A very Disney weekend
I may be reaping the repercussions of an extremely fun week/weekend in Disney, but it was so worth it. Our mother-daughter trip I had planned before the pandemic was finally able to commence. In today’s post I’m going to be taking you through the planning, the eating and Disney Halloween experience.
SO… first up… you should know that this trip was suppose to happen Oct. of 2020 but we all know why that wasn’t a possibility. So when we finally got the good news of one, when Disney would be opening and two, when they would be hosting their Halloween bash my mom was on the computer ready to buy the tickets. We had booked the hotel back in June and probably got our park reservations in that month or in July. *Park tickets and reservations have been opening up daily based on capacity due to COVID.
And...although they weren’t officially at capacity when we were there Oct. 22-25, it. was. busy. So if you are planning a trip to Disney be prepared to wait in lines especially as they flip the switch to Christmas. I think we waited in line for Haunted Mansion for at least an hour.
A few other things we really missed due to the panaroma ;)
No parades or shows (Except for Fireworks)
It’s a Small World was closed (Christmas Revamping)
Food Reservation were hard to snag (more on this later)
Was not impressed by Marvel Avengers Campus …Sorry
Characters were out but social distanced from visitors
Now here are some things we REALLY enjoyed
Wine Country
Allergy Friendly Services - SO attentive
Salt & Straw - period.
The Animation Academy
Just walking around Disney looking at all the fall decor
Shopping!!
So let me take ya through it! I mentioned reservations were hard to get, we had tried almost 3 month before to get into Blue Bayou and couldn't. When we check during our day in the park the lovely character man that works right outside of the restaurant said it’s basically a hit or miss for walk ups right now. But if you are the lucky Disney go-er who can get in you have to go! They have a new menu and now serve alcohol! The only place in the Disney park selling alcohol other than Oga’s Cantina. Which…let’s talk about Oga’s! Absolutely loved it! And if it hadn’t been 8 in the morning I totally would spent a few hours drinking there. We went at that time because the walk-in list was only a 10 minute wait lolol. Keep in mind that the drinks are pricey…but what isn’t at Disney. We had the Jabba Juice which is Orange juice with Pineapple, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, and Blueberry Flavor-filled Boba. So yum!
Not to mention it was my mom’s first time experience Star Wars land in it’s entirety and both our first time on the Rise of the Resistance ride which…..HOLY MOLY. I can’t begin to describe the money and technology that must have gone into that ride. By far one of the best ride experiences we had. With that being said be sure to get your ride que ready that morning. If you haven’t use the ride que or been to Disney since this started you will need the Disney App on your phone with the account that has the ticket reservations connected. At 7 am and Noon, the ques open up for Disney go-ers to try to get a spot in “line”. Once you have a position, you’re given a time slot to be at the ride by to board. Sort of like a fast-past but ultimately different. Star Wars land and Marvel Campus has incorporated these systems and I for-see it being a much more common filter system in the future.
But don’t worry! There was no lack of alcohol once we made it California Adventures.
One of the reservations we were able to make was at Wine Country Trattoria. Also amazing service for allergies. Our server went above and beyond to make sure that I ordered the right thing and that I even liked it once it came out. I opted in for the wine tasting which gave me 4 decent size glasses of wine. Two reds and two whites. Friends…I was DRUNKY in DISNEY. Maybe the rain had something to do with it, but after that deliciously heavy meal and wine we headed over to Grand California where I had to take a snooze!
For other allergy friendly meals we ate check out my instagram!
My favorite was the Alien Planet Pizza Palace, for a while they didn’t have a gluten free option that was also dairy free and egg free but they have brought back their ability to talk to the chefs and our chef made my pizza totally allergy-friendly and it was bomb! I also wanted to shout out our service at The Hungry Bear Cafe. She found a great burger option for me and went out of her way to make sure the bun didn’t have any soy in it! Hungry Bear also has Beyond Meat Vegan options now as well.
Needless to say we can’t Disney like we use too… My mom and I really liked the idea of only needed to come back when there are kiddos in the family to experience the magic through their eyes. In the same breathe it was a super fun trip… and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world! I’m just as excited to go back on our next trip whether that’s with kiddos or not. But definitely looking forward to our Pom Nationals Trip in Florida so I can redeem my food poisoning experience of the Walt Disney World! Ultimate goal? Get invited to Disney’s taste of Disney to help cater to their allergy friendly options and Disney go-ers! So If anyone can put in touch with the Mouse that makes all the decisions that would be great! ;)
