Character Dining - Goofy's Kitchen

A new experience for us on our latest trip was the character dining at Goofy's Kitchen.  The restaurant is located inside the Disneyland Hotel.  We booked the dinner at the hotel for 6 pm and when we arrived we were a little surprised to learn that we had to line up again inside to even check in with the front of the restaurant.  Once we checked in we had a seat and waited until we were called.  So that whole procedure took a bit of time but you start off your meal with the main chef himself!

Kinda neat!  Being a buffet we were welcomed to begin eating right away and the food the was presented for us at dinner time was plentiful and delicious!  Various kinds of meats, salads, side dishes, chicken fingers, 3 kinds of pizzas and macaroni and cheese.

First Minnie came around to greet us and sign autograph books and pose for photos.  We felt like she spent a good amount of time with us.  She was her usual cute and funny self.  We loved it.

Goofy also came out to visit us at the table which was nice since I know he's very busy cooking!  One of my favorite pictures of the trip was when Goofy went to pose for a picture with Danelle and Kris and he covered up Kris's face.   You could tell that Goofy was sweet on Danelle.

Karly almost missed Goofy's visit since she was up getting food but he played around with her a bit when she came back to the table.

Also Chip and Dale were around that night we were in for dinner.  The food again, was fantastic. There was something there for every pallet.  We had two very good eaters with us that night and they were just stuffed.  After we had decided that we were so stuffed and couldn't eat another bit of food for at least a week, the waiter brought us 3 that ran the half marathon that day a cup cake and a badge to celebrate our accomplishment.  Things like this just stick out in my mind as over the top Disney customer service.  It's attention to detail that you don't find any where else and its partly why we love Disney so much.  The gesture of the cupcake was fantastic.

My little one also especially remembers a dance that all the characters did during our time there although it would appear I didn't take any photos.

All in all the dinner was Aces.

Avengers - Infinity Gauntlet Challenge

This year in November 2015 I was lucky enough to return to Disneyland to try my hand at a challenge race.  The Avengers series of runs takes place in November and offers a 5km, a 10km as well as a half marathon.  Well we signed up for them all.

Again this time we got our bibs and accommodations through Get Travel.  This brought us to a new accommodation at the Castle Inn and Suites.  The accommodations we nice enough and they were able to get our two family clans adjoining rooms.  That was the whole key to the early morning runs with children along on the trip.  We would be able to leave an adult behind with the sleeping babes while the crazy adults went out and run in the wee hours.  Actually having said that all members of the family participated in the 5 km run.  

The 5km run course went through both Disney and California adventure and at some times got quite congested.  Which if you have little ones along they do enjoy the opportunity to walk.  With so many people on the course we didn't get any character photos, the lines were just too long.  After that big family endeavor we treated ourselves to a character breakfast that we had reservations for.  That is just what is called for after an early morning run such as this.  

We enjoyed our time in the park and by early evening it was time to retire for some sleep because we had the 10km run coming up.  It was easy to fall asleep and our plan of leaving sleeping children behind worked perfectly.  The three adults who are serious about running were able to get up, get dressed, have a little breakfast and we didn't wake up anyone.

The nice thing about the Castle Inn and Suites as you could say about most Disney good neighbor hotels is that you can walk to the starting corals of the races.  It was a brisk morning but we didn't suffer too much in the cold.

The start of the 10km was delayed for quite a while without any apparent reason that we could tell.  A few kms into the run and the sun was coming up which made for some fantastic photos!  This 10km was a fun distance, we stopped for lots of non character photos because again the character line ups were crazy!  But all too soon the 10km was done.  It didn't really tire us out, other than the early mornings.  We knew the big one was coming the next day.  In order to rest as much as we could we did some low key things inside the park like watch the Christmas parade and watch Aladdin in the Hyperion theatre.  Both of those were good get off your feet things to do.  After a while I we even went back to the hotel for a little swim and relaxation!

