Anaheim to Aloha! A Mother/Daughter Trip to California and Aulani...May 2023! Updated 9/27!!!

[buzzrelly]

DL Paris is a beautiful park! But don't let it distract you from the beauty of Paris itself. Make sure you have time for both when you do plan this trip.

Thanks!

If and when we go, I don't think I'd spend more than a couple days there! Definitely need to check out all of Paris!

 

[buzzrelly]

I didn't realize they still had the "old" security procedures out there. Ugh.

Ugh, is right! It's so antiquated!

Mr. Toad is such a wild ride, literally.

Haha! So much fun though!

I had to get the popcorn bucket when they released it recently for nostalgia

I should have gotten it! I don't remember if we saw it while we were there but we were purposely not trying to buy bulky stuff since our suitcases were both already close to 50 pounds and we had two weeks to go! I did end up purchasing some Christmas ornaments and had them shipped home so I didn't take up any luggage space, but I'm a sucker for all things Christmas!

 

[vamassey1]

It currently had a Star Wars soundtrack and I loved this ride!
I thought it was a lot of fun! Allie was (surprisingly) disappointed.
She somehow prefers the old rickety WDW Space Mountain better
I rarely go on SM in WDW anymore because I feel beat up when I get off,
but if this was there I would ride every time!

I no longer ride Space Mountain due to it being rickety too. The last time I rode I had such a headache I couldn't ride my beloved BTMRR afterwards. If I ever make it to DL I'll have to give it a try.

I think all the DL people take this for granted
but coming as a WDW person I was seriously annoyed
(clearly why I took so many pics of benches!)!

I'm seriously jealous about the benches too.

I could not stay mad after having these delicious beignets,
even though we should have shook them more in the bag
to coat them with the powdered sugar, and Mint Juleps.

These look so good, but I was just thinking that the beignets needed more powdered sugar.

We were finally starting to see why people love DL soooo much...
Amazing Fantasyland!

Danielle went last year for the first time with CM friends and LOVED it!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I loved Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at WDW! It was such a fun ride!
We definitely need more benches at WDW
It looks like a great start to your day.

 

[MickeyReeds]

Looks like a great morning in Disneyland! We were able to visit DLP last summer--it was such a cool experience!

 

[pkondz]

this trip was too good not to share, even if nobody reads it!

I just found it! Hi, Kelly!

Please excuse me and my awkwardness in pictures...

Nah. You look cute as always.

Allie had an emergency appendectomy

I'm glad she's okay!!

She absolutely loved it and was able to travel all around Europe while there,
including Portugal, Morocco, Rome, Budapest, Germany, and I don't even know where else!

That sounds really wonderful. Happy for her and the opportunity to do that.

the highlight was doing the Walt's Main Street tour and getting to go up in his apartment.
I was so overwhelmed with emotion when we walked in and immediately started to cry

awwww...

We'll be at the Boardwalk Villas 12/16-12/20, hopefully doing DJN on 12/16 and MVMCP on 12/19!

Nice!

Fit check at the ungodly hour of 2:59 am...

It's almost that time here as I write this... and it's not fun being up in the middle of the night... unless you're going on vacation. Especially if it's a Disney vacay.

Our room was on the 6th floor and was the very first room if you turned right off of the elevator. It was convenient but I heard the elevator all the time which only really bothered me when I was trying to sleep.

I've had similar... and I avoid that now if I can.

Here is the best part of our room

What a nice touch!

I had already tried to make our Genie+ reservation until it dawned on my that I had to wait until we were inside the park

​

I didn't know that either! I would've tried to do the same.

Only, once we arrived, we saw this huuuuuge line. Not to worry, I thought to myself, we have the ILL. Then I realized that the line we were so boldly walking past was the ILL

It also makes for a fantastic ride photo

As many of you know, this used to be the same as Tower of Terror before they changed it into Mission Breakout. We both thought it was really fun! You definitely have a lot more ups and downs, and the music adds an element of fun! But you know I have to compare it and it is not as good as either WDW's Tower of Terror (you can't beat that theming!) or EPCOT's Guardian's ride (which isn't quite fair because that's brand new).

WDW's is definitely better... but I do like it.

And the Webslingers ride...terrible. So, so bad.
Maybe we did it wrong, but we both were laughing as we came off
saying how bad it was and we never need to do it again.

Huh. I've heard nothing but good things about Webslingers...

Well, we knew we had to line up early for the WOC dessert party,
but what I didn't know was that we line was no where NEAR the dessert party area

That's... weird.

Before long we were joined by another couple at our 4-top. Honestly, I was a little bummed about this at first because I didn't want to feel awkward, but they turned out to be super nice. They were from CA and were DVC members so we talked a lot about that and they gave us advice about CA places to visit. We chatted the whole time while we were eating our desserts and it made the time pass quickly.

I'd be a bit bummed too. Especially after having been to MK's dessert parties.

