If You See It: Eat It! Via Panama to Disneyland - Completed and Link to New Trip Report 2/24

[Captain_Oblivious]

The whole area is directly next to Adventure Isle with Skull Rock and a pirate ship.

The ride was designed to have drops added to the story line. I think there are three in total and at the big one there is even an on ride photo being taken. It is just perfectly themed all around!

Thanks for the photo and links! It looks really cool. I guess I'll just have to visit Paris someday.

Oh - I had not thought about that... I am excited about the movie. The one trailer I saw was intriguing. I also know they have some kind of viral marketing campaign going on with a whole backstory to the film.

I'm excited for the movie too. The director is Brad Bird, who made The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. So I think he has an excellent track record.

Oh, I wonder how your family coped with it... For two adults it is so much easier!

Coming soon, to a TR near you...

I have started to really dislike the whole process of those excursions. The waiting around to get started, being at some else’s mercy as to when things would happen, the large groups, etc.

And not only because of the totally crazy prices Disney is charging there for excursions.

The downside on cruising is that you only get a glimpse of the places you visit.

I think this sums up why my wife and I decided we weren't "cruise people". Certainly, there are great things to enjoy about cruises. But I got frustrated always being on someone else's schedule. And if I visit a place I may never get to again, I want to make sure I have enough time to explore it. So just getting a glimpse was frustrating to me, too.

If you count the rides, the two parks in California come out about equal with Walt Disney World in total (without the water parks).

I never realized that! Very interesting.

It was so much better than my expectations even. RSR is not a groundbreaking ride, but it is so entertaining and it is still a lot of fun after a few rides when you know what to expect.

I'm glad you liked it so much! They really did an amazing job.

World of Color:
It is a great show, but after the second showing I was a bit annoyed at how difficult it is to get a good viewing spot. And it is a show where the viewing spot is important. I guess I will have to do something I hate to do: line up very early for a show. Not happy with that…

Not to ruin things, but even lining up early may not necessarily help...

Writing a trip report for a nearly 4 week trip:
Don’t do it! It kinds of becomes your second job. ;-)

Thanks for persevering and finishing the report! I always thoroughly enjoy reading about your experiences and adventures! Being able to do a 4-week cruise and see the Panama Canal was fascinating, and I was thrilled to be able to see it through your eyes! Looking forward to the next TR.

 

[dizneeat]

Writing a trip report for a nearly 4 week trip:
Don’t do it! It kinds of becomes your second job. ;-) No, while at some point I felt that I was not making any progress at all, I am very glad that I got it done. I am typing everything in Word document before posting it and as I type this, I am on page 216. I am grateful for every single person who posted a comment – knowing that there are people out there, who read what I write and enjoy it, certainly is a motivation to keep going! So, a big thank you to all my readers! I hope you will be along for the next cruise adventure on the Fantasy that should be coming to a discussion board near you soon! I will post the new link here when I start it.

OMG I completely missed this paragraph!
Tell me about those long TRs! I could not agree with you more that they take over your life.

But I am very happy and thankful you do them - I so enjoy reading about your adventures and cannot wait to read about your next one.

 

[sager1969]

I just found this the other day and it has taken me a couple days to read it all.

1. Thank you so much for writing this. I want to do this cruîse but was not sure I could handle being on a ship that long. It is the food thing for me. I get tired of all of the rich food by day 5. My DH and DS keep trying to talk me into it. I think we will try in Sept 2015 or 2016!
2. Your info and pics were amazing! I love the Wonder - mostly due to the CM's. My favorites are usually on that ship. Hopefully, the rooms will get lots of TLC when dry docked.
3. I am dying to get DLP. Your little tidbits were really helpful. One day I will get there.

Again, thanks so much for sharing!

 

[Flossbolna]

I got so far behind on my comments. I have been reading along from my phone, but I just hate posting from there if I want to say anything more than just a few words. My computer time has been so spotty lately!

I know, I find that with the new DIS it is really easy to read on the phone. But it is still a nuisance to reply as typing on the phone is just no great fun...

You cracked me up with the crabs in Laguna. But I can totally relate as there are lots of bugs and other things that wig me out.

Usually I don't mind things that just stay on the ground. I get really nervouse if they can fly or jump. But this sideways walking was nearly as bad!

