First DLR Trip was magical! TR (3/09) Heading back for more magic! TR w/pics (4/10)

[javamoma]

ABD California Backstage Magic Tour - DAY FOUR (April 16, 2010)
Dinner at Napa Rose

Prior to our Adventure, Bill made a Priority Seating at Steakhouse 55 for this evening. We looked at the menu for Steakhouse 55 and Napa Rose and thought Steakhouse 55 fit our tastes better. However, after our first night dinner fiasco, Bill changed the PS to Napa Rose. I believe, sometimes things happen for a reason. If we didn't eat at Steakhouse 55 that first night, we may never have eaten at Napa Rose this trip.

Napa Rose was just an elevator ride away from our room. It was conveniently located inside the Grand Californian Hotel. We arrived about ten minutes before our PS and were told they were running behind and that we could wait in the bar area. We made no other plans for the evening. So, we were fine and appreciated the slow-dining experience here. We sat in some comfy chairs near the bar and a waitress came over and took our cocktail orders. It was a nice relaxing way to start dinner after our hectic and fast-paced day at Disneyland Park. Before I could finish my cocktail, our table was ready. The Maitre’ D carried our drinks to the table. Now, that’s service! We were seated at a prime table near the kitchen.

Bill and Jennifer at Napa Rose.

We could see the hustle and bustle behind the line. Chef Andrew Sutton was there that evening overseeing the kitchen and I actually saw him cooking a bit. He’s from Dallas. So, we knew of him.

Chef Sutton in action.

To be honest, the reason this wasn’t our first choice this trip was because I wanted a casual non-stuffy meal. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it is a four star restaurant with a price tag to prove it. But, I never felt uncomfortable. We even saw a couple of children enjoying dinner with their parents when we first arrived. By the time we left later in the evening, it was strictly adults. The staff was very friendly unlike some upscale restaurants we’ve dined at. I think sometimes, servers forget WE control their tip. Luckily, this was nothing but a positive experience.

Bill and I are not big wine drinkers. But, we do appreciate a good wine when we find one. Bill had a Riesling at our Steakhouse 55 dinner and really liked it. So, he was looking to try one here. Every server at Napa Rose is a sommelier. That really helped with wine novices like us. Our server was great. She picked us out two wines she thought would compliment our entrees. Bill had two glasses of his Riesling this meal. He really must have liked his wine! I had one glass of a red wine. I honestly can’t remember the name. But, it was good.

Bill enjoying the evening (and wine).

Jennifer showing off the menu and enjoying the evening.

We weren't at the table for more than a minute when our water glasses were filled and an assortment of breads were offered. We're in California. So of course, we both went for a piece of sourdough bread. It was hard on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. However, we didn't want to fill up on the bread. We wanted "real" food. So, we only ate one piece.

Our bread assortment.

It was time to order ...

The Menu

Appetizer

Signature Pizzetta - smoked American Prosciutto, red flame grapes, caramelized onions and cambozola cheese.

At first, I was going to ask them to hold the grapes. However, I didn’t and am glad. The pizzetta was so good and the grapes added a little sweetness to it that complimented the onions. It was light and not too bready (I like thin crust pizza). The pizzetta was a great appetizer to start the meal. We had more food to come …

Entrée/Main Course

Jennifer ordered …

Zinfandel Braised Angus Beef Short Rib - risotto of wild rice, pine nut and dried cranberries with winter squash sauce

Bill ordered …

Grilled Petit Filet of Angus Beef - Crispy Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi, Grilled Onions, Green Beans and Merlot Jus.

Instead of the potato, Bill asked for onion rings. He saw some on another dish and our server was happy to make the substitution.

The rib was so tender, the meat fell right off the bone. My mouth is watering right now remembering this meal. It was so good! Bill gave me a bite of his steak. It was perfectly cooked and had great flavor. If you have a high quality steak, you don’t need to fuss with it too much. The meat will speak for itself. Now, this is what a steak is supposed to taste like! Yum! We also ordered some side dishes to accompany our entrees. We’ve been to enough upscale restaurants to know, the side dish for the entrée listed on the menu is just garnish. If you want a “real” side dish, you need to order one. We decided to order two side dishes.

