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View Full Version : A birthday Disneyland Celebration!



BriarRose0708
07-13-2015, 04:53 PM
Hey friends, I am BACK from my Disneyland Birthday adventure and I can't wait to tell you about it. I was in DLR from Monday night July 6th to Wednesday night July 8th. I was solo for most of it but was so lucky to meet up with a couple friends while I was there and my DBF made an appearance when he dropped me off and picked me up :mickey: Instead of a play-by-play, I will just give a quick run down of everything I did and add my random thoughts and evaluations of the magic, and a food review or two!

So, I did virtually everything in both parks, save a handful of attractions. Being just one person makes it so much easier to get stuff done. I utilized single rider lines on many rides and got to both parks at opening. Here's the master list of everything I did:

Day 1 - Radiator Springs Racers twice (back to back, once standby and once single rider), California Screamin', Toy Story Midway Mania, Mickey's Fun Wheel (non-swinging, thank you!), Golden Zephyr, Soarin' twice (once single rider, once w/fastpass), Lunch at Flo's, Mike & Sully to the Rescue, Aladdin show, Tower of Terror, beer break, shopping. Hop to Disneyland! Matterhorn, Tiki Room, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, dinner at Rancho Zocalo, Jungle Cruise, Paint the Night Parade, Disneyland Forever fireworks.

Day 2 - Space Mountain, Star Tours, Mr. Toad, Princess meet at Fantasy Faire (Jasmine, Belle, Snow White), Breakfast at Plaza Inn w/Minnie and Friends, Alice in Wonderland, it's a small world, Toontown, Gadget's Go Coaster, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Autopia, Disneyland Rail Road, Pirates of the Caribbean, lunch at Hungry Bear, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Mr. Toad, Pinnochio's Daring Journey, Splash Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Big Thunder Mountain, Monorail, Storybookland Canal Boats, Matterhorn, shopping, birthday dinner at Steakhouse 55.

Whew! I know there's still a lot to do, and I skipped a couple attractions on purpose. Either because they have identical twins at WDW or I didn't want to get soaked like on Grizzly River Run. Have to leave something for next time, right?

The attraction highlights for me were everything in Carsland (INCREDIBLE!), Aladdin musical, Paradise Pier rides, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Alice in Wonderland, and small world. The attractions in Disneyland are so well taken care of, I only got "stuck" once on Haunted Mansion. We stopped 3 times but I don't think it was for mechanical issues but more likely accommodating slow/special needs loading and unloading. Other than that everything was so smooth, which I have not come to expect in WDW.

The outstanding thing that will stay with me for a very long time is the Disneyland Forever fireworks. Disney has truly outdone themselves with this spectacle. It's emotional, visually stunning, and I loved the tribute to Walt.

Wait times weren't terrible, with the exception of Peter Pan. I was not about waiting more than 25 to 30 minutes for it, and the line was insane both days - over an hour at times. The crowd level in CA was pretty low on Tuesday but by the afternoon I hopped over to Disneyland around 3:30 and woa, it was packed! Using Fast Pass (YAY old FP system, by the way!!!!) and single rider lines helped, but I didn't wait longer than maybe 35 minutes for anything, which to me is totally fine. Most of my actual wait times were lower than what the posted wait was. I used the MouseWait app to get a sense of wait times and crowds and it was pretty accurate for crowd sourced info.

Something I found weird was the entrances to some of the queues were difficult to find. Pinnocchio's is a random stone archway that's not labeled. I walked around New Orleans Square for a good 10 minutes trying to figure out where the start to Pirates was, I could see the line but was so confused! Finding the single rider lines was tricky as well, they weren't labeled and I just started asking at the FP entrance if the attraction had single rider because I didn't know. I did miss getting to see the queues in full by doing single rider as well, especially when you have to go through the exit to get to it. But all told this was a minor observance.

The characters in Disneyland are free range! This was also a completely new experience. In WDW they are so contained and controlled but Wednesday morning I took a stroll with Peter Pan through Fantasyland, he was just out there wandering and crept up behind me, lol. No character handler, no Photopass person, just a character having fun interacting. I saw many roaming characters and it was just so delightful to see that. Free the characters, Disney World!

