The Trip Is On!!! Trip report starts on pg. 39

[kaoden39]

I am with you on the Animation building. DD7 and I did that same stuff just a few days ago, so fun I was a bit bummed that they are "re-imagineering" the animation screens though.

I think Monsters inc is not as popular because of it's location. especially with all the Tron stuff, it is SO hidden away!

I also agree with the WWS nachos. TJ's are pretty good, but WWS are the BEST. We ate that everyday at the pool when we were blessed with a room there in June.

I know, I was so sad to see the screens weren't in use.

I've heard that the nacho's are really good......and I LVE nachos....so will be stopping in to get some......hopefully!! lol

Monster's Inc is really a neat ride......I agree, it's location is why it gets missed & has smaller crowds. Tyler went in 08 & didn't even know the ride was there......lol So we made sure to take him last summer. (he noticed the ride when he was watching our slide show from that trip......lol)

They are the best and under $10 with the AP discount make them a bargain. And I agree that the location has a lot to do with the popularity.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hey Michele, since you were helping me with my brother stuff, I wanted you to know that as of this morning they were able to take him off the ventilator and even get him up and walking! OK he took ONE step, but that's more steps than he has taken in over 2 weeks. He just has the nose-oxygen thing and they plan to put him in a normal non-ICU room in a couple/few days. Yay!

 

[kaoden39]

Hey Michele, since you were helping me with my brother stuff, I wanted you to know that as of this morning they were able to take him off the ventilator and even get him up and walking! OK he took ONE step, but that's more steps than he has taken in over 2 weeks. He just has the nose-oxygen thing and they plan to put him in a normal non-ICU room in a couple/few days. Yay!

Oh Molly that is wonderful news!! I am thrilled to hear it. One step at a time, thats how it gets started. Thank you for updating me, I was wondering about how he was doing.

 

[rentayenta]

Great update. WWS also, or used to, serve a mean breakfast burrito.

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

I love the Duffy tour! Need to get one next time I go back! Great TR.... I need more to read!

 

[6Smiles]

Duffy looks like he is having a wonderful trip! How are you feeling? Can't wait to see Duffy's outfits. The Whitewater snack food looks really good.

 

[Sherry E]

I remember Tania and I were saying in my TR a while back that we thought that the Monsters, Inc. ride would be so much more popular (and with long lines) if it were located in Disneyland, smack dab in the middle of Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. In fact, even the Pooh ride often has no lines or short lines and I think it would be 100% busier if it were right in the middle of Fantasyland next to the other dark rides.

There has only been one time that I've gone on Monsters, Inc. when there was a line. Every other time, it's basically a walk-on. And it's a cute ride - it is no less cute or fun than the other dark rides. It merely suffers from location. It is so tucked out of the way that I think many people don't know it's there because they don't really look at the maps/guides, or they assume that DCA doesn't have anything good to ride. While Monsters, Inc. is not my favorite of the rides in DCA (that honor goes to TSMM, and then Soarin' in second place), it is a perfectly fun ride and we always make a point of going on it!

So far, it's been nice to just be able to walk onto Monsters, Inc. It's almost sort of like a hidden gem that few people know about. However, with the coming Little Mermaid ride and CarsLand next year - both of which will bring mobs of people into DCA - it makes me wonder if more people will start to discover ol' Mike and Sulley hidden away back there!

I love the Animation Building too! Another gem of DCA!

 

[kaoden39]

Great update. WWS also, or used to, serve a mean breakfast burrito.

I must try one next time!! I think they have excellent food.

I love the Duffy tour! Need to get one next time I go back! Great TR.... I need more to read!

Thank you, there is more. He is a great traveling companion and the characters are a lot of fun with him.

Duffy looks like he is having a wonderful trip! How are you feeling? Can't wait to see Duffy's outfits. The Whitewater snack food looks really good.

Oh he had a ball and he never complains!!

I remember Tania and I were saying in my TR a while back that we thought that the Monsters, Inc. ride would be so much more popular (and with long lines) if it were located in Disneyland, smack dab in the middle of Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. In fact, even the Pooh ride often has no lines or short lines and I think it would be 100% busier if it were right in the middle of Fantasyland next to the other dark rides.

