"Amuck, amuck, amuck!" A Pre-TR (link to TR in the first post)

[mommaU4]

Also in the box were some items for the twins. They each got a new pair of PJ Pals and a Princess t-shirt that says "Magical Moments". So cute!
I wanna be a kid again!

 

[mommaU4]

The last time I was in the Disney store I bought some Minnie tees for the twins that I thought were so cute.
So when I was looking on Disneyshopping and found the same exact shirt for Noelle and coordinating Mickey one for Adam, each for around $5 I knew I had to get them.

Here's the one for Adam:

This is Noelle's:

And here they both are, along with the ones I'd already had for the twins:

I am so excited to see them all at DL in their coordinating tees.

 

[mommaU4]

And finally, the last items in the box are probably my favorite ones!

Mickey and Tinkerbell tote bags!! They are so cute and the price was great. Only $7 and some change for each one.

They will be perfect for carrying water bottles, snacks, packing items in, you name it. I'm really glad I found these.

So there you have it, the entire contents of the box. There were 11 items in there and the total including shipping and tax was around $58. I think I got some really good deals!! And let's face it, it's always fun to get a package from Disney.

 

[MommyLove]

Very cool!

I'm loving your PTR so far. I'm thinking of maybe doing one myself...

 

[reyasmommy]

Ahhhhhh!! Now I wanna go shopping!!

Too bad I'm broke!

 

[mommaU4]

Very cool!

I'm loving your PTR so far. I'm thinking of maybe doing one myself...

Thanks, and thank you for reading. You should do one! It's fun and you can do what I do which is pretty much ramble on about anything and everything.

Seriously, if you decide to do one, let me know. I wanna read along!

 

[mommaU4]

Ahhhhhh!! Now I wanna go shopping!!

Too bad I'm broke!

I feel your pain. I'm pretty much always in various stages of brokeness. (Is that a word? Well, it is now, lol.)

Really with one income for a family of 6 it is not easy. Which is why I was so pleased to find such great deals. I had actually been eyeing some of those things already, like the bags and blanket, but I didn't buy them even on sale. Then a code came up for an extra 40% off and I went for it.

I probably won't buy too much more for the trip as far as clothing and stuff. I have lots of dining plans for October, including a character meal and that gets pricey for a large family.
So I'm starting to scrimp and save now to be able to do more at Disney. Which translates to, "Awwww mom, not peanut butter and jelly sandwiches again!!"

 

[mommaU4]

If you're reading along you might be wondering why I haven't discussed any specific trip plans yet. Well, that's because I am notorious for changing my mind!! Just ask my poor husband how many times our plans changed for our last trip in June.

So for now I'm just tossing ideas around. I do know that I am going to take the twins to Ariel's Grotto for the character lunch on our last day there.

(online pic, not one of mine)

I think that would be a nice way to spend one of our last meals there.

It's just going to be me and the twins because I know Ruben, and the older two are not interested in the Princesses.

Hannah has a Sleeping Beauty dress to wear and Lindsey is going to wear a Snow White dress. I can't wait to take pics of them with the Princesses. I know from reading reviews that the food and service isn't the best, and it's not cheap, but I'm going more for the experience then anything else.

We all did the Lilo and Stitch character meal in June and loved it, so I'm really excited to try another one.

 

[mommaU4]

I thought I'd post some pics from previous trips just to keep the Disney excitement in the air!! These are just random pictures that were taken over the past few months on our trips to DL and DCA.
I am so grateful that we were able to get APs and take so many wonderful family trips. It's been a great ride and I'm really going to miss going as often as we did.

I just LOVE California Adventure at night. It's so pretty.

The kids on the Grizzly River Run. They love this ride!! I like it but I'm not a fan of getting drenched. Wet is one thing. Walking around like you took a shower with your clothes on is another.

I also love the waterfall and all the rustic theming around that ride. So pretty.

Tower of Terror lobby. Love the spookiness of it all.

Bengal BBQ is one of my new favorites! I can't believe in all the years going to DL it took me so long to finally try it. And now I know why the line is always so long!!

And I saved the best, most exciting pic for last..... the back side of water!!

 

[mommaU4]

Oh and in case you all hadn't guessed, I'm going to be using different Halloween colors throughout my TR.

Well, off to get ready to go to the movies. The guys are seeing Dark Knight and us girls are seeing Mamma Mia.

 

[wendylady36]

Why oh why did I have to start reading your PTR? Now the wheels are spinning in my head and I'm trying to figure out if I'll be able to experience Disneyland at Halloween time for the first time in October.

How exciting that you get to go again! And, oh darn, the Sun Wheel wont be operating, how horrible. Can you feel the sarcasm in that sentence?

That's some cute stuff you got online. My youngest niece has the Marie pj's and they look so cute on her, of course neither of my nieces know who Marie is. I almost got those pink princesses shirts last week at the Disney Store, but sadly I decided against it.

Maybe I can meet up with you and your family at a churro cart.

Can't wait to hear more!

And you have to tell me how Mama Mia! was, I'm dying to see it!

