Look Out Disneyland Here we Come 7A

Our long time friend standing proud
to welcome us home.

I have a life long friend.  He has a special place in our family.  His name is Mickey Mouse.  I joined his club, The Mickey Mouse Club, when I was a kid.  I watched the show every day after school.  It was both entertaining and presented you with knowledge.  My mom insisted we went to Disneyland in 1955.  We returned every year to see the changes, the evolution and the 'Disney Plussing'. As the years went by and I grew up I learned that my mother was a big Mickey Mouse fan.  She too grew up with Disney only in the theater.  She was born in 1928, the same year as Mickey. Because of this she felt a special kinship. We are going go visit this friend really soon. We are heading for the Disneyland Hotel for a weeks stay.  If you have read any previous posts, you will know we are collectors of Disney memorabilia.  Not just collectors but maniacal collectors.  When we leave for our vacation we have  a prominent Disney presence.  Matter of fact we have to raid the Harry Potter room (the cupboard under the stairs) for Disney items that we take on every trip. Over the years, we have gathered many items that we carry with us on Disney trips and also on other trips.  

So many snacks so little time

The case we use the most on our adventures is what we call the 100 Year Bag.  It was purchased from the Disney Catalog by my mother.  The bag was a commemorative of a 100 years of Disney Magic.  This is not a shoulder bag, it is like a carry-on sized bag.  We use it to carry all our snacks for all our trips.  It holds bags of chips and jars of salsa.  Boxes of crackers for my wife can be put in one of the many pouches.  It holds hot peppers and hot gairdiniera pickled vegetables all for dear old dad. Is it full yet? No, we have plenty of room for granola bars and candy for the twins. My mom got this bag for us when she ordered many Disney items monthly from the Disney Catalog.  She ordered so much she had her own private shopper with Disney.  She was considered a Best Guest. 

Bless you mom you gave us so much!

When we first begin to get ready to go to Disneyland, we gather up things that we need for our visit when we get there.  For dad and mom that means backpacks.  When the twins were babies and toddlers, the carrying of a backpack was easier.  It could hang on the stroller.  Later, we needed to carry it backpack style.  In 2001 when Disney California opened, we found a backpack we loved. It had adequate pouches to drive security people crazy.  It has water bottle pouches on both side. Plenty of space for sweaters when the weather changes. This portable home had one drawback, it could carry so much it could get heavy.  To compensate it had a lumbar waist belt to help distribute the weight on your hips. 

An oldie but a goody

The next backpack does not have as much space or as many spots for carrying stuff.  It is more compact.  This means you'll have to go back to the hotel for your coats and sweaters.  It doesn't have zipper pouches or dedicated spots for water bottles, but it is lighter. We also have the matching carry bag which is good to bring to the pool.  Since we like spending time at the pool when we spend summer days at the Disney Resort Hotels, we need an extra bag.

I love the Mickey representation

Been to the many pools of the Disneyland Resort.

At the Disney swimming pools they provide everything you might need except a suit.  Their towels are large and lush.  When the children were young and not strong swimmers, we were happy to find that Disney supplied floatation vests.  This allowed my children to enjoy the many Disney pools. The first was the Olympic sized pool at the Disneyland Hotel that was removed when the expansion and rededication of the area for Downtown Disney happened. They have enjoyed the Redwood Pool and the slide and the Mariposa pool at the Grand Californian Hotel.  Not to be left out the old Peter Pan pool at the Disneyland Hotel because of these flotation vests.  Now they can swim.  Like the Treasure of Sierra Madre, if you asked my twins it they needed a towel they would in unison, "Towels! We don't need no stinking towels!"  That is because they had always brought their favorite Disney character towels.  A Princess or Arial for my daughter and a Buzz Lightyear for my son were most often chosen.  Of course, they had to have a bag. They left their first bag at home and it was replaced in December of 2002.  The new bags hit the store marked with the date of 2003.  We had to get one.

The twin's pool bag.  Thank you Nonna.

