Summertime and Disneyland .Oo-De-Lally!!

[thornton0511]

In DLP they have the canal boats but they have little characters in all the scenes eg look really closely at the bridge in front of the castle and you can see eric:

I love that they have little characters! Are you kidding me?! That is AWESOME!!

Ah Mr. Toad aka my first thrill ride, lol. This was one I was so excited to ride just for the reason that it's long gone from WDW. Always a favourite of mine. "Did we just go to hell?" OMG too funny.

I know, the teacups just look so much better in California. But yeah, I think it's all of the above... heat, humidity, but mostly, rain.

Oy IaSM. I will admit to being VERY impressed with it's look. It is seriously impressive. And I do like that they added some Disney characters throughout without it taking away from its essence at all. And no, I did not ride it.

Oh come on Rob! I cannot believe that you would pass up an opportunity to ride a larger version of IASW lol you poor dear. BTW I loved you reference on your mini TR about the small world dolls at the Disney outlet! You are too much lol.

I had not heard that Peter Pan is different @ DL. We love that ride @ WDW & now I'm very excited to ride it @ DL.
Yes it is really really cool!
All of the rides y'all did that morning look so cute & fun! IASW is my absolute favorite for sentimental reasons & I'm just busting at the seams to experience the DL version.
I did like it better than the one in WDW. I think you will enjoy it!
I was never a fan of the Mr. Toad ride @ WDW but I want to ride it there just to show my son that craziness.

Yeah it's pretty insane. None the less it is definitely one that has a long wait and certainly not a walk on unless you catch it in the morning, from our experience

 

[thornton0511]

Toontown!!!!

We had just made it in time for the gates to open. There really were not too many people waiting around either lol.

I loved how the characters came out and walked into the land with the kids. You would most certainly not see this at WDW lol. There would be a mob!

The first item on our list was Gadget's Go Coaster! Or as my kids called it Disneyland Barnstormer lol.

We were the only ones here…..seriously.

Here we go! Wheeeeee!!!!

Well it's about as short as Barnstormer anyways! We when made our way back there was still no one else in line for this ride……so we went one more round. Then it was time to move on. Still no one in line to ride. It's okay though. I thought the ride was cute and I remember watching Rescue Rangers when I was a kid and it rocked! So props to Gadget and her Coaster lol.

After an excited two round coaster ride we decided to explore Toontown a bit. I am sad to say that my kiddos never had the chance to see Mickey's Toontown at MK because our first trip was in May 2011 and they had already begun the demolishment to make room for New Fantasyland.

The first thing was to check out Chip and Dale's Treehouse.

Both kids were almost too big for this type of touring, size wise anyways lol.

They still are not too grown up yet though!!

We then headed over to Donald's boat next.

Oh to be a small kid again!!! I would never want to leave this place lol.

The kids were having a bit of fun exploring the characters' houses.

We found ourselves at Goofy's Playhouse next.

Oh Goofy!

How cool is Disney?!

There was literally no one running around any of these places yet and served as a great opportunity to explore and for my publicly shy children to act a little goofy their selves.

Even if Sydney was doing most of the exploring

While Cory took a load off.
I am sad to say that the attention of both the kids and DH was fading away at this point and so we did not make it over to explore Mickey and Minnie's houses.

We did however catch a few more gags on the other side of Toontown. You never know what was going to happen lol.

Or who you were going to talk to!

We finally made it to the only other ride in Toontown. Roger Rabbit' Cartoon Spin!

We did make it a point to watch this movie with the kids before the trip. I could only remember bits and pieces of it from when I was a kid, and mainly remember being scared lol. As an adult watching it with my kids I could not believe how much adult humor was in this movie! Obviously as a kid it was way over my head and I did not pick up on these things but oh my goodness. Thankfully I think it was over my kids' heads too, and other than a few snickers from my almost 13 year old Cory, I think we made it though just fine without needing to answer any awkward questions lol.

Anyways we were super excited about taking a crazy spinning ride!

