Trip Report: DISNEY DREAM - VILLAS AT GRAND FLORIDIAN - BEACH CLUB VILLAS AND DISNEYLAND

The field guides don't go into wait times and touring tips. They talk about park construction, features, and details. Stuff that you may not notice or take for granted. I think they can help you appreciate the parks a bit more. They are definitely worth $10

BTW the bobsleds are a rough ride. Very cramped cars and bumpy. My knees were in my chest. That was a one and done for me.

Well you may not be able to ride Matterhorn, but maybe they'll let you climb it. Goofy does it

Don't forget Indiana Jones..possibly my favorite Disney ride.

Don't forget to book the tour where you get to see Walt's apartment over the firehouse. In Walt's Footsteps? It was closed during my visit. Take lots of pictures and let me live vicariously through you.

Flag Retreat: Three patriotic songs by the Dapper Dans, a recognition of all the Armed Services, The National Anthem and the Flag Retreat Ceremony. US Flag and California State Flag. Very, very nice ceremony.

The gentleman on the right, Ernie, has been doing the Flag Retreat at DL for 22 years. This was his birthday. Very touching moment.

Indiana Jones Ride- you are not going to get many good pictures on that ride. At least I can't.

from the queue

on the ride

The famous Mr. Toad

IASW was a little different

The Matterhorn and Monorail.

Finding Nemo

Pinocchio's Daring Adventure

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

Snow White

random pictures

Thanks. I neglected to get Walt's window of all things. Another favor you could do for me.

A lot of things are smaller, like the castle and train station, but I. Didn't notice that the buildings on Main were any smaller. In fact some seem pretty tall with three stories.

Yeah, I'm already scheming how and when to get back there.

Thanks Amy. Hey, does your mom read this website?

I've been saving the Halloween and HM pictures.

I heard that DL does a Nightmare Before Christmas makeover at the HM. After seeing how WDW did a lame makeover of Jungle Cruise, I didn't know what to expect. I'm a big fan of NBC. Anyway, it totally blew me away. They completely transformed the HM. It was awesome.

The makeover is total, from the stretching room, through the last scene where Sally replaces Leota. I was amazed.

I Love a parade- not as good as Festival of Fantasy, but pretty good.

Halloween Party
The Halloween Party was a lot of fun.

Trick or Treating was 100% better at DL. They do something called pre-party Trick or Treating. They clear out Toontown and only guests with bracelets can get in. They have a number of candy stations set up, but each one is a multiple station. For instance in Mickey and Minnie's house, they had 6 candy stations. They are also not cheap with the candy. So we had our bags filled in no time, before the party even started. Also, the candy stations are in nice places, not stuck somewhere out of the way like in WDW. Honestly, in WDW I can't even be bothered with the candy stops. The drawback is we had to carry 20 lbs of candy around all night.

The parade was nowhere near as good as Boo to You. It was dinky in comparison.

The fireworks were every bit as good as Hallowishes. You'll see that they do some interesting things in the pictures.

They had dance parties and character greets similar to WDW.

Overall, because of the parade and the Villians Dance Party at WDW, I would have to give the edge to WDW.

Halloween Parade and Fireworks

The ubiquitous Frozen presence

Zero!

All that's left to discuss is DCA. Coming up.

As I stated VGC has a direct entrance to DCA which is about as convenient as you can get. DCA is like DHS on steroids. Hopefully DHS will catch-up after they add Star Wars land and whatever else they do. I hope Carsland doesn't get added to DHS. I would prefer that both parks remain unique. That will give me even more reason to revisit DL.

Buena Vista Street
Red Car Trolley
A Bug's Land
Flik's Flyers
Francis' Ladybug Boogie
Heimlich's Chew Chew Train
It's Tough to be a Bug!
Princess Dot Puddle Park
Tuck and Roll's Drive'Em Buggies
Hollywood Land
Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Disney Junior: Live on Stage
Muppet*Vision 3D
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Red Car Trolley
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Mad T Party
Disney Animation:

Animation Academy
Sorcerer's Workshop
Turtle Talk with Crush
Cars Land
Luigi's Flying Tires
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
Radiator Springs Racers
Condor Flats
Soarin' Over California
Grizzly Peak
Main article: Grizzly Peak (Disney California Adventure Park)
Grizzly River Run
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
Pacific Wharf
The Bakery Tour
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop[1]
Paradise Pier
Main article: Paradise Pier
California Screamin'
Golden Zephyr
Goofy's Sky School
Jumpin' Jellyfish
King Triton's Carousel of the Sea
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure
Mickey's Fun Wheel
Silly Symphony Swings
Toy Story Midway Mania!
World of Color

I booked the World of Color dining package and chose Carthay Circle Restaurant. It was excellent. The food, decor and service were all very good. I would liken it to Brown Derby in DHS, but much better.

They also had a nice bar with a great selection of wines and beers.

Newsie Mickey

They had a cute Pixar parade. There were water guns on the floats and some characters had them as well. It was a lot of fun.

Jack Jack!

Aladdin the Musical at DCA is great. It blows away any of the production shows in WDW. It really is on another level (a whole nutha level). The venue is a beautiful, Broadway-like theater. The talent are wonderful. And the music is pure Disney magic and includes an original song just for the show. If you go, do not miss it. Get there early for a good seat.