Back about forty years ago, I bought a camera strap for my 35mm camera.  It was sturdy 1 1/2" strap.  This made it very comfortable because it was wide.  It had an elastic inner storage which held three film canisters for 35mm film.  I used it for a year or so.  The only thing I hated was the length.  Standard for the time when around your neck it located the camera in the middle of your chest.  The next year when I returned to Disneyland, I went to the Kodak Corner to purchase another identical strap.  I figured I would hook them together and wear the camera Bandelero style.  However, they did not carry the black and white, they were now red and black. so I bought it anyway. Those straps were the pinnacle of form fits function.  It has lasted 40 years and has been on three 35mm SLR's and three digital cameras.

1000 of pictures & 1000 of compliments.

Who goes anywhere without a computer.  So many places offering WiFi.  Disneyland Hotel offered in-room computer connection early on.  Back then it was supplied to your room via ethernet cable.  We have always carried a computer to stay in touch with sports scores, world news, and emails from friends.  Now we have iPhones, iPads, and four computers.  I have one of each of these items. I needed a case to carry them.  A very good friend gave me the best computer case ever.  Not only because it has space for the computer, iPad, and power cords, it is a Mickey case.  I carry this case with double pride.  First, the person who gave me this is as big a Mickey fan as me, and it reminds me of Mickey Mouse and Disneyland everywhere I go.  So many people comment on this carrying case.

Too cool for school, thanks Mrs A.

Does anyone remember the Fly n' Buy?  Yes, you got it.  This shopping area was located in Condor Flats in Disney California Adventure.  In 2001, I purchased the most obvious symbol of a a tourist, a fanny pack.  I bought this because it held Fast Passes, batteries, insulin, and Park Hopper or Annual Pass.  When the the twins were young, I carried all their Disney related items too.

Best fannypack ever!

Too bad I didn't leave some money in it.

The Harry Potter room has yielded those items essential for another trip to the Disney Resort.  We will be there next week at this time.  Have you ever, when you planned your trip, wondered what will be the first thing that you will do?  Well the next post, we will explore what the different individuals in our family want to do first at Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure.  Until then peace and we'll see you in the parks.

Look Out Disneyland Here We Come

Daddy I'm Hungry, California Adventure

As the song goes, "You make the change.  You rearrange me till I'm sane." Pink Floyd.

I'll miss the Wave Fountian and California songs the most

Across the way from Disneyland, where we parked when I was a kid is a separate theme park initially named California Adventure.  I wrote about the park in Time Machine Travelogue on March 30th's post.  The new park was not an overwhelming success.  There were some grand ideas.  Soon after they opened things started closing.  Most of them were restaurants. You literally could not walk a hundred yards without finding an eating place.  Restaurants were tucked into every corner.  The first time we went to California Adventure we planned to eat at more economical sites.  Saving our big ticket meals for Downtown Disney.  I'm sure that the reasoning was to give as many guests as possible options.  If you were spending four days at one of the Disney Resort Hotels, you wouldn't eat every meal at California Adventure.  The park also had shorter hours not opening until 10:00 AM and closing at 9:00PM.  So the grab and go was mostly the type of restaurant.  Of the different areas of California Adventure, the Hollywood Studio is a good place to stare.  There was a spot we passed up the first time we went there and that was a mistake because it soon disappeared.  Hollywood and Dine, clever play on words eh. It was themed to be a commissary located on a Hollywood Studio's back lot.  However, it was just a food court.  You travel hundreds of miles and spend hundreds of dollars to eat at food court.  I don't think so.  Like all mall food courts it offered different food choices. They all had clever names though.  There was a burger joint called Wilshire Bowl.  If you want pizza, the Villa Carpi would be there for you.  Hungry for Chinese food?  Then, Don the Beachcombers would be your stop.  If you wanted a $8.00 tuna fish sandwich step up to Schwab's Pharmacy.  You never know you might be discovered by an agent and made a movie star.