Side Dishes

Roasted brussell sprouts - with parsnips and hazelnut brown butter

Truffled Mac and Cheese - orecchiette pasta with parmigiano-reggiano and infused with truffle oil.

Growing up, my two favorite veggies were brussel sprouts and parsnip. Yes, I grew up a weird child. They are still my favs to this day. I was in heaven with this dish! The brussel sprouts were cooked perfectly and the parsnips still had a little snap to them.

The mac and cheese was served piping hot in a copper kettle with what looked like panko breadcrumbs on top to make a nice crisp layer. Bill took a couple heaps of the mac and cheese and then concentrated more on his steak. He didn’t care for the “upscale” mac & cheese version too much. He said it tasted “fishy”. So, of course I tried it. Why is that? Someone says something tastes bad and you have to try it too. To me, it was creamy and a spoonful of goodness. I think what he tasted and didn’t like was the truffles. I give it a thumbs up on the decadence factor. It was very rich and filling to be a side dish! Sadly, we only ate about half the dish. Such a waste.

We cleaned our plates of our main entrée though. Both were delicious. Normally, we don’t have dessert. But, we’d come this far on our Napa Rose food journey. So, we opted to look at a dessert menu.

Dessert

Flourless Scharffen Berger Chocolate Cake - with double chocolate chunk ice cream

Freshly made mango sorbet

I like anything chocolate and recognized the name Scharffen Berger. They make the best baking chocolate. However, I was stuffed at this point. So, I asked if I could eat the ice cream now and take the cake to go. Our server was fine with that and had the cake put into a box for me. Bill’s favorite fruit is mango. So, a mango sorbet was a perfect choice for him. Bill said it was very refreshing and the perfect way to end this excellent meal.

We were in the restaurant over two hours. However, the time went by quickly. With great company and fantastic food, this experience was well worth the sticker shock of our bill. You don’t want to know how much this meal cost. But to me, it was well worth it. A great evening with my husband is priceless.

When exiting, I noticed some wine bottles on display with Pixar characters on them. I thought they were cute. So, I took a picture. Little did I know, I would learn more about these tomorrow.

The Pixar wine bottles.

When outside the restaurant, I asked Bill to take a picture of me in front of the sign. Some passerbyers asked if we wanted one together. So, they took a picture of us ...

After a wonderful evening at Napa Rose.

My Rating:

After dinner, we headed up to our room. We had to meet the group downstairs tomorrow morning at 7 am. That wake-up call comes all too soon. We've been having so much fun though. We can sleep when we get home. Tomorrow morning, we head over to Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel for a breakfast buffet with some Disney characters before our touring day at Disney's California Adventure. It should be an entertaining breakfast with our bunch.

TOMORROW: Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen and our DCA Tour. Also, we had a surprise celebrity siting at DCA. Hint: My "Pixar" Idol

Wow! I am so jealous! We had reservations for our anniversary when we were at DL this past March. We ended up canceling them 15 minutes before because our 6 week old was fussy and we didn;t want to ruin anyone else's dinner. I was SO dissapointed that we missed it. I guess that gives us something to look forward to next time

I am from Dallas (now living in east texas). Do you know the chef from a restaraunt here? Which one?

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Wow! I am so jealous! We had reservations for our anniversary when we were at DL this past March. We ended up canceling them 15 minutes before because our 6 week old was fussy and we didn;t want to ruin anyone else's dinner. I was SO dissapointed that we missed it. I guess that gives us something to look forward to next time

I am from Dallas (now living in east texas). Do you know the chef from a restaraunt here? Which one?

Sorry to read that you had to cancel your Anniversary dinner. I hope you make it back and can try this wonderful restaurant.

Chef Sutton is from Dallas. Prior to his move to California, he worked at the Mansion on Turtle Creek. If you're from Dallas, I'm sure you've heard of it.

Jennifer

 

[Disneygrl36]

More great updates Jennifer.

Your meal at Napa Rose looked & sounded soooo delicious. We didn't go there but I really wanted to. That will be at the top of my list when we go back to California.

