Author Archives: jennypersons

Run Disney cancels ALL Disneyland races for 2018

I meant to share this yesterday but forgot! This is actually pretty big news though. According to the RunDisney Blog, they are canceling all Disneyland RunDisney races for 2018:

“Given the level of construction to support the ongoing Disneyland Resort expansion, we have been working hard to determine how we can continue providing our West Coast participants with the best possible runDisney experience, which is designed around the ability to run throughout our resorts while enjoying entertainment offerings and characters.

After careful consideration and weighing all possibilities, we have made the very difficult decision to place all runDisney race weekends at Disneyland Resort on hiatus beginning in 2018. This includes the associated Coast to Coast Race Challenges”

 

This is a big bummer for anyone planning a Coast to Coast this year. They may have already signed up for one at Disneyworld, not knowing that they would cancel all Disneyland ones. Sad. Happy I have my Coast to Coast, but bummed for anyone that was planning that this year. Hopefully, they will bring back the Disneyland races when Construction winds down….

2017 Run Disney Virtual Race

Somehow, I missed the fact that RunDisney started Virtual races last year! I think it was having a new baby and I wasn’t paying attention. This year, I did notice! I signed up to run the 3 5k virtual races they were offering. This was easy for me to accomplish because I pretty much walk/ran a 5K every morning this summer.

If you signed up for all 3 5k’s, then you get a bonus 4th metal. This year’s theme was Pluto. All 3 metals combine into 1 in the bonus Pluto Metal. The Metals are HUGE! I was not expecting them to be soooo big and metal. The Run Disney 5k’s my husband ran, they got rubbery metals. These are LARGE METAL metals. I was actually quite impressed! Very similar to my Half Marathon Metals. I also got a rag/washcloth, dog tag, and collapsible bowl.

Is it the same as running an actual Run Disney race? No, of course not. You don’t have the magic, characters, running through the theme parks, fellow runners, etc. However, not everyone can get to the parks to run one of the races, not to mention how expensive they have become. I’m all about the bling too, and this is some awesome bling. So while It is not the same as an actual Run Disney race, it is still a great motivator and fun reward for running at home. It also helped fill my Disney gap/need for this summer. I’ll probably do it again this next summer and I’m hoping they’ll bring back the Mickey set they did last year (that I missed – sad!) in one of their upcoming years!

Magical Character Encounters

After writing about our recent wonderful character experience with Stitch, it reminded me of one of our most memorable Character experiences.

It was my husband’s and 2 oldest kids first trip to Disneyworld (I had been before and they’d been to Disneyland several times – We were there for our Daughter’s 5th Birthday!). Back when we only had 2 kids! We were walking around Epcot and spotted Sleeping Beauty with no line. SWEET! A Princess without a line?!?! (she was kind of hidden, and if you didn’t know already, Epcot is the BEST place to meet characters, little to no lines with most characters!)

My daughter is Autistic (was? She no longer shows signs educationally speaking! YAY! She is now in 8th grade and no educational signs of Autism!) and at that point didn’t really know/understand how to respond to questions, especially open-ended questions. She had a hard time communicating with people who didn’t understand how she communicated. This wasn’t a problem with the full costume characters, like Mickey, Minnie, etc., but the Princesses can actually talk to the kids. I was a bit nervous since she started to ask her some questions, I thought I would have to step in and explain that she didn’t understand how to communicate to questions.

The magical thing was, I didn’t have to step in. The Princess figured it out and improvised. She simply smiled and started dancing with our daughter. She was so happy – dancing with a Princess! To this day, it still brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. It was one of the most magical memories we have at Disney. Out of all our Character encounters, this is one that I can remember most vividly (I think the Stitch one will be like this too). Part of me wishes I had taken video of it, but I am happy I can remember it so well (and we do have pictures at least!).  I doubt this Sleeping Beauty knows what a magical memory she made for us by simply understanding, not freaking out over a kid that wouldn’t communicate, and just embracing her and dancing away with her.

I think it is things like this that keep us coming back year after year. Not only do we have a fun time together as a family, but we create magical memories that we a cherish for a lifetime.

Disney Visa Meet & Greet

I have to rave for a bit about the Disney Visa Meet & Greets on our last trip. We have always had wonderful encounters at the meet and greet’s, but we just seemed to get an excellent batch this last trip. We did the Star Wars ones a couple of times. Getting Kylo Ren twice and Chewbacca once. My Husband loved the Star Wars ones with no lines!!

