Final Farewell Carousel Inn and Suites in Anaheim California

     In the summer of 2016 we were told that The Carousel Inn and Suites would be closing for good. We had been staying there every summer since 2005. The Carousel had become our California home. When we went to Disneyland we always felt like we were home when we arrived. It was heartbreaking to hear they were closing our home.

     They are not just closing down our home but also tearing it down. They are tearing down one of the most beautiful buildings across from the parks. For what? A walkway from a parking area. Sorry but that is just sad. Many jobs were lost and many people lost a wonderful place to stay.

     The Carousel closed in the fall of 2016. Then in the summer of 2017 it was boarded up but still standing. This year however when we arrived we found it very well destroyed. The room we stayed in is gone, the Pizza Press building is gone. Most of the tower is gone.

     I created this final farewell to The Carousel picture video showing her in her splendor and sad final days.

   Farewell Carousel

   

Disney Pixar Fest-Fun Foods

    We tried a few of the Disney Pixar Fest menu items but found that not many of them appealed to us however there were a few items we found absolutely delicious. Well at least I did.

    
Green Alien Pasta 

The Green Alien Pasta at Pizza Port in Tomorrowland replaced the spaghetti which I thought was sad, why not have both? Regardless though I thought it was delicious. They use a spinach sauce and add peas to this dish. It had a different flavor that I cant' describe. You will have to try it for yourself. My aunt liked it and my mom said it was ok. My mom might have liked it better if they hadn't gotten rid of the spaghetti she loved to make it. As for me, I absolutely loved it!

Funnel Fries

One of my other favorite Pixar Fest foods were the Funnel Fries. They can be found in Disney's California Adventures (DCA) at Award Wiener in Hollywood Land. These delicious fries are a sweet funnel cake fry with whipped cream topped with fruity pebble cereal. My mom and aunt liked the funnel cake part but I loved the cereal and whipped topping as well. I think the funnel cakes had an icing on them too. This desert is a must! Make sure to eat a small meal because they are filling.

I wanted to try both of these items again but never made it back to them because there is just too much to eat at both parks.

There was one item that my mom and aunt tried but I did not because I figured it would be to hot and spicy for me.

Temperamental Taste Shifting Corn Dog

The Temperamental taste Shifting Corn dog from Corn Dog Castle at Paradise Gardens Park in  (DCA). This corn dog has pepper jack cheese and two spicy hot dogs inside. The tastes did shift but both my mom and aunt decided part of it was too spicy and they really did not enjoy it.

I hope to make it back to the parks before all of the good food treats are gone. I will try some different things but will also try the items that I love such as the Alien Pasta and Funnel Fries! 

Cafe Orleans: Gumbo, Pomme Fries and Monte Cristo

     This year we once again ate our delicious gumbo at Cafe Orleans We had made a reservation to eat the gumbo at Blue Bayou because we did not see it on the menu of Cafe Orleans anymore but found out that they no longer sell it in a bowl but do have a cup an appetizer, it is the "soup of the day". So we cancelled out Bayou reservation because, well the sandwich is $8.00 cheaper at Cafe Orleans. Plus we love the fries.

     The gumbo is one of my favorite foods. We did pay $7.00 for a cup which was a bit high. I thought that it would not be filling however we found that it was plenty of gumbo.

     There were three of us so we shared a Monte Cristo and fries. We ended up leaving the fries because the soup was so filling.

 So if you want some delicious gumbo and a Monte Cristo sandwich, just hop on over to Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square Disneyland! It is a fabulous meal!!

+Cafe Orleans 

+Disneyland

+gumbo

+Monte Cristo Sandwich

Lost/Stolen Camera at Disneyland

     On July 1, 2018 around 11 AM I lost my camera. I am completely heartbroken. I usually am so careful so really have no idea why I left it.What is even worse is that someone might have found it and said "oh look at what I found, a nice camera and I am keeping it."

     We had been on just a few rides on the first day of our trip. My mom and aunt had to use the restroom next to Alice in Fantasyland. I sat on the bench and put it down next to me. When we got to Pizza Port to eat I noticed it was gone. I had my other bags but not my camera. I went back to where I had set it down, called immediately to report it lost and then asked if one was turned in all around where I had been.

