Disneyland - A family review
This
week we have a review of Disneyland Anaheim from the ‘BrizzyFamily’. BrizzyFamily
are a couple in their 30’s with two girls aged 8 and 9 whom also travelled with
their brother in law and the grandparents (Gran and Pop). One of the
grandparents, Pop was in a mobility scooter.
Where
did you stay in Anaheim?
We stayed
at the Disneyland Hotel which was absolutely fantastic and worth the extra
money. Lovely rooms and the Character Dining was the best.
Character
dining?
Yes we
did and the best was Goofy's kitchen which was located at the Disneyland hotel
and was absolutely wonderful and also worth every penny. We also went to
Ariel’s Grotto, but would not go back there as the food was not that good. It
was however the only one which had great Princess Characters (especially
Ariel). [Note: Ariels Grotto closed in 2018 and was replaced with a new Restaurant 'Lamplight Lounge.' This new restaurant does not have Princess meet and greets. The Disneyland official website recommends going to Fantasy Faire in Disneyland instead to get your Princess fix].
Disney
Dining was excellent. The characters came up to the tables and spent private
time with our family, with no line up. They also sign autograph books if you
have a book which we did that we brought from home. We did get photos done with
the characters both on our phones and the professional packs. Food was good in
Goofy’s kitchen but we found it still not as good as Australian food. More
often than not the food was not good (character dining or not) but we did not
do the character dining for the food. Having said that the Surf's up restaurant
in one of the Disney hotels and Ariels Grotto Kitchen are really the only ones
to stay away from if food is a high priority but we had the time and the girls
had their heart set on Arials Grotto Kitchen. They had angel hair pasta with a
little butter and they loved the food. The kids were not difficult to please
but my partner had really bad Baramundi.
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Goofy’s Kitchen ©BrizzyFamily
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Ariels
Grotto Kitchen ©BrizzyFamily
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Ariels
Grotto Kitchen ©BrizzyFamily
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Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Chip
and Dale Breakfast ©BrizzyFamily
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Other
places to eat?
Actually the best food for our family was in Disneyland at the roaming carts. They had corn cobs and wonderful turkey legs. We also loved Gaston's Rose Tavern as it had great burgers. There were also really yummy pickles to snack on and of course the Dole Whip.
Actually the best food for our family was in Disneyland at the roaming carts. They had corn cobs and wonderful turkey legs. We also loved Gaston's Rose Tavern as it had great burgers. There were also really yummy pickles to snack on and of course the Dole Whip.
The
Blue Bayou was outstanding and worth the experience of being in the Pirates of
the Caribbean ride (We didn't take the kids to this - Gran and Pop looked after
our girls whilst we ate an adult meal). My partner had an amazing Bouillabaisse
soup and I had a fancy chicken main meal but I think the girls would have loved
it and they did have kids meals at the Blue Bayou.
One of
my other favourites was the Mint julep drink in the New Orleans section and the
Gambo soup. Yum. I often liked the food that was out in carts as a snack (eg
turkey legs).
What
were your favourite rides and why? Did this differ between kids and adults?
My
favourite ride was the Peter Pan ride as I enjoyed it as a child in 1989 and it
was just as good as an adult in 2017. My husband loved Pirates of the Caribbean
but also loved Peter Pan. Our two girls also ranked the Peter Pan ride as the
best but the 10 year old also ranked Cars as her favourite and our 8 year old
also loved Alice in Wonderland. Both kids also loved Splash Mountain and
both fought over the front seat! I also loved Cars and Ariel and the Frozen show
in California Adventure Park.
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Frozen stage show ©BrizzyFamily
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In
Disneyland for us, top of the list were the shows both Micky's magical hat
and the Rapunzel play. Both gave everyone’s feet a rest to continue on for
a longer day. Both fireworks were good in Disneyland although we did not
have a great view of the main fireworks with Tinkerbell flying across the sky
as there were so many people and the trees got in the way. Fantasmic was
better, unique and something more Disney but you need to line up early to get a
good spot or get a Fast Pass.
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| Our youngest child took part in Jedi Training and loved it ©BrizzyFamily |
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| Jedi Training ©BrizzyFamily |
Rides
that were scary for the kids? Recommend? Incidents?
We did
not go on the ones like Space Mountain which sounded scary and we were actually
warned not to take the kids on these rides.
Did
you do a Park Hopper ticket? How easy was that?
Yes we
got the Park Hopper. However, I think it is more efficient to just spend the
day in one park and not swap but as we had such a large group it did make
meeting up easier as other members of our extended family could go to both
parks.
The
Guest Assistance Card
As Pop
had a medical condition, he was able to get a Guest Assistance Card. A lot of
the rides you could remain in the scooter, but some rides have alternative
entrances to get on the ride. You can get a Disability Access Services card from
City Hall (Disneyland) or Chamber of Commerce (California Adventure).
Did
you get a FastPass/Maxi Ticket?
We did
not use the FastPass as my Father
in Law had the Guest Assistance Card needing extra assistance. There was either an alternative entrance or a timed ticket for entry for my Father in Law and we were able to accompany him on the rides. It felt like we spent less time waiting in lines. This would be great to know with people who
have disabilities as it just would not be possible for a lot of families
to attempt to line up with certain conditions.
How
did you find California Adventure Park in comparison to Disneyland?
Both
parks amazing but definitely a more adult feel in California Adventure Park as
there was alcohol and seemed more rides the little kids could not go on.
Did
your kids like the Enchanted Tiki room? Did you try the Dole Whip?
The whole family absolutely loved the
Enchanted Tiki Room and the Dole Whip. Thank you so much for the tips on going
to get that. It is a memory forever.
How
did you cope with Jet lag?
Jet lag
was horrible and we did not recover so we did just stay up late in parks which
was ok but would have liked to get to the US a couple of days earlier to reset
out clocks. We flew from Brisbane to Los Angeles and the kids were asleep
when we arrived at the airport at 8am in the morning. We had trouble waking
them at the Los Angeles airport.
Any
comments on the Halloween experience at Disneyland? Recommend or not to visit
this time of year?
There
were Pumpkins everywhere and for Australian's that don't really celebrate
Halloween to the same level it was interesting but probably not a season we
would pick again. The Haunted Mansion was very colourful in 'A nightmare before
Christmas theme' but the line-up was very long as it was the first weekend
opening.
Thanks
to Brizzyfamily for their review of Disneyland Anaheim.
I hope
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You can also subscribe directly to this blog. I publish weekly, on a Wednesday.
You can also subscribe directly to this blog. I publish weekly, on a Wednesday.
Until
next week,
K.J
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| Whats new at Peter Alexander- just search 'Nemo, Peter Pan or Bambi' |
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Why Halloween is the best time of year to visit a Disney Park
My top 6 theme park rides in Orlando and why
The rides and attractions at EPCOT
EPCOT World Pavilions Part 1
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Interview with an Annual Passholder -WDW
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