The only picture that came out even a little bit from the whole ride lol.
At this point we were pretty tooned out and ready to get back to the rest of the park.
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[amandaw]

Toon Town looks adorable!

I'm very excited to ride Roger Rabbit. Loved that movie as a kid....I even had the Nintendo game.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Honestly, I loved Toontown in WDW, but it did not even come close to Toontown in Dland.

Haha, I did love all the little gags they have thought the area. So much fun.

 

[petals]

I love that they have little characters! Are you kidding me?! That is AWESOME!!

Yeah, they have a cave of wonder instead of the whale as well. There's more pics from them here: clickie

What time did you go to Toontown. Looks like the perfect time to explore that area.

 

[thornton0511]

Toon Town looks adorable!

I'm very excited to ride Roger Rabbit. Loved that movie as a kid....I even had the Nintendo game.

It was a lot of fun! Just don't go in the heat of the afternoon lol
Oh my goodness I remember the Nintendo game!!!! Very cool

Honestly, I loved Toontown in WDW, but it did not even come close to Toontown in Dland.

Haha, I did love all the little gags they have thought the area. So much fun.

I do not have one memory of Toontown in WDW from when I was a teen so I am guessing we skipped that one in the 90's lol. It was fun but it made me sad that we did not take the kids when they were younger. They would have really enjoyed that!

Yeah, they have a cave of wonder instead of the whale as well. There's more pics from them here: clickie

What time did you go to Toontown. Looks like the perfect time to explore that area.

GAH! That is soooo cool!!! Thanks for the pics. One more thing to add to my Disney bucket list now lol. We were at Toontown for rope drop which is one hour after regular rope drop if I remember correctly. It was pretty early and nice because it was not crowded yet and the weather was not hot yet either.

 

[thornton0511]

Big Thunder Ranch…..Again
After Toontown we made our way over to our new favorite mountain to see if standby was not too bad. It was only 9:30 in the morning. The line did not look to bad so we hopped in.

We got sooo close to the front and then the line stopped moving. Noooooo! It was down. We decided it was not worth it to just stay in line so we hopped out and headed to Frontierland instead.

We grabbed legacy FP for BTMRR. YAY!!! And then we headed to our next destination until our FP window.

Along the way I noticed this tunnel. Why is it here and where does it lead to? What is the meaning? I have to know lol.

We then made our way over to Big Thunder Ranch to try what we missed the other day. The ranch had not open officially yet so we had some time to kill. So we just hung around the entrance, which basically meant that we were waiting at Big Thunder Ranch rope drop lol. Is that odd? Probably.

While we waited we killed time by following this little fella around. Finally it was opening time and they unlocked the gate to the Ranch. Woohoo!! Unlike earlier this morning there were no crowds running full sprint into the entrance, although that would have been epic. Instead we were literally the only ones lol. I know the CM's were probably thinking, have you guys never been to a petting zoo? Seriously? Lol. No matter I had something on my bucket list that I was determined to do.

Meet Pocahontas. Oh my goodness I am obsessed with Donkeys! Seriously. If I could have a mini donkey as a pet I would. This would probably explain my love for Eeyore. Anyways despite my obsession I have never ever had the chance to pet a donkey lol. So when I found out that DL had a petting zoo with mini donkeys well……let's just say that was going to all change today. Maybe a weird thing to want to do but I don't care. Donkeys are insanely adorable. Don’t judge me lol.

She was a bit timid at first and I could only reach her little ear.

Then she got a bit more comfortable and would allow us to get closer.

I was seriously so happy at this moment! I could have probably stayed here all day with Pocahontas but that would not have been realistic. Plus more families had started to wander over to her area and I knew it was only fair to share with others lol. So I said goodbye to my new friend and moved on.

We made our way over to the goats. DD loves this.

We then took a few minutes to talk to this very nice CM about the animals here at the ranch. She was very knowledgeable and was interesting to listen to. She was also able to answer something we could not understand…..

