joining in. Luvin all the pics so far. GCH looks fab

Thanks!

We loved GCH!

:

 

[natebenma]

In my last update, I alluded to a big problem.

It was noon. Our bodies thought it was 3 pm. Our last meal had been breakfast sandwiches from Dunkin Donuts at the airport at 5 am.

That’s 10 hours ago!

We were ravenous!

As we sailed on our Pirate ship, I pointed out that the Blue Bayou restaurant is right there.

We didn’t have a reservation. As I mentioned, it was noon. We decided to check it out, though.

And we were seated within 5 minutes!














The waitress came by to take our drink order. One Mint Julip, Louisiana Lemonade with souvenir glow cube (which we forgot to keep), Iced Tea and Coke.




Ben, why so blue?




The assistant waiter, Quinn, came by to ask “Would you like some bread?”
(Sourdough Dinner Roll and Sweet Potato Cheese Biscuit)


“YES, PLEASE!!!”


He brought it promptly and we inhaled it.










The lunch menu offers an entrée along with choice of Gumbo or salad.







2 of us ordered the gumbo and 2 of us had the salad. Nate didn’t know which of the starters he would like, so Mark agreed to order one and Nate would get the other and they would change if necessary. Nate/Ben had salad and Mark and I had the gumbo. All good!

Quinn came by again to refill our drinks and offered more bread before our entrees came out. We all nodded our heads excitedly.

At this point we started calling Quinn a superstar.

For entrees, Ben and I both got the Jambalaya. Nate got the Beef Strip Loin and Mark had the Flat Iron Steak.











The steaks were very good. The jambalaya was tasty, but very filling and extremely spicy. Heat doesn’t usually bother me, but it was too much for me and way too much for Ben. Plus, we were really full from the two bread services.

Throughout our meal, Quinn blew us away with his excellent service. He kept our drinks filled and cleared plates as soon as we were done with them. We were so impressed that we wanted to say something to the manager when she stopped by, but our waitress was there at the same time and we didn’t want to say something in front of her.

Later, though, the manager was coming through the room. She took a picture of the family at the table next to us, and I asked her if she would mind taking a picture of us





After she took the photo, I told her that we wanted to let her know that we had received excellent, attentive service from Quinn. The manager then started gushing about him.

“Thank you for saying something. Quinn has been with us for a long time, he is really good. I went to school with Quinn. I’m glad you got excellent service from Quinn….”

She went on for quite awhile, and unfortunately our waitress came up behind her to drop off the check and overhead the manager’s comments.

AWKWARD!

She dropped off the check, and Mark and the boys were so embarrassed that they abandoned me at the table to deal with the bill, and left the restaurant.

I filled out the charge slip ($168 plus tip, a $200 lunch with a side of humiliation)

When the waitress came back with my Disney Rewards Card (this meal made quite a dent in the $350 credit I had), I got up to leave and she stopped me to ask

“So how was my service?”

I’m glad it was dark in there because I’m sure my face turned 10 shades of red.

I told her the service was great and we really appreciated everything she did.

And I got out of there as soon as I could!


Next up: Getting to Know You: More Fun at DL

 

[ddluvsdisney]

OMG I can't believe she asked that!!! That was awkward
I love jambalaya! Not many restaurants have it, but I get it at the Cheesecake Factory...yum!! I never could've waited that long to eat.

 

[glennbo123]

Neither- it was a resort room, not DVC. I'm not sure how popular GC is or how difficult it is to get a room using points.

Sorry.

Ohhh, that makes sense. They appear to be pretty difficult to get at 7 months. Even though we cancelled our big plans to hit DL and Aulani, I still looked at the availability when the 7-month mark came just to see if I would've been able to get what I wanted. Aulani was open, but the Grand Californian had nothing available, so I don't know what I would've done.

Your lunch at Blue Bayou looked really good. I'll bet you were starved! And I can imagine inhaling that bread.

Oh wow, awkward isn't the word. You knew it was bad, and then the waitress asked about her service. Yowza. Well, you know the saying, "no good deed goes unpunished".

 

[saintstickets]

After she took the photo, I told her that we wanted to let her know that we had received excellent, attentive service from Quinn. The manager then started gushing about him.

