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Page Last Updated: 12/26/08 |
Disneyland December 2008 - Trip Planning
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Attraction Closures (Scheduled) (Mickey's Fun) Wheel - till April 2009
Must - Do's Christmas Parade X Fireworks X Pirates of the Caribbean X Haunted Mansion X Splash Mountain Indiana Jones Jungle Cruise X Enchanted Tiki Room it's a small world X Roger Rabbit X Finding Nemo X Thunder Mountain Railroad Mark Twain Steamer X Billy Hill - Golden Horseshoe X Matterhorn Bobsleds X Buzz Lightyear X Monorail X Disneyland Railroad X Carnation Cafe X Corn Dog Cart Tiki Bar Bengal Bar-B-Q (dave) Rancho del Zocalo X Enchanted Eats & Treats (dave) X Disneyland the 1st 50 Years Toy Story Mania X Soarin' Over California (dave) California Screamin' (dave) Monsters Inc. X Tower of Terror X Turtle Talk with Krush X It's Tough to be a Bug X Pixar Play Parade X Pacific Wharf Cafe X Aladdin X
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You Were Just There a Month Ago, Why Are You Going Again? A good question.....Here is why....
Dining - Do's and Don'ts for This Trip While we skipped a planned visit to the Blue Bayou and the Rainforest Cafe on our trip in November (and the cost of these meals more than paid for the cost of one of our annual passes) , we did treat ourselves to Disney table service meals at the Carnation Cafe and the Wine Country Trattoria. We also ate at the up-scale counter service restaurants - the French Market and River Belle Terrace. Off Disney property we had a very nice dinner at Mimi's on Harbor Blvd the evening we arrived. Since this trip will be more more economical, the Wine Country Trattoria will most likely be out. It was good but I still get the business over a ten dollar glass of wine and a dessert we could not finish (served with some very strong coffee). The one Disney table service restaurant that can be considered a good value is the Carnation Cafe so we'll try and make it back there either for a late breakfast or a lunch/dinner. This place is well thought of in the various reviews of Disneyland food facilities that are scattered across the internet - and its for very good reason. We were greeted by Chef Oscar himself (a Disney fixture for 49 years we're told), but I'm not sure how much "cheffing" he actually does. The food is mostly well prepared upscale sandwiches and salads (plus meatloaf and a pot pie). Since he's been there so long greeting and welcoming patrons, I tend to think Chef Oscar may really be a human "Disney character". I think we may go back to the French Market, especially if the serving line is short. Lisa and I both enjoyed our roast beef and chicken respectively and it was reasonable. We would not recommend the River Belle Terrace for lunch/dinner. They are now serving only carved meat sandwiches & salads and they are severely overpriced for what you get (around 13 bucks). We didn't have breakfast here on this trip but on past trips we have enjoyed eating here in the morning before hitting Pirates, Haunted Mansion, & Splash Mountain...... I'm going back to the Bengal Bar-B-Que for the bacon wrapped asparagus but the asparagus was a little on the tough side on our last trip and kind of disappointing for something that is usually very good. Lisa didn't care for her beef skewer at all (tough) but thought the chicken was OK. She is not the a fan of the Bengal Bar-B-Que. Also disappointing was the usually delicious pineapple float from the Tiki Bar. We'll give it one more try but on our last visit it seemed that the soft serve pineapple ice cream was not an sweet or as smooth. In Disneyland, we may go back to Rancho del Zocalo since we haven't been there in several years and we may be able to do something with plate splitting and sharing a meal (not listed on the menu but they say you can order the enchiladas ala carte). I am also interested in the knockwurst and sauerkraut served at Enchanted Eats & Treats. In California Adventure we may make it back to the Pacific Wharf Cafe which serves pretty good, sandwiches, salads, and soups (in a bread bowl). I would like to make it over to Napolini in Downtown Disney for a slice of their pizza. I like it a lot..... Speaking of pizza, one evening we had a pizza delivered to our hotel room at the Candy Cane Inn......very good and very reasonable. But with extended Christmas hours at Disneyland, we may not be "home" for dinner this time around.....
