TRIP REPORT: Disneyland 2024 - Day Three
Leap Day, Blue Bayou, and The World of Color Dessert Party
I grabbed a granola bar (dark chocolate cherry almond) and headed to the usual meeting spot. Connie came down shortly from her room, and I presented her with a Birthday Leap Day gift. I had a necklace made with her name in Disney font, just a small token of my gratitude and friendship.
We walked over to the Disneyland resort area for our third day. Today, we had two big agenda items: lunch at Blue Bayou at 11 AM and the World of Color Dessert Party at 8 PM. It was Leap Day - and you should never waste a leap day. So, we're making the most of it.
We anticipated more enormous crowds, so we headed into the park but leisurely made our way to the Guest Relations building to get buttons. Connie got a birthday button, and we both got "We're Celebrating" buttons for our 20th year of friendship. Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck walked out and climbed onto the steps of the train station, where they waved at guests. The cast member told us that there would be more out soon around various points on Main Street and that we should keep an eye out for who's coming and where they go to line up to meet them. Noted.
A little bit after 8 AM, we sauntered into "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln;" the cast member asked if we had any questions. I said, "How long until the next show?" He said, "Well, it just started, but how do you feel about Plan B?" We're always up for an adventure - especially a safe, Disney-style one, so we followed him. He asked if we'd ever seen "Goodfellas" and compared what he was about to do to entering the backroom of a mob-run restaurant. He turned on the lights and allowed us in the exit just in time for the show's music to start.
Hearing the unifying words of this great president in 2024 was a surreal experience.
After the show, we wandered around the exhibits and saw the long lines for the characters. We were hungry, so we made our way to the Carnation Cafe. The delightful woman seating us gave us both "Citizen of the Day" buttons, and our charming server came by to take our orders. We both decided on Mickey Waffles with bacon, and I also got a side of breakfast potatoes. We were outside but under a heater, which made Connie quite happy. I was comfortable either way but didn't hate the warmth of the air blowing down on us.
We returned to where the characters were and got our photos taken with Minnie Mouse. Mickey, Goofy, Chip, and Dale were also out, but their lines were very long, so we decided to walk back to New Orleans Square. I booked Lightning Lane passes for Pirates of the Caribbean - and I'm happy I did.
We waited about seven minutes as opposed to the posted forty-minute wait time. We sat in the back of the boat and had a lovely journey through this classic attraction. I like this version's length and the extra immersive ride start. And I'm thrilled that you don't exit immediately into a gift shop.
We scouted out where the entrance to Blue Bayou was and found a seat nearby. We got a little frisky, so we walked back and saw that a cast member had opened the door to the restaurant and was answering questions. She told us to come back when we saw that she had an iPad to be checked in. We returned to our bench until about 10:45 AM, when I suggested we wait closer to the door to see what was happening. It was only a short time before the iPad was present, and we were checked in. I requested a table by the water, and he said that should be no problem, but he would note it on our reservation.
It's very dark inside Blue Bayou, but that's because the boats from Pirates float by on their way to the first drop. The menus actually come with lights built in. I ordered a Louisiana Lemonade: Sprite, lemonade, raspberry, and mango syrups. I also got an ice cube that glows in the dark because . . . well, it was Leap Day!
We both ordered the Monte Cristo, a turkey, ham, and Swiss sandwich covered in egg batter and deep fried. It comes with homemade chips and a side salad. There's also strawberry jam and Remoulade sauce served with the dish. The jam is for the sandwich, while the remoulade is for the chips. There's no way one could finish the entire sandwich; it's enormous, rich, decadent, and impressive, and I'm so glad we did it.
I knew I needed an extended break to be prepared for the late night we had ahead, so I went back to my room for a break. Connie did, too, but she headed back to California Adventure long before I did. When I finally arrived there, I was starving. I had a spicy chicken sandwich from SmokeJumpers Grill right next to Soarin'. It was terrific; the sauce was similar to McDonald's Spicy McChicken, but the chicken breast was of far better quality. Connie had a kid's chicken tenders meal at Flo's Diner in Carsland.
She was waiting for me by the big Carsland sign. Unfortunately, I went the long way and got lost, finally asking for directions from the cast member at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. I ended up on Pixar Pier, with everyone else in the entire country, and saw they had soft-opened booths for the Food and Wine Festival, which officially started on Friday. This is a gorgeous area of the park. Now that it has such rich theming, Carsland, and the Avengers Campus, California Adventure is one of America's top three theme parks. (Magic Kingdom and Epcot still outrank it on my list - but just barely.)
I found Connie, and she showed me around Carsland. The lights were coming up as the sun set; she was right - it was absolutely stunning. She said on her last trip, she just sat there and watched the ride vehicles of Radiator Springs Racers (which was closed for the week this time) race by.
We watched them reset Luigi's Rocklin' Roadsters. They asked everyone to turn off their mobile hotspots, which was interesting. It was a fun ride, but the line was far too long to ride it. We decided to scope out the check-in area for our dessert party, and they were already open. We got our wristbands and received the instructions we needed. We were to line up by ten til 8 PM, and we would be walked over to the seating area, where we'd be greeted and taken to our designated table. Connie went to Avengers Campus to explore it at night while I sat on a bench and watched people (and TikToks.) She returned just in time to line up and be walked over to the party.
We were once again seated with a friendly couple from Vancouver - a financial planner and a pharmacist - and we enjoyed chatting while we ate our desserts. It was a large plate of cheese, grapes, and various sweets. I sampled all of them but only finished a few because there was so much. I also got a hot chocolate and a Coke to wash everything down.
Promptly at 8 PM, the show started. This fantastic water projection fountain light display highlights Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel characters, both new and old. It was inspiring and exciting and well worth the $89 price tag to have a seat for the show. Plus, our magic bands lit up in synch with the colors in the performance.
Once the show was over, we slowly made our way to the park exit. My back hurt, but my heart was full. What a great way to spend the one extra day we're gifted every four years.
TOMORROW: Our final - and fullest day!