The pool at the Castle Inn wasn't exactly heated.  If I was guessing I would say low 80s but everyone around the pool was from BC or Alberta.  It was very cute.  There was another little girl there in the pool for Karly to swim with.  We had a good chat with everyone hanging out.  Another early morning was coming so we were out of the parks and into bed by 9 pm, okay maybe 10.

  

There's just nothing like the fun of running a Disney Half Marathon!  Literally every miles is magic.  There were bands, cheer groups, costumed cosplay groups, and thousands of spectators that were ready to cheer us all on!  The weather was perfect too.  It was a little cool as we waited in the corals to get going, but once we were out on the course the beautiful California sunshine warmed us.

13.1 short miles later and we were rewarded with our new half marathon medals as well as our Infinity Gauntlet challenge medals.  3 runs, 4 medals and that is some serious Disney bling!  And the best part, we loved every minute of it.  Yes, it was physically demanding but we just keep on planning to come back!  Each race we are a little stronger and a little more prepared both physically and mentally and each time we have a wonderful experience.

We enjoyed the park for a day after the races were done.  We got all of our favorite rides done, lots of them numerous times.  Crowd levels were fairly high.  Not sure if it was all us runners or just a lovely time for anyone / everyone to be at Disney.   

Next up... Tinkerbell in May.

See ya'll there!

Run Disney - Wine & Dine November 2014

In November my sister in law and I were able to sneak away on a girls trip to run the Disney World Wine & Dine Half Marathon!  We began planning this trip very soon after we got home from the Tinkerbell Half in January.  Wine and Dine would be the finishing race to our Coast to Coast medal for 2014.  If you run a Disney Half Marathon in each park in the same calendar year then you are awarded a third medal for the Coast to Coast.

We booked our travel through GET travel, they do lots of the Run Disney events.  They arranged our stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort, our park hopper passes and our Half Marathon Bibs for us.  In this way we found it to be a very stress free way to get set up.  Disney runs are getting to be more and more popular and will even sell out now within a few hours of registration opening up.  Providers like GET Travel already have an allotment of race bibs and so they don't have to fight in registration to get them for you.

Our trip to Florida in November began like any other cross country journey.  I flew to Calgary to meet up with SIL, then together we flew to Toronto and then to Orlando.  From the Orlando airport we hopped on the Disney magic express and were dropped off right at our resort.  It had been a long day of traveling so we had no trouble getting settled in our room and then falling right asleep.  Here's a few photos of our resort the Caribbean Beach Resort.

In the morning we had plans to head over to the Expo at ESPN Sports Center. It was there we would be able to enjoy the expo, pick up our run packages and then maybe head into the parks for a few hours before we had to get ready to run!  The expo had lots of neat booths to look at, a few photo ops and a general atmosphere of excitement!

The first part of the day evaporated on us very quickly.  We were able to pop into Hollywood Studios and Epcot before we needed to get back to our room to try a quick nap and get ready for the evening.

The sky had some pretty serious clouds in them and the weather forecast didn't look promising.  It was really too late for us to modify our running costumes for the run but I did manage to pick up a hat to keep the impending rain out of my eyes.  In BC we get to rain run fairly regularly. 

This will be the last dry picture of the night.  Pretty well as soon as we had bussed over to the ESPN Sports Center and arrived at our corals it began to rain.  It rained lightly at first, our spirits were high, we were ready to rock this run!  We had also arranged to meet up with another friend who would run as our Mickey.

Soon enough it was time to hit the road and get our 13.1 miles on!  There were many characters out on the course for us to have photos with.  This alone despite the down pour of rain was amazing.  You could tell that Disney did have to wiggle a few character stops around.  Some were under any kind of roof that could be found, or tucked in alongside buildings, but they did the best they could.  Some of the characters were even right out in the rain like us runners.

Pirates aren't afraid of the rain

The Tree of Life

The Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights was amazing!!!

Running in the pouring down Florida rain was actually not too bad.  It was warm rain, as long as you kept moving you didn't chill.  It was a very unique experience, one I don't suspect I'll soon forget to run in this much water and be hitting puddles that splash up your legs and be really okay with it!  It was all kinda fun.  Of course not what we had hoped for but what is a person to do but make the best of it.