I enjoy dining at Napa Rose, they have so many wonderful dishes there.

It is a wonderful restaurant all around! I hope to get back there on my next visit to DL.

I try and avoid those 24 hour events like the plague. I can't remember if this was the first one, or they have done it for a couple years now. I remember listening to the traffic reports that night and they were reporting that all the streets and the freeways were gridlocked with all the people trying to get there. No thank you.

We would not have attempted to go there if we had to drive!!! But for us it was just outside our hotel. This was not the first one - I think it was the third they ever did? But the rumour is that it is going to be an annual thing now to kick off the summer season.

I really appreciate you taking the time to write this report. From the cruise to your thoughts on DL and all the other fun things you did it was great to read, and also nice to get to know you. I hope that you and Michael get to see each other sometime soon! I'm glad you finished this up becuase I am really looking forward to hearing about your cruise on the Fantasy!

Thank you for your nice words! I love getting to know my readers during those trip reports as well. And the Fantasy one should start soon. @nodnol reminded me yesterday that it is soon only 100 days before we leave for Norway and I want to get the December trip report finished before then...

They're probably strange things to comment on, but I was really impressed with the towel crocodile and the pirate watermelon. Wow!

Glad that you liked them! I was fascinated by them as well, that's why I took a picture!!

Also, so attentive of Renato to move that bottle of worcestershire sauce from kitchen to kitchen in case Michael wanted it again. Maybe he was just trying to save himself from re-doing the search he'd done before! I think he was just trying to take care of his guests.

On the cruise line they make a big thing about wanting to provide you with "excellent" service. And this definitely was one of the opportunities for Renato to shine and he took it.

Puerto Vallarta looks really nice and you got a great kiss-shot with Cassandra.

Thanks! The whole sea lion swim was such a wonderful excursion!

 

[Flossbolna]

Sorry to see this come to an end, Magdalene. I was WAY behind (half term here) and there is just too much to comment on. I am really looking forward to your next adventure(s)!

Hope you are enjoying your time off!

Thank you for this TR. I've been lurking since very early on and enjoyed it immensely. We did the EBPC in 2012 and I enjoyed reliving it.

A very late and thanks for coming out of lurking! It is always so wonderful that people appreciate my trip report!

Magdalene, having started a pre-trip report already, I fear I am too late to heed your warning. And I am already wondering whether I have made a big mistake committing to a trip report. However, if mine can be half as useful to future PC cruisers as yours has been to me and my husband, in planning our cruise, then it will be worth it.

Oh! I need to come over and find your PTR!! I am looking forward to following along with your adventures!!

Thank you so much for writing your trip report, it was such a great read from beginning to end and has proved invaluable to me (and others, I am sure).

Thanks you very much for following along! I am happy to hear that you found it useful!

I look forward to seeing more from you very soon

I hope to get the next trip report started by the weekend at the latest!

Great wrap-up! You have me really wanting to go back to Disneyland!! I'm sorry this TR is over, but am looking forward to reading your next one!

You really should think about it! I know the flight is a long one with small kids, but it is doable. @Captain_Oblivious did a South West road trip with a baby (he has an excellent trip report about it here), so it is not totally impossible.

 

[nodnol]

Thank you very much for a very informative trip report, which also left me with a very strong wish to go to Disneyland SOON!!!! So, not sure, whether I should really thank you. The part about the cruise made me look really forward to our trip. I have no idea, whether I'll like it or get really bored or annoyed
And I'm looking forward to your next report. And we'll see about a report from our cruise...

 

[addictedtothemouse]

I was home with a bad cold today and this TR was a perfect way to pass the time. I love all of the detail you provide and your many pictures. I hope that I catch your next TR from the beginning.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I got really behind again as for some reason I was no longer getting notifications for this thread and now you are finished with the trip report. Thanks for sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading along.

Laguna Beach looks lovely, but the crabs would have freaked me out, too. I think Graham has ended up at Laguna Beach on his wanders, but as we have good friends in Seal Beach, we tend to head there if I need some sun, sand and sea while we are in California.

The dinner at Napa Rose looked delicious and I rather like the look of the lunch you had on the last day, too.