Loved the pic of you, Goofy & Snow White doing princess hands. So cute.

So cool that you got to see John Lasseter....he is the Walt of our time. I would love to meet him too!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

ABD California Backstage Magic Tour - DAY FIVE (April 17, 2010)
Disney’s California Adventure on our own.

Our group was moving on. We made our way over to the attraction Monsters Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue.

Monsters Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue

We rode this last year and like it. So, we were happy to ride it again. The queue area is cute with all the pictures, phone booth and vending machine. Soon, we were boarding a car on our way to Monstropolis. Very cute!

The queue ...

I really liked the vending machine.

She is such a ray of sunshine. Love it!

(Thanks Heather!)

This is where we left the group and went on our own, just the two of us. On our way through Sunshine Plaza I had to stop and take an obligatory "balloons shot" ...

Since we were there during the California Food and Wine Festival, there was a huge tent set up in front of the sun for the cooking demonstrations. Guy Fieri was going to be cooking today. We only watched one Next Food Network Star show and it was the year he won. Since then, we've followed his career. He did a really good Disneyland Christmas special this past winter. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Of course we watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. That show always makes me HUNGRY. So, it really would have been nice to see him cook in person. However, his presentation wasn't for another few hours. We would've had to wait in line for an hour pre-show too. That would have been cutting it too close to get back and change for dinner. So, we kept on and started heading back towards the GC entrance inside the park.

The tent set-up for the cooking demonstrations.

On our last trip, Grizzly River Run was down for most of our trip. So, we never got to ride it. We planned on heading back to the resort to relax. But, this was the perfect time to ride GRR. I knew we were going to get wet and were heading straight to our room at the Grand Californian afterwards. So, we got into line using our ABD FPs.

Grizzly River Run

Waiting in line.

This ride looks so innocent. I will tell you now, you don’t get wet on this ride … you get SOAKED!!!!!! There wasn’t a dry person in our raft. Even if you don’t get soaked on the falls, you get soaked by sprayers.

(Thanks Lynne!)

Bill and I both came off the raft soaked with our clothing stuck to us. But, you know what … it was fun!!!!!!

Post Grizzly River Run ... Bill and Jennifer are soaked!

We were heading to the GC entrance from the park when I spotted an ice cream cart. I could not believe that we leave tomorrow and I haven’t had a Mickey bar. That would be blasphemy to come all this way and not have my “must have” park treat. So, Bill and I grabbed a Mickey bar and sat outside the entrance to GC eating our treats.

Enjoying our Mickey bars.

While sitting there, some DISers/travel mates were coming in for more park fun. They sat and chatted with us for a bit. Bill and I finished the heaven on a stick and we exited the park. We were semi-dry by this time. So, we popped into the resort gift shop to pick-up some souvenirs for the kids, my Mom and the Nanny. Initially, I wanted to visit World of Disney in Downtown Disney to do some souvenir shopping. But, this store had everything I needed. It was a quick shopping trip and then we were on our way to our room. We had about two hours before we had to be back downstairs to meet for our Farewell Dinner. That gave us enough time to shower, change and relax a bit.

COMING UP: Our Farewell Dinner.

 

[javamoma]

Sorry to read that you had to cancel your Anniversary dinner. I hope you make it back and can try this wonderful restaurant.

Chef Sutton is from Dallas. Prior to his move to California, he worked at the Mansion on Turtle Creek. If you're from Dallas, I'm sure you've heard of it.

Jennifer

Oh yes, I know the Mansion on Turtle Creek! I thought that name sounded familar. Ah man, and now I am thinking about there food. I'm feeling a little home bound these days with the infant. Can you tell? Maybe that's a sign I need a date night!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

ABD California Backstage Magic Tour - DAY FIVE (April 17, 2010)
Farewell Dinner

Now it's time to say good-bye to all our company,
M-I-C ... See you real soon.
K-E-Y... Why? Because we like you!
M-O-U-S-E!

We made our way down to the lobby to meet the group for the last time. Familiar faces were waiting. This dinner was a mystery. So, we put our faith in our Guides and followed them through the hotel towards the conference center section of the hotel.

