Matt's 2019, Spring Dapper Day Trip for Char's 10th Birthday with Napa Rose/Club 33!!

I love reading your trip reports. I need to ask about that last post
How in the world did you take photos while on the incredicoaster? Did you use your cell phone? I'm always so worried about dropping stuff on rides that I never take ride photos. How do you do it??

4# and $4k of DSLR camera/Lens... just holding on for dear life. I have a strap around my neck, so it's not going anywhere, and I have an iron grip. A Cell will NEVER take that kind of pic.
 
This makes me want to stay onsite just for EMH at California Aventure!
 


This makes me want to stay onsite just for EMH at California Aventure!
Jiana, we only stay on-site. Sadly, we won't be for our October trip with just Amy and I as we are literally just using the hotel to change for 21 Royal and sleep. Couldn't justify the 3x charge to stay onsite since we'll be getting there after EMH ends anyway based upon flights and transportation.
 
We finished our repeated spins on the Incredicoaster at 7:50 and started booking our way over to Guardians as we wanted to get in some spins before the Park opened to the General Public.

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There was a sizeable queue of people waiting for the park to open.

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Char was giddy.

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Char LOVES Cosmo.

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We took 2 passes on Guardians...

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I don't know if Amy just couldn't handle the repeated drops of Guardians right after three times on Incredicoaster, or the kiss, but she would sit out the third time through...

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Char and I did our third trip on it solo.

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But.... she returned for the fourth escape.... albeit looking queasy

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After nearly a full hour of riding Guardians, it was time to head towards the West side of the park.

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Love this vista looking down Hollywood Blvd.

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And this fountain is a masterpiece of Art Deco design.

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Time to feed Char SUGAR!!

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As we made our way towards Goofy's, we stopped to admire the Art at one of the Vendors accompanying the Food and Wine Fest.

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Next up, Goofy's Sky School!!! The line was pretty light even at 10AM, so we walked right on.

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Seldom seen creature here...

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After Goofy's, it was time to try the Mickey 90-year celebration Churro. Charlotte was upset and refused to eat it because she wanted a regular churro, but Amy and I thought it was amazing. It was dusted with Oreo!!!

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And we decided to hit Bing Bong's Sweet Stuff and grab something to wash down the churro with. I elected for one of the slushes, but I had them hold the jalapeno syrup as Char wouldn't eat it. It was cherry flavored, and had mango boba beads.

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Char loved the boba beads, and I ended up ordering an assortment of 6 flavors for us to use them in drinks at home, complete with giant straws!

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The line for the swinging gondolas was really long, so they were cramming multiple parties into each gondola. We ended up all on one side, with some teenagers on the other side.

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It did afford a great view of the new attraction going in where the dead space under the Incredicoaster is. I hear they are reusing the flick's flyers ride vehicle here, re-themed to Inside Out and dubbed Emotional Whirlwind. The surrounding theming looks pretty good though!!

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By now, it was 11AM, and time to put some more meat into Charlotte (kid exists on meat and sugar). Her ask? Turkey Leg!!

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Didn't take us long to decimate it. These are cured AND smoked. I think the local restaurant supply sells turkey legs, so I may have to pick up a crate, cure, and smoke some at home.

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The re-theming of Pixar Pier is actually pretty great. I was a skeptic and naysayer when they did it, but I actually like it much better than the original. I really wanted to check out the Angry Dogs, as they have varying levels of spice, based on your anger level, but it wasn't in the cards for this trip. Same goes for the new Poultry Palace, which has a chicken drumstick box. Next trip, these will be MUST-TRYs.

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It was almost 11:30, so we headed towards one of our FAVORITE parts of DCA, the Grizzly Peak Recreation Area, and one of the most under-appreciated parts of DCA, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. I really hope they never get rid of this and replace it with some E-ticket type of attraction. This self-guided, immersion into the forests of the Pacific North West is simply a wonderful part of the park and really makes the area what it is.

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First stop, the zip lines!!

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Char loved the bouncy bridge!

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Charlotte was using the Osborne Firefinder to site whether there were any forest fires occurring in the Grizzly Peak area.

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Love the vintage prints they have on the ceiling of the fire lookout towers.

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The rope bridges were a favorite of Char... not so much Amy. Char was FLYING around them over and over.

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Next up was the Spirit Cave. What would Charlotte's mystical spirit animal be?

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A deer.... how appropriate.... or wait... was it actually a skunk just chasing the deer away?

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What about Amy?

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A clumsy moose. LOL.

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Next onto rock climbing!!

First up is Charlotte.

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And Amy even gave it a go.

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Some more of these great vintage posters in the Sequoia Smokejumpers Training Tower.

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As we passed the Amphitheater, we noticed they had cast member creations from recycled materials. We really loved the Wall-E ones (We drive the Axiom after all).

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I in particular especially approved of the wine cork Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.

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And lastly before we left, a run through the hollow log.

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What a fun way to spend half an hour amid the hustle and bustle of the park.
 