A very good dog

Cross pollination corperaton style

We walked away and opted for Award Wieners, a gourmet hot dog stand and the french fries were great.  At the time it had very limited sidewalk seating, but an area that was part of the Muppets 3D attraction's queue was reassigned for table seating. Originally, they had Soap Opera Bistro.  It was like dinner theater with the backdrop of ABC daytime soap operas. Scenes and sets from familiar daytime shows were used by actor/ wait persons serving up food and involving the guests in the drama. Port Charles, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital were the shows that were used.  It too closed and reassigned as a stage show. Now no food is served there.

Wolfgang where did you go

Many changes have happened in the Paradise Pier region of California Adventure.  The legendary Wolfgang Puck was a Southern California chef.  So with his name recognition a restaurant at California Adventure seemed like a great idea.  They built a lavish interior setting and the food I'm told was phenomenal.  We knew that we were returning with the sponsor, my mother, in December so we would wait.  Bad idea it was doomed to failure.  Most restaurants suffered this fate and soon Wolfgang was gone.  It went through a change and became Ariel's Grotto, a character dining experience.  We have been to this dining spot when my daughter was into Disney Princesses, especially Ariel.  They have a unique menu option.

All the characters are dressed in sailor attire

For a single price you receive a starter, main course, and dessert item, and you have different choices in each category.  You get to mix and match while characters like Mickey, Minnie, and Chip and Dale circulate mingling with guests for photos.  When you arrive, Ariel, seated in a clam shell, is there for personal photos.
At one time, there was an agreement between Disney and The McDonald's Corporation.  You remember all those toys given out in Happy Meals?  There was a couple of McDonald's french fries places in Disneyland.  Burger Invasion was a limited menu McDonald's at the west end of Paradise Pier.  It was closed when the mutual agreement was dissolved in 2007.  However, Paradise Pier was changing.  Pixar was taking over.  One of the best changes was the opening of Toy Story Midway Mania.  To make room for this addition two walk away food service spots needed to be closed.  Malibu-Ritos and Strips Dips "N" Chips were removed.  The chicken strips and fish and chips were moved to Bountiful Valley Farms.  My family enjoy the chicken strips and the fish and chips.

If you're hungry for this go to the Stage Door Cafe in Frontierland

Ooo fried food

Never ate here and now its gone

I wonder what they will replace it with

I always thought they were not from this Earth 

The have reassigned the area where Pizza Oom Mow Mow and Burger Invasion and replaced them with Paradise Garden and Grill and Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta.  I haven't had an opportunity to eat at them when we went to the parks for One More Disney Day on Leap Day this year.  The choice for us on the afternoon and evening we spent at DCA was the newly reopened Corn Dog Castle.  It was a great treat to take the edge off while you're waiting for one of The Wonderful World of Color water and laser show.  And it was fantastic and cold on the February Night.

Pizza pizza everywhere

Couldn't they just put in a different attraction

My wife's sister could believe over $30 for five corn dogs

My wife always takes first bite

 The food court concept did not disappear when Hollywood and Dine closed down.  The Pacific Wharf area was a food court al fresco.  There is no inside dining but there are plenty of outdoor seating.  Also in that area is a beer wagon and a margarita shack.  The margarita place was named Rita's Baja Blenders. The anchor restaurant is the Pacific Wharf Cafe`.  It is reminiscent of the restaurants of Monterey and San Fransisco.  The San Fransisco sour dough bread has been famous for over a 100 years.  The best bakery for it in the City is Boudin Bakery.  Thousands of people have carried home sour dough from Boudins all over the world.  Airports have seen the arrival of loaves of this bread around the United States and many countries of the World.  They, of course, have clam chowder served in a hollowed out bread bowl along with sandwiches and salads.  Also, they serve breakfast and have great breakfast pastries.