We were led into a conference room that was set up with round tables set for dinner. It reminded me of a wedding reception. It was very nice. Also in the room was a tv set-up, an easel and dessert was on display. The dinner buffet was waiting for us outside on the patio. There was a nice spread of meats, pasta and salads.

Dinner Buffet

My very full plate.

I sampled a little of everything. Everything I ate was delicious.

Dessert Buffet

I chose a trio of desserts. All were yummy and devoured.

My plateful of goodness.

Since, we took this trip for Bill's Birthday, he was presented a birthday card and specially decorated dessert plate.

Bill and his Birthday dessert.

While eating, our ABD Guides introduced us to Disney Artist and Historian, Stacia Martin. She has been with Disney for over 30 years. This evening, she was there to be our Character Sketch Artist. We got to pick which Disney character we wanted her to draw just for us. Bill and I agreed on Mickey Mouse. Then, we would get to take it home. With 22 couples, this would take awhile. So, we were called up by couple. Our Guides had our earlier Animation Academy sketches waiting in their tubes. The sketch by Mrs. Martin would fit safely in the tube for our trip home.

Stacia Martin working on our sketch.

While she was sketching, we had dessert and then our ABD Guides pointed our attention to the tv. They compiled all the pictures they took all week into a highlights video. We laughed as a group on some pictures. It was fun reliving the trip with our fellow Adventurers.

Once the highlights movie finished, Pete from the DISUnplugged Podcast stood up to address the crowd and our Guides. He thanked our Guides for such an amazing Adventure. At this time, he told everyone that we would be getting a disc of all the pictures from the Adventure compliments of Dreams Unlimited. Normally, ABD charges for the disc. Everyone was excited.

We knew it was Walter’s (from the Podcast) birthday this evening. One of our fellow travelers took the initiative in getting the group to contribute for a special birthday present for Walter. Karen found out the exact tribe Walter is from and had this amazing artwork created just for him. He was speechless and very thankful.

Walter's Birthday Surprise.

Just when I thought the evening couldn’t get any better, we had surprise guests. Mickey and Minnie made a grand entrance. They waved to everyone and then waited in the hallway to have a meet and greet with all the Adventurers.

Mickey and Minnie making an entrance.

Hurry Minnie! Let's get away from these crazy DISers ...

Bill and Jennifer with Mickey and Minnie.

The dinner was winding down and our Guides made their last announcement, they arranged a special viewing area for the fireworks that evening. What a way to end the evening. We also, still had FPs left from that day. They were good at both parks. So, we were off for an evening at Disneyland Park.

COMING UP: Our last evening with our fellow Adventurers.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Awwww it's getting too close to the end.
Didn't you just love Stacia? I could have talked to her all night. She is a font of Disney history.
You got the classic Mickey & Minnie. We had the M & M dressed up in their California clothes.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

ABD California Backstage Magic Tour - DAY FIVE (April 17, 2010)
Last Evening at Disneyland Park and Fireworks

The fireworks were scheduled for 9:30 that evening. We were told to be at our designated area at least 20 minutes before the fireworks. So, we had time to run up to our room and drop off the tube with our sketches and some little gifts from fellow travelers. While up there, we grabbed jackets. It was supposed to get a little chilly that evening. It was quick in and out trip.

Bill and I casually walked through Downtown Disney to Disneyland. It was nice to walk at a slower pace to take in the sites and soak in the atmosphere. Being a Saturday night, the park was busy as expected. People were already lining Main Street to watch the fireworks. We made our way over to our specially roped off area near The Plaza. When we arrived there weren’t any seats. Over time, the men of our group went and swiped chairs from the Plaza to let the ladies sit. Who says chivalry is dead.

Our VIP Area ...

(Thanks Heather!)