Noon was upon us, and thusly, it was time to take a break, and have some snacks and drinks. We have been to Carthay Circle Restaurant, I've had some drinks in 1901, but none of us has been to Carthay Circle Lounge, so we decided to check it out right at open. There was a line for the lounge which had already formed, so Char just took a seat while we waited.

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The line moved fast, and we were quickly seated at one of the high-tops in the middle of the lounge.

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Charlotte's teacher had been to the lounge and gotten the Rose Petal Soda, so Charlotte was excited to try it. It's locally sourced Purified Sparkling Water flavored with delicate Rose Essence and garnished with an edible Sugar-glazed Organic Rose Petal ($5.00).

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The petals themselves weren't to her liking.

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I went for the Carthay Old Fashioned, Woodford Reserve Bourbon with Angostura and Orange Bitters, and a Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherry served with an Ice Sphere ($16.50). It was Deeeeelicious!!!

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Amy elected for the Derby, Bulleit Bourbon, fresh Grapefruit Juice, and Honey, served up ($13.50). I took a sip and approved of the choice.

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To start, we decided on Braised Wagyu Beef Sliders "Dip" with Cabernet Jus and Horseradish Cream ($24.00). They were pretty great, the meat tender and succulent, the buns perfectly toasted, the onion straws on top added a nice bit of texture, and the arugula made for a nice bite. The Jus was simply delectable, sweet and savory all in one, and the horseradish, what you would expect, perfectly creamy with the tang and bite you come to expect. I made extensive use of both dipping sauces. A bit pricey for what you got, but still great!

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While we were relaxing between options, I took a bit to observe all the little details now that my eyes were well adjusted to the low light.

I love the Chandelier.

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And the bar. Just to the right, there's a door, which takes you to 1901... if you are a CM.

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Charlotte was running low on sugar, and being the birthday girl, we let her get the Birthday Cake Push Pop ($5.00). It had little birthday cake croutons on top.

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Next up for me was the Carthay Manhattan. I'm no stranger to this concoction and have it nearly every trip. Bulleit Rye Small Batch American Whiskey, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Angostura Bitters, and Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries served with an Ice Sphere ($16.50). I LOVE me a Manhattan.

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Amy was still working on her Derby.

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And our second offering was the Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Parmigiano-Reggiano Aïoli ($15.00). The sprouts had a charred flavor, and a nice garlic sauce, drizzled with some balsamic vinegar. These were good to experience this way, but I still prefer how I do Brussel sprouts, which is with onion, garlic, and bacon, glazed with bourbon and brown sugar, finished on wood smoke (Yeah... I give the recipe out left and right its sooo good). Regardless, I would pass on these in the future.

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We finished up, and it was time to head out. I took a quick chance to check out this print I had been eyeing from across the lounge. Being a HUGE 20k fan, I go gaga for this type of stuff.

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One look back at the main part of the lounge where we were seated. Love this quiet (at noon) alcove to escape the park craziness.

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And back into the bright California Sun at 12:53PM.

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Wait, you can purchase Boba Beads at Bing Bongs? Seriously? What flavors do they have? I am making a list and I might have to push this up to the top of my list to get when we finally make it back to the happiest place on earth. Great pics too!
 
Wait, you can purchase Boba Beads at Bing Bongs? Seriously? What flavors do they have? I am making a list and I might have to push this up to the top of my list to get when we finally make it back to the happiest place on earth. Great pics too!
I got a Slow Burn Slush(minus the jalapeno). It came with the mango boba. I ordered my variety pack from Amazon. I got 6 flavors

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0DMQ42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I JUST LOVE DLR in the spring!! The flowers on the trees in bloom were just perfect!

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We had Racers FP, and headed that way. While the lady folk were freshening up, I wandered into the Cozy Cone, and got a Chili Cone Queso... I'd never had one, and HAD to try it. It was decent, but too little filling, and too much bread cone. Would be better with a friend corn tortilla cone IMHO. Amy helped me finish the cone portion.

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The FP wait for Racers was non-existent so we walked on around 1:20PM.

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Mack always has a different expression!

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Mater's good side.

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I so wish they'd slightly increase the lighting here.... the Tractors are so well done.

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FINALLY... NAILED IT... I don't think I'll ever do better than this.

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Love Radiator Springs

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I got a GREAT shot of Doc!

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One of my favorite Hidden Mickeys... Can only see it from the left side.

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More bad driving by Char.... despite that, we won!!

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Char was in need of more sugar... so... some twist ice cream from the Cozy Cone was in order, and we headed for Disneyland for our Star Tours Fast Passes at 1:36.

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On the way out of DCA, we caught the Five & Dime performing at Carthay Circle.

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The droid told me that our "pet" must be in a cage. Charlotte didn't like that.

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Charlotte was hoping to be the Rebel Spy again, but alas, no luck on this escape from the First Order.

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Next, it was time for some Space Mountain, and we quickly zoomed around the Galaxy.

