I'm back from my annual trip to Disneyland and excited to share news of all things Disney in Southern California! This post is a detailed overview of my latest trip to Anaheim, complete with mini-reviews of Blue Bayou and Wine Country Trattoria restaurants as well as the Tropicana Inn & Suites hotel.
First, I have to say that early December is the perfect time to visit Disneyland. The weather was fantastic (70 degrees during the day and lower 50s at night) and the crowds were the lowest I've seen since my first visit six years ago!
Our flight was super early on December 8th - 5am with a two-hour layover in Dallas before finally arriving in Orange County. The first task on the list was to grab a burger from In-n-Out because being a Midwesterner is hard and animal-style fries are my coping mechanism. We had dinner plans with local friends that evening but the hotel boasted an early check-in option so we figured we could get our room before 4pm without any problems. Optimism was our first mistake. The agent at the front desk plastered a fake smile on his face as he took my name and number and said he would text me when our room became available. Remember when I said check-in was at 4? Well that text came at 3:45pm, a whole whopping 15 minutes early. I don't know about other travelers but I would have preferred hearing the truth instead of being fed false hope. I even called for an update at 1pm and got the same vague promise that I had heard earlier. We filled most of those hours with a stroll through the GardenWalk and a stop at Downtown Disney but we were afraid to stray too far in case the text came through. Alas, we finally got to our assigned room and settled in.
I chose Tropicana Inn & Suites because of its proximity to Disneyland's pedestrian entrance but the accommodations looked pretty nice based on the pictures. See for yourself:
We reserved a standard king room and received a semi-secluded location with a balcony. The room was clean and comfortable but we quickly noticed that there was a horrible noise coming from the room next door and it sounded exactly like a squeaky room service cart that was being pushed down a hallway. We pondered the issue and finally determined that the noise was the sound of the pipes and hot water heater (the room didn't have a number and appeared to be the size of a maintenance closet). We tested the theory by taking showers and stumbled upon yet another inconvenience: the water switches between hot/cold every 20 seconds. We would have requested a new room but we had already unpacked most of our belongings and needed to leave to meet our friends. Official review: Tropicana Inn & Suites, though very close to the parks and clean, the parking situation is a nightmare and the staff is not helpful for accommodating guests before 4pm. The noise and shower issues detracted from the experience. I do not recommend this hotel.
Now, to the stuff you came here to read! The first park day was spent at the original 'happiest place on earth': Disneyland. The combination of holiday and Diamond Celebration decorations made for a stunning theme. There was garland and ornaments and tinsel and diamonds everywhere. The castle was breathtaking with all of its adornments and the huge Christmas tree on Main Street was a sight to behold! Even more exciting (for the geeky couple that we are) is that Tomorrowland had been temporarily transformed into the Season of the Force and many changes had been made to our most beloved attractions. Most notably, Captain EO was replaced with Path of the Jedi (warning: do not view this attraction if you have not seen Star Wars and would be upset with spoilers) and Space Mountain was changed to Hyperspace Mountain, an intergalactic mission to investigate an Imperial Star Destroyer stationed near Jakku (a planet from the new "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"). Also, the lower level of Innoventions was invaded by Star Wars props and models as well as meet-and-greet areas for Darth Vader and Chewbacca. Even the food offerings were updated for special Star Wars-themed fare but our cravings were of the Cajun variety. Good thing we had reservations at Blue Bayou!
Here's where my neurotic planning paid off: Blue Bayou almost always requires a reservation and this trip was no different. Several families at the hostess stand were turned away with an explanation that the next open seat wouldn't be available until 10 days later. I almost couldn't believe it but then we were seated and I soon forgot all about the formalities of Disney dining customs because Blue Bayou transported me to a dimly-lit back porch of a large home in Louisiana. The backdrop of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was hardly a nuisance because the setting was perfect. We started with a salad and gumbo and my partner ordered the Louisiana Lemonade - a mysterious concoction of lemonade, Sprite, mango, and raspberry flavors. Our entrees didn't disappoint, either. I played it safe with my favorite MonteCristo sandwich and he ordered the flat iron steak, which ultimately ended up being the best thing we ate during the whole trip! We will be making a trip back to Blue Bayou on future vacations.
The afternoon held plenty of other holiday ride enhancements, including the Nightmare Before Christmas installments for the Haunted Mansion and lost holiday cargo on the Jingle Cruise (otherwise known as the Jungle Cruise). Haunted Mansion broke down while we were riding it, which made us late for the Christmas Fantasy parade. Oh well. There's always next year I guess. The rest of the day was nothing short of magical, though, as the sun began to set and the holiday lights were turned on. it's a small world, a spectacular holiday attraction in itself, lit up the park and became the backdrop for our fireworks location. We stared at the sky and sang beloved Disney songs at the top of our lungs, ending with "Let It Go" as fake snow fell from the sky. I was a prisoner to the moment but we hardly had time to waste because we wanted to get a good position for the Paint the Night parade. I'll admit here that I'm not much of a parade fan but this one completely changed my perspective on the issue. Just take a look at all of the colors!