Our Guides arrived and kept non ABD Adventurers out of our VIP area. Watching our Guide Jaime keeping the traffic moving in front of our area was entertaining. He was stern, but polite. Saying things like. “You don’t really want to stand there. You’d be better over there.” There was even one instance when this older woman bent under the rope and proceeded to join our group. Jaime politely helped her back under the rope. We all had a good laugh.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

The view of the fireworks was spectacular. We had a clear view of Sleeping Beauty Castle and could see Tinker Bell flying all around. We’re use to the Magic Kingdom fireworks where Tinker Bell just flies down once. The Tinker Bell here was flying all around. It was neat. I honestly can say, these were the best fireworks I have ever seen and experienced. The fireworks coordinated with the sound track from all the different rides made this a very unique experience.

Tinker Bell

The Fireworks

(Thanks Lynne!)

After the fireworks, we were free for the evening. When someone says “Disneyland”, what is the first attraction you think of?????? The Matterhorn Bobsleds. During our trip to Disneyland last year, I never got a chance to ride The Matterhorn. That is the only ride I wanted to ride this trip. Due to annual maintenance, The Matterhorn was only open on Saturdays and Sundays in April. So, this was going to be my one chance to ride it this trip. I asked if anyone wanted to ride The Matterhorn with us. A few said yes. So, we headed that way. I would finally get to ride the first tubular steel track roller coaster!

The Matterhorn Bobsleds

Since this attraction doesn’t have the Fastpass option, we headed for the standby line. The line was around the mountain. The wait time was posted as 40 minutes. Some were hesitant due to the wait time. But, we got in line anyways. After about five minutes, the line moved forward pretty quickly. That is when some guests walking toward us said that the ride is broken and it probably won’t be fixed for at least 45 minutes if at all. NOOOOOOOOOO! The others in our group didn’t want to wait. I really wanted to ride. So, we parted ways. Bill and I waited in line. We could hear a cover band playing in Tomorrowland. So, we had entertainment while in line. Over time, other guests gave up and got out of line. Before we knew it, we were close to the entrance of the attraction. I believe patience is a virtue and will be rewarded. After about 35 minutes, we could hear them doing safety checks on the attraction in each zone. That was good sign. After about 40 minutes from when we first got into line, the wonderful sight of a bobsled came down the mountain. We were clear to ride. Yahooooo! I couldn’t wait!!!!!

Jennifer patiently waiting in line.

I felt like a kid hopping into the sled. I barely had my seatbelt on when we were whisked into the darkness of the mountain. This is a really cool ride at night. When going in and out of the mountain we could see the park all lit up. Having never been on it before, it was a cross between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Expedition Everest (DAK). It was fast and jerky. But, it was lots and lots of fun. I will definitely ride it next time. It’s now a “must” for every Disneyland trip.

Bill on the Matterhorn.

After our trip around the mountain, we wondered into Tomorrowland. We rode Space Mountain the other day and didn’t feel like making the mile walk through the queue to the ride. So, we decided to ride Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. This is our DS4’s favorite ride at Disneyland and at the Magic Kingdom (Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin). Bill and I both like the Disneyland version better because you can take the laser out of the holster. It was a lot easier to aim and shoot.

Bill and Jennifer defeating the Evil Emperor Zurg.

It was getting late and we wanted to be at the farewell breakfast in the morning early enough to see everyone before we parted ways. So, we headed back down Main Street towards the exit. That is when we decided to pop into the Emporium to pick-up some last minute souvenirs.

Main Street Emporium

Bill got some souvenirs for co-workers while I got another plush Mickey to add to my collection. I got a Mickey with ’55 on him celebrating the 55th Anniversary of Disneyland.

When coming out of the store, we were right in front of the Fire Station. It was very fitting to end our evening here. We paid our respects to Walt and the lit lamp in the window.

Bill in front of the Fire Station.

Jennifer in front of the Fire Station.

We slowly made our way out of the park back through Downtown Disney to the hotel. We both just fell onto the bed of exhaustion. I had no problems falling asleep this evening. I can’t believe we leave tomorrow. I didn’t mess with packing this evening. We’d have plenty of time after breakfast to get everything zipped up and ready to go.

TOMORROW: Farewell Breakfast at Storytellers Café

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

ABD California Backstage Magic Tour - DAY SIX (April 18, 2010)
Farewell Breakfast at Storytellers Café
Today’s Theme: Now It's Time To Say Goodbye
Word of the Day: Imagination
Pin of the Day:

(Thanks Tonya!)