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Despite all the sugar, my little experiment was getting tired, so she hitched a ride as we headed back to the Hotel... around 2:30

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Oh my dog, what a great shot of The Hatbox Ghost! :worship::worship::worship:


Indy looks an awful lot like George Eads here :scratchin :rotfl:


Can I just say how much I love your Incredicoaster shots??!!! :earseek: :love: I mean, getting a great shot is one thing...doing it on a super speedy roller coaster???!!! :worship::worship::worship:

I love them all but this one above is my fave!! :cool1: The track, the ride car, Pixar Pal Around AND Carsland???!!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

And do we need to get out of the ride vehicle? NOPE!!! Nobody was waiting!

Nice! :goodvibes

One last time... still no need to get out...

Niiiice!! :cool1:


I love that you drive the Axiom! I think Wall-E is my fave Disney movie...well, that or Princess and The Frog, hard to decide :scratchin :goodvibes

Love Char's Stitch Ears!! :stitch:

Thanks for all of your fantastic shots of the little details in the parks. We only get down every few years and only ever have 5 days in the parks (wish they had 7-day passes!) so we don't have much time to take in the small details.
 
I'm loving your trip report. I always enjoy reading them. Thanks for sharing your Disneyland trips with us. Not enough people write Disneyland trip reports. Including me, but I am not a good writer. And your pictures are AMAZING as always! Looking forward to more.
 
Oh my dog, what a great shot of The Hatbox Ghost! :worship::worship::worship:
I do love HBG!!!

Indy looks an awful lot like George Eads here :scratchin :rotfl:
I'm actually kinda perplexed. Did they run into residual issues with using Harrison's likeness?


Can I just say how much I love your Incredicoaster shots??!!! :earseek: :love: I mean, getting a great shot is one thing...doing it on a super speedy roller coaster???!!! :worship::worship::worship:

I love them all but this one above is my fave!! :cool1: The track, the ride car, Pixar Pal Around AND Carsland???!!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2
Thanks! One of my favorite shots I've ever taken at DLR was taken from the lift hill on California Screamin' It was beautiful with snow capped peaks in the background. Wish I could remember which of my TRs it's in.


Nice! :goodvibes



Niiiice!! :cool1:
We were certainly scoring some Disney Magic.

I love that you drive the Axiom! I think Wall-E is my fave Disney movie...well, that or Princess and The Frog, hard to decide :scratchin :goodvibes
Not many people get the plate. We had a CM on one of our previous trips gush over the plate and the B&L logo.

Love Char's Stitch Ears!! :stitch:
She's adorable in them. Just wait for my Stitch Hawaiian shirt in the upcoming installments....

Thanks for all of your fantastic shots of the little details in the parks. We only get down every few years and only ever have 5 days in the parks (wish they had 7-day passes!) so we don't have much time to take in the small details.
Thank you!!

I'm loving your trip report. I always enjoy reading them. Thanks for sharing your Disneyland trips with us. Not enough people write Disneyland trip reports. Including me, but I am not a good writer. And your pictures are AMAZING as always! Looking forward to more.

Thanks, I LOVE doing TRs... just wish I had more time. I've got several which were started and I didn't finish, and 2-3 which I never even started... ooops..
 
What a fun morning! You guys hit so many high notes! We only had one day in California Adventure and never made it into the Redwood Creek Challenge area this time. I am really considering that new Flex pass, at least for myself, haha so I can spend more calm time just exploring the parks. We are trying to buy a house right now, which is taking a lot of time and energy (and money, haha), so maybe when that's settled. And I've never stayed onsite. With 7 of us, we could stay there one night, or lots of other places for 3 nights for the same price. :) But I love seeing your pictures, and we enjoy walking around the hotels on non-park days sometimes!
 
after a nice 2.5 hour rest in the room to recharge, it was time to head back into the parks for some more fun!!

Lol... twinsies. I had forgotten they had matching sweatshirts.

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I just LOVE Carthay... I'm struggling to remember DCA 1.0, but 2.0 is simply amazing. Buena Vista Street is an amazing redo.

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We went into check out what the schedule for drawing characters was, and not finding anything which appealed to us, went through Off the
Page, which is one of my favorite stores in DCA. I spotted another Easter egg.

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I LOVED this print, growing up when the Disney Afternoon Cartoons were at their peak. Old meets new!

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Just before 6PM, we decided to give Monster's Inc a whirl. I LOVE the queue on this one too. Disney's modern queues absolutely crush it.

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I never noticed this when you start the attraction.

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Monstropolis looking good as ever.

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Boo and Sully

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Look... Hidden Marlin!

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This is usually how Amy looks at me!

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Does the CDA know there are human children cruising through in cabs?

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Ah what a grind generating screams all day!

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LOL... corporate

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Randall always being sneaky.

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And up to no good as usual.

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One of my favorite effects of the attraction. And a surprise.

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BONK!

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BONK!

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OK, that's AWESOME!!! I've never seen that before, but as a HUGE Mansion fan, I was giddy when I discovered it.

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They got Boo's Door!

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The CDA is making sure the populous feel safe.

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Roz LOVES getting her glamour shot!

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