There has only been one time that I've gone on Monsters, Inc. when there was a line. Every other time, it's basically a walk-on. And it's a cute ride - it is no less cute or fun than the other dark rides. It merely suffers from location. It is so tucked out of the way that I think many people don't know it's there because they don't really look at the maps/guides, or they assume that DCA doesn't have anything good to ride. While Monsters, Inc. is not my favorite of the rides in DCA (that honor goes to TSMM, and then Soarin' in second place), it is a perfectly fun ride and we always make a point of going on it!

So far, it's been nice to just be able to walk onto Monsters, Inc. It's almost sort of like a hidden gem that few people know about. However, with the coming Little Mermaid ride and CarsLand next year - both of which will bring mobs of people into DCA - it makes me wonder if more people will start to discover ol' Mike and Sulley hidden away back there!

I love the Animation Building too! Another gem of DCA!

I agree it is all location. I think that both rides would do much better if they were in more central location. I still have never done TSMM. I am just not into it. I do as little 3D as I can. I get headaches real easy and that is a headache going to happen for me.

I kind of hope Monsters, Inc. stays a hidden gem. Is that selfish? I love that ride and honestly I think it is as good or better than Roger Rabbit is. I look forward to those others parts of DCA to open if only to get rid of those darn fences.

It seemed to me on the day we were there that it was pretty crowded, but that could be caused by all the fences. Who knows. I still like it.

 

[smile4stamps]

I agree it is all location. I think that both rides would do much better if they were in more central location. I still have never done TSMM. I am just not into it. I do as little 3D as I can. I get headaches real easy and that is a headache going to happen for me.

I kind of hope Monsters, Inc. stays a hidden gem. Is that selfish? I love that ride and honestly I think it is as good or better than Roger Rabbit is. I look forward to those others parts of DCA to open if only to get rid of those darn fences.

It seemed to me on the day we were there that it was pretty crowded, but that could be caused by all the fences. Who knows. I still like it.

I hope Monsters Stays hidden too! And Winnie the Pooh! I love both of them!

TSMM is a favorite of mine but it is definitely not hidden!

I actually like a # of rides at DCA so it gets almost as much time as DL does. I can't wait till it is finished though... Construction walls everywhere really takes away from it!

 

[daisy_77]

Oh my those nachos look gooooood

So I just realized that my DD has a Duffy bear. he/she is lavender colored. We got her about four years ago at wdw. It's called Disney bear or something. I thought Duffy looked familiar

 

[kaoden39]

I hope Monsters Stays hidden too! And Winnie the Pooh! I love both of them!

TSMM is a favorite of mine but it is definitely not hidden!

I actually like a # of rides at DCA so it gets almost as much time as DL does. I can't wait till it is finished though... Construction walls everywhere really takes away from it!

I can hardly wait for them to be down. I love DCA and I can spend an equal amount of time in DCA and I am not a fan of the darn fences!!

Oh my those nachos look gooooood

So I just realized that my DD has a Duffy bear. he/she is lavender colored. We got her about four years ago at wdw. It's called Disney bear or something. I thought Duffy looked familiar

Oh they are awesome and I think with my AP discount the nachos and a soda was less than $11 for it and honestly I could have shared it.

I guess from what I understand this is Duffy's second turn at life. He has a second story where Tinkerbell granted Mickey a wish that brought Duffy to life and although cute it never really sold. Now he is a bear that Minnie made so that Mickey wouldn't be lonely on his travels alone. Either way I love him!!

 

[daisy_77]

Duffy is so soft and cuddly! And yes, either way Duffy is loved
I must make a note to try out the WWS nachos. I am a nacho girl! I make them at home all the time. And of course they are weight watchers friendly

 

[kaoden39]

Duffy is so soft and cuddly! And yes, either way Duffy is loved
I must make a note to try out the WWS nachos. I am a nacho girl! I make them at home all the time. And of course they are weight watchers friendly

I had them at both Tortilla Jo's Taqueria and WWS and honestly they were better at WWS but they were good at Tortilla Jo's. I would eat both again.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree it is all location. I think that both rides would do much better if they were in more central location. I still have never done TSMM. I am just not into it. I do as little 3D as I can. I get headaches real easy and that is a headache going to happen for me.