“Thank you for saying something. Quinn has been with us for a long time, he is really good. I went to school with Quinn. I’m glad you got excellent service from Quinn….”

She went on for quite awhile, and unfortunately our waitress came up behind her to drop off the check and overhead the manager’s comments.

AWKWARD!

She dropped off the check, and Mark and the boys were so embarrassed that they abandoned me at the table to deal with the bill, and left the restaurant.

I filled out the charge slip ($168 plus tip, a $200 lunch with a side of humiliation)

When the waitress came back with my Disney Rewards Card (this meal made quite a dent in the $350 credit I had), I got up to leave and she stopped me to ask

“So how was my service?”

I’m glad it was dark in there because I’m sure my face turned 10 shades of red.

I told her the service was great and we really appreciated everything she did.

And I got out of there as soon as I could!

I might have had to tell her, "If you have to ask...." and then just walk out. Forced awkward situations like that don't bring out the best in me! Anything else and my genteel Southern upbringing is in play but not when you put me on the spot! You handled it much better!

 

[whoever]

Kind of surprised they were doing flash photos in the restaurant.

 

[dtr_angel]

wow that's great you were seated so quickly without a reservation. Is that the restaurant that overlooks Pirates? The food looked really yummy, but I guess for $200 it should be, haha.

wow, super awkward! I would've ran out of there fast too.

 

[natebenma]

OMG I can't believe she asked that!!! That was awkward
I love jambalaya! Not many restaurants have it, but I get it at the Cheesecake Factory...yum!! I never could've waited that long to eat.

It was an uncomfortable moment!

I am trying to think of other places that have Jambalya... Bubba Gumps?

The flavors were good, but the spice was overpowering.

I don't usually do very well without eating on a frequent schedule. The excitement of arriving at Disneyland helped, but we were hurtin' puppies by the time we sat down to eat.

Ohhh, that makes sense. They appear to be pretty difficult to get at 7 months. Even though we cancelled our big plans to hit DL and Aulani, I still looked at the availability when the 7-month mark came just to see if I would've been able to get what I wanted. Aulani was open, but the Grand Californian had nothing available, so I don't know what I would've done.

Your lunch at Blue Bayou looked really good. I'll bet you were starved! And I can imagine inhaling that bread.

Oh wow, awkward isn't the word. You knew it was bad, and then the waitress asked about her service. Yowza. Well, you know the saying, "no good deed goes unpunished".

I highly recommend the GCH if you can get it! As much as we loved the view from our room, I have seen pictures of some of the views from the villas... WOWSA!

We did our best to say something to the manager when the waitress was not around, and we would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling kids... I mean the manager gushing about Quinn. Could you say his name a few more times and louder? I don't think Jack Sparrow heard you.

I might have had to tell her, "If you have to ask...." and then just walk out. Forced awkward situations like that don't bring out the best in me! Anything else and my genteel Southern upbringing is in play but not when you put me on the spot! You handled it much better!

Honestly, her service was fine. Good, not great.

But Quinn literally saved our lives. WE WERE STARVING TO DEATH!!!

That deserved a shoutout!

Kind of surprised they were doing flash photos in the restaurant.

Good point- I didn't think of that. We were at the very back of the restaurant and wouldn't even have known the Pirates ride was right there if we hadn't known. We couldn't see it. I wonder if they ask diners closer to ride to refrain from flash pictures- I get that.

wow that's great you were seated so quickly without a reservation. Is that the restaurant that overlooks Pirates? The food looked really yummy, but I guess for $200 it should be, haha.

wow, super awkward! I would've ran out of there fast too.

Yes, the restaurant overlooks Pirates, but we couldn't really see anything from where we were seated.

It was fortunate that we were seated so soon. Not sure what we would have done if it had been a 30-45 minute wait. There is a nearby, similar restaurant Café Orleans, and I probably would have suggested that. Would have been much less expensive.

That may be the most we have ever paid for a lunch, anywhere!

$$$

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

That restaurant looks gorgeous Dee and the food looks scrumptious
Love the photo of you all but EEK on the waitress moment! I would have totally reddened at her asking too Funny I can always think og good things to say about an hour after I need them

 

[Wood Nymph]

Was it hard to match your hunger times with the local meal times? Between the early wake up for your flight and the time change, I'm not surprised that you were starving.