     So far on July 7 my camera has not been turned in. I was really hoping that it had been picked up by an honest person. I still hope that somehow it is sitting somewhere at an attraction where the cast members did not follow the rules and put all lost item in their bins However it is not looking good at all.

    I have a lot of memories on the SD cards and the camera was a semi-professional Canon so it was not cheap. I loved my camera and love taking pictures. I am extremely sad that someone might have found it and kept it. I would not do that. I mean those are my memories and I want to take pictures for the rest of my vacation. How could someone just keep it?? I do not understand.I am not that kind of person.

     I still have hope that an honest person found my camera, but that hope diminishes with every day that passes and no camera. I have my phone but it is not the same.

Pixar Fest Means No More Spaghetti at Pizza Port

     Every year we come to Disney Resort. When frequenting a place often you usually have favorite foods. Well my moms is the spaghetti in Disneyland's Tomorrowland at Pizza Port.

     We looked forward to our Pizza Port visit, the Alfredo for me and spaghetti for my mom. My aunt loves the Alfredo but decided to try the spaghetti. When we got to the counter we noticed they did not have the spaghetti but rather a green pasta dish. I asked if they had spaghetti and they said they did for kids but the chef replaced the adult version with Alien Pasta for Pixar Fest.

      Nothing is more disappointing than expecting something only to find they no longer have it. What is surprising is that they could sell spaghetti for kids but not adults...and a pasta pace that does not sell spaghetti, really??

     We did try the Alien Pasta and I loved it. My mom and aunt thought it was ok. My mom was still bummed that they did not have her spaghetti. She had looked forward to it all year. There is nothing more disappointing than to be ready for a certain dish but it is no longer served.

     My mom did finally get some spaghetti the next day in California Adventure Park at Boardwalk Pizza.

   

Disney Memories-Pre Vacation Excitement Memories With my Kids

     It is a week before our annual Disney vacation. I remember when this time arrived my kids and I would be so excited and we would say each day "this time next week we will be on the road heading to California." We will be about to Victorville or wherever we would be at the time we were talking about it.

     It was so much fun as we would talk about what we would be doing every moment of the day when we arrived in California. We would say things like "in 8 days we will be walking into the parks. We will be throwing our cares away as we enter and listening to the music as we walk to the check point." Or we would think ahead to what else we might be doing at the moment.

     Our pre vacation times were almost as fun as the actual trip. We had so much fun just talking about what we were going to do. Of course we never really had any plans, we always took each moment as it came.

     Now my kids have grown and no longer go with us every year. It is sad to not have those fun time together, it is sad that we can't talk about how it will be in a week when we are at our favorite place. Our happy place. Now I just think of it on m own and have my memories  but still sad that they are just memories.

Winter Disney Vacation

    We have taken an annual trip to Disney Resort in Anaheim since  the summer of 2004. When we started going it was my mom, my two sons and myself on the trip. As time went on the vacation included my grandma until she passed away in 2006, my aunts and sometimes cousin and his family.

    Once my kids reached adulthood they were no longer able to go. My oldest had not been in 4 years and the youngest 2 years. My mom, aunts and I still make the trip every summer.

     This past winter however we decided it was time to take a winter trip to Disneyland. Both of my kids were able to come along with my grandson and his mom. It was nice having both of my kids there again and also having my grandson and his mom. It was special sharing the winter beauty of Disney Resort.

     Disneyland and Disney's California Adventures are much different in the winter months. We went Jan 3-6 so thought we would miss the Christmas and New Year busy season but yet be able to see the holiday decorations. We were wrong about missing the busy season. It was busier then than it is during the summer months.

     The busy parks did not stop us from having a fantastic time. The decorations were beautiful, from the huge Christmas trees to Nightmare Before Christmas and the artificial snow after the fireworks.

    We love Nightmare Before Christmas so that was one of our favorite scenes! My little grandson was amazed.

     My grandson who is 5 years old was not excited about the drops on Pirates of the Caribbean and scared on Soarin but I think Radiator Springs Racers might have upset him most of all. His mom and dad told him that it did not have drops however once the race began he was mad at them. He said "you told me there were no drops!" So he was not fond of the race portion of that attraction. He loved Dumbo though so go figure.

     Our winter trip to Disney Resort was amazing. It brought back special memories of going to the parks when my own kids were young adding new family members to our special time!

     It is busier that time of year than the summer months. It was worth the crowds and busy season.