Breakfast this morning was at the Storytellers Café in the Grand Californian Hotel. This is a character breakfast with Chip, Dale, Brer Bear and characters from the movie Brother Bear.

The breakfast was scheduled from 7am – 9am. It was a come and go breakfast. We knew some ABD Adventurers had early flights. So, we wanted to be down as early as possible to say our goodbyes. We walked into Storytellers Café at about 7:30 am. There were already two large tables full of people eating and socializing.

The Last Breakfast

This breakfast buffet is small, but good. There was an omelet station for made-to-order omelets. So, I grabbed some fresh fruit and then placed my omelet order. While visiting the buffet, my well-needed coffee arrived. I normally only drink coffee if I am really tired. I think the past week was catching up to me. I was exhausted this morning. We had fun meeting with the characters in between bites of food.

Breakfast with some characters ...

Everyone was in good spirits until the first few people had to leave. Then, I could see the waterworks start to form in some eyes. Even though I have tried with this Trip Report, words cannot express what we experienced this past week with our fellow Adventurers. Through the many meals together, bus rides and amazing experiences, we built a camaraderie with these 42 other people. It was sad to see it end.

After I couldn’t drink one more sip of coffee, we hesitantly gave our last hugs and headed for the exit. We headed straight upstairs to start packing. We were heading home with more than what we came with. We thought ahead and packed a smaller suitcase inside a larger one. So, we had one extra suitcase to bring back home. Since we flew Southwest, we could bring the extra bag at no charge. So, it was actually pretty easy to pack. After the room was checked and double checked, we had some time to relax before we had to meet the car service downstairs. Sitting in the room was making me stir crazy. So, we lugged our bags downstairs, checked-out and waited in the atrium. While waiting, we saw some fellow travelers. It gave us more time to socialize before departing for the airport.

About 15 minutes before our car was to arrive, we headed outside to wait. Our ABD Guides knew of our departure time and were suppose to be waiting to see us off. They weren’t there yet. After about five minutes, another couple from the Tour arrived. We were going to share the car to the airport with them. They were a nice couple that we had chatted a bit during the Tour. So, it would nice to share the car and chat on the way to the airport. About five minutes later, we see our Guides with another couple heading towards us. I guess all of us were supposed to share the car. However, there wasn’t enough room for everyone’s bags. The Guides called another car for the last couple. So, we said our goodbye and thank you to the Guides and were off to LAX. Soon, I saw the familiar LAX sign and we arrived at our terminal.

Sad sign to see ...

It felt like we just got here. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Since this was a Sunday, the airport was crowded!!! We waited in line to get our boarding pass and to check our bags. The man at check-in only weighed one of our smaller bags and then tagged the rest. I wasn’t complaining because the largest one “might” have been a little heavy. After checking-in, we were told to bring our bags to the security area where they screen the bags before sending them down to baggage. There were piles and piles of bags waiting to be scanned. It was a little worried our bags would get lost in there and miss our flight. We headed towards security check and waited in an even longer line to be screened. Once again, I held my breath as I passed under the metal detector. It didn’t go off. Yea!

By this time, we were hungry for lunch. So, we scouted out the terminal. What first caught my eye when we passed the security check point was a little food court that had California Pizza Kitchen in it. I’ve had their frozen pizza before (four cheese) and it was really good for frozen pizza. So, I wanted to try it fresh. So, we both agreed it sounded good for lunch.

Bill ordered pepperoni and Jennifer ordered The Original BBQ Chicken (Barbecue sauce, smoked Gouda and Mozzarella cheeses, BBQ Chicken, sliced red onions and cilantro.) The BBQ chicken pizza was really good! Yummy!

While sitting eating lunch, I noticed a place called Pinkberry. I had heard of it. So for dessert, we got Pinkberry frozen yogurt. Bill got mango and Jennifer got chocolate.

It was “okay”. I’m not sure what all the hype is about? People in California rave about this stuff. I did see a lot of people pile tons of toppings onto their frozen yogurt. Which to me, defeats the purpose of having frozen yogurt as opposed to ice cream. Oh well. To each their own. We had two really California things for lunch before heading back to Texas.