Ride and Attraction Planning We did a lot as far as getting on rides on last month. Light crowds allowed walk-ons to most of the rides with minimal wait times so this time instead of rushing around getting on "everything", we should are hoping to leisurely get on our favorites and skip some of those that just aren't all that great. In Disneyland, the following are "must-do's" for us.....Pirates, Haunted Mansion (smell the gingerbread), Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear, Finding Nemo, a Monorail trip, Matterhorn Bobsleds (Lisa likes the Fantasyland side better), Peter Pan's Flight (as long as the line is short), Roger Rabbit (which was closed in November), Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mark Twain Steamer, and it's a small world. The railroad is a must-do but mostly for the transportation factor (that Grand Canyon diorama gets old after about the 3rd time you've been through it). The following rides are considered optional - Star Tours (old and getting boring) and Tea Cups (Lisa has to be in the right frame of mind). The rest we can skip and not feel like we've missed anything. Then there is the strange case of Space Mountain (a great ride) - Lisa won't go it and for me, if the wait time is short, it's very long walk in there, to go by yourself - it takes forever.....if the wait time is long, then its probably not worth it for just one rider so for me, I have been on it enough to let it go (while looking longingly at its majesty). As far as the Disneyland attractions go, there were no fireworks or parades in Disneyland in November so these are "must-do's" along with Billy Hill & the Hillbillies and the Tiki Room both of which are just plain entertaining. Also entertaining is the Disney the First 50 Years film starring Steve Martin and Donald Duck. We'll see it again and if they ever put it up for sale, I would buy it. Fantasmic is also a "must-do" but I refuse to wait the 2+ hours for optimal viewing locations anymore (only to find out that by the time the show starts, your spot may not be as optimal as you thought). If I can find a good place to stand about 15 minutes before the start of the second showing at 10:30, then I'm good for seeing this fantastic show. I guess Honey I Shrunk the Audience is optional for us at this point. We almost saw it in November but something better came along and we never made it back. We didn't go into ToonTown at all in November (since Roger Rabbit was closed) but we may go in this time just to see all the color and Mickey's House is fun for kids of all ages..... There's slimmer pickings over at California Adventure (until 2012 and the do-over is complete). The "must-do" rides are Toy Story Midway Mania and Grizzly River Run (needs to be mid-day during the winter just in case you get soaked). I'll go on California Screamin' (Lisa won't) if the line is short enough because its a great coaster ride. Same goes for Soarin' Over California - its a must do for me - Lisa won't go on it. We didn't go on the Tower of Terror Terror last time so we will probably go on it this time around. We also missed Monsters Inc. last time but will probably go on it even though its not all that great. The Hyperion Theater and Aladdin was closed in November so if there is one thing that is at the top of the "must-do" list - its seeing this wonderfully entertaining show (maybe more than once). We also missed Turtle Talk with Krush last time so we will probably spend some time in the Disney animation attraction on our next visit. We made it into Playhouse Disney last time so its probably off the list (mostly for kids). Also off the list is Muppets 3D as this is beginning to get old (though I love the Muppets). On the flip side, It's Tough to be a Bug remains very entertaining so we'll probably hit this show again (along with a walk through the Flick's Fun Fair area which is for kids but gives a us a few more opportunities for picture taking). We will also make it a point to see the Pixar Play Parade though not from our Wine Country Trattoria vantage point.
Packing If you haven't made the Disney trek for awhile, you think and plan and stress about getting everything you need down there, Since this is our second trip in a month, as long as I have clean clean clothes, give me about 15 minutes and I'll be ready. Things we forgot last time causing a trip to the convenience and the 99 cent store - finger nail clippers and an extension cord - check and double check. What did work out last time was bringing a cooler with water along with some soda and beer. Although a 48 qt cooler may be overkill, this worked out well for having drinks on hand in the hotel room. May need to see if there a size in between the 48 qt and our smaller one which will only hold 6 or 8 drinks. We did bring some snacks along but probably a few too many....maybe enough for the long trips down there and back and a little something for the hotel room is enough. By the time you get back to room, you tend to be just too tired to think about something to munch on.
The Drive Lisa always likes to stop in Coalinga because it is almost exactly half way between Sacramento and Anaheim. We did last month and paid $2.59 a gallon for gas when it had just gone below the two dollar mark here at home. I'm not making that mistake again. The last stop for reasonably priced gas between here and LA is Westley a little over a hundred miles from here. If we are full when we leave, top off in Westley, we should make it all the way to Anaheim then reverse the plan coming home (filling up in Anaheim then driving all the way to Westley before gassing up again). Starting with a full tank, I'd like to see if we can make it under $100 for gas - we a are getting around 20 mpg in the Explorer on the highway. Bring Christmas music for the ride!
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