Take a couple of loaves back to your room or home

Something strange also occurred in this area.  They stayed with the with the food court concept, however the restaurants switched sides.  They serve food court styled dishes.  Luckily, I live in California and have many locally owned restaurants that serve much better food of these genres.  The Mexican food place is called Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill.  I have seen plates ordered by others and the food is appealing looking. I suppose you could grab a margarita or a beer and have a relaxing break.

Try the carne asada and chicken tamale

The other mainstay of every mall food court is Chinese food.  At one time they had a gourmet fortune cookie window connected with the restaurant.  However, I didn't see it anymore now that they have switched sides.  The Lucky Fortune Cookery is like many mall places.  We all have eaten at restaurants like Panda Express which this food resembles.  Traditional rice bowls contain rice and a choice of entrees.  Chicken, beef, or tofu is served with different sauces like Teriyaki, Mandarin orange, spicy Korean, and Thai curry.  However, with so many food choices I think I could find something better.

Pacific Rim Foods

With all the current retheming that is going at what used to be called California Adventure and now called Disney California Adventure is an area known as Condor Flats.  In that area, the is an excellent food choice, Taste Pilots Grill.  They have good old fashioned American cuisine.  Barbecued ribs, Angus hamburgers, and french fries and onion rings.  It also a short from the Grand Californian Hotel so it is a good first stop when you reenter the park after your swim.  The put in space-age self-serve electronic kiosks so that you could place your order.  I don't know if these will be removed now that the area will be reassigned.  One thing that has already flown away is the rocket busting through the front of the building.

Where good taste is rocket science

As we get ready for our annual Summer visit and the opening of Cars Land, we will get pictures ready to show the transformation to the new Walt Disney's era California.  Please comment if you want any special pictures or information.Try these links

Lookout Disneyland Here We Come Four

Are You Ready For Dinner?

It may sound a little glutenous with all the food we have consumed already but it's time for dinner.  Over the years we have eaten dinner almost everywhere.  We have had dinners in all areas of the Disneyland Resort.  We have eaten dinner at both Disney theme parks, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.  On many occasions we have had phenomenal meals in Downtown Disney restaurants.  Let's not forget the dinners at the resorts hotels.  This includes my daughter's favorite, room service.

Room service seems like a cop out but after watching the fireworks sometimes you just want to go back to your hotel room.  But I have that bottomless pit, my son, and my daughter who was trained at a young age by her Nonna to enjoy the finer things in life.  Room service being one of them.  When I was a kid, my Mom and I traveled to hotels and on trains.  The dining cars on those old trains were so elegant.  I may have been young but I always ordered the salmon.  Years later my Mother told me that she could barely afford to pay for the meal, but she wanted me to have it.  No matter what.  Well, I like to keep this tradition in tact no matter the cost.  So salmon for my son from room service, no problem.  Chicken for my daughter, a cinch.  This may have been costly, but giving them the best and lettting them know that they were part of a tradition that they have to carry it on, makes it all worth it.

All the hotels have great restaurants.  They ate at Goofy's Kitchen at 18 months for the first time.  They were so cute interacting with their first Disney Characters.

However, the best dinner I ever had was at the Granville Steakhouse in the Disneyland Hotel.  They have changed the name of this restaurant to Steakhouse 55.  The food and the service did not changed when the name did.  The name change was a loss for history.  The Granvilles were the family that first built the hotel on that property.  But times change and once it was in Disney's control they wanted it to reflect their history.  1955 was the year that Disneyland opened. We've had dinner there several times, I'm a carnivore.  So perfectly cooked steaks and prime rib with all the trimmings suits me fine.

Downtown Disney offers many scrumptious dinner choices.  The icon Rainforest Cafe offers great food with a unique jungle atmosphere.  A third restaurant often overlooked is the Naples Ristorante E Pizzaria.  When my son was 5 years old, we went to Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We went to lunch there in a nice dining room.  The waiter came over and asked my son, "What would the young man like?"
My son said, "I'll have the calamari."
The waiter questioned, "Do you know what that is?"
"Yes, it's a Cephalopod." proudly my son said.
The waiter stood there shocked and said, "I guess he can have it then."
So we had to go to Nalpes Ristorante just to try the calamari.  It was really tasty.  I guess calamari is what salmon was to me.