Three short hours later (Disney runs are for fun not PBs) we were running across the finish line.  It was really from this point on that things became more and more unfortunate.  We collected our medals, posed for a few pictures and then went right over to gear check to get out of our wet clothes.  Once the gear check bags were retrieved we had to wait in the cold and wind and rain to get into the changing tent.  Yes, boys and girls each had their own changing tent, but they weren't big enough.  After what felt like an eternity of waiting we finally got into the tent amongst hundreds of other wet, cold women who were in various stages of undress in a tight humid space.  Regardless we carved out a square foot of grass for ourselves and changed into whatever dry clothes we had packed.  It didn't really warm us but it was a step in the right direction.  From there Epcot was open until 4 am for us runners to enjoy the Food and Wine festival.  The first beverage of the night was a hot chocolate.  It may have been the best hot chocolate ever. We didn't tour all of Epcot or do any rides but we did make it until 4 am easy enough.  We had a few bites of food but the cold and the rain persisted.

After we made it back to the hotel room sleep came very easy in our warm beds.  The next few days were a blur of Disney World awesome.  We went into all of the worlds except the water parks and enjoyed all the rides we had hoped for including the new Dwarf Mine Train ride.  Disney World all dressed for Christmas was really something to see and the Food and Wine Festival was a delight!

All in all our Wine & Dine / Splash & Dash Half Marathon in Florida was fabulous.  Just like any of the Run Disney events it was magic with every mile!  I might like to try it again one year without the rain.

Character Dining - Ariel's Grotto

 
In 2012 we booked a Character lunch at Ariel's Grotto.  Ariel's Grotto is the character dining spot inside California Adventure.  We hadn't been there before so we really didn't know what to expect. 

The cast of characters at Ariel's Grotto are the Princesses.  When you arrive for your reservation time you are greeted right away by Ariel in her wedding dress at a photo spot.  That's a nice touch we thought.

The location is superb and we were seated outside on the patio so that we could look upon the water.  We were immediately served with some appetizers of cheese, crackers and olives.

After we had chosen our lunches from a fairly limited menu the princesses began to arrive.  One at a time.  Unlike the fur characters, the princesses can talk.  And do they ever.  They carry on cute conversations with your wee ones.  They teach them some princess like sayings and picture poses.

Overall we enjoyed our lunch.  I thought the food was a little off the mark for family dining.  It was fancier that it needed to be.  Scott and I enjoyed it very much but if you have a picky eater it might spell trouble.

There aren't many other ways to get quality princess time in the parks and so for that reason we think Ariel's Grotto is a win.

Character Dining - Disney's PCH Grill

A few years back while staying at the Paradise Pier hotel we booked a character dining experience right in our own hotel!  The Paradise Pier is home to Disney's PCH Grill.  There's nothing more convenient than a breakfast reservation in your own hotel.

As per the usual Character Dining experiences the food was fantastic!  What we noticed with the PCH Grill is that they had a bit more atmosphere.  They had a theme song and a dance when the characters came out to visit and the whole California beach theme made for a great ambiance. 

Each location for Character Dining has a different cast of characters of course.  In this sense it is a bit of Disney magic because once you've enjoyed a few character meals you want to try them all.  Or is that just me?  There are currently five character dining locations running at Disneyland & California Adventure.  Each of the Disney hotels has a character meal as well as a one in each of the parks.  Not all of them are breakfast either.  We've heard great things about Goofy's Kitchen inside the Disneyland Hotel but we've not yet made it there to try it out.

We had a great time, laughing, singing and eating our way through breakfast at the Paradise Pier.  There are always lots of interruptions to your meal when characters come to visit.

The PCH Grill is only a character dining experience for breakfast.  The rest of the day you can expect great family restaurant fair.

Character Dining - The Plaza Inn

One of the hidden secrets of Disneyland is Character Dining.  It wasn't until we had been to the park several times that a friend suggested we go into town hall and inquire about Character Breakfast.  Sure now adays Character Dining has become quite a big thing with several locations to choose from. 