What a shame that the 24 hour event made your day quite stressful. It is great though that you got to ride Pirates and It's A Small World though. I was up in arms when I first ready about the addition of the characters in It's A Small World. I was really worried that this would spoil the overall feel of the ride. However, this has been so cleverly and sensitively done that I think it actually adds to the experience.

Corinna

 

[SailingScout]

Thanks for sharing this TR! We will be on the EBPC this October and I loved all your details.

 

[Flossbolna]

so much for sharing your experiences with us, I really appreciate the time you have taken for this TR and it has really helped with planning for our trip later this year! alreayd looking forward to the next TR

Hope you have a fantastic cruise! It was fun writing the TR and it is even better to know that others enjoyed it and found it useful!

OMG I completely missed this paragraph!
Tell me about those long TRs! I could not agree with you more that they take over your life.

But I am very happy and thankful you do them - I so enjoy reading about your adventures and cannot wait to read about your next one.

Yes, you certainly are far more crazy than I am with all those long TRs you are doing!! I have no idea how you can keep it up without going crazy!

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for the photo and links! It looks really cool. I guess I'll just have to visit Paris someday.

Yes, I think you have! It is not far from Germany at all and I think we have already established that you need to come to Germany! I can even provide you with a special advisor as to which engineering sights are worth a visit.

I'm excited for the movie too. The director is Brad Bird, who made The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. So I think he has an excellent track record.

Yes, I had heard that. I think that was one of the reasons why I was already positively inclined towards the film!

I think this sums up why my wife and I decided we weren't "cruise people". Certainly, there are great things to enjoy about cruises. But I got frustrated always being on someone else's schedule. And if I visit a place I may never get to again, I want to make sure I have enough time to explore it. So just getting a glimpse was frustrating to me, too.

For me the benefit of cruising is that I find it so hard to slow down on vacation. And cruising forced me to just relax and do nothing. I really loved that. But then my cruises have mainly been to places that I was not overly interested in. For example, I would not want to take a Hawaii cruise for exactly the reasons you mention.

I never realized that! Very interesting.

Does that make you feel more successful with what you got done in one day?

I'm glad you liked it so much! They really did an amazing job.

Yes, they did! I can't wait to see Carsland again!

Not to ruin things, but even lining up early may not necessarily help...

Thanks for persevering and finishing the report! I always thoroughly enjoy reading about your experiences and adventures! Being able to do a 4-week cruise and see the Panama Canal was fascinating, and I was thrilled to be able to see it through your eyes! Looking forward to the next TR.

Thank you for your kind words! I hope to get the new report started soon!

 

[Flossbolna]

I just found this the other day and it has taken me a couple days to read it all.

I am impressed that you read it all in a couple of days!!

1. Thank you so much for writing this. I want to do this cruîse but was not sure I could handle being on a ship that long. It is the food thing for me. I get tired of all of the rich food by day 5. My DH and DS keep trying to talk me into it. I think we will try in Sept 2015 or 2016!

I am glad that you enjoyed my report! As you read, we got a bit tired of the food as well. But I think if you go in knowing that this is an aspect that you don't enjoy that much, you can always work around it. There is no rule that you must eat in the MDR room every night. There are other options. And on such a long cruise, I felt that I was far more eager to just not do something because I was less afraid of missing out on something. I hope that you will give it a try and have a wonderful cruise!

2. Your info and pics were amazing! I love the Wonder - mostly due to the CM's. My favorites are usually on that ship. Hopefully, the rooms will get lots of TLC when dry docked.

The rooms are currently being refurbished! I guess they realized that they needed to address them now and could not wait until the dry dock in 2016. And I agree about the CMs on the Wonder. We met so many wonderful CMs on the ship!

3. I am dying to get DLP. Your little tidbits were really helpful. One day I will get there.

I hope you get to go to DLP, it is really wonderful and currently it is getting a lot of care, so hopefully will become a little less worn down soon!

Again, thanks so much for sharing!

Thanks for posting!

 

[Flossbolna]

Thank you very much for a very informative trip report, which also left me with a very strong wish to go to Disneyland SOON!!!!

I am glad that you enjoyed it! And I am sorry that you want to go to Disneyland now... But I promise to do my best to convince your DH that this is a necessary stop on your next trip to the USA!

The part about the cruise made me look really forward to our trip. I have no idea, whether I'll like it or get really bored or annoyed

I really hope you will NOT be bored or annoyed!!!