Finally there is the ESPN Zone. Sometimes while you are on vacation you want to catch a sporting event on television.  The ESPN Zone makes this possible.  You can sit with your family and watch one of the many games being broadcast.  Upstairs there is a paradise for people who like to play sports related video games.

This brings us to the two theme parks, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.  At DCA, there is one place we enjoy for dinner. It is Ariel's Grotto.  This is a character dining experience.  This was my daughters favorite spot because she loved Ariel.  She got her picture taken with Ariel and all the other characters.  When she was young she collected autographs of all the characters.

Now let's cross the Esplanade and go to Disneyland and go to the best themed restaurant in the park the Blue Bayou Restaurant.  Here in New Orleans Square tucked on a side street is the restaurant. Once you're inside you are immersed in a different world.  Day and night the restaurant has the outside setting of a Southern evening.  You sit on a veranda lit dimly by decorative lanterns.  You look out over the quiet bayou.  Fireflies dance in the cypress tree.  The Moon is rising through misty low hanging clouds. You hear the gators croaking in the distance.  As you scan the bayou and the boats and shacks that adorn the levee, you see flat bottom boats carrying people to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.  You feel removed from your ordinary life.  You have become part of attraction not just a family having dinner.  For years, we would to go there for the clam chowder.  It was thick and rich. We also always had the prime rib.  My Mother, who we use to call the sponsor, always had her favorite the Monte Cristo Sandwich.  Sadly, over the years the menu has changed and the clam chowder and the Monte Cristo Sandwich have been moved out to other restaurants in New Orleans Square.  The menu now is a little more Cajun inspired, but you can have them cut back on the spice a little if you ask.

Well, we have eaten our way through the Disney Parks.  We have all meal possibilities covered. Looking forward to Disneyland to be open for twenty-four hours.  You all better rest up and we will see you there. Unpack those sweatshirt and dust off your Mickey Ears.  We all know the more Disney stuff you wear the more you feel like part of the Cast.  So next time, we'll tell you how single-handedly our family changed Disneyland.

Lookout Disneyland Here We Come Three

Is It Lunch Yet?

I could be blindfold and still know where I was because every spot in Disneyland is unmistakable.   I have been going to Disneyland every year since it opened.  I have seen so many changes.  I have celebrated with my own parents, with my wife and I, and now with my family.  So Disneyland being open 24 hours on February 29th is not something my family and I want to miss.  Here is the opportunity to think about one of the most important Disney traditions, eating.  Now that we have finished our breakfast (see last Monday's blog if you missed it).

With appitates sated we are ready to ride.  Hit the Haunted Mansion it is an easy ride on a full stomach.  It is a short walk from the River Belle Terrace and it is easy on digestion. The Doom Buggies are soothing and the hitch hiking ghost add no weight to the buggy.

Hey, look the wait time for Splash Mountain is short, lets go. For years this attraction was only enjoyed by son and I.  My wife enjoyed the ride but my daughter was too afraid.  She and her brother are twins.  Then a couple of years ago, we convinced her. "It's Disney.  Would Disney do anything to hurt you."
"Yes!" she answered.  "Don't you remember Toontown."
She was right, but that is another story for another time.  However, she decided to try Splash Mountain.  Since that time, she loves it.

Look at the time.  Those Indiana Jones” Fast Passes are redeemable lets go there next.  Now here it comes, hard to believe, but my son says “Dad, can we stop for a snack?”

“What do you guys want?”  My daughter wants a churrro, I want popcorn, and my son wants frozen lemonade, a churro, and some of his mom’s popcorn.  Teenage boys are a bottomless pit.

Now the morning is over and the crowds are picking up, and we still have rides to ride.  Well, it's time to stand in queue lines.  Some would say, “Darn those crowds.“  But I enjoy standing in line. Crazy?  Maybe but this is family time at its best.  We talk about what we have done and what we still want to do.  And of course what we want for lunch. Walt wanted to build Disneyland as a place where children and parents could do things together.