Why are your sheep depressed lol?! Seriously did they not get the memo? You are living in Disneyland! The happiest place on earth lol! They looked so sad!!!!

She explained that the sheep have like a social anxiety disorder and as soon as they start to let people in the Ranch, the sheep sense it and hide. Wow! I can totally relate to these guys!! I do the same thing with people lol. They still looked soooo depressed!

At this point we still had some time to kill before BTMRR but were ready to move on from the petting zoo so we washed our hands and headed out.
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[amandaw]

Awwww....the donkey is so cute!

Those poor sheep though...I feel so bad for them. And I empathize with them. I don't like social scenarios with tons of people either.

 

[kelmac284]

We love that area too and always make a point to go over there even in the off season. My youngest loves to pet the sheep and goats. We love that area in the back too because lately every time we go they have special stuff going on. Special characters or things to do and it is usually not too crowded.

As far as the tunnel I am not positive but pretty sure it is left over from when they had the mine train ride and the donkeys and such back in the beginning. Before BTMRR was there there was a ride called the rainbow caverns mine train and I think that may be left over from that. I know that they have incorporated extinct attractions into current ones.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Haha, cool, they have little lizards there too!!

I really like the idea of this petting zoo in that you don't have to travel all the way over to someplace else like you do at AK. Much much better.

Oh man that kinda breaks my heart with the sheep and their anxiety. I'm thinking this might not be the best place to keep them.

 

[thornton0511]

Awwww....the donkey is so cute!

Those poor sheep though...I feel so bad for them. And I empathize with them. I don't like social scenarios with tons of people either.

yeah the sheep looked so sad. I felt so bad for them. The donkey was super adorable and she was surprisingly soft too

We love that area too and always make a point to go over there even in the off season. My youngest loves to pet the sheep and goats. We love that area in the back too because lately every time we go they have special stuff going on. Special characters or things to do and it is usually not too crowded.
that sounds neat about the special characters! It was nice and peaceful in this area too.
As far as the tunnel I am not positive but pretty sure it is left over from when they had the mine train ride and the donkeys and such back in the beginning. Before BTMRR was there there was a ride called the rainbow caverns mine train and I think that may be left over from that. I know that they have incorporated extinct attractions into current ones.

that is so interesting I had no idea! Thanks for sharing that and solving that mystery for me lol

Haha, cool, they have little lizards there too!!
lol Rob
I really like the idea of this petting zoo in that you don't have to travel all the way over to someplace else like you do at AK. Much much better.
Yeah we have never ever taken the train ride at AK and probably never will....unless they get some mini donkeys, then I would
Oh man that kinda breaks my heart with the sheep and their anxiety. I'm thinking this might not be the best place to keep them.

Probably right. I did feel super bad for them and being a socially anxious person myself I felt their pain.

 

[thornton0511]

New Orleans Square

On our way out we came across this. Hmmmm some kind of interview.

I went around to the other side to get a better view and this CM with the shades popped up. LOL! I guess I got too close. So moving on……

We then made our way over to New Orleans Square to the Haunted Mansion.

Very Spooky!!!! December in WDW was DD's first time to finally brave this ride and although she did not LOVE it I was proud of her for giving it a try. Somehow we were able to talk her into giving this one a go as well.

No turning back now!!!!

I was excited to actually be traveling down in an elevator this time around. Even if you really cannot tell a difference. Still cool!

At one point the ride stopped and we just sat there for several moments. I did a no no and snapped a quick flash pic of Cory. It turned out pretty funny although I did get scolded from a CM on the PA lol. I honestly would have not even thought to do it except for the fact that the ride was stopped.

The ride continued and we got to my personal favorite, the ballroom. Love love how they do this scene. Not quite sure what this particular ghost is up to though.

This one still scares the crap out of me. Of course we got stuck here….again. Please stop haunting me. Finally we began to move again and survived.

We were now in our window for BTMRR so off we went.