I kind of hope Monsters, Inc. stays a hidden gem. Is that selfish? I love that ride and honestly I think it is as good or better than Roger Rabbit is. I look forward to those others parts of DCA to open if only to get rid of those darn fences.

It seemed to me on the day we were there that it was pretty crowded, but that could be caused by all the fences. Who knows. I still like it.

Well, if it's selfish to enjoy no lines for Monsters, Inc., then I'm selfish too, Michele! I think a lot of us are selfish! We should also point out (to anyone who has not been on this ride) that it is also one of the few rides in DCA that has that great attention to Disney detail that we know and love! All of the signs and posters in the queue are interesting to read. There are lots of inside jokes and sight gags and things. It's really underrated - but I guess that's a good thing!

I hope it stays a hidden gem too. Hopefully the folks who pile into the Little Mermaid line or pile into CarsLand next year will continue to not know that Mike and Sulley are back there!

I hope Monsters Stays hidden too! And Winnie the Pooh! I love both of them!

TSMM is a favorite of mine but it is definitely not hidden!

I actually like a # of rides at DCA so it gets almost as much time as DL does. I can't wait till it is finished though... Construction walls everywhere really takes away from it!

I agree, Paula! I would be happy if both Monsters, Inc. and Pooh stay out of the line of fire where many people overlook them. The parks are so crowded as it is, it's nice to have just a couple of rides that are almost total walk-ons.

TSMM is most definitely not hidden, that's for sure (darn it!). I wish it were hidden and had no line. I could ride that 10 times in a row and not be sick of it. Hopefully in May, everyone will flock over to the Little Mermaid lines and into Tomorrowland for Star Tours and forget about TSMM for a while! I'm eager to go on the Little Mermaid ride, for sure, but if it takes away crowds from TSMM for a while, I will be happy with that outcome too!

 

[kaoden39]

When last we left this happy tour we were on the look out for new friends. And new friends we did find. The first new friend we found wasn't a new friend at all but just a bigger "cousin" to my Duffy.

Oh Duffy was so excited!! It had been so long since he had seen his bigger "cousin". I think they both were pretty happy.

We wandered down the Pier and decided to sit on a bench we found and enjoy the view and the water.

We went and visited the stores especially the store next to TSMM because Dina needed to find her daughter a Buzz or Little Green Aliens t-shirt. Her daughter requested anything along those lines. Well, we kept seeing these really cute Buzz t-shirts all over the park on kids and her DD can fit in a kids extra large so we were looking. But, alas there was no Buzz shirts to be found so Dina ended up getting her an Alien shirt. Thinking that we better grab it in case we never managed to find a Buzz one. This proved to be wise thinking.

In our wandering I spotted Woody, Jessie, and two green army men doing their meet and greet so we got in line. The grouping kept changing and all I really cared about was that I would get a picture with Woody. This was a must for me. Peanut is a massive "Toy 'tory" fan so I needed to get that picture. As I watched character after character leave I started to get a bit panicky. Jessie left and then the green army men left and it was still Woody, and then Jessie came back. And the two of them horse around like brother and sister. And they really give good fan interaction. Pretty soon the handler was saying that Woody was going to have to leave soon and I was in full panic mode. I would have spent at least 40 minutes in for nothing. But we were in luck.

They had so much fun with Duffy and we got a great laugh out of it and it was a great experience. And the nicest thing of all as we were leaving Jessie grabbed ahold of me and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was truly special and fun.

 

[DisneyStitch626]

That last picture of Woody and Jessie with Duffy is so cute! Frameable I'd say.

My brothers girlfriend ended up getting a green alien shirt from a store in DCA. It was all green with just the three eyes on the front. It was pretty cute.

 

[where's_my_prince]

yeahhhhh!!! it looks like you and Duffy are had a great time so far! LOVE IT!!!
and OMG those pictures of duffy with woody and jesse!!!! AMAZING!!!! seriously they warmed my heart!!!

