Bring on CarsLand! A Fun-Filled Mother-Daughter Birthday Trip! FINAL UPDATES 9/8!!!!

[RGirl]

I love that first picture of willow! she looks like she's definitely in her happy place and totally enjoying the moment!

Thanks! I just love it when we get a PP photog who goes out of the way to take more than just one or two posed shots.

and how cute is Donald in his sailor outfit?!? adorable!

Right??? He always seems to be in great form at that location too.

king tritons carousel looks so colorful and pretty! I probably wouldn't be able to drag the girls off that! they love a carousel and that one is extra awesome.

Oh, they would definitely enjoy this one then - the variety of sea life is quite nice.

goofy's ride looks like primeval whirl in AK. the first time we rode that, DH got the wind knocked out of him because it spun back and forth so much and slung him into the side. not our favorite and I couldn't imagine going on with a headache..... way to try those new rides though, brave momma!

Yes - I think it's pretty much the same, but I have only been on Primeval Whirl once and that was 4 years ago, so I can't say for sure. The headache definitely made it AWFUL, but I left knowing that I couldn't give it a fair review because of that.

I LOVE the character outfits at DCA. Pluto's hat and Donald's sailor outfit are adorable!

I know! Me too!! They are just so cute - I love Goofy and Mickey there too. So old hollywood or something. Love it!

I didn't end up doing any of those rides at DCA (except Little Mermaid) because we just kept going on California Screamin' Sorry they were scary for you, but it looks like Willow loved them!

I am absolutely certain that, had Willow been tall enough for California Screamin', we would have done that all day long. Especially since there never seems to be much of a wait for it.

Luvin the pics with thumbsup2

Thanks! The PP photog did a great job at that meet.

Looks like a fun morning with lots accomplished.

Indeed it was!

 

[RGirl]

Of Course, We Returned to CarsLand!​

If you’ve been reading this report at all, it will come as no surprise to hear where we headed next. CarsLand, of course!!!

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And straight back to RSR!

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It was about 10:20, and the single rider line did not have much of a wait (about 10 minutes), so we did that first.

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Once again, we got put in the same car. Someone was very happy about that!

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Some ride photos for anyone who isn’t sick of them all yet.

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We were off the ride at about 10:40 and headed back around and entered the FP line with our first set of anytime FPs. We noticed that the single rider line had gotten a lot longer. Luckily, the FP line took no time at all.

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Unfortunately, the ride broke down, and we got stuck staring at this sign for quite a long time. Irony, anyone???

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Up Next: Of Course, We Returned to CarsLand! (cont.)

 

[RGirl]

Of Course, We Returned to CarsLand! (cont.)​

We didn’t mind getting stuck at all when our car returned to the start, and the CMs told us all that we could just stay in the car and go around again to make up for the stall. We were thrilled!!! You wouldn’t believe how many people just got out of the cars and didn’t take the second ride. We were astounded. I mean who doesn’t want to ride a totally awesome ride again without waiting when the queue is over an hour long? Well, we sure wanted to!

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After that ride, we realized that we were really hungry, so we headed over to our favorite Cozy Cones one last time and got an Apple Freeze and some popcorn to share.

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When we were done with our snack, it was a little before noon. Hmm, what to do? Oh, let’s go ride RSR one last time with our second set of anytime FPs! We zipped right through and had another great ride.

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From there, we headed to the front of the park and watched a little bit of the show that was going on there.

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Up Next: Some Random Moments in Disneyland

 

[shan23877]

LOVE that first "excited Willow" picture. Adorable.

You girls seriously know how to do RSR. You should write a manual.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Wow--I can't believe you all went back to ride RSR again. I had no idea you liked that ride! seriously, what a great time in carsland--including an extra, no waiting, ride?!? Awesome!

That apple freeze looks yummy!

Lovin the pic of goofy in his cute little zoot suit! He looks so cute!

 

[RGirl]

LOVE that first "excited Willow" picture. Adorable.

Thanks! I love that one too.

You girls seriously know how to do RSR. You should write a manual.

It's easy in January.