Strangely waiting in line is together.  It gives you a chance to talk about many things.  You are connecting with your kids.  You see their excitement.  Over the years the conversation has changed, but there is conversation.  Also, there are other families in line.  Thank you Mom.  She would talk to anyone anywhere, a trait that I learned from her.  I have struck up conversations with people from all over the world in many of the differt ride lines at Disneyland.

But at this time of the day, the thing that is said the most by my family is, “What’s for lunch?”

The question is do you want to take a break and sit down for lunch or do you want to grab something and continue exploring the park?

The grab on the run is always cool for me.  I like the corn dogs from the Little Red Wagon on Main Street.  This is a perfect corn dog.  It is hand dipped in a cornmeal batter and fried perfectly and served hot.  I love it because it reminds me of the State Fair.  I also looked for the Pronto Pup cart.  I never get that first bite because my wife always asks, "Can I have that bite?"  What can I do but say, "Yes, of course."  I, however, get to enjoy the rest.  Including that little bit of crisp fried batter that clings invitingly to the stick

My wife likes the Bengal Barbeque.  The skewers of chicken are great.  Plus this lunch location’s food is on my diet, but who cares.  There are no calories in vacation food, right. 

My son loves the turkey leg and of course a bag of chips or some french fries. 

My daughter will grab something from the outdoor venders like grapes or an apple along with a Mickey pretzel.

An area where you can get a sit down lunch is where the fight begins.  There are so many choices and so little time.  However, the suggestions are always delicious.  Names get bantered about.  Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port, Carnation Cafe, Stage Door Cafe, and Village Haus Restaurant are all tasty suggestions. 

Crazy as it may sound if I get my choice today it will be lunch in Toontown.  There are three little walk-up windows that offer different choices.  So dump the kids at a table because we are getting food from Pluto’s Dog House, Daisy’s Diner, and Clarabelle’s.

What kind of fare will this give us? 

At Pluto’s Dog House, you can get a yummy hotdog.  It is a skinned eight incher with all the trimming.  When you bite it there is a distinctive snap as you sink your teeth into it.  It is all that and a bag of chips as they say.

Daisy’s Diner has the kids’ favorite, pizza both cheese and pepperoni. 

Clarabelle’s has salads and a great turkey club sandwich.  This is not without problems.  You have to wait in three different lines.  This can take some time.  This is why my wife hates it.  But I love the hot dog so it's worth it to me.

Does this mean we are done eating this afternoon?  Not by a long shot.

The good thing about taking a light lunch is it leaves you room for those late afternoon snacks.  Back to the munching.  There is popcorn to eat.  How can you survive an afternoon with out Mickey shaped ice cream bars?  Everyone in our family agrees on this.  Biting that ear off is addicting.  If you aren't in a diabetic coma yet, you have to have a churro.  It is the perfect portable snack, if it lasts longer than a few steps.  Once you have all that sweet it is back to salty.  Mickey pretzels are the answer.

Now watch a parade, go on more rides, and get some more walking in.  You need to build up that appetite.  Dinner is coming.  So, you better be hungry.

So next week, we will explore those possibilities. So get on your smart phone and transfer funds to payoff your credit because we have reservations at a ledgendary restaurant.

Good bye until next week.  We will see you there.

RARW

Look Out Disneyland Here We Come Two

Daddy What's to Eat

I am on a diet, who isn’t at the beginning of a new year?  People diet for all sorts of reasons.  Some diet to look attractive to the opposite sex.  While others diet because they have a low self body image. With me it is different, I, am dieting for my health. I am concerned about the extra weight I have gained since the doctor put me on insulin.  He and I decided that controlling my body’s blood sugar would be easier that way.  It was working perfectly too.  Then I had an unfortunate accident. I stuck at the line when bowling an fell onto the lane and cracked two ribs and tore cartilage on my ribcage. This interrupted my exercise routine. Not that I had a routine, but the inactivity and the holidays caused me to gain a quick twenty pounds. 