 

[DisneyLaura]

Love your fall pictures from MI. The bridge one is beautiful and of course your kids are too cute. Oh those nice blankets, I got three for my kids, Buzz for DS7, PotC for DS9 and Tink for DD2. I wanted the Mickey one for myself but it sold out. Love those bags too. Very cute.

Now I have never been to Ariel's Grotto but I have seen TR that people have gone their and their DD's loved it. I can't wait until my DD gets to meet the princesses. It was all about Buzz and Woody in this house and now Cinderella aka LaLa is all I hear about now.

 

[mommaU4]

Why oh why did I have to start reading your PTR? Now the wheels are spinning in my head and I'm trying to figure out if I'll be able to experience Disneyland at Halloween time for the first time in October.

How exciting that you get to go again! And, oh darn, the Sun Wheel wont be operating, how horrible. Can you feel the sarcasm in that sentence?

That's some cute stuff you got online. My youngest niece has the Marie pj's and they look so cute on her, of course neither of my nieces know who Marie is. I almost got those pink princesses shirts last week at the Disney Store, but sadly I decided against it.

Maybe I can meet up with you and your family at a churro cart.

Can't wait to hear more!

And you have to tell me how Mama Mia! was, I'm dying to see it!

Oh yeah, I can totally feel the sarcasm in that sentence.
If you made it out to DL in October that would be GREAT!

We are doing a mini meet with some of the ladies on October 17 for dinner at Cafe Orleans. So far that's the only concrete plan I have. But you are more then welcome to join us if you'd can.

The Marie PJ's were for Lindsey and honestly I don't think she knows who that is either. She picked it out from all the ones on sale, but I think it was because she likes cats, not because of the actual character.

Mamma Mia was GREAT!!!! I loved it. Very good. Meryl Streep was excellent as always. Actually I thought the whole cast was perfect in their roles.

I've seen the play here in Vegas so I was really excited to see the movie too, and it was just as good, if not better. I was never a fan of ABBA. In fact when we bought the tickets to see the play I almost backed out and was going to sell them!
But I decided last minute to go ahead and check it out and I am so glad I did. I love the music and it fits into the story line so well. The girls all liked it too.

It's definitely a musical though. Seems like every 5 minutes someone is breaking into song, so if you don't like musicals, don't go. LOL The girls really liked it too, but then they knew the songs ahead of time from me always playing them on youtube.

 

[mommaU4]

Love your fall pictures from MI. The bridge one is beautiful and of course your kids are too cute. Oh those nice blankets, I got three for my kids, Buzz for DS7, PotC for DS9 and Tink for DD2. I wanted the Mickey one for myself but it sold out. Love those bags too. Very cute.

Now I have never been to Ariel's Grotto but I have seen TR that people have gone their and their DD's loved it. I can't wait until my DD gets to meet the princesses. It was all about Buzz and Woody in this house and now Cinderella aka LaLa is all I hear about now.

Thanks for the nice comments on the pics.

They had those blankets in Tink and Mickey?!?! OMG, I would have loved that. They must be all gone because the only one I saw was Pooh Bear. Or maybe that was the only one on sale. I don't know. They are nice blankets though.

I am so excited to do the Princess meal! I don't know who's going to enjoy it more, the twins or me. I'll make sure to take lots of pics and report back on how the whole thing went.

 

[travelmel]

Even though I've talked about my family on my other trip report (June '08 TR), I figured maybe I should give a refresher course.

Well, there's me, obviously. A 36 yr old SAHM, who grew up in SoCal going to Disneyland and has so many special memories of the place. I've got four wonderful kids and a husband who is a saint for putting up with me and my wacky Disney addiction.
Oh, and I can't forget to mention my keen sense of fashion. Note the stylish paper hat as proof.

Next up is Ruben, my husband. Ummm, I don't think I have any pics of him since he's usually the one behind the camera. Huh. Note to self: Pry camera from hubby's hands and make him pose more!
He likes Disney, just not as much as I do, which is why I say he's a saint for putting up with it all and taking me to Disney as often as he does.


And finally our kiddos.
My son Adam, daughter Noelle, and twins Lindsey and Hannah. The last two are fraternal twins so they look nothing alike. Thank goodness. Can you imagine the tricks they'd play on me??

My son is the oldest by two years, but my daughter Noelle is actually taller which annoys him to no end. LOL So in pics it might appear that she's older, but she's not.

Anyway, here is a photo from last October at Disneyland during Halloweentime:

And there you have it, the whole cast and crew.

Finally, a proper introduction.. what took me so long to find this??? You're working two TR's at once... WOW.. that's TALENT!! I'm just gettin' goin' on this one.. thanks for sharing!

Love love LOVE the matching mickey (to his lovely minnie's) shirt.. and a bah-gin to boot! Too cool.

I really want to see Mama Mia.. it looks good and I like a GOOD (read: spunky, fun, not boring) musical. Loved Hairspray the musical... but loved the original though... maybe a SNITCH more.

