Disneyland and Southern California - January 2024: Day 7 and Thoughts

Sunday February 4

Slept in til 7:00; got up and packed - We ‘slept in’ a little and packed up.  We met our group downstairs to go to breakfast.

Walked to Pixar place, cute hotel - We all walked to the newly-renovated Pixar Place Hotel.  It used to be Paradise Pier Hotel and shortly before our trip it was reopened as the Pixar Place Hotel.  It was really cute with Pixar theming and a Pixar soundtrack.  We all enjoyed the refreshed look of the hotel and agreed we would like to stay some time.

Breakfast at Great Maple American Eatery; delicious! - We had reservations at the Great Maple American Eatery for breakfast.  It was a nice restaurant, very modern farmhouse.  We were walking through the tables to our spot and noticed the portions were HUGE!  The menu looked delicious.  There were several items I wanted and I decided to get nothing.  Lisa ordered an entree and Ellie ordered an adult entree so I figured there would be enough to share.  My plan worked out great because I got to try almost everyone’s food.  I got to try the ribeye hash, the chilaquiles, the Cajun shrimp biscuit benedict, and they were all delicious.

Walked to World of Disney one last time; Grady got a skin for the spider-bot (black panther)

Anaheim Town Car Service picked us up early; Great service, wonderful vehicle, comfortable seats, even had Disney+ for the kids to watch shows; short drive

Flight delayed - Easy through security - Setup Spider Bot, pretty cool toy

Pixar Pier Hotel

Anaheim Town Car service - Great ride to airport

Flight home

Trip Review and Final Thoughts:

Grand Californian is the best - We have now stayed at the Grand Californian twice and have determined it is the best hotel to stay when going to Disneyland.  It is the most convenient and most comfortable.  We were able to pop in and change clothes if needed or easily take a break or go to the pool without losing more time than it’s worth.  The rooms could use a refresher, but overall, this hotel is the undisputed champion.

Parents on trip - Seemed better with Grand Cal convenience. We were slightly worried about my parents going on the trip because they struggled a little on the last one.  My dad had some issues with speed and stamina, but they seemed to have a better time and were able to keep up better.  I actually think the hotel helped a lot, less extra steps at the beginning and end of the day and more time to rest.  I think it helped all of us, but I think it helped my parents the most.

Worst rental car experience ever - We’ve had some questionable rental car experiences, but this one took the cake.  We couldn’t believe how terrible it was.  From the beginning of not having a van due to a “recall” even though we saw them, to the end of no late drop off, we were not destined for a good rental car experience.  Thankfully, our transportation back to the airport was great.  The craziest part was I contacted Avis after our trip and explained what happened.  The response I received was, sorry for your experience.  They gave zero retribution or sympathy for our experience.  I continue to think of the Seinfeld episode with the rental car reservation, “You know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to HOLD the reservation.”

Club 33 - I still can’t believe we were able to go to Club 33.  To say it was a bucket list experience is an understatement.  Everything about Club 33 exceeded expectations.  The food, the drinks, the service, the atmosphere, the ambiance, the merch, the history, everything was amazing.  And to be in the presence of greatness was an honor.  Spence and I are both aware of Tony Baxter’s resume and know the impact he has had on Disneyland and the Disney parks.  To be in this vaulted setting and sit close to a Disney legend is an honor and a privilege. Thank you so much to the member and friend who were able to make this happen for us.

Tiki drinks and Bengal BBQ - Lisa and I had been to Trader Sam’s in Florida, and it was fine. When we went this time, we had a blast. I don’t know if it was the Disneyland difference or the high we were on after Club 33, but we loved it. The drinks were fun and delicious and the atmosphere was so much fun. We also found Ellie loves Bengal BBQ. She loved it so much that we made a version at home for her birthday. I enjoyed Trader Sam’s so much that I have my own tiki bar setup at home and at the lake. We found some recipes online and they are quite delicious. We’ve had some fun making them this summer.

Genie+ - In DIsneyland, Genie+ is basically the same as MaxPass, which we loved.  It is significantly more expensive than MaxPass and that is the big detractor.  We have found we are able to do more with Genie+, review our last day in the parks from this trip.  But, one drawback is it will drive you to hike across the park more frequently rather than just tour the parks.  When using Genie+ you generally look for the earlies return time, which may not be the closest attraction to your current location.  This is not always a big issue, but it could be.

Kids more accustomed to travel and Disney parks - Overall, the kids we great.  There was a Grady meltdown (we’ll never eat at Carnation Cafe with him again), but they did great.  They are really becoming experienced travelers and they love and understand the Disney parks.  Ellie has certain snacks and rides she want to do and she had really taken to shopping.  Grady loves his rides and snacks and want to look at droids, lightsabers and Spider-bots.  Grady still likes the character meetings, but Ellie has pretty much grown out of them.  They are fun to travel and go to Disneyland with.

Nice to go with family group - I enjoy going on trips with the four of us, but it is also fun to go with others.  My family is a Disney family, we grew up going to Disney World every year.  Now we take our family.  We all have a love and passion for Disney so it makes it fun to travel there together.  We also enjoy having others as a buffer and the option to separate.  We all travel together very well.  We have heard stories about families traveling and not getting along, but thankfully we do not have that problem.

Overall, this was a great trip.  We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our time together in an amazing location.  We will be back, I’m sure, and that is a good thing.