Wow--I can't believe you all went back to ride RSR again. I had no idea you liked that ride! seriously, what a great time in carsland--including an extra, no waiting, ride?!? Awesome!

It was a bit of an obsession that trip, wasn't it???

That apple freeze looks yummy!

It was really tasty!!

Lovin the pic of goofy in his cute little zoot suit! He looks so cute!

Don't you just love him in that? He may be my fave DCO character because of it.

 

[RGirl]

Some Random Moments in Disneyland​

So we headed back out to DL from CA.

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Our tentative plan was to meet some characters and maybe do a ride or see a show depending on crowds. But when we got over there, it was feeling pretty hot and crowded (compared to prior days, course - it wasn’t crazy-summer-crowded or anything). It was about 12:30 at this point, and we were feeling a little cranky from the heat and such. So we decided to do something we had never done. We went inside the Main Street theater where we enjoyed some freezing cold A/C and watched Mickey Mouse cartoons for a few minutes!

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Even the lights on the stairs were adorable!

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This was a super-fun way to cool down!

After the cartoons, we figured it was time to get some lunch! We got in line at the Little Red Wagon for Willow to get a hand-dipped corn dog, but she changed her mind because of the wait. We were both really hungry by this point, so we made our way over to Tomorrowland Terrace to get lunch. The line was taking forever, and there were tons of people eating at all the tables, so Willow went over and hawked the tables while I waited in line. Eventually, someone got up, and she snagged a spot. In fact, while I was waiting in line, she was able to watch the entire Jedi Academy training. Kudos to Tomorrowland Terrace, which made gluten-free CS ordering very simple and relatively quick - a chef came out and took my order, and our food was prepared as quickly as possible.

Miss Willow enjoyed some chicken nuggets.

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And I had a burger WITH A BUN!

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We absolutely inhaled this food. We had waited way too long to have a real meal today. So we thought it was great! Not sure how much of that had to do with our hunger level, but we definitely enjoyed our time at Tomorrowland Terrace. This is where they do the Jedi Academy thing - the restaurant seating is just above it - Willow had a great view.

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After eating, we decided to do one of our favorite nostalgic things. Captain Eo! I had heard a rumor that it was going away, so it was a must-do for us.

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We browsed some merchandise afterwards.

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Up Next: Some Treats and Our Only Monorail Ride of the Trip

 

[RGirl]

So, for those of you still reading along here after my loooooooong hiatus during our summer vacation, I wanted to let you know that I have started a new Trip Report chronicling this summer's adventures on the road to Disneyland!

Disneyland or Bust: A Mother-Daughter Coastal Road Trip​

I sure hope you will joint me (and Miss Willow - she will be chiming in on this TR as well) over there! We had a great vacation this year and can't wait to share it here on the DIS!

 

[petals]

Great updates. I'm amazed at how many times you managed to ride RSR

 

[STLMickeyMom]

oh my gosh! those lights in the theater ARE adorable!! that looks like a fun place to cool off for awhile.

 

[RGirl]

Great updates. I'm amazed at how many times you managed to ride RSR

Thanks!

Willow tends to get sort of obsessed with at least one ride on every trip - it was DEFINITELY RSR on this trip!

oh my gosh! those lights in the theater ARE adorable!! that looks like a fun place to cool off for awhile.

I was so glad that we stopped in - in all our trips to MK and DL, we had never done that before. I love that there is always something that we haven't done before - amazing, really.

 

[courtneybelle]

You guys are RSR champs! People must have been crazy not to take that second ride without waiting!!

MMMMM Apple Freeze.

I love those lights on the stairs! So cute!

Captain EO freaks me out a little bit to be honest...but I'm glad you guys had fun!

 

[RGirl]

You guys are RSR champs! People must have been crazy not to take that second ride without waiting!!

Right? I couldn't believe it. Who doesn't want a bonus ride on the most popular ride in both parks????

MMMMM Apple Freeze.

Wish I had one right now! Mmmmm

I love those lights on the stairs! So cute!

I am so glad we actually took the time to go in there.

Captain EO freaks me out a little bit to be honest...but I'm glad you guys had fun!

Well, I was in high school in the 80s, so it seems pretty normal to me. And Willow doesn't know any better!