From behind where Allie was sitting,
a huge RAT came sauntering out of the bushes
and kind of walked through the walkway and then into the bushes in front of us

I have never heard of rats in DCA, nor have I ever read about them here,

Nor have I! Those cats need to get on the job!

The desserts were okay...I ate a lot of the cheese and crackers since I hadn't eaten dinner. Allie ate my strawberries. Everything else was just meh.

Yeah... I don't go to the dessert parties for the desserts.

our favorite parts were the Star Wars scenes...

That was pretty cool.

But first...I left Allie getting ready in the room in hopes of finding a cup of coffee. I ended up getting one at the little shop next to the Fantasyland Tower...sorry, I don't remember what it was called, but it's right next to Goofy's Kitchen. It was literally disgusting anyway and I think I drank about half and then dumped it

High praise indeed.

We also encountered a very rude lady who, in her rush to grab her bag from the counter, knocked Allie's sunglasses off and the broke them. She didn't even stop to pick them up or apologize and Allie was not happy.

Some people...

Allie and I had talked about where we should go first...
I had something in mind and when she said the same thing
I knew I had done my job right as a parent

An excellent first choice.

I know some of y'all will think I'm crazy, but I love IASW

We were literally the only ones there and got the whole boat to ourselves

Gee... I wonder why that was?

Our first Genie was for Hyperspace Mountain...

Nice. I'd love to try that some day.

I rarely go on SM in WDW anymore because I feel beat up when I get off,

Agreed

we rode Pirates
and I finally saw for myself why people like this one so much better!

Definitely. I still like MK's one, but... really no comparison.

My rage dissipated quite quickly once we exited
we turned a corner and saw the little Mint Julep bar...

Beignet's make everything better!

 

[buzzrelly]

MAY 18, 2023
WE'RE HERE FOR THE WOOKIE

We left off heading onto Haunted Mansion, which was essentially the same as WDW with one exception that should be fixed by our next trip in October...The Hatbox Ghost!
He's pretty cool to see in there and I'm so happy "our" version is coming soon!

Next we went on the Jungle Cruise...

Again, pretty much the same as WDW.
One notable difference in DL compared to WDW
is how almost all of the queues have stairs in them.
We noticed this at DCA with The Incredibles, this ride, Indiana Jones, etc...
there are lots and lots of stairs in DLR.
I only say this because Allie and I remarked more than once
that if my mom were with us, as she often is in WDW,
she could never have done all those stairs.
We've rented a scooter for her on our last few trips
but she can pretty much walk okay in queues.
I'm wondering if she would have had to get some kind of DAS pass
if she were there with us in DLR.
Just something we have never considered before
that obviously wasn't a problem for this trip.

It was almost time for our Indiana Jones LL so we headed there
passing Walt's gift to Lillian along the way


Indiana Jones had a posted wait of 40 minutes
but we had a LL and were on in about 15 minutes.

This was a fun ride, definitely better than Dinosaur!
(Sorry, Caroline @disneyAndi14 !!)

After a little debate about where to eat,
we ended up not coming to an agreement
so we walked over to Tomorrowland and Allie got a slice at Pizza Planet...



But I had something in mind that had been on my list to try since 2019...


I got the Rice Plate and the Safari Skewer...


The chicken skewer was really, really dry, but the veggie one was awesome, as was the asparagus. I loved this place and wish we had a similar option at MK.
I would go as far as to say it's probably the best QS I've ever had in a Disney park.

Bellies full, it was time for our next LL...

Same ride, better outside theming and better queue.
This little Toon Town area is so cute!

From there, we headed to Galaxy's Edge

but were stopped in our tracks by a Wookie!


So funny and I love how he was just randomly walking around!
One of my favorite pics of the whole trip!

Continued in next post!


I just realized that I'm posting this on Disneyland's birthday.
68 sure looks good on her!





​

 

[buzzrelly]

I no longer ride Space Mountain due to it being rickety too. The last time I rode I had such a headache I couldn't ride my beloved BTMRR afterwards. If I ever make it to DL I'll have to give it a try.

Definitely! I could ride the DL SM all day!

These look so good, but I was just thinking that the beignets needed more powdered sugar.

Rookie mistake!

 

[buzzrelly]

I loved Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at WDW! It was such a fun ride!

You were lucky you got to ride it! When I went with friends in 1989 we barely went on anything and then it closed before our next trip in 2003

We definitely need more benches at WDW

I kind of don't understand why they don't add some? I think our MK is actually larger/less congested than DL

 

[buzzrelly]

We were able to visit DLP last summer--it was such a cool experience!

Awesome! I can't wait to see that gorgeous castle someday!

 

[buzzrelly]

I just found it! Hi, Kelly!

Hello there! I'm glad you found it!

Nah. You look cute as always.

It's almost that time here as I write this... and it's not fun being up in the middle of the night...