In California Adventures, we got Minnie and Stitch. Minnie doted on the baby and hugged all the kids. The star of the trip was Stitch! We had an AMAZING Meet & Greet with him! We spent a good 10 minutes there. He chased the kids and played around. My son was carrying a chicken nugget (’cause he never eats while we are actually sitting down to eat) and chaos and hilarity ensued. It was seriously one of the best character experiences out of all out many trips to Disneyland. Makes we wish I had though to get some video, but it is a memory we’ll all remember for a long time!

I also love that Disneyland gives them to you digitally now (like Disneyworld) – much nicer and you get ALL the pictures they take instead of just one!

If you don’t have a Disney Visa, I’d highly recommend one to those who visit Disney often. You get discounts, perks, and Meet & Greet’s all for a no annual fee card! (and I don’t make a cent recommending it to you!)

 

Flo’s V8

Flo's V8

On out last trip, we finally were able to eat at Flo’s V8. I’ve always loved the decor and atmosphere at Flo’s – I love the diner vibe!

They have lots of souvenir options for your meals. I almost upgraded one of the kid’s meals to get the Lightning McQueen Lunch box, but then decided it would be something that wouldn’t really get used again and opted not to spend the money. I did upgrade the glass on one of our milkshakes and got the souvenir glasses. It’s a fun glass and something we’ll actually enjoy and possibly use. It is plastic, so you can haul it around the park with you all day without worrying about breaking it. The lovely ladies working there even washed out our glass after we were done with the milkshake so we could take it with us without getting all sticky!


The food is good. Nothing spectacular, but good! I had the Turkey Dip and my Husband the Roast Beef and Cheddar. They were good – nothing to rave about, but good. We’d go again, as it is one of the better options in California Adventures, but not a place that I have to keep returning to. (I think California Adventures is very lacking in good quick service restaurants, so this is one of the better options) If we don’t go next time, I won’t be too hurt. So it is a good place to stop and eat, but don’t expect anything too fantastic!

Flo's V8

souvenir options

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

Disney announced today when the re-themed Tower of Terror in California Adventures would officially open: May 27th

It will now be Guardians of the Galaxy Themed with the title: Mission BREAKOUT!

The opening kicks off their “Summer of Heroes” including these new experiences:

Summer of Heroes will launch these new, year-round experiences:

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off! – Don’t be surprised if you run into the Guardians of the Galaxy on their way to the Milano, with Star-Lord firing up his old-school boom box to get the party started. Gamora may prefer to stand back and observe, but everyone else is bound to get in the groove and show off their moves during this awesome rock ‘n’ roll bash!
  • Super Hero Encounters – For the first time, citizens of Earth will come face-to-face with Groot, one of the Guardians of the Galaxy! You can also step up to meet the First Avenger, Captain America, along with everyone’s favorite web slinger, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

And for a limited time, step up to the challenge with new adventures during Summer of Heroes:

  • Avengers Training Initiative – Black Widow and Hawkeye assemble young recruits for a series of tests to see if they have what it takes to join the ranks of the Avengers.
  • Heroic Encounter: Black Widow – Black Widow will arrive on the scene several times throughout the day in an armored Avengers vehicle for her heroic encounter with park guests.
  • Grab a Piece (or Bite) of the Action – All that heroism making you hungry? Want a token as proof of your adventures when you get home? Special themed merchandise and food will be available throughout Hollywood Land

Read all about it at the Disney Parks Blog

 

Are you excited for the re-themed ride? I know many people that LOVED Tower of Terror, but I always enjoy change and don’t freak out about it. If you really want the Tower of Terror, you can still experience it at Disneyworld, and the Disneyworld version is MUCH better than the California Adventures Version ever was. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my husband’s favorite comics, so I know he and my boys are excited. I’m glad we were able to experience the Tower of Terror one last time on our last trip too!

Harbour Galley – Lobster Roll in Disneyland

Harbour Galley

On our last trip to DisneyWorld, I fell in love with the Lobster Roll at Columbia Harbour House in the Magic Kingdom. It was delicious Columbia Harbour one of my favorite quick service restaurants at DisneyWorld.

Well, I read that they now have Lobster Rolls at Disneyland. Sign me up!! They are at the Harbour Galley in Critter Country. Across from the Haunted Mansion and near to where you load the boats to go over to Tom Sawyer Island. To be honest, I never paid attention to this little restaurant before, either because it was always closed, or it is off the beaten path and I never gave it much attention.