Keep it coming.. though I'm not quite in the mood for Halloween (no fall smell in the air) ... I'm weird that way. I like things "in season" so to speak. LOL I may revisit this pre Trip in the fall!

 

[mommaU4]

I love how they change everything to reflect the Halloween theme. Even the Mickey below the train when you first walk into the park.

I had to take a pic of this last time since that is exactly what we did....treated ourselves to Annual Passes.

I love the little touches like this all throughout the park. That's what makes Disney so great.

 

[mommaU4]

I've been working on trip plans tonight. I'm just in a Disney mood. Must be all the pics!

Anyway, I've been pouring over Disneyland and California Adventure menus on another website and I've picked all the places I want to eat at on this trip. It was hard to pick because there are so many places there that we like, but I think these choices are pretty good. A nice mix of new places and some old favorites.

Dining List
breakfast snacks one morning at Blue Ribbon Bakery
French Market
Riverbelle Terrace
Taste Pilot's Grill
Carnation Cafe
Cafe Orleans (this one will be with some of the DIS ladies!)
White Water Snacks
Rainforest Cafe
Ariel's Grotto

plus lots of snacks like corn dogs, Tinkerbell Twists, Mickey pretzels, Dole Whips, etc.

I know where we want to eat, now I just need to work them into the schedule and see what days would be best for which restaurants. One step at a time though. LOL

 

[travelmel]

I've been working on trip plans tonight. I'm just in a Disney mood. Must be all the pics!

Anyway, I've been pouring over Disneyland and California Adventure menus on another website and I've picked all the places I want to eat at on this trip. It was hard to pick because there are so many places there that we like, but I think these choices are pretty good. A nice mix of new places and some old favorites.

Dining List
breakfast snacks one morning at Blue Ribbon Bakery
French Market
Riverbelle Terrace
Taste Pilot's Grill
Carnation Cafe
Cafe Orleans (this one will be with some of the DIS ladies!)
White Water Snacks
Rainforest Cafe
Ariel's Grotto

plus lots of snacks like corn dogs, Tinkerbell Twists, Mickey pretzels, Dole Whips, etc.

I know where we want to eat, now I just need to work them into the schedule and see what days would be best for which restaurants. One step at a time though. LOL

I know you read my TR (Thanks so much!!!!) so you already know my thoughts on most of these but.. I'll tell anyway. I know I read alot of TR's and get confused/forget alot of what's what and who's who.

Rainforset Cafe: Overpriced, IMO. I remember when it first came out in the malls and I saw it and thought... OMG.. it reminds me of DL! So I really wanted to go there... inside is ok.. but it's not Disney.. and you're AT disney.. so I dunno. For some reason, I think I was disappointed because of the "it's not Disney" let down... stupid, probably. It's cute though.

Taste Pilot's Grill: Get the plain burger if you do a burger. The "blue cheese" one had cold cheese and cold A-1 sauce which resulted in a cold patty. Blech. The fries were cute.. and good.. and come WITH the burger. The onion rings we got as an additional sid order were very good. I remember thinking to myself: Wow, this price is not making me sick to my stomach. In other words.. good value! Fixin's bar was OK.. nothing special. It had packaged ketchup which took forever to squeeze out into the little cups for everybody in my family (if you want a job done right......)

Carnation Cafe: I totally wish I would have eaten there... the breakfast is supposed to be REALLY good. I googled images of their breakfast foods and i was impressed! Sorry I missed that one.

Riverbelle Terrace: Can't place it... found this interesting review. http://www.july171955.com/b2evolution/index.php?blog=3 ......Also noted that The Plaza Inn has free soda refills.. hmph.

Ariel's Grotto: I have heard mixed reviews. I think the character meal at the Grand californian looks cute. It's a nice place.... I think I would eat at the Storyteller's Cafe thing. Really cute (not cutesy... actually sort of clean lines and "craftsman" style. I liked it.

There is a rest at DCA ... one of the ones near the wine area... if you get a reservation there you can watch the Electric Light parade.. I may have enjoyed that. We got a seat on the sidewalk with our Taste Pilot's Grill meal and we were plenty satisfied with that.

Just my two cents

 

[disney-inspired]

Riverbelle Terrace

A must for us every time we go, they just have REALLY good breakfasts and it doesn't take forever!

Taste Pilot's Grill

Those burgers are HUJUNGOUS! Delicious!

Carnation Cafe

We ate there in the evening right before the fireworks. It wasn't the best view but it was nice not to have to squeeze between people

White Water Snacks

I still haven't tried this! I will make it a point to during my October trip!

Rainforest Cafe

I agree with travelmel, the food ain't so hot and the theme just doesn't cut it for me.

Ariel's Grotto

haven't been able to make it over there, but I do love me some characters!

 

[reyasmommy]

I love, love, love the Rainforest Cafe', but I know most people don't. I ALWAYS end up getting the exact same thing though. ((Chicken Fried Chicken))) Sooooo Yummy. Every single time I run into a RainForest Cafe' I HAVE to go, so I can eat this dish.