Just got back, any ????'s

[AFMom]

Just got back from 3 days at the parks (mon, tue, wed). Wednesday they had a single ride vehicle covered in blue velvet on some of the original Fantasyland rides! Guess they are getting them painted gold. The park looks beautiful - Main Street and the Castle are all so fresh and new looking. There are Mickey heads with 50 on them on quite a few of the rides - even on the top of the Splash mountain. Had a great time, crowds were a bit thick Monday, but Tues and Wed were great!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Glad you had such a good time!

If you could go back & repeat one experience that you had there, what would you want to do?

 

[AFMom]

Good question! We went with 11 of our extended family members - 3 of them were nieces and nephews, and I have my 2 sons. All of the kids were 8 and under - so when we rode the Mark Twain, I ran as fast as I could to the Captains door, and asked if they could help drive the boat. The kids were able to 'steer' using the wheel that was bigger than they were and got to ring the bell and pull the whistle. They were thrilled! It was so cute watching them ever-so-seriously tell each other to turn left or right!
Also - all 15 of us had a great time at Goofy's kitchen watching the kids interact with the characters. It was a great 3 days!

 

[PamNC]

We've never been to Disneyland, but we're WDW vets. We'll be in Southern CA 5/16, leaving 5/22. We're going to Disneyland and CA Adventure 5/17 AND 5/18. Very excited!!

What was the temperature like? I assume it won't be that different in two weeks. I'm trying to figure out what to pack.

next question - where did you eat - give us dining reviews.

PamNC

 

[wdwgirl03]

Glad you had a great time!! Do you happen to have a picture of the castle? I'd really like to see what it looks like!!!

Man, I am so jealous of everyone going to Disneyland soon. I only recently got to visit (finally!!) and now I really want to go back, especially for the 50th!!

 

[AFMom]

I do have a picture of the castle - but with the 15 of us in front of it, you can't see that much of it!
As far as dining -
Goofy's Kitchen - loved it, great food, go early to avoid crowds
Ariel's Grotto - pretty good food, great character interactions, great view!
Blue Bayou - wonderful food, wonderful atmosphere, but even with a lunch PS - slow service and seating
Rainforest Cafe - Long waits(with a PS), but fun and good food
La Brea Bakery in DTD - good quick breakfast, bit expensive
Cuban Petes off of Ball RD (I think?) - WONDERFUL off-site location. Great prices, huge portions, relaxed atmosphere, delicious food!!!

It was about 70-75 degrees mid-day - really gorgeous. It rained the day before we got there and the day we left - but while we were there it was beautiful. We wore shorts and t-shirts, but with light jackets/sweatshirts in the mornings and after the sun set. It may actually warm up a bit in 2 weeks time - so cal gets warmer in May.
Have fun!!!!!

 

[smilingmouse]

Hi,

Glad to hear you had a great time Did you eat at Blue Bayou? If so, what did you think?

Did you ride TOT? California Screamin'? If so, did you like them?

TIA!!

 

[Dana_Buckley]

PamNC, i live in San Diego and I recommend you pack everything! The mornings will probably be overcast and a bit cool, (it is called May Gray) but then warming up enough to wear shorts, 70's possibly 80, and the evenings will cool down to 50ish. Just check weather.com before you leave to make sure. Have a great vacation!

If you have any questions about San Diego, you can PM me. But, I'll actually be at DL this weekend!

 

[AFMom]

Really like Screamin', I think it's a great coaster! However - I won't do drop rides, so personally I can't tell you about TOT. But - many members of our group did ride. My 7 year old was really terrified, and swore never to ride it again, but my 6 and 7 year old niece and nephew thought it was great! Most of the adults thought it was pretty fun - but said it was basically just a themed drop ride.
Blue Bayou - we've always eaten there and always had a really great experience. Every one in our party liked what they ate. However, the service was really slow this time around and even with a PS, we were at three different tables all completely seperated from each other - and were all served at totally different times (my table didn't get it's meals until 25 minutes after my MIL's table). The atmosphere there can't be beat - and one so-so experience won't stop us from eating there again. I will say again - every other time we've been there we've had great service and no problems at all.
I really think after this visit (and it was a pretty slow day as far as crowds) that DL and CA ADV need to seriously consider adding more sit-down, table service restaurants. They can't handle the capacity they have now. We had a PS at Ariel's Grotto and had to wait almost 30 minutes anyway. I realize they are not reservations - and can understand a bit of a wait - but 30 minutes? On the Wed we were there, and a very slow day - all of the table service restaurants were absolutely packed.
At WDW, for comparison, on a more crowded day, we pretty much walked in and were seated everywhere we went (we had a PS for the Castle). I'm a loyal DL fan - but they need to work out some sort of better system - like having real reservations with a $$ penalty for no-showing. Too much time is wasted by everyone with the current system.
Anyway - I'll get off my soap-box now! We all had a great time!