Well, we paid attention this time! My Husband and I both got Lobster Rolls, but our kids opted for burgers over at Hungry Bear (which is VERY close by as well, so you can get “kid” food for those picky kids!). For us adults, it is a nice break from the typical theme park burgers and the prices are about the same!

The Lobster Roll was good. I wasn’t a big fan of the bun, it kind of just fell apart. The buns at Columbia Harbour House at Disneyworld were much better. Not sure if it was just the day we were there or that is normal. They just don’t hold together well in the middle. However, even though they didn’t hold together well, it was still tasty. The bread was toasted and buttery. The Lobster filling had lots of mayo and not a ton of Lobster, but considering you are in a theme park, the amount you get for your theme park money, it pretty decent. It is served with a side of kettle type chips.

Overall, it was a good lobster roll. Columbia Harbour House still has it beat, but this one was still tasty. I for sure will be back on our next trip to Disneyland, as this was one of my favorite quick service meal options I had on the trip! (I also enjoy the French Market and Rancho Del Zocalo)

Harbour Galley Lobster Roll

Mickey Beignets

Mickey Beignets

Can you believe in all our many trips to Disneyland (I mean we had Annual Passes!), we hadn’t eaten a Mickey Beignets?!?! I know – crazy! Somehow we just always missed/forgot to get some. We would usually just get them at the Jazz Kitchen Express in Downtown Disney (they are excellent there by the way! Perhaps better than the Mickey ones… but they taste very similar)

So we decided we HAD to eat them on this trip! To find these delectable treats, you need to find the Mint Julep bar in New Orleans Square. It is not the easiest place to find, but you’ll find the window in the patio area of the French Market Restaurant. You can get a 3 or 6 pack. We got the 6 pack of course. They were tasty! Considering theme park prices, it wasn’t too bad for 6 snack items – one for each of us! It is much cheaper to buy them at the Mint Julep Bar over Cafe Orleans. My kids wanted to buy a second set of 6, but they also wanted Dole Whips that day, so we just stuck to one a piece. If I’m being honest, I could have eaten all 6 myself! I love beignets!

Now that we’ve finally found/tried the Mickey Beignets, they will always be a stop for us on our Disneyland trips! Can’t beat a yummy treat that feeds all of us without paying through the nose! Add the Mint Julep Bar and delicious Mickey Beignets as a stop on your next trip too!

Mickey Beignets

My Beignet about 3 seconds before I devoured it…

Jedi Training Disneyland

 

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but they changed the way they do the Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland. I think it is a great change, because with this new way if your kids REALLY want to participate, they are certain they will be part of the training. My old way of getting in had a 100% success rate for those that tried it, but this way your kids are signed up and sure to make it in!

You now sign your kids up for the training and are given a show time to come back for. When we were there, you signed up near the entrance of Autotopia, upon the Innoventions ledge. We got there mid-morning, early afternoon and they still had plenty of openings for the later shows – and we signed up more than one kid. We were able to pick which show they wanted to participate in. We were there during a less busy time of the year, so your mileage may vary depending on the time of year. If your kids really want to participate, be there early in the morning to be sure they get a chance to be in the show.

You arrive for the show early and leave them with the cast members. My husband took the boys over while I grabbed a table in a good spot to watch the show. He then came and joined us and the boys soon came out in their Jedi Robes ready to start the show. It is always such a fun show to watch and the kids love getting to participate in it! Boy #3 was too little to participate, but he loved watching. He is counting down until we go again and he is old enough to participate!

 

Frozen Live on Stage

 

One thing Disney does VERY well at their parks is the amazing shows. I LOVE the Lion King show at the Animal Kingdom. I could see it a million times before I got sick of it. I’ve seen the Nemo one several times and it is a fantastic show as well! We loved the Aladdin show that used to show at California Adventures – the Genie was always amazing!

Well, no more Aladdin – it’s been replaced with Frozen Live on Stage. I was a bit skeptical of the show at first. I like Frozen just fine, but it has been a bit overdone lately. I was wrong. The show was AMAZING. Broadway quality show! Seriously, it was that good. We were raving about the show when we left. I am so glad we took the time to see it. We didn’t have to get a fastpass or anything. We walked in just before the show started and managed to get great seats near the front – score! All my kids even enjoyed the show – even my 10-year-old boy. The effects and props were great and we all had a wonderful time!

So even if you’re burnt out on Frozen (like me!), still take the time to see this show! It is well worth your time in the park!