EEKKK! Love the anticipation of this ride….it's awesome!!!!

After our wild ride we grabbed another set of FP (because we can).
It was now 11am and we thought it would be a nice time to have an early outdoor lunch since the weather was not too warm yet. Plus we were in an area that had a counter service restaurant that I was really wanting to try!

French Market!! They were just opening up so we hopped in line.

We got inside and proceeded though the line. I loved the décor in here!

You go though cafeteria style and they ask what food items you want. Then they serve it fresh from there to your tray. It was hard to pass up the yummy looking fruit and dessert at the end of the line lol! Once we had paid we headed to their outside seating area to find a table.

This place was amazing!!!

I went with the Chicken Caesar Salad with, I believe, a potato roll….YUM!!!

DH went with the same but opted for spicy cornbread instead.

Both kids went with the same kids meal. Grilled chicken with fruit, rice and veggies.
The total for this meal was $36 and that was with a 10% discount that we received for paying with our Disney Visa!

After we finished our meals I snuck away for a moment and returned with these beauties! Mickey head beignets. Oh my goodness all the nom nom!!! You can get these right next door to the French Market. They have a little window that you order from.

This was hands down one of the best counter service places that we have ever eaten at in Disney. Period. The food was wonderful and the atmosphere was incredible. There is just something about enjoying an outdoor lunch while looking over the Rivers of America. Disney Perfection!

After lunch before heading to our next adventure there was something that I was really wanting to do first.

Had to pay my respects to the 33.

Someday……maybe just maybe. FYI this pic was actually taken later the same evening. The one that DH took the first time did not turn out so well so we needed a redo lol.
​

 

[momof4fans]

Your trip report is so good! I feel like I'm there!

My daughters and I love, love, love the Storybook Canal Boats! It is the cutest thing ever! My men, not so much.

OK, that donkey is really cute! We have a donkey (Pancho) and he's not that cute haha.

And I feel so sorry for those sheep! I think they should take them out. That just seems mean

 

[petals]

The Disney sheep sound like they would get along with me perfectly lol

Also note to self go to French Market. Is that something you need a reservation for?

GAH! That is soooo cool!!! Thanks for the pics. One more thing to add to my Disney bucket list now lol. We were at Toontown for rope drop which is one hour after regular rope drop if I remember correctly. It was pretty early and nice because it was not crowded yet and the weather was not hot yet either.

No problemo

I want to try see the opening ceremony for Toontown because I want the button

 

[amandaw]

That lunch looks so yummy! It's definitely on my "must try" list for when we go.

Those Mickey head beignets are adorable! I'll just HAVE to try them to see if the come close to the real thing.

 

[kelmac284]

nice update. You know it is funny I love HM but ever since I have seen the makeover (NBC) i much prefer that one. It is just so much MORE and i love it and now the regular one just seems so plain LOL. If you ever have a chance to come at that time of year it is pretty awesome. Even if you don't like NBC it is just so neat how they make it over.

We like French Market as well. Usually always pretty good and seemingly healthy food and love the atmosphere. New Orleans Square is one of our most fave parts of the park.

I LOVE the makeover of BTMRR. Maybe I am just getting old but it is so much smoother. Loved it and it has always been a fave no matter what.

 

[thornton0511]

Your trip report is so good! I feel like I'm there!
awww thank you
My daughters and I love, love, love the Storybook Canal Boats! It is the cutest thing ever! My men, not so much.
lol that sounds about right!
OK, that donkey is really cute! We have a donkey (Pancho) and he's not that cute haha.
you have a donkey? and it's named Poncho?! That is awesome
And I feel so sorry for those sheep! I think they should take them out. That just seems mean

they just really looked sad. The good thing is that their area seemed hidden a bit and no one was really messing with them

The Disney sheep sound like they would get along with me perfectly lol
lol I know what you mean! I am totally a Disneyland sheep
Also note to self go to French Market. Is that something you need a reservation for?
no not at all! It's a counter service. I'm not sure how busy they can get but there was a pretty good size line when they opened and we hopped in so if its popular it might get pretty busy at peak times.
No problemo

I want to try see the opening ceremony for Toontown because I want the button

that sounds like a plan

That lunch looks so yummy! It's definitely on my "must try" list for when we go.
oh it was soooo good!
Those Mickey head beignets are adorable! I'll just HAVE to try them to see if the come close to the real thing.