 

[daisy_77]

Those are great shots! So adorable

 

[kaoden39]

That last picture of Woody and Jessie with Duffy is so cute! Frameable I'd say.

My brothers girlfriend ended up getting a green alien shirt from a store in DCA. It was all green with just the three eyes on the front. It was pretty cute.

Too funny that is the shirt Dina got her DD.

yeahhhhh!!! it looks like you and Duffy are had a great time so far! LOVE IT!!!
and OMG those pictures of duffy with woody and jesse!!!! AMAZING!!!! seriously they warmed my heart!!!

Hi Jasmine! Thank you!! We had a great time and he will make the trip every time we go in the future. Posing him is so much fun. And Woody and Jessie were great.

Those are great shots! So adorable

Thank you, I am going to try and finish up Tuesday tonight.

 

[kaoden39]

After we left Woody and Jessie I was feeling really happy. I had accomplished part of what I had set out to do, and I had a the happy glow of success. We walked slowly up the walk way and sat on a bench across from Ariel's Grotto and debated whether we really wanted to eat at Wine Country Trattoria. We had not kept our reservations for the Celebration Bbq the day before and honestly decided it was getting pretty windy so we were not thrilled to pay that much for dinner and possibly not see WoC. At that point we decided that we were not going to see it. That decided we went on our merry way again.

Dina had never been to the Wharf area on any of her other trips so we were off to visit the Mission Tortilla Factory and the Boudin Sour Dough Bread Factory. We enjoyed our fresh corn tortillas and then we enjoyed our sour dough sample too. I had to laugh because Dina was telling be that she had gone to a sour dough tasting room where she paid $3 to do it and she was in there so long tasting it she figured that they were gonna send her packing. I was really surprised that neither of us had brought any home or at least back to the room.

From there we went to the Blue Sky Cellar to check out the coming attractions. What a great place. I love to see the coming attractions. And I am excited for the changes. I think that all change is good, I am not a purist shame on me. Although I am still ticked that my beloved letters are gone. Shame on them!! But, alas they are not in the final scheme. I am sad to see the Golden Gate Bridge leave but I got one last chance to see it. Which is really kind of funny as I live 45 miles from the original and I can pretty much want to see it myself. I cannot explain it.

From there we had to do something wanted to do, it only seemed fair since we had been doing grown up things and he was tired of riding in the backpack. Mind you his head and arms hang out I still made him ride in the back pack a lot. We headed to see It's Tough To Be A Bug. Duffy was really excited.

And he looks really cute in his glasses.

After we finished we decided that it was getting a little chilly so we headed towards our favorite watering hole. The Uva Bar. Now I guess we were memorable because the bartenders recognized us and wanted to know what we wanted to try that night. Now I am not sure whether to be complimented or not. We had a drink called Funky Monkey.

This wonderful concoction is Creme De Banana Liqueur, Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, Bois Butterscotch Liqueur, and whipped cream. It was really good, I could have sat there all night and drank them until Duffy carried me back to the room but he had an outfit he wanted to try on. He was finally going to be wearing some clothes. And he was one excited bear. So we needed to decide where we were going to pick up dinner and we decided that we would have Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen Express again. I wasn't a fan of their fries so I decided to try their coleslaw and it sucked. I am sorry but it was awful, stay away from it. But the highlight was we had beignets for dessert, yummy. They make the best.

Soon we were on our way to the room to eat and for a certain bear to finally get dressed. But he had to wait until after dinner.

Bored bear.

Headboard for him too. He loves the fireworks and the tinny sounding music.

But now it was time to play dress up. He only had one of his outfits to try out because his other was being brought over from the park by the sweet CMs.

Here he is in his lumberjack outfit that I had to get him because the hat reminded me of a hat my DD has. I guess I was missing home. Not that they didn't text me all day and I didn't text them all day.

Funny story, on Tuesday morning Loren sent me a text asking me how to make the oatmeal he makes for himself every morning. He wanted to make sure that I knew he still needed me so that I would come home. As if anything could have kept me away.

And so another day ends. Coming up next a crazy Disneyland day!! But I think that may wait until tomorrow.