Food. My favorite topic. I ate mostly at counter service and did two sit-down meals. Monday night DBF and I had tacos from the express version of the Mexican restaurant in DTD, I can't remember what it was called but it was basically a Moe's or Chipotle kind of thing. Not bad and the price was super cheap! Tuesday I was going to stop for a quick breakfast somewhere but I was on a roll and pretty much ran on nothing but coffee and adrenaline until 11:30 when I stopped for lunch at Flo's. I had the turkey dip sandwich which was served with pasta salad and a pickle. It was very good- hot carved turkey on a roll with extra gravy for dipping. I had dinner Tuesday night at Rancho Zocalo and liked it better than the Mexican we had the previous night. I got chicken tacos that came with a big side of rice and refried beans. Can we pause for a second and give it up to Disneyland counter service for providing REAL plates and cutlery!?! Well done! Wednesday morning was my birthday so I wanted to pull out all the stops. I started with breakfast with Minnie and Friends at the Plaza Inn. For the food, all you really get is comparable to a breakfast that you could get included with your stay at an Embassy Suites. Although, I did get a special birthday cupcake and the characters here can't be beat. First of all, there were SO MANY! Are you ready for this list? Buckle up. We had: Minnie, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Chip, Dale, Rafiki, Fairy Godmother, Captain Hook, and Max! I was most excited for Max, who is pretty rare in WDW. So even though the food was a bit lack luster for $32, the characters made up for it, and the fact you don't have to leave the park for a character breakfast. Lunch on Wednesday was at Hungry Bear, I had a basic cheeseburger and fries which hit the spot. For snacks I had a Mickey Bar while waiting for the parade, and a churro- my first churro ever at a Disney park! I couldn't get to the Dole Whips this time :(

My birthday dinner at Steakhouse 55 was wonderful. We had an excellent experience here from the food to the ambiance to the service. The only complaint was that DBF's prime rib was a tad undercooked (he wanted medium rare and got more like rare) and my filet was a tad overcooked (I wanted medium and got more like medium-well) but the flavors of both cuts of meat were very tasty. We got the fingerling potato casserole as a side, it was so rich, buttery and cheesey but there was no way we could finish it. For dessert they brought me a special Mickey head chocolate mousse with a candle and we ordered the 24 layer cake as well. We had to take the cake back to our hotel for breakfast the next day, lol. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a special occasion meal, it was wonderful!

Part 2 coming up!

BriarRose0708
07-13-2015, 05:09 PM
Some other random thoughts, mainly debunking Disneyland Myths. You hear so much poo-poo-ing of Disneyland from the hardcore WDW people (some of whom have never been to DLR at all) that I wanted to see for myself what all the dislike was about. Things like "oh it's too small, there's not enough to do" and "I can see buildings outside the park, it's not as magical as WDW" and "the Cast Members aren't nice" and more.

Here's what I have to say about that - I respectfully disagree on all counts. From my brief experience, I have to say that I LOVED how "small" (relative term) it was. Park hopping is a breeze and there's no bus to rely on! Just walk on over and in less than 5 minutes BOOM! You're in Carsland. Loved that. My feet also loved how much less walking they did. At the end of Tuesday I wasn't in agony on my bloody stumps. Now, there is a tradeoff - when it was crowded at 87% capacity (MouseWait estimate) the intimacy of Disneyland gets to be a bit overwhelming. I experienced the same crazy crush of crowds after the fireworks that happens after Wishes, and people were camped out about 2 hours before Paint the Night parade. As for there not being "enough" to do, I skipped a bunch of stuff either because of time or on purpose. I met up with BrerNat, who lives a stone's throw away from DLR, and even she hasn't done every possible attraction there.

I felt completely immersed in the atmosphere in each park. The only time I could see outside the park was on California Screamin, Tower of Terror, and Mickey's Fun Wheel. You know, the TALL ONES. In WDW guess what- you can see the outside world from tall rides, too! So those arguments don't hold much weight with me. The only thing I saw in the park from the outside world was a random Kim Kardashian sighting at Winnie the Pooh!

I encountered nothing but smiles and "Happy Birthdays" from the Cast Members everywhere. In fact, I think I got more recognition from CMs this trip, than our 9-year-old did in WDW on her birthday trip. Never once did I see a CM out of place or providing poor service to any guest. I had read on other boards that some don't like that you can see CM's entering through the same park entrance as day guests, or that they ride the bus to work. I can understand some of that, I guess, but you know what - it is good to remind ourselves that the CM's are people too, and this is their job. I think that if we remember that, we will treat them better and they will provide a better experience for us as guests overall. So what if you see a server listening to their iPod walking into work- it's not like half costumed Goofy is hanging out drinking a 40 on the corner of Katella and Harbor.

So pretty much, I am a HUGE Disneyland fan. I can't wait to go back. We hope to take our kids in April to celebrate the younger one's 9th birthday as he is a big Cars fan and it can't come soon enough! Thanks for reading!

Melanie
07-13-2015, 05:26 PM
I've been waiting for your report, Nikki, and I have to say it doesn't disappoint. :thumbsup: You love Disneyland, you really do!! :D


Free the characters, Disney World!

Awesome! :funny: Unfortunately, the clientele just doesn't allow it. :unsure:

How fun that you have another trip to plan! I hear ya on the big Cars fan. My 15 yo has been a Cars lover since the movie came out when he was 6. I'm finally going to get him there next summer. Bad momma. ;) But it's really just the ultimate, immersive experience into a movie. Such a great job the Imagineers did.

tinkwest
07-13-2015, 07:15 PM
Great report! It gives me a happy feeling to hear about others enjoying their time at Disneyland Resort. I'm curious where you sat to see the parade and fireworks.