You've been working that shift for too long! I don't know how you do it. After 9 years on nights I was soooo happy to move to days!

I've had similar... and I avoid that now if I can.

We were just so happy to get our room at that point that I would have taken just about anything.

I didn't know that either! I would've tried to do the same.

It's a humbling experience after thinking I knew everything to get so many things wrong!

Huh. I've heard nothing but good things about Webslingers...

I know! I was expecting awesome-ness! Maybe we did it wrong but it wasn't for us! You'll have to let me know what you think if you get back to DL! Speaking of, any trips planned?

Nor have I! Those cats need to get on the job!

Well, since this trip I've googled it and I would caution you to do so at your own risk!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Love that Wookiee picture!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Haha I forgive you for liking Indian Jones better than Dinosaur but just barely

I love the picture with Chewy, it is really cute!

Your QS option does look very good and definitely unique!

I was born on the day Disneyland opened, not the year thank goodness! I’m not quite that old yet!

 

[pkondz]

We left off heading onto Haunted Mansion, which was essentially the same as WDW with one exception that should be fixed by our next trip in October...The Hatbox Ghost!

Will admit... I do think MK should have him... just not sure where you'd put him.

He's pretty cool to see in there and I'm so happy "our" version is coming soon!

Um... I'm sorry... what?!?!?!?

there are lots and lots of stairs in DLR.

Interesting that you should mention that. I didn't notice stairs... then remembered it's because we were with someone who was on a scooter. So yes, you'd not have to do stairs if you couldn't.

This was a fun ride, definitely better than Dinosaur!
(Sorry, Caroline @disneyAndi14 !!)

we walked over to Tomorrowland and Allie got a slice at Pizza Planet...

I'm sorry for her loss (of appetite).
I was very underwhelmed by Pizza Planet (now PizzeRizzo) at DHS and imagine it's similar in California.

I got the Rice Plate and the Safari Skewer...

I wanted to try that place too, but had other num nums to eat. Bummer that the chicken was dry... it looked good.

Same ride, better outside theming and better queue.
This little Toon Town area is so cute!

I guess it does suit the ride theme better, but I do love the Grauman's Chinese Theatre marquee at DHS.

but were stopped in our tracks by a Wookie!

How rude. Step out of the way, furball!

What a great photo! I'm not surprised you said it was your favourite.

 

[pkondz]

You've been working that shift for too long! I don't know how you do it. After 9 years on nights I was soooo happy to move to days!

I work days, swing shifts, evening shifts and nights... all in the same week. And been doing that for over 30 years.

I'm not sure why I'm still alive, tbh.

We were just so happy to get our room at that point that I would have taken just about anything.

I get that.

It's a humbling experience after thinking I knew everything to get so many things wrong!

Maybe we did it wrong but it wasn't for us! You'll have to let me know what you think if you get back to DL! Speaking of, any trips planned?

I'll definitely try it if/when I get back there. But... no, no trips planned.

Well, since this trip I've googled it and I would caution you to do so at your own risk!

Well now you know I'm going to do that!

 

[buzzrelly]

Love that Wookiee picture!

Me too! It was so candid!

 

[buzzrelly]

Um... I'm sorry... what?!?!?!?

Hah! Yes, or at least that's the rumor! But I think they are installing him there very soon!

Interesting that you should mention that. I didn't notice stairs... then remembered it's because we were with someone who was on a scooter. So yes, you'd not have to do stairs if you couldn't.

Good to know! But yes, there were so many stairs, just off the top of my head, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Incredicoaster, Toy Story Mania, Splash, Guardians, Space Mountain...I'm sure there are more. My guess is that with the small footprint of DL, they have to utilize all the vertical space they can!

I'm sorry for her loss (of appetite).
I was very underwhelmed by Pizza Planet (now PizzeRizzo) at DHS and imagine it's similar in California.

Yeah, this pizza didn't even look as good as Pizza Rizzo, if you can believe that!

How rude. Step out of the way, furball!

I know, right?!

I work days, swing shifts, evening shifts and nights... all in the same week. And been doing that for over 30 years.

I'm not sure why I'm still alive, tbh.

I'm not sure how you're still alive, either! We leave those shifts to the young girls just out of Nursing school!

But... no, no trips planned.

Well now you know I'm going to do that!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

 

[buzzrelly]

Haha I forgive you for liking Indian Jones better than Dinosaur but just barely

Ha! Have you been on Indiana Jones? I wonder which you think is better?

I was born on the day Disneyland opened, not the year thank goodness! I’m not quite that old yet!

 

[OKW Lover]

Ha! Have you been on Indiana Jones? I wonder which you think is better?

Not the PP, but I have been on both multiple times. Indiana Jones is a much better ride. More theming and less just battering you around.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Ha! Have you been on Indiana Jones? I wonder which you think is better?

I have but many years ago and I did love it! Nothing can beat Dinosaur in my book! Mainly for the wonderful memories!