We were up by 7am and was out the door and on our way to Disneyland by 8am. Down the escalator and headed for the shuttles.
Got dropped off in downtown Disney.
Went to grab our tickets from guest relations.
Prices are always increasing. Last year a 1 day hopper ticket was $120 this year it was $137
Part of the group went in first to get coffee and breakfast while I waited for the rest of our group to arrive.
by the time the rest of got in the other group had just gotten their breakfast. So I grabbed all their tickets and headed off to Grizzly River Run to get fast passes for World of Colors. The rest of the group in the meantime headed to Radiator Springs Racer.
When I started to head to Radiator Springs to meet the rest of the group I just happened to see that there were still fast passes available for RSR. So I waited in line for that and had the group meet me at Toy Story Mania.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect, cause by the time I got there they were rounding about back by the entrance and I just hopped in line.
Disney Starbucks cups.
'Tis the season for an iced pumpkin spiced latte.
It was Columbus day weekend so the park was pretty busy for a Monday. The wait for Toy Story was about 30-40 minutes.
This is my favorite ride in DCA.
It was both Jason's and the Nicholes first time playing. We were playing in pairs. Winner of the combined score gets to buy the next round of snacks.
Watch out newbs here!
Me and Phat...... Damn it Phat! My score on the right. Peter and Nicole won with a combined score of I think 326,000.
After Toy Story, we headed to Tower of Terror.
Did you know that the webbing is made with a hot glue gun?
So what did the Toy Story Mania winner buy us? Jalapeno & Cheese stuffed pretzels.
After Tower of Terror we just happened to be right by the Aladdin Show and it was about to start. Just our luck. I haven't seen this show in years and I still enjoy it. I like that they keep up with modern pop culture and integrate into the show.
After the show it was time for our lunch reservation at Club 33. So we headed to Disneyland.
While the group headed to Club 33 I thought I would run to Space Mountain to grab some fast passes.
I look forward to lunch here every year. Seems like Club 33 will be going under construction and expanding. I wonder how it's going to look next year.
We had a large group dining so we waited upstairs.
It was taking a bit of time getting the Trophy room ready for our large party, so in the meantime they provided us with some cocktails from the bar... Yes the only bar in Disneyland that serves liquor during normal operating hours :) I had an Old Fashion.
As busy as it was that day it was nice to have the Trophy room to ourselves.
Maximum Occupancy 33.
House punch. Mixture of fresh fruit juices with grenadine.
Due to construction some things changed a bit this year. Instead of offer a cold plate appetizer buffet, you get a seafood cold plate, a choice of a soup or salad, main entree, but the desert buffet is still available though.
lobster, shrimp and crab.
Yeah that went very quickly.
spinach salad
Butternut squash soup.
Next I had a Vodka Gimlet.
For my entree I had the Chateaubriand Filet Mignon. Every bit was as wonderful as the first.
Truffle mac and cheese.
The dessert buffet.
From the top left: blue berry muffin; spice cake pop, I'm not sure what this one is called, but it was like a salted caramel cupcake; sugar cookie; and creme brulee.
a few pictures from the balcony.
After lunch, our next stop was the haunted mansion.
This year they added a bunch 13 themed items. I didn't realized that it also coincided with 2013. So throughout the whole ride we counting all kinds of things try to find hidden 13 things.
After the Haunted Mansion the Indiana Jones ride was back up and operational.
It was quite a long wait.
There were a few new effects on the ride this year.
After Indiana Jones we got some Dole Pineapple Whip.
The line for Dole Whip.
The line was pretty long. This is the sky after getting the Dole Whip.
By the time they got the Dole Whip our fast passes for Space Mountain were up. I really wanted the newbies to ride the new Star Tours, but we were running out of time. It was 6:45pm and our fast passes for Radiator Springs was at 7:05.
Only a few people were going to ride Space Mountain so I had some extra fast passes. It was nice giving them away to random people that were queuing up for the ride. They were so grateful.
John's favorite picture pose.
After the ride we were in a rush to get over to DCA. It's a bummer that I dont' get to spend more time in Disneyland at night. I love the look of Main Street at night.
By the time we headed to DCA Phat and Phillip finally called it quits and went to relax in Downtown Disney. I had two extra fast passes for RSR and two lucky people were going to get them. We were walking through the fast pass line and I just gave them to a couple that was waiting in the regular line :) I just saved them about an hour of wait.
John really wanted to buy a balloon to strap to his back pack. Right when he bought a balloon they just happened to bring out the balloons with lights in them, so he bought that one also.
Last year we rode RSR during the day, and this time we rode it at night. It's was better at night.
After RSR we had about an hour and a half until World of Color. Perfect time for a snack break. Got to get one of those crispy oily Corn Dogs from Corn Dog Castle.
Yeah.. That's the stuff and some sliced apples to justify your guilt of eating that Corn Dog.
45 minutes until show time. Enough time to ride Toy Story Mania one more time.
I was able to get highest score for the hour!
With the end of World of Color, also brought and end to our trip.
We did a bit of shopping in downtown Disney.
The last shot of Disneyland before we got in our car.
When we got back to the hotel we stopped by the concession store for some drinks and snacks. On our way there I just happen to stumble upon the hookah lounge. It was kind of hidden next to the lobby entrance but I never noticed it. It had a day bed and some couches. Such a great place to hang out.
Pictures don't do this hotel justice.
In the concession store they also sold S'more kits for use at their fire pits on the beach. How awesome is that!
Another day is done. We fly home tomorrow. I look forward to this trip every year, but it comes and goes so quickly. Tomorrow we're off to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.