The flight was once again sold out. But, it was the last flight to Austin that night. So, there was no way we were giving up our seats. The flight and drive home were very uneventful. We pulled into our driveway at 12:14 am. What a long day and night. It was good to be home and plop into our own bed for the night. However, I would be somewhat lost the next day without an itinerary planned for me.

UPDATE:
We made some great new friends on this trip. During the trip, we heard the question … “Are you going on the Podcast cruise?” numerous times. It made us feel like people actually wanted to travel with us again. That was a good feeling. When we got home, Bill booked us on the Podcast Cruise 2.0 for this upcoming December. We would get to see many of our ABD Adventurers again. I can’t wait to take this adventure on the high seas!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

FYI: I am going to copy just the ABD CA Trip Report portion and post it in it's entirety on the ABD board. It may be easier for some to read and follow that way. Link HERE

I hope you enjoyed the Trip Report. It was fun to relive. Now, I want to do another ABD trip!!!! Bill and I have talked about taking the kids to Europe in a couple of years. Initially, we wanted to do the Italy ABD trip with the kids. But, we are now leaning maybe towards the Gateway to London and Paris ABD Trip, with a sidetrip to Disneyland Paris of course. Has anyone gone on the London and Paris ABD trip? If so, what are your thoughts?

Jennifer

 

[Pooh_Girl]

Great TR Jennifer!!! Robby and I both really enjoyed it and looked forward to your updates everyday. You need to have another trip so I have something to look forward to reading!!

 

[javamoma]

Great TR Jennifer!!! Robby and I both really enjoyed it and looked forward to your updates everyday. You need to have another trip so I have something to look forward to reading!!

Ditto! Go on another trip soon and tell us about it! ... and take me with you!

I meant to ask what your kids thought about y'all doing a disney trip without them. Were they begging for details when you got home?

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Ditto! Go on another trip soon and tell us about it! ... and take me with you!

I meant to ask what your kids thought about y'all doing a disney trip without them. Were they begging for details when you got home?

When I was interviewing Nannies to take care of the children, one of our children overheard me tell the Nanny where we were going. At the time, they only knew Hollywood, California. One day, DD7 was over my shoulder when I was looking at a map of California (I was trying to gauge whether it was even possible to make it to Monterey). She said, "Look Mommy! Hollywood is not too far from Disneyland. You should go to Disneyland while you are in California." It was very sweet. We've taken them on enough trips for them not to feel like they are missing out on anything. I am a Stay-at-Home Mommy. So, I am with them 24-7 (except when in school). I honestly think the kids enjoyed the vacation from us. They only had one request, bring them back something from Hollywood. When we got home, they saw the pictures of Disneyland and were actually excited for us. Yes, they wanted to see all the pictures and get all the details. It also helps that we are going to WDW in December for Christmas and on a DCL cruise.

We have some minor trips planned this summer to San Antonio, Texas and some Arkansas State Parks. Also, the kids won free tickets to Six Flags through a reading program at school. I know we have to use them sometime before August. We have a pool at home. So, we stay pretty close to home in the summertime. It's our "staycation" spot. Our next "major" trip will be the Podcast Cruise and Christmas at WDW. I WILL be doing a Trip Report. We need the time to save up some $$$$$. I'm not going to lie, we spent some money in California.

Glad to have you along for the ride.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Great TR Jennifer!!! Robby and I both really enjoyed it and looked forward to your updates everyday. You need to have another trip so I have something to look forward to reading!!

When do I get to read about you moving to Florida???? Inquiring minds want to know. Then, I can live vicariously through you with all the trips to WDW you and Robby will be taking.

Jennifer

 

[Pooh_Girl]

When do I get to read about you moving to Florida???? Inquiring minds want to know. Then, I can live vicariously through you with all the trips to WDW you and Robby will be taking.

Jennifer

Hopefully by the end of the year we will be down there. Cross your fingers!!!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

FYI: I exceeded my bandwith on photobucket. Oooops! The pictures will be back up on Friday. Bear with me!!!! Thanks!

Jennifer