That's it for the first half of our Disneyland 2015 experience. Read on to the next post for Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney details!
Our flight was super early on December 8th - 5am with a two-hour layover in Dallas before finally arriving in Orange County. The first task on the list was to grab a burger from In-n-Out because being a Midwesterner is hard and animal-style fries are my coping mechanism. We had dinner plans with local friends that evening but the hotel boasted an early check-in option so we figured we could get our room before 4pm without any problems. Optimism was our first mistake. The agent at the front desk plastered a fake smile on his face as he took my name and number and said he would text me when our room became available. Remember when I said check-in was at 4? Well that text came at 3:45pm, a whole whopping 15 minutes early. I don't know about other travelers but I would have preferred hearing the truth instead of being fed false hope. I even called for an update at 1pm and got the same vague promise that I had heard earlier. We filled most of those hours with a stroll through the GardenWalk and a stop at Downtown Disney but we were afraid to stray too far in case the text came through. Alas, we finally got to our assigned room and settled in.
I chose Tropicana Inn & Suites because of its proximity to Disneyland's pedestrian entrance but the accommodations looked pretty nice based on the pictures. See for yourself:
We reserved a standard king room and received a semi-secluded location with a balcony. The room was clean and comfortable but we quickly noticed that there was a horrible noise coming from the room next door and it sounded exactly like a squeaky room service cart that was being pushed down a hallway. We pondered the issue and finally determined that the noise was the sound of the pipes and hot water heater (the room didn't have a number and appeared to be the size of a maintenance closet). We tested the theory by taking showers and stumbled upon yet another inconvenience: the water switches between hot/cold every 20 seconds. We would have requested a new room but we had already unpacked most of our belongings and needed to leave to meet our friends. Official review: Tropicana Inn & Suites, though very close to the parks and clean, the parking situation is a nightmare and the staff is not helpful for accommodating guests before 4pm. The noise and shower issues detracted from the experience. I do not recommend this hotel.
Now, to the stuff you came here to read! The first park day was spent at the original 'happiest place on earth': Disneyland. The combination of holiday and Diamond Celebration decorations made for a stunning theme. There was garland and ornaments and tinsel and diamonds everywhere. The castle was breathtaking with all of its adornments and the huge Christmas tree on Main Street was a sight to behold! Even more exciting (for the geeky couple that we are) is that Tomorrowland had been temporarily transformed into the Season of the Force and many changes had been made to our most beloved attractions. Most notably, Captain EO was replaced with Path of the Jedi (warning: do not view this attraction if you have not seen Star Wars and would be upset with spoilers) and Space Mountain was changed to Hyperspace Mountain, an intergalactic mission to investigate an Imperial Star Destroyer stationed near Jakku (a planet from the new "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"). Also, the lower level of Innoventions was invaded by Star Wars props and models as well as meet-and-greet areas for Darth Vader and Chewbacca. Even the food offerings were updated for special Star Wars-themed fare but our cravings were of the Cajun variety. Good thing we had reservations at Blue Bayou!
Here's where my neurotic planning paid off: Blue Bayou almost always requires a reservation and this trip was no different. Several families at the hostess stand were turned away with an explanation that the next open seat wouldn't be available until 10 days later. I almost couldn't believe it but then we were seated and I soon forgot all about the formalities of Disney dining customs because Blue Bayou transported me to a dimly-lit back porch of a large home in Louisiana. The backdrop of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was hardly a nuisance because the setting was perfect. We started with a salad and gumbo and my partner ordered the Louisiana Lemonade - a mysterious concoction of lemonade, Sprite, mango, and raspberry flavors. Our entrees didn't disappoint, either. I played it safe with my favorite MonteCristo sandwich and he ordered the flat iron steak, which ultimately ended up being the best thing we ate during the whole trip! We will be making a trip back to Blue Bayou on future vacations.
The afternoon held plenty of other holiday ride enhancements, including the Nightmare Before Christmas installments for the Haunted Mansion and lost holiday cargo on the Jingle Cruise (otherwise known as the Jungle Cruise). Haunted Mansion broke down while we were riding it, which made us late for the Christmas Fantasy parade. Oh well. There's always next year I guess. The rest of the day was nothing short of magical, though, as the sun began to set and the holiday lights were turned on. it's a small world, a spectacular holiday attraction in itself, lit up the park and became the backdrop for our fireworks location. We stared at the sky and sang beloved Disney songs at the top of our lungs, ending with "Let It Go" as fake snow fell from the sky. I was a prisoner to the moment but we hardly had time to waste because we wanted to get a good position for the Paint the Night parade. I'll admit here that I'm not much of a parade fan but this one completely changed my perspective on the issue. Just take a look at all of the colors!
That's it for the first half of our Disneyland 2015 experience. Read on to the next post for Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney details!
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