And I'm looking forward to your next report.

The beginning is already ready to go!!

And we'll see about a report from our cruise...

You could always get your feet wet by writing a pre trip report for it!

I was home with a bad cold today and this TR was a perfect way to pass the time. I love all of the detail you provide and your many pictures. I hope that I catch your next TR from the beginning.

A very late I am happy that you found something to distract you from a nasty cold!!

Thanks for sharing this TR! We will be on the EBPC this October and I loved all your details.

Another very late I hope you will have a fantastic EBPC cruise this fall!!

 

[Flossbolna]

And here it is:

From the Sea to the World - Holiday Edition

I hope to see all of you over there for more fun on the Fantasy and at WDW. Kind of fitting that after a trip on one of the classic ships and at the "classic" Disney park, we followed up with a trip on on of the new ships and the "new" Disney park (if we just look at the USA).

 

[Lotjestar]

Thank you so much for sharing your vacation memories! I really enjoyed reading your trip report!
Greetings from Belgium

 

[daneenm]

I am reading your Holiday Report and then came back to read this one end to end. What a great trip! Thank you so much for sharing the details. As a first time cruiser, I found it VERY helpful!

 

[Flossbolna]

Thank you so much for sharing your vacation memories! I really enjoyed reading your trip report!
Greetings from Belgium

Thanks for posting! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed reading it! And I love to hear from other Europeans on the DIS!

I am reading your Holiday Report and then came back to read this one end to end. What a great trip! Thank you so much for sharing the details. As a first time cruiser, I found it VERY helpful!

Wow! I am impressed that you came back here to read the full trip report! I definitely wrote the trip report with my sister in mind who will go on her first cruise with me in June of this year and I tried to include information that I thought would be of interest from her newbie perspective. I am happy to hear that this worked for others as well! And if you want to read about my first experience, you can read the original From the Sea to the World Trip Report (<- text is a link) from 2013. The cruise starts on day 4.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Okay, trying to catch up around here a little. Some general comments about your final updates. First of all, thanks for the undertaking, even though it felt like a second job at times. I especially loved all the parts surrounding the Panama Canal crossing.

So many rides at Disneyland Park are similar but so much different with the outside parts and queues. Even IASW was interesting with the differences. Too bad you didn't make in onto Storybook Land. That was really neat and so much different from anything at Disneyworld that I can think of. Pooh is a fun little ride..........unless you're doing it while totally soaked from Splash Mountain. And I agree about the Matterhorn, although when I rode it this time I didn't remember it being that rough.

Hard to not have high expectations for Carsland, but I agree.............it met every one of them. As for WoC, it is absolutely a fantastic show. Finding a spot to see the show is not so great if you use Standby or get a normal FP. However, I have to say that if you take advantage of the WoC dinner package the special reserved area is fantastic in my opinion. Napa Rose is one of the restaurants that participates, so that is good for you. I really didn't see anything on the menu, for those prices, that excited me but it works for you if that is a must-do restaurant whenever you go back. Carthay Circle however, was a fantastic meal and gets you into the same area to view WoC. Lots of good food at the CS locations around the parks that I wish they had at DW.

 

[eandesmom]

I am so far behind you've started another TR but I wanted to comment on a few things! I am so used to those little sand crabs it's kind of funny but I can also see where they are a bit creepy!

The burgers at the Terrace are actually the same exact burger at Trader Sam's. And I agree, it may well be the best burger in Disney at either park. Although the one at the Captain's Grille isn't far behind.

UGH on the lines, DL can be rather awful and I am sorry that was your last night but very glad the weather cooperated for a lovely afternoon at the pool. Napa Rose looks lovely, some day I will make it there. Nice recap on the cruise, I do think 2 weeks would be too long for us, 1 week is nice and then it lessens the impact of begging a bit bored or underwhelmed with the food.

Nice for us that you've started your new TR, we don't even have to be sad about the 2 of you being separated all summer and most of the fall, for us you are back together immediately!

Wonderful TR, I really enjoyed it and am sorry I was not here as much as I'd have liked.

 

[Sneezie]

Just wanted to let you know that this trip report is the reason my sister and I are booked for the Panama Canal crossing this May. Please refer to DCL for your sales commission.