BrerGnat
07-13-2015, 11:58 PM
Great report Nikki! I am so glad you had such a wonderful first visit to Disneyland! Always great to grow the fanbase. It was great seeing you again. Thanks for spending a couple hours with us! I know you will all have an absolute blast next spring, especially now that you have some experience. The kids are in for such a treat. :)

We saw the parade and fireworks last night and I agree with you on them. They are both SO good! I will say that finding a good spot to watch the parade is quite challenging but at least the floats are all super tall so that helped our kids be able to see. We also couldn't see the Matterhorn during the fireworks and I know we missed out during the Nemo part, although that part totally cracked me up "He's just a boy!" Overall though, huge thumbs up for the fireworks show. It was very well done.

I also completely agree with your assessment of the CMs. I have been visiting very regularly for 10 of the last 14 years and I have NEVER encountered a rude or crabby CM. Ever. They always have a smile and are ready to start a friendly chat.

Oh, and I LOVE that you had such wonderful character interactions. WDW would do well to take a page out of DL'S book. Maybe then guests wouldnt act so cray cray. I saw Ariel just walking through Fantasyland with a little girl while she signed her autograph book. It is always so great to see the characters being allowed to just "live" at the parks and not be mobbed.

Yungbuck73
07-14-2015, 01:00 AM
So glad to hear such a great Trip report. We love DLR. It has such a different feel that WDW.
Wife and I have been trying to figure out another trip out there and it looks like we will be going in either April or May.
After this report, it may be sooner rather than later.
Glad you got to spend your Birthday in the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

BriarRose0708
07-14-2015, 12:19 PM
I staked out my parade spot about 90 minutes before it started. I squeezed into a spot behind a large group of locals at the hub, facing the Matterhorn just looking to the right of the castle. It was a great spot but I was lucky to get it. After the parade I bore left and got a spot directly in front of the castle for Disneyland Forever.

Tangent! One thing I did notice that for every positive and nice CM, there was a grumpy local. More than once people very politely asked to stand or sit behind the group of them waiting for the parade in the one or two open areas between their blankets (of which they had THREE spread out with only 2 people sitting on them) and me. Every time they said "no, we have people coming." I know this is allowed at DLR, but then they would start making comments like "don't try to get a spot 45 minutes before a new parade" and "I don't care that they are on vacation, I have work tomorrow and my granddaughter hasn't seen this yet so we aren't letting people crowd us." The best part is once Paint the Night Started, there was PLENTY of space left and one of their party actually got up to stand behind me to take pictures so there was even more room. I heard similar comments made by people who seemed to live very close while waiting in queues and such about how they hate these vacation crowds. It wasn't super pleasant to hear.

BrerGnat
07-14-2015, 10:23 PM
There are definitely rude guests at DLR. What is funny is that I wonder how that group of locals knew that the other people were tourists? I mean, did they have signs identifying the themselves as such?

Disney4us2
07-15-2015, 08:24 AM
Nikki, so glad you enjoyed Disneyland and "get" it. Those churros are the best. That was usually our breakfast. Flo's is one of my favorites, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Loved your report and it makes me miss my home park all the more. I was one of those "locals" and never paid much attention to who was local or not. Just there to enjoy.

BriarRose0708
07-15-2015, 09:21 AM
There are definitely rude guests at DLR. What is funny is that I wonder how that group of locals knew that the other people were tourists? I mean, did they have signs identifying the themselves as such?

Nope! There was no way to tell who was who, except for those complaining like the group next to me. It just seemed weird that the rudest guests were local.

BrerGnat
07-15-2015, 10:47 AM
Nope! There was no way to tell who was who, except for those complaining like the group next to me. It just seemed weird that the rudest guests were local.

The worst are the teenagers who get dropped off for the day by their parents. In the summer lots of parents treat DL as a summer camp. There are always obnoxious groups of teens being quite rude. I see these all the time.

Mickey'sGirl
07-15-2015, 01:33 PM
Great report! You make me want to go back .... We haven't even seen Carsland yet!

Thanks for sharing.

Carol
07-19-2015, 06:55 PM
So glad you enjoyed your visit. I've never understood the complaints about leaving the magic either. Nothing magically about riding on the highway to a theme park via buses. LOL. I dont get the not enough to do comments either. There are more attractions in two parks at DL than 4 at WDW. :shrug: granted there aren't water parks but we don't do them anyway. We have them at home. Love enjoying the resort or visiting their amazing Downtown Disney. Thanks for reporting. :cool:

BriarRose0708
07-22-2015, 09:37 AM
So glad you enjoyed your visit. I've never understood the complaints about leaving the magic either. Nothing magically about riding on the highway to a theme park via buses. LOL. I dont get the not enough to do comments either. There are more attractions in two parks at DL than 4 at WDW. :shrug: granted there aren't water parks but we don't do them anyway. We have them at home. Love enjoying the resort or visiting their amazing Downtown Disney. Thanks for reporting. :cool:

I loved their Downtown Disney. The DTD at WDW is so overwhelming to me I really dislike going there. While it was crowded at DLR it was better to navigate and I liked the food options better than Florida.