Ha! right? I will say that they were very yummy

nice update. You know it is funny I love HM but ever since I have seen the makeover (NBC) i much prefer that one. It is just so much MORE and i love it and now the regular one just seems so plain LOL. If you ever have a chance to come at that time of year it is pretty awesome. Even if you don't like NBC it is just so neat how they make it over.
I have heard that the layover is amazing!
We like French Market as well. Usually always pretty good and seemingly healthy food and love the atmosphere. New Orleans Square is one of our most fave parts of the park.
Yes I would totally agree with that! It definitely kicks the booty out of Liberty Square in MK!
I LOVE the makeover of BTMRR. Maybe I am just getting old but it is so much smoother. Loved it and it has always been a fave no matter what.

lol you are not getting old! I would 100% agree that it did seem very smooth too

 

[thornton0511]

Tom Sawyer Island

Our next stop was Tom Sawyer's Island…….Pirate's edition. Argh!!!

We hopped on a raft and set sail.

Along the way we passed a canoe. This does not intrigue me…..at all.

We soon reached our destination. Let the adventures begin!!!

But first picture with a water wheel, cause they are cool and make for good pictures!

We made our way across a bridge.

To where DH and Sydney worked together to reveal a skeleton or treasure or something

Meanwhile Cory was doing…..well what Cory sometimes does lol

We then found some caves and forts to explore

There be treasure in these caves! Blink Sydney. It's creepy if you don't

The exploring was a lot of fun but be warned that a lot of these areas are tight and meant more for kids than adults lol.

Goodness to be a kid again…I could spend an entire summer here!

How epic!

We then found something familiar to its MK cousin. Unfortunately this Fort cannot be explored and instead is where they store items for Fantasmic! I am guessing.

Cory attempted to find higher ground to do some spying but could not get high enough

We found a spot to rest a bit while the boys took a bio break.

My Sydney.

We did a bit more exploring and then we became aware of our FP window for BTMRR again so we caught another raft and made our way back to Frontierland.
​

 

[thornton0511]

Critter Country?

We rode BTMRR again, awesome as usual, and then headed to a land that we had not yet explored. It was also getting a bit warmer weather wise and the crowds were really starting to be more noticeable.

Critter Country!

The first thing we did was grab FP for Splash. We really wanted to just ride now, but standby was insanely long.

So instead we hopped in line for Pooh!

I know there is no way around this in WDW with the Florida humidity and heat but there is some something awfully magical about outdoor queues and seeing the rides! And I was super excited to be riding in a honeycomb!!

GAH!!! Love Winnie the Pooh. Happy childhood memories for real.
And just in case you did not already know…..


Into the Hundred Acre Wood we go!

Happy Windsday Pooh!!!

And the rain rain rain came down down down….

And then it's all about Heffalumps and Woozles.

Thankfully we made it out okay without getting our honey stolen. It was a close call though. Once again I thought that this version was much better than the one at MK. This seemed to be a trend with this trip as far as the rides go.

After the ride exhaustion hit us like a ton of bricks and we decided it was time to head back for a break. I completely forgot to look for a tigger tail too. so sad.
​

 

[thornton0511]

Getting Distracted

On our way back we got sidetracked and decided to explore the treehouse a bit.

Well that's not at MK lol!

I was never a real big fan of Tarzan. I thought the theme here was kind of neat though. I hope that it will remain Swiss Family at MK forever though.

Hey at least they kept the flag!

What goes up must go down. And so we did. Now it was really time to get going.

We made our trek back to CCI for a much needed rest!
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