 Boring I know. But I want to go to Disneyland at the end of February and I hate to say it I like to not only ride the rides I like eating my way through the parks. There are so many foods and treats that I have come to enjoy over the years.  However, the good thing about Disneyland is that you are walking a whole lot more, which I consider makes up for the extra food.

Since Disneyland is going to be open for 24 hours on February 29^th, let’s consider a 24-hour menu.  This should be a sufficient motivation to keep me on my diet, so I can indulge when the time comes.

You start the day at dark thirty, so you can be first in line to enter the park. You are hungry and there is no time to have a sit down breakfast, so you go for the best that Downtown Disney has to offer, Beignets.  Beignets are what donuts want to be when they grow up.  And there are only two places you can get them.  One is in Downtown Disney and one is in Disneyland.

The beignets were featured in the movie The Princess and the Frog. Tiana wants to start a restaurant in New Orleans.  She is famous for the beignets she made as a side job.


That makes any New Orleans themed area a perfect setting for serving beignets.  The Downtown Disney has a place that fits the bill perfectly. It is Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen.  My wife is drooling just hearing me talking about it.  That is one of the spots we are going to hit on our quick trip this Leap Year.  You can't go to Disneyland without having a beignet or two.

They are warm and puffy.  They pour white powdered sugar into the bag.  A quick but gentle shake of the bag coats the beignets with mouthwatering frosting.  Just writing this has raised my blood sugar.  As you walk along eating your beignet, you have powdered sugar on your face and a snowstorm of powered sugar on the front of your shirt.

If you decide to wait until you are into the park for your beignets, you are going to, of course, New Orleans Square.  There tucked behind the French Market near the train station is the Mint Julep Bar.  Here you can get Mickey-shaped beignets.







They are cute with their little Mickey ears.  They aren’t as good as the Jazz Cafe, but if you are in the park it is the perfect morning sugar rush.  This will get you through the early morning until you have time for breakfast.  Now fueled up go ride some of those rides that have longer lines later on in the day.  Many are open early in the morning. Some of our family favorites can be found in Tomorrow Land.

Try hitting Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blaster. This is a fun and competitive family attraction.  Tell us quick what is you high score.  Now, run to the email kiosk and send that photo to your friends, family, and yourself.  Then send them to everyone from your smart phone. Make them jealous that they aren't in Disneyland competing against your high score. 

Then move to maybe Star tours or Space Mountain.  For our family we love Star Tours especially now that it is 3D.  We may even ride it more than one time to see if we can one of the many variations that the attraction now has.  This has made it fascinating and unexpected.

Followed by stopping by Indiana Jones to get Fast Passes.  This Fast Pass allows you to return at a later time to enjoy the attraction.  The shorter line time still lets you to see all the Disney touches that keeps the ride's theme faithful to the Indiana Jones's Movies.  But beware don't look directly into the idol's eye. I do every time and it makes for a wild ride.

Finally jump on Pirates of the Caribbean.  You know everyone needs   a great pirate song stuck in you head while you are eating your breakfast. 

After the rides, your ready for a sit down breakfast.

The River Belle Terrace is and ideal spot.  I started going there when it was Aunt Jemima’s  restaurant.  I have many pictures of my friends and family sitting on the outdoor balcony.  I generally wait for the Mark Twain in the background.  This slow breakfast allows to get that cup of coffee since walking and drinking in a crowd is difficult and unsafe.  The country fried potatoes; eggs and fruit platter is a delicious.  

But the reason to go there is the Mickey Mouse Pancakes.  You would think this is for kids, but it is enjoyable by everyone. Well, I'm full now and it's time to hit those ride again.  I have to start thinking of what to have for a mid morning snack.  Also, what would be that perfect spot for lunch.  I will poll my family, and let you know next week.  Stayed tuned Disneyphiles. Till next time. 

RARW.