Disneyland Musings
Woman in the Middle | December 14, 2011The whole family played hooky yesterday and went to Disneyland. My brother went along too. It was great! The predictions of rain helped keep the crowd down. We got on virtually every ride we wanted to and had become so jaded by the short lines that when we saw that Alice in Wonderland had a 30 minute wait time we all agreed “No Way!” Here are some Disneyland bits and pieces:
The chocolate cake you can purchase in the Golden Horseshoe Saloon is to die for! Yum! Cake, a layer of chocolate mousse, and topped with a chocolate ganache! It has whipped cream and a strawberry on the side. I don’t go to Disneyland for the food but this was lovely!
OK, I know I just said that I don’t go to Disneyland for the food, but one thing we do try to get when we are there is the Dole Whip, located at the entrance to the Enchanted Tiki Room. Several years ago we were in Hawaii and visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation. There you can get a yummy pineapple treat called Dole Whip. It is like a pineapple soft serve ice cream. As we ate it we mourned that we wouldn’t be able to have it again until we managed to get back to Hawaii. Imagine our surprise and delight when, on the next trip to Disneyland. we found out that Dole Whip is available there! While the price of a day at Disneyland is approaching the cost of a Hawaiian vacation, at least it is a little closer to home!
After the holiday themed fireworks, certain places in the park experience a fake snowfall. I realize that any of you reading this where real snow falls will be laughing your socks off over this but bear in mind we rarely get snow here in southern California! Anyway, we decided to watch the fireworks from a snow fall area. Sure enough, after the fire works the lights came back up and the “snow” began to fall. Made up of small bits of foam, I would have told you before I experienced it that the fake snow would be hokey. Well, I was wrong. It was truly magical! Really, it was the reaction of everyone around us that was magical. It was right out of a TV Christmas movie with small children reaching out to grab the “flakes” in delight, parents beaming at their delighted children, young couples snuggling and kissing….. Leave it up to Disney to make fake snow so wonderful!
I made a tiny, half-hearted attempt to get my girls to go on “It’s a Small World” but they said “NO!” I knew they would. You see, last time we went to Disneyland I did manage to talk them into going on that ride. Then, just before we exited a small glitch occurred and we were stuck for 10 minutes, not moving but getting to listen to that song over and over again. You know, the Small World song doesn’t have many lines to it. Believe me, we know.
I Love Disney places and Characters thanks for sharing, nice writing and article
Thanks! How can you not love Disneyland? We are lucky that we live only an hour away!
That cake is dangerous. I’ve had it, and it’s crazy rich (and a respectable portion too, considering). My current fave food at Disneyland though is the delicious goodies at the Bengal Barbecue. I especially love the bacon-wrapped asparagus. Their other offerings are all good too, of course.
I love the snow after the fireworks. Yeah, maybe it’s because we don’t get snow here in our 86 °F weather, but it’s plenty magical to me even if it’s not real.
As for “It’s a Small World” you may have been slightly saved (had you gone) by the fact that it was “It’s a Small World — Holiday” during this time of year. If there had been a stop you’d at least have been hearing Christmas Carols for ten minutes.
Oh, the smells that come out of that Bengal Barbecue place are amazing! We usually don’t eat there because it is always so crowded and there is never any place to sit. As for that cake, my husband and I shared a piece and that was plenty, it was so rich! I think Small World whould have had to be playing Aerosmith in order for me to get my kids on it again. It is going to take a while to get them over that unfortunate exeperiance!
Sadly the limited seating is rarely sufficient, but I’ve found there’s usually plenty of chairs open right around the corner at the River Belle Terrace which provides a nice view of the Rivers of America while you eat your skewers.