 

[RGirl]

Sweet Treats and Our Only Monorail Ride of the Trip​

After Captain Eo and a peek in the shops, we were feeling pretty tired and hot and crowded. Willow definitely did not have the patience to wait in any character lines. What she did feel like doing was shopping! So we decided to make our way to Main Street as we had never really browsed any of the shops before.

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Perhaps not surprisingly, we soon found ourselves in a candy shop. We loved looking around here - there was so much to see other than just the merchandise, which was also fun to look at. Willow even got to make Pinocchio dance!

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We decided to get a cake pop (Willow) and a chocolate-covered pineapple wedge (me). And then we found our way over to the little porch we had admired earlier that morning and had a seat.

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Yeah, I hear you, “Um, Roni? I thought you said it was hot? Look at Willow - obviously it was freezing out!” I have NO IDEA why she insisted on wearing that hood, but there was no convincing her to remove it despite how hot she was. I promise you, it really was quite warm out!

We enjoyed a few bites of our snacks and then decided to go back to the hotel a little before 2:30 so Willow could get in one more swim. So we bagged up our goodies and headed out. As we moved down Main Street, we realized that we had failed to ride the monorail even one time this trip! So, instead of proceeding straight out of the park, we turned around and faced the crowds.

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And started making our way back over to Tomorrowland and the Tomorrowland monorail station.

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We enjoyed the view while waiting for our monorail.

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And then we enjoyed the last ride of our stay at DLR.

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Up Next: Resort Time

 

[dizneeat]

All caught up! LOVE the update and the lovely hooded shirt Willow is wearing, wilting in the warm climate.
Love that you got to ride the Monorail - so envious that you got to go to DL, would love to, but it's not in our future very soon.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

browsing shops at Disney.....no better way to spend some time! the snacks look pretty tasty!

ok, I know that you have another TR and PTR going, but i'm just going to pretend I DIDN'T read that the monorail was the last ride of the trip......

 

[RGirl]

All caught up! LOVE the update and the lovely hooded shirt Willow is wearing, wilting in the warm climate.

Hi Karin!! Thanks for taking the time to catch up.

Love that you got to ride the Monorail - so envious that you got to go to DL, would love to, but it's not in our future very soon.

Oh, I hope you get to go at some point. It is so fun!!! And the new CarsLand is definitely worth a visit.

browsing shops at Disney.....no better way to spend some time! the snacks look pretty tasty!

Hi Lori! Willow is much more into the shopping than I am - she LOVES it.

ok, I know that you have another TR and PTR going, but i'm just going to pretend I DIDN'T read that the monorail was the last ride of the trip......

Awww - thanks Lori!!!

 

[RGirl]

Resort Time​

The monorail dropped us off in DTD, and we were quickly back at the DLH. We headed to the business center to print our boarding passes for the morning.

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And then we were back in the room, which was looking well-cleaned as usual.

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Willow made a quick change and we headed for the pool.

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While Willow was swimming, I saw Goofy strolling around. He thought it was too cold for swimming.

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After about an hour of swimming, we headed back to the room so that Willow could shower and I could get our stuff packed. I took a few more pics for you.

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We were all set by about 5:00, and since our ADR wasn’t until 6:00, we decided to explore the DLH and search for Hidden Mickeys with the app I had added to my phone.

A pic of Willow in one of the awesome chairs in the lobby.

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Up Next: Resort Time (cont.)

 

[RGirl]

Resort Time (cont.)​

Oh man! We had SO MUCH fun on this Hidden Mickey search! I can see us making more time for this. The app really helped make it fun - easier than flipping through a book. I thought I would share some of our finds.

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Painting:

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HM detail:

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Painting:

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HM details:

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Picture:

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HM details:

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After our search, Willow checked out a car near Goofy’s Kitchen.

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And we did a little shopping in the hotel gift shop.

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Up Next: Goofy’s Kitchen

 

[MonsterWDWmom]

What app do you use? It looks amazing!

Okay that is awesome while swimming in the Pool you can see Goofy?!?!

This report is really making me hope that one day I can go to DL