The first time we went to a Character Breakfast we booked it through town hall and made our reservations there.  I'm sure you can still do that, but if you're planning ahead the Disney website has a full dining and reservations section there.  The classic location is the Plaza Inn for Mickey and Friends breakfast.  We have enjoyed the Mickey and Friends breakfast on three occasions through out the years.  Sure the price is more than you've ever paid for a breakfast before, but this is no ordinary meal.  You will be treated to a buffet of delicious breakfast items, everything from omelets, to pancakes, waffles, breakfast meats, fresh fruit and scrambled eggs.  There's no way a person can leave hungry.

While you are enjoying your breakfast either inside the restaurant or outside on their patio Disney characters will wander around.  When the character approaches your table they'll take the time to interact with each family.  They are happy to sign autograph books, give hugs and pose for photos.  During the approximate time it takes you to eat your meal you will have one full rotation of Disney characters.

Karly was a bit scared of the characters the first time she met them

Smaller children may be afraid of some of the characters.  Karly was 5 at our first Plaza Inn Character Breakfast and she wasn't really a fan of some of the characters.  Perhaps show your children some photos of what's going to go on and they'll be a little more comfortable with the whole idea and have a bit more fun with posing for pictures.   Don't forget to take horizontal photos for your autograph book!

Here she is just one year later loving the Fairy Godmother!

For us the Character Breakfast is a bit of an extravagance but we only do one Character meal per trip.  It's been a great way to fill up those autograph books and get to meet some of the characters up close.  These are memories that will last a life time.

What a perfect way to start your Disney Day!!

How to get to Disneyland on the cheap

Disneyland to our family is simply a magical place.  The whole family loves it there.  Not every family sees the magic kingdom in this fashion but we do and we would like to go there as much as possible.  That being said, there's no reason to put Disney ahead of other financial goals.  We just need to make them all work in harmony.  Make no mistake college is coming and we need to save money for that, retirement is coming faster than we think and so are more trips to Disneyland.

Here's how we make our trips to Disney as inexpensive as possible.

Theme #1 Airmiles!

Park passes
You may be surprised just how far a few Airmiles can get you towards your Disneyland vacation goal.  We like to use our airmiles often to buy our park passes.  Those puppies are expensive so that's where we go first with our airmiles.

Rental Car
If you're doing Disney on the cheap there may be some driving involved.  If you didn't bring your car down then why not look at a rental car?  They're really not that expensive.

Hotel
We have not done this to date but if you have your park passes covered, why not pay for your hotel with airmiles too?  You can search out all the details on the Airmiles website but it looks like they do have a few hotels right by the park.

Flights
This one is a bit of a classic, but of course you can pay for your flights with airmiles.  You can also drive to Bellingham and fly on Allegiant Air to LAX those are about the cheapest flights from our neck of the woods.

Theme #2 - Being Thrifty

Shuttle
If you do fly into LAX the Super shuttle will happily give you a ride to your Disney proximity hotel for about $16 a head. 

Disney savings
One of the things we've picked up off of Pinterest in the past year is a Disney savings jar.  We like to plan our Disney trip, talk about the plans over dinner and generally just be excited about the upcoming trip a few months in advance.  In order to keep the topic fresh we often build a Disney savings jar from an old coffee can and decorate it like Mickey or Minnie.  That way as we go about our day to day life if there's a bit of extra money  around we put it in the jar.   Sometimes Grandma and Grandpa come around for dinner and put some money in the jar (its happened). If we feel like we've caught a good sale or made a good buying decision in another area we put some money in the jar.  Or if we've foregone a normal treat in lieu of more money for Disney, we put that money in the jar.  I think it teaches kids to set financial goals and we've been delighted when we take the accumulated cash to the bank and change it in for American spending money.

Park drinks and snacks
The only other things we regularly do to make Disney cheaper is we bring our own water bottles into the park so we don't have to buy drinks there and we stay hydrated in the California sun.  We also bring with us lots of snacks to take into the park. 

If you're wondering how close you are to your next Disney vacation just take out a blank piece of paper and estimate the costs.  You may be closer than you think!